Espresso machine+grinder recommendations for amazing lattes (£500-1000 budget)

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
bluecorr
Posts: 25
Joined: 4 years ago

#1: Post by bluecorr »

Hi,

I've had a Delonghi Magnifica ESAM 4200 bean to cup for years and with careful tweaks of grinder, lots of practice on the milk steaming and good fresh, quality beans like Square Mile Red Brick I can get good lattes and flat whites (even if my microfoam is still not quite right as the wand is so awkward). I now feel ready to upgrade to a more premium setup and try to get that barista quality latte/flat white at home.

I am quite intimidated by all the different options on espresso machines, modifications that people make, importance of grinders, learning curves and terms such as "temperature surfing" and acronyms such as PID. I don't even know where to start my research! So I am hoping I can get some recommendations and pointers in the right direction.

Important notes:

* My budget (for whole setup, espresso machine, grinder, mods and whatever else should go in the setup) of £500-1000 (prob nearer the lower end of that but can extend to upper end if it makes sense)

* I make 2-3 coffees a day, at most 2 in a row for me and my partner.

* It's latte, latte, latte all the way for me really (or flat whites sometimes). So steaming milk is important as is the quality of the espresso.

* I have a small kitchen so small footprint is desirable and would be willing to pay a bit of a premium for it -- my Magnifica has dimensions of 28.5cm x 37.5cm and 36cm (WxDxH)

Thank you!

thirdcrackfourthwave
Posts: 571
Joined: 5 years ago

#2: Post by thirdcrackfourthwave »

I'd budget save up and wait. Getting what you want with your current budget could be a tough nut to crack. The grinder is important. Let's say you spend around 350 USD on a manual grinder or 500 on a Eureka Specialita you don't have much money left over for a machine that is going to give you what you want. I've never used a Bellman steamer but I guess you could go that route with a Robot or Flair? Keeps you in your budget.

User avatar
Jeff
Team HB
Posts: 6804
Joined: 19 years ago

#3: Post by Jeff »

At the lower end, you're still in the "yeah, an expert might be able to, but not kit to learn on" range. More options open up at the top end of your budget. As an example, the Niche Zero grinder in James Hoffman's 100£ Espresso Machine? video is 500£ alone.

How to choose an espresso machine and grinder at the "right" price is a good read. Remember that it was written a decade ago and prices have gone up significantly since then (and models have changed).

Lexington
Posts: 14
Joined: 4 years ago

#4: Post by Lexington »

Rancilio Set (machine and grinder) for just about 1000.

luisguilherme
Posts: 83
Joined: 4 years ago

#5: Post by luisguilherme »

If you are more interested in the destination than the way, I think you'd be happy with a Niche Zero (£499) or a Baratza Sette 270 (similarly priced) and a Sage Bambino Plus (£399) (and a non-pressurized basket for your Bambino @ £9).

Notice that the Sage is a single boiler, so you won't be able to steam your milk and pull your espresso at the same time. That said, the Bambino was made with milk drinks in mind and the steamer has been praised by James Hoffman by being able to achieve barista quality with minimal human interaction. The Sage also is very forgiving for its pricing point (definitely not true for the usual recommendations of Silvia and Gaggia, but the ceiling of what you can get is also higher for those).