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What espresso maker do you recommend?

arturo7
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Another vote for the Gaggia Classic. Mine served me well for 10 years.

A few caveats:

Be aware that with an espresso machine, any espresso machine, you can't just wake up, turn it on, then pull a shot. They take about 20 minutes to warm up. It's not just the water; the head assembly needs to heat up as well. A cold head pulls heat out the water, leaving the water too cool for proper extraction.

The Gaggia Classic has very basic temperature control. To get the best out of it, you need to "temperature surf." There are many Youtube videos that explain this.

As others have said, you'll need a decent burr grinder. This adds at least another $200-300 to the budget.

If this is all a bit much, go with a simple moka pot. Proper use of a moka pot yields better juice than Starbucks.

This won't be a popular comment but, if you like the taste of coffee avoid Nespresso.
 
mseamaster
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If you get a superauto, it can heat up quickly with running the rinse cycle. Of course the quality cannot be compared to making the coffee by yourself.

It's not meant for high end coffee.. and if you use very nice beans it will probably suck(on an average machine at least). Also autos adjust the dose of coffee based on the yield meaning if you constantly change the type of coffee beans, it will suck until you stop changing it. And last but not least, you need to adjust grind size manually, which again happens only during grinding, meaning bad shots during adjustments and wasted coffee.(or maybe invitie a few ppl so you drink it together warning them it would be bad beforehand). So it's not practical to switch often.

But if you want Starbucks, it's perfect. Just start it, run a few rinse cycles to get the temp up and stable. And then voilà.

So, for Starbucks, I would say a cheap used auto for 200-300 $.
For really high end beans -> some expensive machine which would heat up for an hour or so and require that you take a barista course.
 
John7boy
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Farrowla Farrowla
It’s fair to say I take my coffee seriously and I have a top-notch manual lever espresso machine. But with having a toddler around the house I wanted an alternative that required less effort - and I picked up an Italian moka pot from Bialetti.

For anyone who buys/grinds their own beans, I highly recommend it - top quality coffee and much cheaper than a machine:

https://www.bialetti.com/it_en/moka...4AJq5ZeGwFWk1eQJnu1gmLx6qWycavu6GScPDbMRevr6P
Plus one for the Bialetti, every Italian home has one so you can’t argue with that.
 
mseamaster
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I once bought a low quality Bialetti from Amazon that wasn't really made in Italy. The paint would chip or so and the build quality was just crap. It was green. There are good ones of course. I think they are making the bad ones outside Italy for sure. In the end I gave it away. I'd rather use an old school one, that's just clear aluminum.
 
ghce
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Or you can just be lazy like me, bean to cup 1 button push and then drink.

IMG_20240908_092744.jpg
 
Jakeys
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ghce ghce
Or you can just be lazy like me, bean to cup 1 button push and then drink.

IMG_20240908_092744.jpg

What's with that freeze dried instant Moccona on the left there mate!? Think you've got some explaining to do. 😉
 
ghce
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Jakeys Jakeys
What's with that freeze dried instant Moccona on the left there mate!? Think you've got some explaining to do. 😉
Yeah it's been sitting there for the last 2 years, a gift from a visitor who of course ended up opting for the real thing rather than the freeze dried.
 
STANDY
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Rancilio Silvia V6 Coffee Machine is undoubtedly the world’s most popular budget compact espresso machine. Featuring pro-level equipment like a commercial-grade brass group head 58mm portafilter and tamper, this is a machine that’s had plenty of experience on the benches within homes around the world.
IMG_0884.webp

Had one for 8-9 years and worth every penny.
 
GarethS
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+1 for the Gaggia Classic. I bought my 2004 model second hand about 10 years ago. Italian built, brass boiler, 1450w. All parts still readily available it’s the ETA 2824 of the espresso world.

Second also that a decent burr grinder and a source of fresh coffee is essential.

I live in a hard water area on the the south coast of England and spent many years battling limescale unsuccessfully in my machines until my local coffee shop owner recommended using Volvic bottled water. Naturally very soft it leaves zero scale. I have been using it since buying the classic a decade ago and it’s still as clean as a whistle.

Next to it is my 90s Dualit toaster manufactured at their London factory in the Old Kent Road. The simple design consisting of a couple of large aluminium castings, pressed stainless steel sheet some wiring (all blade connectors) assembled entirely by nuts, bots and screws makes repairing an enjoyable endeavour.

IMG_5182.jpeg
 
Trog
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Anyone here roasting their own beans? You should give it a try...the results can be most rewarding.

HS4.jpeg No3 Roast.jpeg
 
Togri v. 2.0
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STANDY STANDY
Rancilio Silvia V6 Coffee Machine is undoubtedly the world’s most popular budget compact espresso machine. Featuring pro-level equipment like a commercial-grade brass group head 58mm portafilter and tamper, this is a machine that’s had plenty of experience on the benches within homes around the world.
IMG_0884.webp

Had one for 8-9 years and worth every penny.
Amen to that. I am currently on my second Rancilio Silvia.

For grinder I use the Rancilio Rocky. Took a long time to dial ind but since then it has been perfect.
 
Farrowla
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Trog Trog
Old school
image1.jpeg
Since we’re posting old school… even managed to sneak the SMP in since this is a watch forum after all 😀

IMG_5464.jpeg
 
Jakeys
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Since we're sharing setups now... 😜

Breville Dual Boiler plus ECM V-Titan 64, which I custom converted to a single doser. There are a number of 3D printed parts I designed and printed to make this work, plus some metal parts from the optional glass hopper mount and the rubber bellows from an old Breville SGP single doser kit. The wood cap I had engraved with the ECM logo by an Etsy seller. It will do a single dose +- 0.1 gram reliably, but does take a good 5+ presses on the bellows to completely clear the pathways due to the sheer size of it.

The BDB is many years old, but has had the problem prone o-ring style steam boiler replaced with the newer compression fitting style boiler, for hopefully a lot less maintenance going forward. Would love an ECM Synchronika, but can hardly justify it when this machine performs so well now.

1725828558390.png
 
BAJJ
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Bezzera BZ10, single boiler with heat exchanger for simultaneous steaming, eureka silenzio grinder, both working perfectly these last 4 years. Need to get the Grindr set up for single dosing, although there is very little retention anyways.
IMG_5435.jpeg
 
adi4
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I would second the Rancilio or Gaggia as great choices, especially if you can find them used. Even more so if you find one used with a PID controller already modded on. Don't skimp on the grinder, something like a Baratza Vario or Sette are great.

If you ever go beyond pulling a shot or two, like pumping out 3-4 cappuccinos for guests, then you'll start feeling the itch to get a dual boiler...

As for beans, lots of cities have good to great local roasters. I rotate between roasting my own, buying from great local roasters, or sometimes getting Counter Culture or Stumptown beans on sale as long as the roast date isn't further than a month back.

Whatever beans you choose to get started with a machine, probably stick to 1 or 2 until you get the hang of tamping properly, temperature control, and grind settings. The less variables you're tweaking shot to shot, the easier it will be to get a great shot.
 
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