How to use Jev
for ad research

Breville bambino & breville smart grinder pro ( ppl in this thread don’t like this grinder but it’s very very easy to use) it won’t grind light beans though, only medium and dark beans.

Breville Bambino. No need for the Bambino Plus. Makes great coffee, well built (though a bit small and cramped), fast heat-up time, strong steam production. Fits good in a small kitchen. You will need a separate grinder .

Hand grinder for Mom to grind espresso… yeah buddy nah

Bambino with encore esp. bought it for my girlfriend and she loves it.

Ok my first question is will she be able to/willing to weigh grind dosage, adjust grind size, manually steam milk correctly? If not it would make sense to look at something in the auto realm

I concur…

I would recommend the v Breville Bambino as well, I have this machine for the past two years it's great. I would absolutely not agree with the smart grinder. The Breville Bambino cannot extract light beans... If this matters to your mom get a machine that works with that. The Bambino excels in medium to medium dark.  As for grinders I would suggest the Baratza Encore ESP... it's not a perfect grinder but it's super easy to switch from one grind to the next.

Looks like this one would be a perfect fit then, since our kitchen also isn’t that big! Do you have any grinder recommendations?

The big feature that the Bambino Plus has is its automatic steamer, which works really well and is *so* convenient (and is slightly faster than the Bambino's). For someone who likes lattes and cappuccinos, it might be worth the extra cost. Both machines fit well in a small kitchen.

This! Or the breville grinder that others have mentioned. You could maybe find a used barista express for your price range, which has a worthwhile but in grinder!!

I’d recommend the Mokkom or shardor grinders. They do light roast easy.

I mean no grinder is perfect at all 3 of those

DF54 for grinder

Df54 is great for a grinder but be weary it may not be beginner friendly. Id be on the lookout for the the fellow opus 2 and Barratza esp/ esp pro

The Bambino plus is tough because the automatic milk steaming is actually pretty great for a beginner, but the forced steam wand cleaning and forced cleaning cycles are VERY annoying. Always happens at like 4am before a flight and you cannot use the machine until you perform a full cleaning cycle. I’d say go for the regular bambino unless you know she won’t learn how to steam milk, then go for the for plus

If you want simplicity, you could also look at the Breville Express Impress. It simplifies the workflow and this might be important to your mum.

The Breville Barista Express will be perfectly fine for most people most of the time.

If you like milk drinks the Bambino Plus is totally worth it. The auto milk function is great. Take a look at Eureka grinders, they’re from a 100 year-old Italian company which still manufactures in the EU. You can get an entry level Eureka (Mignon Zero) for under $400 - a similar price to a Breville SGP or an ESP but it’s a different level of quality.

I would (and did) go with the Casabrews 5418 and the Aromaster Burt grinder. You can get into this for less than $200 and have money left over for good beans. I did have to swap out the portafilter for a non pressurized basket. $30

It cannot extract light beans? How's that?

Mine cracked contacted Baratza they sent a replacement for free it's been Gucci since then. I did get the single dose hopper its about 80% towards a bellows also upgraded the black gasket around the top burr with a thicker one. This also helped minimize retention it's not perfect but it's solid. Not sure it's a herd mentality I have had issues with my Baratza I think mine was one of the first off the line. But I use it everyday and pulling multiple shots and grinding both drip and espresso. If the precision grinder is working for you awesome. I haven't taken that one apart the Baratza also is super easy to clean

Thank you so much for the suggestion!!

I have both the Breville Smart Grinder Pro, and the Baratza Encore ESP. One of the few in /espresso that actually has both for proper direct comparisons. The Breville Smart Grinder Pro is easily the better grinder. The herd mentality of Baratza Encore ESP being the best low budget grinder is just flat out incorrect in my view. The smart grinder is easier to dial in, dont have to fart around with a scale for every coffee, has far far less retention, is more consistent and is quieter. Literally every single measure of a grinder it beats the baratza encore ESP

I’ll definitely check this one out! Does it handle light, medium, and dark roast beans?

Steaming is fun and easy. Just watch some videos. A little practice with an experienced friend is best.

The Infuser is a good choice too.

Have you had problems with the plastic burr holder cracking on the Baratza? I gave up on my Precisio because of it.

