Ok, so state that I am confused is an understatement.

I want a real espresso machine for my house. I live in Mexico on a Ranch and it will be one of those luxuries that no one else has for at least 100 miles!

I have looked at the home espresso machines, then I went to ebay and looked at the commercial machines. There are many to choose from and I want to get the most bang for my buck. I know a few things. I bought a Krups 5000 machine for $250 and it is a poor thing, I am returning it in a day or two. The coffee's crema is nothing, and it is NOT hot enough at all. I learned fast. I am thinking I would like something in the $2,000 range. I know I will have to get my own grinder. I also have the extra added problem that here in Mexico you can only buy Mexican beans, imports not allowed (I can hand carry coffee in, off and on, but that will be a treat).....I will also have to hand carry the machine in, shipping over $1,000 is not easy to get past customs....I have to be tricky.

Anyway here is what I am looking at.

La Spaziale Vivaldi II for 1895.00 at Chris Coffee....I like what I have read about this, but it is still a home unit, what does that mean, home unit vs commercial?

My question, is can a plug of 110 get it hot enough to really make good espresso? I do have 220 if needed, but most machines seem to be 110. I also would much rather have to fill a tank unless I can get a good enough water filter to filter my very hard mineralized well water that we are provided with. I guess plumbing it would be better in the long run, if the filter option will work right, we don't have high pressurized water here, Mexican's (I am not Mexican though) use the Gravity system for water, while I have a hydro numatic machine that gives my water "some" pressure when I turn on a facet. So I have two problems, not pressurized like in the states and very high mineralized water.

GAGGIA TITANIUM FULLY AUTOMATIC ESPRESSO MACHINE approx $1,600

I do not think an automatic espresso machine would be a good choice? It grinds, does it all, supposedly.....but I think I will enjoy the manual making of my own espresso.

SINGLE GROUP GAGGIA MODEL TS ESPRESSO CAPPUCCINO MACHINE $1,200

This one is really what I am thinking of, but I suspect it has only one tank, not two? The ebay ad says it is 110 while the spec sheet at Gaggia says it is 220. I suspect this one has been modified for the US market by Gaggia itself?

It is not going to be easy for me to get this here, so I cannot just go and sell it and buy another one. Besides that I will be very hard hit if I need to buy parts, that can be close to impossible. So if either one of these is a problem then I need to get parts with the machine, or anything that I could need. So I do need to be careful about my choice. I want something that will last a long long time without issues. I will be purchasing my espresso machine first, then ordering by UPS the grinder, since it will cost less than $1,000 and can be shipped. I also need to make that choice and would like to keep my grinder approx $400 (if someone wants to give me a recommendation.)...I am thinking a commercial machine would be better than a home machine, but I could be wrong on that account. I am also not set on any of these models, if there is something better I am game for that....

if it is 110 or 220 that is no problem, I will just have a breaker put in for the unit on its own plug, be it 220 or 110. I have one breaker in my kitchen for all the 110 stuff, plus a 220 for an oven, which I could share with this unit (the breaker, not the plug) and only use one item at a time, never both together.

Please give me the scoop!

Some of your best advice is going to come from the likes of Chris at Chriscoffee or Jim at 1st Line. Because of your location and all the tarifs on imports I would be really concerned about getting a very reliable machine. Can parts be sent to you or do you have to pay tarifs on them also?

I will be able to get the machine through customs by carrying on a commercial airliner. I will pay extra in poundage, but I can always say it cost me something like $800.00 and pay 18% on that. Not a big deal. Parts can be shipped to Mexico, but often people will not ship to Mexico no matter what, I don't get it, because I am the one paying for it, but they just don't ship here.....I have to have them ship to my Mom in Arizona, then she ships to me, cost me more, doesn't make sense....I pay 18% plus some other small fees.....

You shouldn't even be thinking about a machine until you select the best grinder you can.

The grinder must come first.

