Advice for "traditional" espresso machine in 2022 - Page 2

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
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Jeff
Team HB
Posts: 6806
Joined: 19 years ago

#11: Post by Jeff »

Over the many, many years, Chris' Coffee's parts and service department has been first class and probably saved me hundreds in parts and days of troubleshooting and repair. They're top notch in my book.

Escaron
Posts: 20
Joined: 3 years ago

#12: Post by Escaron »

Based on your criteria I think the Vivaldi is solid, the looks are not my personal cup of tea but the functionality at that price point can't be beat. If you're drinking medium or dark roasts pre infusion is totally unnecessary. A lot of modern burr options like the SSP MP as an example make preinfusion redundant. If you end up wanting to dabble with lighter roasts the Vivaldi has a preinfusion chamber add on that can be purchased afterwards. It will mimic the slow ramp to pressure of an E61 group. We have the S2 (bigger plumable dual boiler version of the mini at work) and it's very solid. Temps are super stable, the group actually runs a bit cold so a short water flush before pulling your first shot helps. After that you can pull back to back no problem. It also has good recovery between shots. Never feels like I need to wait.

The only other machine I would recommend in this price range is Mara X only because I like the looks better. It's probably a more powerful steamer as well being an HX but the steam can be very up/down due to the way it's using the boiler to manage the temp of the group head. As mentioned earlier it's the only HX that has good temp stability. It also warms up very quickly. Something like 10 mins from start as lelit programs it to overheat the boiler on a cold start to get the group up to temp quickly. Plus it has a tiny footprint compared to the Vivaldi if space matters to you. As a benefit you can add flow control valve down the road which is nice but not necessary for medium/dark roasts.

Either machine is great imo.

Primacog
Posts: 871
Joined: 2 years ago

#13: Post by Primacog »

I know this is not what you have narrowed it down to, but since you are looking for traditional type espresso, have you considered trying a spring lever instead? After all the original espresso machine was the spring lever, and even to this day, the most modern pressure profilers are basically riffing off the spring lever profile. Most spring levers that would be able to give you a double or triple espresso in a single pull are above your budget but you could for example get the Ponte Vecchio Lusso 2 for less than your budget.while I have no personal experience with that machine, there are many threads about it on this forum.and others. Or if you increase your budget, you could check out a wider range of more professional level spring levers.
LMWDP #729

appa (original poster)
Posts: 146
Joined: 17 years ago

#14: Post by appa (original poster) »

Thanks Primacog,
I dont think I will have the time/patience for levers until the kids are off to college, and the dog is older.

Thanks so much to all those who replied, I am very grateful for all the advice.

This post was also useful to me in determining what I wanted:
Priority: Pre-Infusion, Flow Control or Steam Power

I realized (for better or worse) that I am a "minor hobbyist". :o

Primacog
Posts: 871
Joined: 2 years ago

#15: Post by Primacog replying to appa »

That's cool but before you make your decision, have a look st thos video...
A spring lever is usually more forgiving than a pump machine in puck preparation etc and it's ease of use is seen in that to get a good shot is really just pulling down the lever, preonfuse for a few seconds and then release the lever and remove the cup before the last few seconds of the pull.
LMWDP #729

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