Hi everyone

We are completely new to home Barista malarkey. We have a nice looking Stellar hob top espresso maker which works but I am sure proper machines must be better.

We have decided to upgrade to 'proper' coffee making. We started thinking a Delonghi Dedica would suffice. Having read loads of posts and watched seemingly endless YouTube videos we are now thinking that a Sage/Breville Dual would be a better choice.

It looks like as we have VERY soft water then a properly cared for and serviced Dual should provide many years of service. Has anyone any views on the build quality of today compared with earlier versions?

We are worried that we may be trying to run before we can walk and hope someone can give us some pointers.

All help gratefully received.

Andy

Hey Andy,
This is exciting! Yes I would whole-heartedly recommend the Sage Dual Boiler. I had one as my first machine and it was absolutely brilliant. It allowed me to grow in my skills without holding me back. I only upgraded to achieve better consistency in my shots. I would wager that it can make better espresso than the vast majority of espresso machines at twice its price.

The downside is the fact it is built out of plastic and thinner stainless as opposed to being overbuilt. It is difficult to get spare parts for and difficult to repair the machine yourself.

From a coffee quality perspective, I can't fault it. Some may dislike the aesthetics and built quality of the machine, but I thought they were fine. If you can find a black version, I think they are significantly better looking than the silver.

When I first started out with home espresso making I learned on a Breville machine (Barista Express) and I have no major complaints and found it to be a good machine to learn on. Coffee was good (assuming using fresh beans) and it did a good job with the basic espresso making / milk texturing process. I never had any major issues with it and back then I wasn't really that great with keeping it clean (back flushed). It has moved on to my sisters kitchen and still is working strong nearly 7 years later. If you're looking at the Dual Boiler be sure that you choose a good grinder... maybe spend a little more on it so if you grow into a upgraded machine in a few years the grinder will be up for the task. Good luck and have fun!