I dunno which espresso machine to choose. Budget is $2500-3000 or less.

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
icantroast
Posts: 187
Joined: 10 years ago

#1: Post by icantroast »

My budget is anything below $2500-3000. I'm not a super fancy espresso dude like some of you are. I will usually just make a double shot, then afterwards I'll steam some milk, combine them (usually pour the milk into the cup containing the espresso), sometimes add a little bit of sweetener, and that does it for me. I'll usually have a couple a day.

I think that a Profitec Pro 300 would be pretty good for me, as would probably a Breville BDB, but when I started looking the Profitec Pro 700 really caught my eye. I like to buy one nice thing and keep it as opposed to buying several different machines that are incremental updates. I know there are several other machines in this price point (Lelit Elizabeth, ACS Minima, Rocket R58, ECM something or other, etc) and I was wondering what you guys think. I think I will buy the Eureka Mignon Specialita for a grinder. I really appreciate your help!

lessthanjoey
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Joined: 4 years ago

#2: Post by lessthanjoey replying to icantroast »

I think flow control is mandatory at this price point so I'd say Decent DE1+ or Lelit Bianca (or flow-control-added other E61 machine).

Edit: Wasn't sure if grinder was in the same budgetary number. If so, or if you decide you don't need to go all out and should save some money then I'd saw Breville BDB for value.

Nunas
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#3: Post by Nunas »

Pro 300 = simple, stable, fast, no-frills. To me, this sounds like your first few sentences. Makes espresso and milk foam. This is the one if you're not going to dive deep into this as a hobby.
I'm not a Breville fan, but I think it would do for you too...lots of good reviews here on H-B. It punches way above its weight for the $$$. Can be easily modified for flow control, which is the latest fad, so you can dive in a little.
The PRO 700 (I have the sister to it, the ECM Synchronika). Way more money, e61 group is a mixed blessing (mostly due to longish warm-up). 2-bar boiler so tons of steam if you're really into milk drinks (which you seem to be in part). Get this with a 4-hole steam tip and you've got a great steamer.
The Decent has been suggested. If you do want to make this a hobby, or you're a mad scientist :D then this is the one for you. Very complicated, computer control, can be programmed to virtually any profile.
Your grinder choice is good, especially if you'll also do pour-over.
Good luck!
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Jeff
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#4: Post by Jeff »

I think few of us were "fancy espresso" people when we started. The first time you pull a shot that tastes better than your local, high-end cafe can easily lead into first trying to get every shot to taste that good, then into exploring different coffees. It can be addictive and, like many hobbies, there's always the next step.

Don't forget a healthy coffee budget and a good grinder. I haven't used the Eureka myself, but it sounds like a solid grinder at a moderate price. If you only are pulling a couple shots a day, you might want to consider a single-dosing grinder like the Niche Zero as another option. Keeping your week's coffee in a sealed container can help it stay fresher. Many hopper grinders can be dosed one shot at a time as well.

The coffee and grinder will set the limit of what you and your machine can get into the cup.

Though I've got a DE1 and truly enjoy its repeatability and flexibility, if I were on a tighter budget, I'd go for a BDB and do the simple mods for extraction profiling. My tastes have shifted to light roasts and variable preinfusion and extraction profiling have become very important for me.

While I haven't tried one, the Lelit Elizabeth looks like an interesting machine if you don't like the looks of the BDB. While it has variable preinfusion, I don't think it has extraction profiling.

If it's just you or two of you and you're OK with pulling shots then steaming milk (and not going back to shots for 10-40 min), I just saw another member point out the single-boiler (SB) ECM Classica with PID and flow control. I don't know much about it, but it has the classic E61 look and ECM is a respected manufacturer.

At $1,500 though, I think the BDB is hard to beat for stability, repeatability, and agility in that price class and perhaps up to around $3000. All help in learning the craft as you can better tell that what changed in the cup was probably what you changed, not a bobble of the machine.

The best of the $3000-class machines with "flow control" stock or added as a kit (Lelit Bianca, ECM Syncronika, Profitec 700, and DE1 as some examples) are all ones most here would enjoy as their machine, even if not their first choice. A lot comes down to personal preferences among the top ones, including how it looks in your kitchen every day.



Edit: It was Don Task who mentioned the ECM Classika with PID and flow control in Suggestions for espresso machine/ $1500 budget

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BaristaBoy E61
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#5: Post by BaristaBoy E61 »

I'd recommend almost any DB E61 machine and an Alex Duetto in particular because I like mine and it's less expensive than the ECM and lacks nothing in comparison.

If you prefer dark roasted beans you can skip the variable infusion mushroom for now.
"You didn't buy an Espresso Machine - You bought a Chemistry Set!"

icantroast (original poster)
Posts: 187
Joined: 10 years ago

#6: Post by icantroast (original poster) »

I really appreciate your help everyone! Looks like I have a lot to learn and research--pre-infusion, flow control, and extraction profiling are things I know almost nothing about. I could swear a couple of years ago these weren't talked about much, haha. Truth be told from all the research I've done I can see that the Decent Espresso would probably be the way to go, but I just can't stand the way it looks. Something about it is so off putting to me and I dont know why. It kind of looks like a toy. Keep the advice coming, please, and thank you! :)