Espresso Machines

Mattman3969

My Lavazza has been acting up for about a year and I’m getting tired of working on a 10yr old machine that parts are getting harder to find so it’s time to invest.  

I’m thinking I want a fully automatic one. My current is a single serve pod and I want more control.  What machines are you espresso drinkers using at home?  Give me the pros and cons plz.  

The Cen-Tex Smoker

We have this one in 2 offices and our house. It’s an entry level model in the all-in-one espresso units ($550) but a workhorse. We have run thousands (and with some of them many thousands) of cups through this little dude. If you don’t want to spend $3000 on an all-in-one, this is a great option. 

dmourati

No specific recommendation but I like this place:

https://www.wholelattelove.com/

Mattman3969

@The Cen-Tex Smoker how is the noise level on the grinder?

@dmourati - that is where I got my Lavazza.  Good and very helpful folks.  

dmchicago

Jura E-6

It's not quiet and it's "needy". Refill water. Empty grounds. 

But after trying many coffee/espresso makers, we really like this one.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Mattman3969 said:

@The Cen-Tex Smoker how is the noise level on the grinder?

@dmourati - that is where I got my Lavazza.  Good and very helpful folks.  

Compared to what? You would not want to be on a conference call in the kitchen while it was grinding. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

dmchicago said:

Jura E-6

It's not quiet and it's "needy". Refill water. Empty grounds. 

But after trying many coffee/espresso makers, we really like this one.

Ours are also not quiet and needy. 

Mattman3969

The grinder is new to me coming from the pods. Your explanation was what I was expecting. No sleepin bodies left after my first cup.  Lol

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Mattman3969 said:

The grinder is new to me coming from the pods. Your explanation was what I was expecting. No sleepin bodies left after my first cup.  Lol

That may not be true but it’s way louder than a pod setup and way quieter than a vitamix making a smoothie. 

dmchicago

can confirm. Have both and use both daily.

The cleaning mode on the vitamix raises the roof!

dorfami

We went with the Breville Barista Touch. Took a while to dial in the settings, but makes a pretty good espresso. The milk frothing and foaming is pretty much idiot proof. 

northGAcock

Can any of these be hard plumbed to a water line?

dorfami

My Breville doesn’t and can’t. I think you have to get quite a bit more expensive before requiring or allowing that. I’d love to have what our local shop uses, but $20,000 for three to four daily uses just isn’t going to happen. 

SonVolt

I've got a Profitec Pro 700 that I love... I considered the Breville's at first and then the super-autos, then got bit by the bug and decided I wanted a real Italian E61 double-boiler Espresso machine (though mine is made in Germany) and fell down the rabbit hole. These machines costs more but are easily repaired with standardized parts and will last forever.  

The Cen-Tex Smoker

northGAcock said:

Can any of these be hard plumbed to a water line?

Those are in a different price neighborhood. 

dmchicago

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

northGAcock said:

Can any of these be hard plumbed to a water line?

Those are in a different price neighborhood. 

Gated community.

eggingout83

Good Morning,

i had a couple of super automatic’s i never found the coffee to be what i wanted so a switched a Rocket Appartamento with the matching Rocket Fausto grinder and couldn't be happier with the switch. 

@northGAcock Rocket does have units that can be connected directly to a waterline.   

as this is my first post with a new ID Hello all!

dmchicago

Welcome.

Nice rig.

lentsboy007

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6A8W77m-ZTw

The Cen-Tex Smoker

dmourati said:

No specific recommendation but I like this place:

https://www.wholelattelove.com/

Great site. He has a full tutorial on how to break down and rebuild (and everything in between) the one I posted. It has saved me more than once! 

SonVolt

I also purchased all my stuff at Whole Latte Love since it's on the East coast. Shipping this stuff in for repair can be expensive so it's best to pick a well known retailer that's closest to you. 

AprèsSki

I am very happy with my Rancilio Ms. Silvia and matching Rocky grinder. It has held up for about ten years of daily use. It is only a single boiler as I only drink espresso and SWMBO prefers to use a frothing pitcher for her morning latte.

The Rocket mentioned above would be my upgrade choice, a friend has it and loves it.