Wow, you have a lot of hurdles to overcome.... my initial thoughts:

Knowing that you want to make espresso, get a good quality (commercial-like) grinder first, anyone of these will do, Grinder Reviews.

Since getting fresh quality coffees may be a hurdle, use your new grinder with some alternative brew methods, French Press, Mocha Pot, Aeropress, drip filter, etc.... while you go on your quest for quality beans.

You may find off the bat that you will need to amend your water. You may need to purchase water, or use a chemical filter (carbon) and some sort of water softening system. If you do spend close to $2000 on an espresso machine, you are going to want to take steps too reduce the mineral content or take appropriate measures to protect the investment you have in your machine. Here's some light reading..... Jim's Insanely Long Water FAQ.

Once you've found a quality coffee supplier and addressed the water issues (or perhaps realize you can't and may have to investigate homeroasting), then start looking for a machine.

If you can't get good ingredients (water and coffee), the machine will be pretty much useless and frustrating.

I have good water (bottled), I just don't have plumbed good water without adding in a filter, putting in a filter is doable, so either way I will be fine when it comes to water.

As to coffee, I have a local roaster, but in Mexico you will not find coffees from other parts of the world. Mexico like many countries does not allow importation of beans in order to protect their own growers. I don't agree with this tactic, but I have to live with it. We do have some good coffee in mexico. So I don't see that as an issue. I go to the States at least 4 times a year and can bring back other coffees occasionally.

As to a Grinder, like I said I will be getting one shipped to me, so the Grinder is not an issue either.

My issue is to what machine to purchase, also I have been offered a SanRemo here locally. It is the Treviso one. Looks nice and they offer it for $2,100 and include a grinder, installation, education and a 2 year warranty.

So all I really want to do is make the right decision for my circumstance.

beadaholic wrote:My issue is to what machine to purchase, also I have been offered a SanRemo here locally. It is the Treviso one. Looks nice and they offer it for $2,100 and include a grinder, installation, education and a 2 year warranty.

Well certainly the La Spaziale is a great machine.... I would skip the Gaggia Titanium superauto if you want real espresso. As for getting a full on commercial-sized machine, that's your call, it has it's up and downs.

The SanRemo Treviso is an E-61 grouphead with lever machine, depending on which model they are talking about and which grinder, that might be a good deal. The Treviso comes in 3 flavors, with different boiler capacities, heaters, pumps and plumbing options. The high end machine is a 1.8l boiler, 1500W heater and a rotary pump. It may also be nice to have local help and support. SanRemo is a bit unknown, at least here in the US, but having an E61 grouphead gives you lots of options in learning more about the machine and how it works.

FWIW- I now have a SanRemo Capri 1-group machine (not an E61) and the build quality and components are very nice. No complaints at all.

Thank you for the nice answer, I am asking which treviso it is, and also about a 1 group Capri (they offered me a 2 group, which is overkill for my needs)

I also asked about what grinder they are offering me, I have no idea yet. Since it is local I am thinking this might be the less hassle deal of all of them. Bringing back a machine from the states is going to be hard especially by air. If I was able to drive (3 days) then it wouldn't be such a big deal....

Plus I won't have a warranty for something I hand carry to Mexico, the warranties never cross borders (I think they should), but my whole household was imported from the states and nothing is covered, I get stuck with huge repair bills here....

Can you tell me some of the ups and downs of having a commercial machine vs a home machine? I am really interested in your insight.

Thank you again
Laura

beadaholic wrote:I also asked about what grinder they are offering me, I have no idea yet.

Hi Laura!

Like I said above, this is way more important than the machine you choose. You should really get this figured out first, and then select a machine to match your grinder and personal style.

Not to sound redundant but the grinder really is that important.

You can spend countless hours selecting the perfect machine for you, but with a sub par grinder you'll never get what your after, even from your perfect machine.

Best of luck!

This is the grinder they are offering me with the Treviso - Does anyone know which one this is? What is its retail price approx? Is it a good Grinder? or Not?

Thanks again
Laura