I think an excellent setup would be the above mentioned Cunill grinder paired with the Lelit PL041 linked below, still on sale. Total of $535, and should serve you well for quite a while.

http://www.1st-line.com/machines/home_m ... /PL041.htm

I'm surprised that no one has suggested the Le'Lit PL041 & PL53 combo.

PL041 (single boiler/vibe pump): link
PL53 (doserless grinder): link

I plan on picking these up for the girlfriend soon; I've read a lot of great reviews, both here and on CG -seems to be a great, utilitarian setup.

The only -minor- con seems to be the short steam wand, sans frothing adapter; however, I would imagine that a replacement could be found.

The_Left_Hand wrote:I'm surprised that no one has suggested the Le'Lit PL041 & PL53 combo.

Strike that.

sweaner wrote:(...) paired with the Lelit PL041 linked below, still on sale. (...)

http://www.1st-line.com/machines/home_m ... /PL041.htm

Happy Sunday everyone!

I wanted you all to know that I've been working on researching the suggestions that you have been making.
It's time consuming!

I will post again in a day or so, Thanks for everything!

Debbie

Having just received my le'lit machine and trying to get a grind from the local coffee shops/groceries(I know, I know, I didn't settle on a grinder until 4am this morning) I can say that the advice about getting a good grinder is absolutely essential. Also the Le'Lit is replacing a delonghi and there is absolutely no comparison between the machines, the delonghi might as well be a dirty stone pot over a campfire Since I just ordered the Cimbali this morning I can't comment on it yet, BUT everything I've read has led me to believe that any bad shots I pull are going to be my fault and not the equipment.

not to hi-jack the thread but one of the things I found I liked about the delonghi was that it actually made a decent cup of "coffee", ie 5-8 oz, with a regular drip grind, does anyone do this with their espresso machines? I can't imagine why but will it hurt the machine to operate like that?

but will it hurt the machine to operate like that?

with an espresso machine, you make an espresso and add hot water.

Called an Americano.

SwingT, right I've made a few of those, but I'm talking more along the lines of a lungo but about double one of those and using a drip grind NOT espresso grind, so the entire extraction for about 6oz is around 10 seconds.

edit:
I meant to mention that the taste is quite different from an americano

For a lungo, yes, you'd grind coarser and the extraction would be briefer. A 6 oz extra-extra-lungo? The extraction possibilities exist along a continuum, so you might find the proper grind to pull 6oz through the espresso machine in 10-12 seconds and, if you're lucky, have it taste pretty good. It would depend in large part upon what happens to the temperature of the water during the extraction. On some machines the temperature would plummet; on others it would get too hot; on some it would remain constant; on others it would rise or fall but within an acceptable range.

Wouldn't it make more sense to serve lungo shots correcto-style -a sort of toned down mini-americano? It seems it would be easier to produce the desired extraction, with less concern over temperature fluctuation, and adjust the final product to desired taste.

Lots of suggestions! It's like you walked into a candy store and asked for something sweet.

I would start looking for a used Mazzer Super Jolly. Always keep an eye out for one on ebay/craigslist and see if you can score one for around $300 or less if the burrs look worn and need to be replaced. This will be your single best purchase and last you a lifetime of coffee drinking. If you can't do this, I think the Kyocera handmill will suffice low consumption (1-2 doubles a day), but make sure everyone else who wants coffee grinds their own! Handmills complement levers the best mostly because even a bad grind can be saved by manipulating the lever a bit for preinfusion or during the shot. An electric grinder is much nicer when you are going through 2-3 sink shots while learning on a pump machine...

The machine gets a lot more tricky, as you can see there are tons of suggestions. Personally I think a machine with a ready supply of parts and information suits new people best. The only thing you have to decide in this price range is probably how much effort you want to put into the initial learning curve. No matter what, I would again recommend buying used as you will get more for your money, but with the machine in may mean you'll have to take it in for repair initially or on occasion sooner than a new machine (or if you're a fixit type person, or know someone who will help, even better). Levers are great for the type of people that like fixing things, or in general just disassembling their machine for maintenance. All levers should be taken apart regularly for cleaning and seal lubing now and then.

Best place to buy (in my opinion) a used machine is off coffeegeek forums. Machines from here have usually been treated properly, and those of us in the coffee community like to take care of the new people when we upgrade. Hopefully this means you can score a good machine for a good price. Make a list of the machines you want, and depending on how much you spend on the grinder, use the rest to buy the machine.

For example, right now a PID silvia and a expobar pulsar are both up there for sale at around $600. Though this won't leave you any room for buying a grinder, I would recommend to buy the grinder first, and save an extra couple hundred for a machine in that class, then wait around for a deal like that to pop up. In the meantime, a good grinder will serve you well making other types of coffee a lot better than you're used to. An aeropress or vac pot + fresh beans is hard to beat until you have a pretty good machine along with some experience.

One last advice is to post up a WTB on that same forum for the thing you are looking for at the time. You never know what people have sitting around that they don't really want to take the time to sell. But if someone is looking for it, often they'll realize they have one that's not being used and post.

Good luck! And if you're patient you'll have a really nice setup for $500-600.