I will be purchasing an espresso machine in the next few months and am looking for two qualities/features above all others (besides making great espresso, of course): 1. the machine be as quiet as possible, and 2. the machine be as quick as possible. I will be entering my first year medical residency and will not have much time in the morning when I will mostly be making my espresso, and I will be living in a small apartment and do not want to disturb my wife as I get ready and she is still asleep. Please help.

My understanding is that the rotary pumps are exceptionally quiet, and I know the dual boilers would be faster than a single boiler heat exchanger, but a dual boiler and rotary pump (e.g., Expobar Brewtus III) is getting too expensive for me. What suggestions/advice do you all have?

I would appreciate any advice. Thank you.

SuperAutos have a bad name. However Chris has worked to develop one that, at least by spec, looks like it may be OK. http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/home/espresso/quickmillstainlesssuperauto It would fulfill the "quick" part of the equation. Quality - no reviews yet I am aware of. Noise - I'd give Chris a call

FWIW the Dalla Corte Super Mini with rotary pump is a very quiet machine and relatively quick to use once you get it dialed in and understand its operating parameters.

Hi Ben,

Congrats on your residency! After 8 years of residency myself, I can speak to this: the quietest machine in existence, of course, is a lever machine!

I've only owned a pavoni, but it's perfect for me in the morning. I flip it on, it warms for 10 minutes while I shower, and then the negotiations begin. (NB: the LPs tend to have, ahem, character: the warmup routine varies between machines...the 10 minutes works for me). Even now in my more "leisurely" mornings, my alarm-to-door time is between 35 and 45 minutes.

The issue you'll still face is the grinder. Most are loud, so I'd focus more on how quick they are, to limit the loudness. I've read on this forum that the Malkoenig K30 is very quiet (but expensive), and the new-just-released Baratza Vario is quiet as well. For quietness, I'd recommend against a doser.

Good luck!

For a grinder, it doesn't get much quieter than a hand grinder, and if you keep your eyes open for one at Orphan that's rated at both espresso capable and reasonably fast, that would certainly keep the stealth factor up.

Grinder wise I have the new Baratza Vario and it sounds like my dish washer when it is running (which is for 8 seconds). An even quieter and quicker choice would be to use ESE Pods for your coffee.

I have a new version Breville 800ESXL which is frowned on by this forum but I happen to like it. It's CONVENIENT. In 3 minutes it's ready to do your first cup, sounds like an aquarium pump when it is running, doesn't need temperature surfing. If I want steam it takes 10 seconds to get steam instead of several minutes and I don't have to wait for a cool down for a second cup as it spritzes water automatically after steaming to bring the temperature down. Many people say it does a shot too fast which is true, mine are 10-15 seconds instead of 25 but I like the taste. I found a dealer that sold me my new one for $196 including shipping instead of around $400 or so.

If I could find a deal I personally would get a Vivaldi II. I thought the Dalla Corte was going for over $4000

I wholeheartedly agree with A2chromepeacock's recommendation on a lever. If you are on a budget, I think your best bet would be a Gaggia Factory from WLL (you'll have to call to see if they have any left, but they were clearing them out for $550 brand new!!) and for a grinder, a hand mill from orphan espresso, or if you can find one, a new Zassenhaus ($90). As mentioned above, within 10 minutes you can be pulling a shot, and the "learning curve" with using a fully manual lever are in my opinion, grossly overrated. I was pulling good shots on my second pull and within a week pulling great ones.

If you can stretch your budget, you may want to look at something like Ponte Vecchio or Elektra levers as they are spring levers (pull the lever and the spring will produce the correct pressure to pull your shot).

On the equipment end, grinders are the most important, and they'll be the loudest piece you'll use in making espresso if you go with a lever or rotary machine. You have quite a few really great options for under $600, so you really could have a great set-up for $1,000.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Second on the spring lever, Ponte Vecchio Lusso.

1. Silent
2. Boiler heats up in less than 10 minutes and a short warming flush (~1oz) brings the thermosyphon group quickly up to temperature.
3. Can be turned on before you take your shower and won't overheat if left on
4. Capable of handling the espresso/cappa demands of a small dinner party
5. Compact / small footprint
6. Like all levers, gives you control over preinfusion

I wouldn't buy a new Zassenhaus. They don't have a bottom bearing and keep the burr centered with stupid plastic tabs.
Zassenhaus needs to pull their act together and stop scamming us with stuff that is actually worse than the stuff they made 50 years ago. Just because Peugeots pepper grinders suck nowadays doesn't mean Zassenhaus needs to pull that trick too.

An Orphanespresso grinder would be better and cheaper.

re: Quick and Quiet Grinder

I am going into my first year medical residency next year and am looking for the best grinder/espresso combination (priority in that order) I can get for less than $2,000, but here is my catch: I will be getting up very early and making my espresso in a small apartment. Consequently, I want to spend as little time possible making my espresso I don't want to wake my wife while doing it; i.e., I want to make my espresso quickly and quietly. I still want make quality espresso, though, and look forward to those times when I'll be able to have people over or take a weekend afternoon and tinker with the machines myself.

What advice/recommendations do you all have? Any reply will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Hope you don't mind, I merged your second thread on quiet grinders into your first thread on quiet espresso machines...

GVDub wrote:For a grinder, it doesn't get much quieter than a hand grinder, and if you keep your eyes open for one at Orphan that's rated at both espresso capable and reasonably fast, that would certainly keep the stealth factor up.

timo888 wrote:Second on the spring lever, Ponte Vecchio Lusso

I agree, a hand grinder and spring lever are as quick and quiet as it gets. The Buyer's Guide to the Ponte Vecchio Lusso was recently published; in a nutshell, it's newbie friendly and silent. A grinder with motor is going to make noise, it's only a matter of how much.