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[PER] Wife Refuses to Drink Auto Machine Coffee - Upgrade Advice Wanted

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  • [PER] Wife Refuses to Drink Auto Machine Coffee - Upgrade Advice Wanted

    First post.

    Both of us enjoy decent coffee.

    Currently have a fully auto 'bean to cup' machine (Jura C9) and we buy decent beans from either good cafes where they roast or we like the take-away coffee.

    We drink only non-milk coffee, perfect volume is 85ml black espresso.

    The Jura is fine(ish) for me, but she has a good palate and thinks it is junk most of the time and now just goes out and buys a long black.

    I also notice that a good coffee (when it is not made too large i.e. over 100ml) is way nicer than the auto machine.

    Time to upgrade.

    Looking about spending $1500 (maybe $2000 if I can flog the Jura).

    Currently thinking about Gaggia Pro and Eureka Mignon or similar combo, or similar second-hand or new.

    Once the machines are 'dialled-in' (that's what watching too much James Hoffmann has done for me) probably won't be doing a lot of tinkering, but who knows.

    Looking for some advice around good combos, new/second-hand, price range (too low/high).

    Buying stuff like scales might be fun, but the problem I am trying to solve here is just improving the WAF (wife acceptance factor) of the default coffee in the house.

    Thanks in advance.




  • #2
    Maybe a Lelit with PID, something like a second hand PL41TEMD? The PID ensures temperature stability over the Gaggia. At least gives you another model to look up reviews on. One of the Eureka Mignon would be a good choice. Worth looking in the For Sale section here, at least you would assume the user has looked after it.

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    • #3
      What he said 338 or an ECM Technika second had. But I have to say, the Lelits always seem to be good bang for bucks and even though ECM is tops in terms of build quality, I don't think the Lelit is far behind, if at all.

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      • #4
        And another thing .... IMHO the grinder is more important than the espresso machine. If you can't put a uniform grind into your machine, ain't gonna have a balanced pour coming out no matter how much money you spend on the espresso machine (The mignon would be good enough, for sure).

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        • #5
          Originally posted by tompoland View Post
          What he said 338 or an ECM Technika second had. But I have to say, the Lelits always seem to be good bang for bucks and even though ECM is tops in terms of build quality, I don't think the Lelit is far behind, if at all.
          I did start looking at the Lelit Mara X (rabbit hole of coffee) but when I saw the 25 minute warmup time it put me off, plus the price looked too much new and maybe too much of a leap from the auto machine in one jump.

          I do agree about the grinder, hence I thought a 750+750 combo might be more sensible.

          The ECM stuff looks wonderful, but again I would have to go way over $2k to get all the gear I need. Even if I could find a second-hand model in Perth.
          Last edited by Groover1964; 19 March 2022, 03:54 PM. Reason: Typo

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          • #6
            The warm time becomes less of an issue with a smart timer and companion app. you set it turn on 30 minutes prior to your wake time. you can set it so that it's later on the weekends and you can use your phone to turn it on if you are out and about but fancy an espresso on your return.

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            • #7
              BDB - around $900 when it's on sale.
              Niche Zero - less than $1100 if purchased directly from their website.

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              • tompoland
                tompoland commented
                Editing a comment
                Excellent bang-for-bucks comb, great thinking otree

            • #8
              Originally posted by otree View Post
              BDB - around $900 when it's on sale.
              Niche Zero - less than $1100 if purchased directly from their website.
              OK noob coffee question. I'm assuming that BDB= Breville Double Boiler (thank you Google).

              Do I need a double boiler if I'm only ever doing black coffee / espresso shots?

              What advantage does it offer me?

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              • #9
                The BDB is recommended more for it's bang-for-bucks quality than for the actual dual boiler. That said, it's very handy if you have guests which almost always has you making multiple milk coffees back to back to back...

                PS any wife/husband who demands that you upgrade your espresso equipment is a keeper. But let me know if you ever divorce ?

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                • #10
                  Ecm Classika PID would be my go to pump machine for black only coffee (maybe the new puristika). Otherwise, a La Pavoni europiccola makes incredible espresso and is in your price range.

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                  • #11
                    Originally posted by tompoland View Post
                    The BDB is recommended more for it's bang-for-bucks quality than for the actual dual boiler. That said, it's very handy if you have guests which almost always has you making multiple milk coffees back to back to back...

                    PS any wife/husband who demands that you upgrade your espresso equipment is a keeper. But let me know if you ever divorce ?
                    There's no way I'm playing barista at a dinner party ;-) ...Coffee or tea....oh by the way we don't have any milk unless I've been cooking with it.

                    The Gaggia Pro lets me spend more on the grinder, but not sure if it has flaws that I'm not aware of.

                    Oh, and she's is a keeper, so I'm doing this before she leaves me for the barista!

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                    • #12
                      Originally posted by TailorCoffee View Post
                      Ecm Classika PID would be my go to pump machine for black only coffee (maybe the new puristika). Otherwise, a La Pavoni europiccola makes incredible espresso and is in your price range.
                      I think this might be the go as well. ECM Classika PID looks like it has awesome build construction and looks great.

                      I might not be able to afford the Niche grinder, so would something like the Eureka Mignon be a decent pairing?

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                      • tompoland
                        tompoland commented
                        Editing a comment
                        I reckon it would work really well still. Frankly, that option or the BDB/Niche would be terrific set ups. And if you are a little patient and you buy well, you can normally sell without a big loss when (not if) upgraditis hits.

                    • #13
                      Mignon + single boiler with PID and your coffee will improve significantly.

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                      • #14
                        Groove can see you are selling a Unico Splendor and Mignon E, just wondering what that pair didn't do for your requirements above?

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                        • #15
                          I’m also going to suggest the Breville Dual Boiler and Niche Zero combo.

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