Yes!!! I bought a hopper for it off amazon and now my smart grinder has no issue with not the exact input out in, also a 3d printed peice that blocks any beans going into the machine part. Super cheap upgrades that make it a 10/10 for me! Also I don’t use light beans so I have no issues!

Turin DF54 would be a great companion.

Agreed, in this use case I would absolutely spend the extra on the plus for a novice user. You can always start steaming yourself later on. Also I believe it has a 3 way solenoid valve which means pucks knock out drier.

I steam milk, just saying my mom wouldn’t lol, just something to think about for a gift for someone else depending on their interest

Those best of blogs are THE WORST. They almost always recommend junk. Lurk around and you’ll get some ideas. Also, you’ll want some tools like scale, wdt, and maybe a cool tamper. Plus some cool drinkware for the kind of stuff you’ll want to make. This won’t cost a fortune, but might be a bit more than you’d expect.

This is a great idea! Unfortunately, I live in the middle of nowhere, so may not be able to find anywhere within a reasonable drive to do this, but will definitely research, thank you,

You're absolutely right, those "best of" blogs can be a real minefield for newcomers. That's why I always point people towards sources like Hoffmann, Hedrick, or this very subreddit places where you get real, hands-on experience. Excellent point about budgeting for accessories too! A good scale and a WDT tool are non-negotiable in my book; they make a bigger difference than people think. Thanks for adding that valuable advice for the OP!

Good luck! I would say that this might  make it even more important to learn the basic before jumping to a big purchase. Lots of newbies never figure out how to fix beginner's mistakes on their own. Most people need help. Trying to go it alone from scratch is just a recipe for endless frustration.

Is the $2500 with or without a grinder.

My advice: Don't start by buying a machine and grinder! Start by taking an espresso-focused coffee-making class. Learn about cupping, telling the difference between sour and bitter, dialing in, etc. etc. Then you might have an actual basis on which to decide what you want -- and if making manual espresso is right for you.

Thank you so much, that is great advice! I really appreciate your time.

Thank you for your input and recommendation!

Preferably with but still +/- if needed

Lelit Bianca, profitec 600, and a good grinder. I like the LUCCA version of the Eureka Atom 75, or the Fiorenzato AllGround Sense

Espresso is a steep learning curve regardless of the machine you buy. It will take you longer than you'd like to pull drinkable shots while you learn how to dial in and taste. Bang for buck would be a Breville Bambino (or a Flair Classic/49 if you only drink espresso) with a good hand grinder.

Appreciate the advice! Both of those options look awesome. I’ll look into a good hand grinder as well. Any recommendations for that?

For sub $500, I'd go with a refurbished Gaggia E24 ($399) & Kingrinder. If you can spare another $100, you can get an Encore ESP ($199) or a Mokkom 64 ($179.)

The basic Bambino. Not a steep learning curve as long as you do a little homework and watch some YouTube videos. Oh, and buy a decent grinder

• ECP3630 $200 • Kingrinder k6 $100 • Unpressurized bottomless Portafilter, scale, wdt, tamper $50 \*Can upgrade to automatic grinder with a mokkum 64 $170

Thanks! What’s your opinion on the bambino? I’m assuming it’s better than what I have now (Delonghi Classic Signature) I want to ease my way into learning and eventually taking it more seriously if the passion gets stronger and most importantly the budget gets bigger 🤪

Go electric. My 200$ Opus 2 works great.

If you want to pay less than $100, want good coffee, and don't have a grinder, just buy an aeropress, it will serve you better than a peice of shit cheap espresso machine. Pre-ground with a pressurised basket is just glorified nespresso with extra steps. To get into espresso and if you're going to bother at all, you'll need a decent coffee grinder before anything else. This will cost your full budget at least if you find a good manual grinder. For true espresso that will be as good as the work you put in, you have the picopresso, it is excellent, easy to use. There is also the budget flair espresso makers I'm sure are at the very least OK. Your budget would have to be $300 fir grinder and espresso maker combined and you'll be able to make good coffee. I'll say it again, aeropress.

