Espresso Machine Newb advice

[Junglepeanut]

So I am not a picky coffee drinker, I will take whatever sludge that is brewed and drink it straight with nothing in it. My wife on the other hand has me put so much cream/sugar in that there is truly no coffee left. With that in mind I have been kicking around getting an Espresso machine to try and find a happy place for both of us/something new to play with. I have read a ton and see coffee snobs (not trying to be derogatory just categorizing) are very strict and really won't give advice beyond their standards. I am looking for something very beginner/basic and budget friendly for now. I know the common theme is self grinding machines are evil but I know me and would prefer the ease of this especially when making my wife drinks that will be drown out. I have very limited space to store multiple items and little patience to deal with the extra steps when it won't be coffee in the end anyway. On the other hand I would like to maybe step up from the gas station level coffee I drink now. With all that in mind I was eyeballing the delonghi Magnifica Start. Seems to cover the bases and has the options I need.

Anyone have any experience with this machine? Another recommendation that fits the bill in the $500 range? Or good reasons to not go down this road? Any help would be appreciated....

[BLachance75]

Have you considered a Nespresso machine.

[Junglepeanut]

I actually have/had one, it's what I made my wife's drinks from. The cost of the capsules for what I got out of it just didn't seem to make sense to me and I never found one I enjoyed enough to buy in bulk. I should probably pull it out and give it another go though

[flyweightnate]

I recently got away from Nespresso and got a really common machine, a Gaggia Classic (a 2013). It's good, and could be better with more work. I needed to buy a grinder too, though.

A friend has a Breville unit with a built in grinder and I'm impressed with it. He probably spent more up front, but less when you consider I've already changed to a different filter handle and added a temperature controller. It's a "thermo block" which means more if you're picky. I think it's going to be the consensus pick if you want to do "semiauto" instead of full automatic.

Siress got a Chiba auto that he mentioned in the coffee thread. Might be good. I tried a cheap Gaggia auto and was disappointed abs returned it; the coffee was almost like an Americano at its best but my wife didn't mind (after adding her pint of milk and sugar). The good autos are thousands.

[chops]

Entry level espresso snobbery is around 1k for a machine like a profitec Go and $230 for a grinder like a DF54. The ceiling on this stuff is nonexistent

That being said, the breville stuff is totally serviceable and perfectly fine for most people. Getting good beans that suit your tastes is going to make the biggest difference.

[RedLeaderSB]

Skip the expensive machine, aeropress with metal filter and fancy no drip cap. That’s what I’m sticking with.

[Jimmydee]

This is what I want to start doing. I’ll have to get one

[BenoitOWN]

Jimmydee I have one aeropress setup for sale, cold brew attachment(puck puck) and a metal filter(and what left of my paper filter), I can add my roasted coffee with it.

[BenoitOWN]

I wouldn’t go with a delonghi but breville given the choice.
I do like the simplicity of a e61 group head with a heat exchanger and yea sky is the limit with those. Better servicability and maintenance on the long term.

lelit, profited for entry level. Rocket is a good brand but priced premium.

[ford]

Necromancering this topic... Getting tired of paying $5 per espresso at my local coffee shop.

I usually pour-over or aeropress at home.

Any opinions on a lever machine? I'm debating between going with a Cafelat Barista Robot and a refurbished Gaggia Classic Pro. Roughly the same price range. I know the workflows are completely different but as a newbie I'm leaning to the Robot.

[Mr.Rush]

What sort of grinder do you have currently? Grind quality has a bigger effect on the quality of shot than what machine you're using(assuming at minimum the machine can reach appropriate pressures).

[ford]

I’ll need a new grinder. I use a fellow ode gen 2 which is great for my drip needs.

grinder wise I was looking to hand grind for budget reasons. The J-ultra by 1zpresso is the current candidate I’m looking at.

[flyweightnate]

Necromancering this topic... Getting tired of paying $5 per espresso at my local coffee shop.

I usually pour-over or aeropress at home.

Any opinions on a lever machine? I'm debating between going with a Cafelat Barista Robot and a refurbished Gaggia Classic Pro. Roughly the same price range. I know the workflows are completely different but as a newbie I'm leaning to the Robot.

I still like my Gaggia Classic. With the PID it's a really simple shot. The Opus grinder I paired it with is nice, quiet and good texture, but messy once the "anti static chute" gets a little bit of static buildup.

Something to consider - my wife is annoyed by the "work" involved in the semi auto espresso (weigh, grind, transfer, tamp, lock, flip switch). I don't imagine she would want to add a kettle and manual labor to the process to do a manual lever machine.

Also, the key variables are grind size/ distribution, bean quality/ freshness, dose, water temp, pressure/ flow, and water volume. A semiauto at least keeps water temp, pressure, and flow consistent. Doing the extraction manually means more variables, so it might be a longer learning curve, but more control once you learn it all.

[ford]

Your wife factor was not part of my calculus but def should have been. Thanks for the insight =]

[Walker]

My son picked up one of these, and it is simple and easy to use.....

https://www.amazon.com/Jura-Coffee-M...08YFD1JG3?th=1