So a couple years ago I ditched the Keurig and dove into pour over coffee. Bought a nice grinder, experimented with different recipes and beans, etc. Never once looked back

Now I've decided I'd like to get into espresso and would like to add an espresso machine to the Christmas list but have no clue where to start.

Not wanting to spend $1,000+ but want a decent machine that doesn't break the bank. What beginner machines should I look into? Any brands to gravitate towards or stay way from? Same with specific machine features.

Just looking for a jumping off point as I start to figure out what I want/need.

TIA

New to the game myself but just picked up one of these Breville units that came highly recommended. So far very happy with it and pretty easy to dial in.

https://a.co/d/06Wov8J

Depends on how involved you want to go. I was on the verge of buying that Breville one linked above about 3 years ago, but my wife mentioned she would absolutely never use something that required as much work. While I enjoy tinkering and like the idea of pulling my own shots, I didn't want to have to play barista every time. I ended up getting a DeLonghi Dinamica on Black Friday 3 years ago, and we love it. It's a superautomatic, so I put in the whole beans, keep the water tank full, and clean and descale when needed. Very, very simple, been very reliable (we use it not quite daily, but close), and makes a great product. Granted, all we really do are espresso shots, lattes, or a cup of coffee/cold brew, but I would 100% buy it all over again. Without the traditional frother wand (still has a steamer/frother), you won't get the microfoam needed for latte art, but we didn't care about that. When I was doing my research, the main brands I came across were DeLonghi, Jura, and Gaggia.

We have had a Breville Barista Express for almost 7 years now that has been flawless. It has been a great beginner machine that didn't break the bank.

I would also recommend for you to get two additional tools that I found really helped with consistency and cleanliness.

1. an espresso dosing funnel. The grounds tend to mound up and spill out of the portafilter. The funnel helps keep all of the grounds in the portafilter and keeps the area clean especially since I started using a needle distribution tool

2. an espresso needle distribution tool. This helped a lot in making sure any clumps were broken up and helps to get a much more consistent shot every time

been interested in one of these as well what's the price range?

The Barista Express (manual version) is $499 from Amazon, Williams-Sonoma, Target, Best Buy, and others. At the time, we bought ours (NIB) from the Williams-Sonoma outlet store for less than normal pricing.

Breville Barista Espress is what I linked in my first post but neglected to actually mention it. I actually enjoy the whole process and wanted a little more control, so decided against a super automatic.

The Barista Express is on sale everywhere right now ($200 off) and my understanding really the only time of year you can find it below standard retail. It does now come with a funnel, which my buddy with the same machine said wasn't the case when he bought his a few years back.

I have had a Gaggia classic for many years. Its a workhorse. Get a good burr grinder. I have a Rancilio Rocky and its going to last longer than I will be alive.

Check out Whole Latte Love

They are just an awesome company, and their support is like no other. Their YouTube Channel is extremely informative.

They sell refurbished units with full warranties too.

When they do reviews they do them in a way that talks about differences in functionality and how you may use it so that you choose the best machine for you.

They have a ton of reviews and multiple videos on each machine. There might be a video on the 5 most popular of a specific type of machine. Then another video with an overview of a specific model, going a little deeper into functionality. Then anther video with a full overview and then step by step, walking you through how to set up, operate, and maintain the specific machine.

They have phone and chat support for any issue. If you already own one of their products, you can schedule a video chat and they will watch you and coach you through anything you are unsure of. It is all free (well you have to buy one of their machines and that's for life).

I used constantly to watch all the videos thinking, "should I really spend over $1k on a coffee machine." My wife said you are always buying coffee and why go to work if you can't splurge on yourself every once in a while.

So I bought a super automatic 5 years ago. it's one of the best purchases I have ever made. I wish I had done it sooner.


Main Website: https://www.wholelattelove.com/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/wholelattelovetv

Will give second endorsement here. I watched many of their videos before deciding on what to buy. Did not buy from them, but their reviews and info are too notch

Philips LatteGo has been great for 3 years. They have several different models that just change the display/ features but everything else is the same.

Another thumbs up for Philips LatteGo, super easy and automatic, we love ours

I've been using Whole Latte Love for a long time. Bought my machine and grinder there in a combo and I get my beans from them. I used to mainly use Lavazza Super Crema but after their review I swapped to Maromas Orphea for the chocolate vibes.

I've also used their tech videos to totally tear down my Gaggia.

mneisch said:

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New to the game myself but just picked up one of these Breville units that came highly recommended. So far very happy with it and pretty easy to dial in.

https://a.co/d/06Wov8J

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This is the one my wife ordered for Christmas. A friend of hers has one and loves it. My wife has a Nespresso right now and is looking to upgrade.

So far very happy with it. Only tried one roast so far and took me a bit to dial in. Once I found out what I was doing the day to day usage is super easy. I used the steam wand to make some hot chocolate for the kids last night and they loved it.