Keep in mind that these machines do require maintenance but reward you with fantastic coffee. The process is part of the joy with these manual machines.

https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com has great information and I highly recommend signing up for their or Wholelattelove's emails before buying for a pretty substantial one time discount.

speed51133

I went with a Gaggia anima pro. I also ordered through wholelattelove.com 
https://www.wholelattelove.com/products/gaggia-anima-super-automatic-espresso-machine?variant=14409122840635&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&gclid=CjwKCAjwvtX0BRAFEiwAGWJyZMqkzU2AliwCwkxp9LpZv16fuOULkTtBEhFCa1jcds5Yx7Jp2cxkpxoCGpYQAvD_BwE

Great machine, but a single boiler. I am not in a rush so it's fine for me. The steam does take a while to heat milk, but that is expected from a single boiler.

I did not want to spend over a grand. I think for the price, this is one of the best super automatic machines. I also did not want an auto-frother or a separate grinder. Too much a PITA to clean the milk container and I have to fill it before and empty it after unless you want spoiled milk. Also did not want to give up even more counter space with a grinder. I hate having any appliances on the countertop. 

NCSmoky

Some really nice set ups in here. I drink espresso infrequently so this has served my needs, LaPavoni Europiccola

caliking

Had a Saeco Incanto Rondo for 10+ years. Not top of the line, but pretty good for a superautomatic. Better than Nespresso, not as good as a properly pulled shot from a commercial level machine. It died, and cost of sending it off for repair, etc. seemed silly. Ended up with a Saeco Odea Giro Plus, which is not as good as the one I had, but it was $150 at a pawn shop, and in pristine condition.

I had my eye on the Breville Barista Express for a while. Price even came down to about $450 briefly, but I didn't bite since caliqueen wasn't a fan. 

Mattman3969

I’ve got my backup Lavazza out now and just reminds me of how mediocre it was.  I’ll need to be making a decision soon.  

Thanks for all the info guys.  Keep it coming. 

Mattman3969

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

dmourati said:

No specific recommendation but I like this place:

https://www.wholelattelove.com/

Great site. He has a full tutorial on how to break down and rebuild (and everything in between) the one I posted. It has saved me more than once! 

@The Cen-Tex Smoker  I’m really close to ordering the one you have.  I was rereading this thread and found this.  Would you mind sharing the issues?

Zippylip

I bought this workhorse from wholelattelove 20 years ago & hasn't failed me yet, far more faithful than the ex wife .  Silvia, Rocky grinder & base, the package deal back then was in the $700 range, altogether now it's probably $1,200+, worth every penny.  Before this I briefly had a 'super-automatic', can't remember the make but it was three times the price & a total piece of crap, I'll put in the extra 10 seconds of effort the semi-automatics require

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Mattman3969 said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

dmourati said:

No specific recommendation but I like this place:

https://www.wholelattelove.com/

Great site. He has a full tutorial on how to break down and rebuild (and everything in between) the one I posted. It has saved me more than once! 

@The Cen-Tex Smoker  I’m really close to ordering the one you have.  I was rereading this thread and found this.  Would you mind sharing the issues?

The only issue I have had was not following directions when taking it apart to clean it. Apparently that is a thing based on the reviews.  If you pull the inside unit out to clean, you have to turn the whole thing off first. If you don’t, the inside unit comes right out as normal but won’t ever fit back in without some trickery. There is a gear in there that only moves to the right spot if you turn the machine off first. I didn’t. I went on whole latte love and he has a whole video of what to do. It involves making a cardboard shim and some ancient incantations but it worked! These machines have never not worked flawlessly when handled properly. It was totally user error but it is confusing. There are so many reviews that say “I took it apart to clean and I could never get it back together again”! 100% of this can be fixed by RTFM. 

KiterTodd

I have had a Breville Express BES870XL for several years and the the thing has been solid.  I'm sure there are fancier ones, but after having this I don't think I'd want a cheaper one (I've had them).  I use it every morning.

My only complaint is it takes me about 5 minutes to make a cup... that's the whole process of grind, tamp, espresso, steam the milk, clean the parts, etc. It's not a huge chunk of time, but sometimes my wife comes and starts the drip coffee machine from cold while I'm already going and she is drinking a fresh cup of joe before I'm done. 

platypusrex

Great thread guys, thanks. I'm tired of our Nespresso and am leaning towards the Gaggia Classic Pro after watching a few videos. Have a birthday coming up...