Had it for about 3 weeks and was not impressed. Before that I had a Nespresso Creatista Plus (tried to please the wife with that purchase...) Now after some disappointing experiences with the Breville I want a REAL machine.

I love learning and don't mind the work this involves. My wife mainly has espressos over ice with different syrups, that kind of stuff. I love milk based drinks, lattes, flat whites cappuccinos ect.

My budget for a new machine is probably going to be around $3,500-$4,000 WITH the grinder. I am torn over the grinder as to whether I should get an espresso specific or an "all around one" as I occasionally want a pour over or drip for company who doesn't do espresso...I like the Eureka Atom 65 or the Lux D but I know there are other options... I think $1,000 or so would be a price point for a grinder I'm willing to pay for.

As for the machine, I've looked at the Luca A53 and the Rocket R58.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Johnwenzel wrote: I am torn over the grinder as to whether I should get an espresso specific or an "all around one" as I occasionally want a pour over or drip for company who doesn't do espresso...

FYI americanos/long blacks (varying water dilution) are great espresso based drinks that are consumed like "normal" coffee due to the volume.

When I got a good grinder and home roasted quality coffee, my wife switched to americanos from milk drinks. Just a data point.

The issue with 1 grinder is once you dial it in for espresso, you won't want to mess up that work adjusting for pour. There are some very high end grinders where I think people might disagree. But if non espresso is rare, you can get away wih something simple and relatively inexpensive for it.

I upgraded this month from a Creatista Plus to a Lelit Bianca. I'm really happy with the machine, both the design and how well it works. I was initially planning on getting a Niche Zero which would've arrived in Sept. and buying a machine when it arrived, but ended up getting the Bianca early along with an Acaia Lunar scale. I'm planning on attaching a Smart Espresso Profiler and playing with flow control.

If Decent were still selling the DE1+, I might've bought one, but I don't especially like the look or sound of their machines.

So, Lelit Bianca and either an Atom 65 or Specialita would be my suggestion.

Well the machine and grinder come in on Friday. Chose to go with the Rocket R58 Cinquantotto and the Eureka Atom 65. I don't feel like this was a bad choice for my home setup.

I will certainly let everyone know what I think of the setup.