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First Timer - Espresso Machine + Grinder Recommendations

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  • First Timer - Espresso Machine + Grinder Recommendations

    Hey Everyone,
    I Know it has been asked, time and time again but I thought Id ask again, to see if I can get some advice particularly tailored to my wants/needs.

    Ive become quite obsessed with coffee over the last few years, I really do enjoy a good coffee and often try to visit as many cafes across Brisbane as I can to see where that good shit is...
    The type of coffee I enjoy is a strong, dark, almost chocolatey roast - The way I drink my coffee is I usually have:
    - Small Flat white - Double Shot - Oat Milk
    - Magic - Oat Milk
    - Picolo - Oat Milk
    - Espresso Shot

    So want I want from a machine is something I can learn and grow with. My budget is $2kish for grinder and Espresso Machine. I am not in a rush when making a coffee in the morning as I work FIFO so I have all day. Ill probably be only making coffee for myself and occasionally my housemate, usually enjoy. 1-3 Coffees a day.
    From My research on This forum and elsewhere these are the machines I've been looking at:
    - Niche Zero Grinder
    - Eureka Mignon Silenzio - Grinder
    - Breville Dual Boiler
    - Gaggia Classic Pro
    - La Pavoni Professional - Lever

    From What I've Read, I probably want something with a decent amount of pressure plus also something that has a PID (To display temperature ?), Not sure if I need a dual boiler (If im not in a rush, I don't think it matters from what I understand ?).

    Let me know your thoughts and recommendations.

    Many Thanks !

  • #2
    Welcome Liam.

    My vote: Breville Dual Boiler plus Niche Zero (single dose grinder is a big advantage). Had a couple of the former and three (don't ask) of the latter. Still have a NZ.

    To fit your budget you can either wait for a sale special offer on the BDB (unbundled i.e. without a grinder) or keep an eye out here because good quality used ones pop up here all the time. If you order a NZ new you can get it landed for under $1,000 now direct from the UK cause their GBP keeps heading south, making the cheaper and cheaper every month. Next AU batch due to ship in December.

    (In fact if it continues on its current trajectory it should be around $8.97 by Christmas ... kidding)

    Really top notch combination for your preferred coffees.

    I definitely definitely definitely would NOT start with a La Pav. Temperature in stability make them trick little buggers for newcomers

    Comment


    • WhatEverBeansNecessary
      WhatEverBeansNecessary commented
      Editing a comment
      I somewhat disagree on the La Pavoni front. It was my first 'serious' coffee machine and I learnt a lot - along with a lot of frustrations.
      It is a great machine that has a steep learning curve but will give you a really good understanding of espresso and what it entails.
      It's also more than capable of making great espresso/milk drinks and a decent secondhand machine will only set you back around the $500 mark (maybe a bit more these days).

      BUT - it's not a machine for many people for the following reasons
      .1 The learning curve. You must learn how to use it. It's not a walk up and make a coffee after being told 'just press this button and it will do it all for you'
      2. They can be incredibly frustrating
      3. A La Pavoni won't make more than 3 coffees at a time - but this isn't a problem for the OP
      4. Can be dangerous particularly with children as the exposed boiler gets SERIOUSLY hot.

      I Think of the LA Pav as a hobby not just a coffee machine. You need to be patient and be prepared to pour a number of shots down the sink.

      I loved the two I have owned and they are such great talking points for visitors. I absolutely would recommend one to a newbie if (and only if) they want a hobby as well as a morning brew.

  • #3
    Thank you for the advice ! Is there a cheaper grinder or machine you’d recommend? Both of those put me into 3K mark which, just yet I’m not willing to do.
    thanks !

    Comment


    • tompoland
      tompoland commented
      Editing a comment
      If you pick up the BDB used but in good condition, that is only going to set you back 500 - 700 depending on condition. I just found one here for 500 that my son bought and I just bought another for 500 for another son. All in the last two weeks. So they do pop up from time to time. And that would leave you more than enough for the Niche.

      The grinder, IMHO is more important than the espresso machine because no machine will produce quality tasting coffee without a consistently ground bean.

      That's why I'd recommend a quality used BDB plus a Niche rather than a new BDB and say a Breville Smart Pro grinder (which is OK but the Niche is a big leap up in quality).

      Hope this helps and keen to see what others think.

    • 338
      338 commented
      Editing a comment
      Tom has a good suggestion on setup. I will be surprised if you don't see the Breville under $1k between now and January, maybe even Black Friday. Breville cycle the price like a yoyo, it will go down soon enough.

    • WhatEverBeansNecessary
      WhatEverBeansNecessary commented
      Editing a comment
      tompoland couldn't agree more that the grinder is the most important thing. Get the best grinder you can reasonably afford and spend the left overs on the machine.

      Don't discount a decent second hand grinder though!

  • #4
    Great post

    Comment


    • #5
      Would love the Niche!!

      Comment


      • #6
        liam10 hopefully you picked up a BDB on sale recently, I think somewhere was doing them for $900 at one point.

        But if want to save some money and go down the Gaggia path I can’t recommend highly enough the pid mod. I had a Rancilio Silvia V6 a few months before installing a xmt7100 from Ali Express and the difference was dramatic. Now the V6 is insulated, which the gaggia isn’t, so temperature surfing was next to impossible but for consistency and reliability, to me it’s a cheap, easy but essential modification.

        Comment

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