I have a Profitec Go and DF54. I make mostly espresso. I think the Profitec will also be good for your use case. For multiple milk drinks back to back on a regular basis, the workflow would get annoying. I'm happy that I didn't get a DF64. The DF54 is fine, but I find the optimal window for good espresso is quite small. It's hard to dial in. I imagine this is the same on a DF64. If I had to pick something from scratch, I would get a niche zero.

you need an espresso machine to get real espresso (ie 9 bars of pressure). the cheap machines around $100 are all "fake", actual machines start around $500 or so (or less for manual machines), and then you also need a grinder, so the actual entry to espresso is around 600-1000. for $100, you can get a moka pot, but it's not true espresso. you also need a milk frother. there are a lot of cheap methods (steam milk, ie using french press, shaking in a bottle, etc), but you won't get the silky texture as with a real steam wand.

Niche zero is the one I’m leaning towards as I plan to upgrade from the kingrinder k6

Thank you so much for your opinion and experience with both the Profitec and DF54. Yes, I believe Profitec will be good for my use case, except for those milk drinks back to back that's where a dual boiler shines. Thanks for the heads up regarding the DF54 tuning. I will look into the Nice Zero. Regards.

Yes, that's a good point, a more robust or solid grinder paired with the Victoria. Exactly, I have always seen the DF as great bang for buck. Do you have any grinder recommendations for espresso for medium roasts? Thank you! Regards.

It also depends which coffees you like. I have learned that I want nothing to do with light roasts. At least not for espresso. If you also drink filter coffee then the DF's will be more versatile.

For my preferred style of espresso the niche is hard to beat and is well under your budget. My preference is for more body and richness at the cost of clarity and sweetness.

If you go second hand you can do it. I just bought a like new Delonghi Stilosa for £25 from Vinted, and a Sage Dose Control Pro grinder for £60. That’s about $115 altogether.

Not espresso as such but aeropress gets good reviews, pair one of those with decent handgrinder like the Kingrinder K6 which would be the biggest outlay and cheap coffee scales with decent fresh coffee beans. Pourover is another option and even sticking with french press you'll probably see a difference of you just got the scales, decent grinder and used fresh beans. Have a look around the Reddit r/aeropress and r/pourover subreddits for inspiration. If in the future you have a bit more to spend you can check the secondhand sites like Facebook marketplace, you can sometimes get a bargain on there usually when people are upgrading their own setup.

I'd say go for something like a De'longhi with a pressurised basket and pre ground coffee. It won't be spectacular for sure. Or maybe buy a second hand machine and a hand grinder.

I have Xiaomi semi automatic for 100eur. You press the button and you have espresso . You also have a steam wand(decent job although I did not made latte art).it s small(not huge device) and cheap and you have good coffee. The above comment is true, it s not professional, but it's been such an improvement compared to drip coffee or instant coffee lol. Also, you can add cocoa in it for mocha, ,you can make afogato or how is it called with ice cream, you can put the espresso last over steamed mild slowly and you have the latte cool layered effect. I also have an automatic grinder for 65euro from temu, also not professional, but hey, it does the job and house smells nice.

You might find something in a charity type store. I donated the one I used to have a couple of months ago. It worked perfectly well but nobody I knew wanted it.

I just got a Wacaco Nanopresso and the associated Barista Kit, and so far as quite happy with it. I've only made a few drinks with it so far, but it's highly drinkable. I also use a Secura brand milk frother off Amazon, which has been surprisingly durable. I got it just before COVID, and it has lasted through a year and a half of online classes and beyond. The nice thing about the Wacaco is it's all manual and portable, so you can take it with you. Just need a hot water source for my model. Not sure if they have ones that heat the water as well.

If you have a kettle and grinder for French Press you could get something like a Nanopresso. If you’re buying pre ground coffee from the supermarket it has a pressurized basket to make an espresso like drink similar to what a moka pot will do. But it allows you to get a grinder later to make a (more) proper espresso. It’s not going to make the best espresso you’ve ever had, but I’ve been able to make decent milk drinks with mine. It’s certainly better than those Mr. Coffee “espresso” makers that are basically just coffee steamers.

Aeropress and maybe something like a hand grinder kingrinder k4 (which would be suitable for espresso at a later date, when you have the budget for a decent espresso machine ) Or up your budget and get the kingrinder k6 - there’s a website in the uk doing both the k6 and aeropress for £99 which is around $134 so you might find something similar stateside

i’ve seen some breville bambino at tjmaxx & marshalls for around $179 and from what ive heard its a pretty good machine