Hi all

I feel obligated to give the obligatory - "long time listener first time caller" statement. I apologize in advance for the long post.
I've owned a La-Pavoni Millenium for 6 years now, with a Baratza Vario that is a recent addition (2 years or so). Recently the Pavoni has been having some issues that I'm trying to resolve, but hand in hand I've started looking for a replacement. And while I love the Pavoni and the control it gives me, I am the only one able (or willing) to use it, as it is too involved for my wife, who also likes drinking espresso.

A bit about our drinking habits - we drink almost exclusively espresso. Probably 95% of the drinks I make are straight shots, and I make two in the morning for me and my wife, and sometimes two more in the evening. Our friends also drink espresso, and occasionally milk based drinks. For most of our friends the Nespresso milk frother we have (blasphemy, I know) is quite adequate, and I'm not looking to improve on my nonexistent latte capabilities. I'm really interested in the best espresso shot. I had a few shots from my friends La Spaziale Mini Vivaldi II and they were consistently phenomenal, but I think having a dedicated boiler for frothing would be an overkill for me.

That's why I was really looking at single boiler machines (either SBDU or SBDH, which in my case would be only SB). Most of the buying advice I found was for people that are either newbies (which I sort of am, but not entirely), or people who want a machine that can do both espresso and milk based drinks for a lower price and most of the recommendations were to go down the HX or even DB road.

With that in mind, I was looking at the entry level CC1, Silvano or Silvia+PID, VS the more expensive Bezzera Unica, ECM Classika (both with built in PID) and the QM Alexia + PID (which is the most expensive of the 3 E-61 machines).

I was wondering if, espresso only, these machines actually differ greatly. Will the E-61 machines (with PID) produce better espresso (the Mini Vivaldi is not an E-61 but produces outstanding espresso). Mostly, I read rave reviews of the Alexia+PID (some say it produces the best espresso south of the LM GS/3), but very little is out there if you can't read German about the Unica (smaller boiler, not sure if the brew pressure can be adjusted) and the ECM (smaller SS boiler, but otherwise very comparable in specs to the Alexia). Can anyone who has them chime in and tell a bit about the experience with them? I understand Chris's coffee gets a lot of respect from every body, but is this actually worth the extra $200-$500? Will the Alexia actually produce the best espresso and live the longest?

Sorry again for the long post, but once in the rabbit hole it's very difficult to see the light...

I think for what you're looking at, an Alexia + PID does seem perfect. But that doesn't take budget or value into consideration. How much would you ideally like to spend, and what can you stretch to if you get something extra? Spared no expense a LM Shot Brewer looks pretty nice, but I would guess it may be over budget.

If you are looking to keep in a tighter budget, you should be able to find a used PID'd Silvia for a good price. People upgrade from these and they are somewhat common on the secondary market. It's a great machine, but I think eventually most people end up liking steamed milk a lot and upgrade to a HX. So it's still a great machine for you. How much better is the PID'd Alexia? I would say it's better, but comparing prices I'm inclined to say you get more for your money with a used Silvia. Although to be fair, you should compare a used Alexia, but they are just harder to find on the used market than a Silvia.

If you're positive you wouldn't need a steam wand on your machine, the new Carola from Quick Mill might also be an option at $400 less than a PID'd Alexia. Since it is so new, there isn't much feedback on it yet, but I couldn't see it being too horrible coming from Quick Mill.

Quick Mill Carola

I have had a QM Silvano for close to 2 years now. I think it would be a good option in your situation. For the limited number of occasions when you need the steam you would have it - for normal usage you can have the steam thermoblock off. It has been very reliable: I make 2-3 doubles per day during the week and 4-6 on the weekends. Group head is easy to clean, which I do about every 1-2 weeks by dropping the shower screen and dispersion disk.

If you want additional info feel free to send me a PM - I would also call Chris' Coffee and ask them about the Carola and comparisons with the Silvano. Good luck

Thanks for the advice. My budget, if stretched, can get to around $1500 mark which would allow me to splurge on the Alexia+PID (I like the Vario and probably would hold off on upgrading it now). However, I was wondering if the Unica or the Classika would not produce similar quality shots for a lower price?

As for the Carola, it's an interesting machine but I haven't seen it with a PID (and after playing with brew temp in the Mini Vivaldi, and experiencing the challenge in getting the right brew temp in the Pavoni, I'm thinking this would help a lot. Am I wrong in that assumption?). And it's priced the same as the Unica which comes with a PID and a steam wand (however useless). Can anyone advocate for these machines or should I go with whatever QM I can afford?

The Silvano is a very interesing machine that gets a lot of praise. Also at the same price point as the Unica. Can you pre-infuse in the Silvano?

Thanks again for the advice.