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Espresso Machines

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JohnnyOctopuss

JohnnyOctopuss

Gone - bye bye.
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Moving into a new apartment soon and would like to get an Espresso machine.

How can I tell which ones are good and or bad?

Just need it for personal use. Don't need anything high end or fancy, just good.

I'd like to make my own Carmel marvels like from Biggby

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That's wild, that thing is $600! I was thinking on the range of $75 - $185 somewhere in there. Nothing super fancy ha
 
JohnnyOctopuss said:
That's wild, that thing is $600! I was thinking on the range of $75 - $185 somewhere in there. Nothing super fancy ha
Click to expand...

The fewer the features, the better. A portafilter (the part with a handle), an on/off button, and a steam wand. The fanciest espresso machines aren't any more complicated than that.

I worked in coffee for 10 years on a La Marzocco, so my own taste is a bit skewed, but for my own home use I prefer an Aeropress and a standalone burr grinder - the latter is arguably more important than the machine / brew method, along with buying fresh beans from a local roastary, and grinding on demand for every cup.
 
tudordewolf said:
The fewer the features, the better. A portafilter (the part with a handle), an on/off button, and a steam wand. The fanciest espresso machines aren't any more complicated than that.

I worked in coffee for 10 years on a La Marzocco, so my own taste is a bit skewed, but for my own home use I prefer an Aeropress and a standalone burr grinder - the latter is arguably more important than the machine / brew method, along with buying fresh beans from a local roastary, and grinding on demand for every cup.
Click to expand...
I’m the same way but usually prefer the French press. I buy fresh roasted coffee beans locally and go through 6 lbs of beans a month. Heaven 😎

I did roast at home for a while and would buy green beans online but found it easier to just support the local coffee roasters.
 
I'm not into expresso but I have looked for one for the wife a few years back.
There are YouTube videos on the top 5 machines you might check out.
 
JohnnyOctopuss said:
That's wild, that thing is $600! I was thinking on the range of $75 - $185 somewhere in there. Nothing super fancy ha
Click to expand...
I feel like we spent around $500 or a hair less on sale, but I guess that doesn't help if you're wanting something less expensive.

I'm not a coffee guy and will only drink a caramel latte (which is basically hot chocolate) from time to time and have yet to bother to use the machine myself. However, it appears to be pretty easy, as both of our younger kids know how to use it and of course the wife.
 
Tunedfrog said:
I'm not into expresso but I have looked for one for the wife a few years back.
There are YouTube videos on the top 5 machines you might check out.
Click to expand...
I'll YouTube it right now and see. I wasn't sure if anyone here was into coffee and could point me to a hidden gem
 
tudordewolf said:
The fewer the features, the better. A portafilter (the part with a handle), an on/off button, and a steam wand. The fanciest espresso machines aren't any more complicated than that.

I worked in coffee for 10 years on a La Marzocco, so my own taste is a bit skewed, but for my own home use I prefer an Aeropress and a standalone burr grinder - the latter is arguably more important than the machine / brew method, along with buying fresh beans from a local roastary, and grinding on demand for every cup.
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot, I just need the basic type. It's cool to see another coffee person here. My favorite all time brew has come out of Crystal Lake Illinois. Its a place called conscious cup.

Do you have any tips on water to grounds ratio for espresso? I could never get that right to get the "Golden Pull"
 
JohnnyOctopuss said:
Thanks a lot, I just need the basic type. It's cool to see another coffee person here. My favorite all time brew has come out of Crystal Lake Illinois. Its a place called conscious cup.

Do you have any tips on water to grounds ratio for espresso? I could never get that right to get the "Golden Pull"
Click to expand...


I always found that nudging the dose up a little could "richen" a shot after everything else was done by the book. Getting thick, "fluffy" crema is a matter of roast freshness, grind freshness, and pressure from the machine, and of course, dialing in the shot.

The last part might be the secret that makes it really hard to match coffeeshop quality at home. Every morning a (good) coffeeshop will waste several ounces of coffee fine-tuning the grinder(s) - it wouldn't make sense to waste 5-6 shots of espresso at home just ready the grinder to make 1 drink, but it pays off in a coffeeshop where they'll be making hundreds of drinks throughout the day, during which they can also adjust the grind to keep it in the "sweet spot"

If every 12 hours you have to re-tune the grinder, it doesn't make sense to pursue that level of perfection unless it's in a production environment.
That's not to say you can't make amazing espresso at home, it's just that a good coffeeshop has the ability to maintain a far more precise tune than a home barista can without throwing out more espresso than they drink.
 
I think that lower price range might be difficult to find a good quality machine that will last a long time? I have a $600 DeLonghi Nespresso machine for the past 6 years, never fails. Also many other brew apparatus', but my favorite home brew is a Moka Pot, cheap and very easy to dial in a fantastic coffee. I use local roasted beans. Have you tried a Moka Pot?
However, my dream machine is a La Pavoni 🤩 It will most likely be my Christmas present to myself this year. Starting about $1K for a manual single shot unit, but oh my, what a machine!
 
RLB454 said:
I think that lower price range might be difficult to find a good quality machine that will last a long time? I have a $600 DeLonghi Nespresso machine for the past 6 years, never fails. Also many other brew apparatus', but my favorite home brew is a Moka Pot, cheap and very easy to dial in a fantastic coffee. I use local roasted beans. Have you tried a Moka Pot?
However, my dream machine is a La Pavoni 🤩 It will most likely be my Christmas present to myself this year. Starting about $1K for a manual single shot unit, but oh my, what a machine!
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm just looking for something basic, that can put out about 2 shots and be somewhat good quality. I do not need anything that's over $200, just something to spice up my morning coffee
 
JohnnyOctopuss, check this out. If you have never tried Moka Pot coffee, this will give you an idea. Next best thing to espresso when done right, and you can make the same drinks with it. Like I mentioned, this is my favorite home brew method currently.

 

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