I will disagree, (and without insulting your viewpoint!) I started with, and continued for few years with singles back in the days of my Elektra SA, before my wife got into coffee. The puck is flimsy, the margin for error is tiny, and they just don't pour as well as the flow is so

As others have said, single shots never extract as nicely as doubles. Since caffeine consumption is the concern, an alternative solution: Blend your favourite beans with 50% decaf beans, then pull regular 14g doubles. Same caffeine as a 7g single, but from a double shot. As long as you are using fre...

On some machines plumbing can provide a tiny improvement in the shots, because the water pressure will pre infuse the coffee grounds. But I wouldn't even factor that into your decisions. The main advantages of plumbing are: Convenience - never having to refill tanks and empty drip trays. Some machin...

Yeah I'm not a fan of adding any minerals to the water for an espresso machine. Just use regular tap water and a scale reduction filter. The number 1 thing you can do is ensure that you turn over the water in the steam boiler. If you're not using it for americanos, cups of tea etc, then

I take this to be a similar tasting note to what is sometimes attributed to aged Pinot Noir. The classic "forest floor" taste/aroma. Sometimes even described in the wine scene as, wait for it, "barnyard"

There's a very detailed PDF here for switching from tank to plumbed {link} You should be able to use that document to reverse the process. Hopefully the supplier has kept the important parts like the plug for the drip tray (Step 11) and the small copper connector pipe (Step 15)

As you've seen, people on here tend to quickly zoom off down all sorts of rabbit holes! I think your plan is sound, get a quality machine that gives you a consistent "base" for making your coffees. I think the LM Micra offers that. The rabbit hole stuff can come later

Agreed, but to be honest, I dont think it's practical for any single group machine to have 2 people at the controls simultaneously. Even largish machines like a GS3, R91, Speedster etc, it's not really practical. I think your following solutions are better

Linea Micra

I'm almost certain that is referring to the water from the hot water tap (used for long blacks, tea etc) For making long blacks/Americanos, many users prefer water at 80C or so, instead of fully 100% boiling. The Speedster also has an adjustment for this, as does the R91 and GS3 from memory