Hi all, It all started when my wife bought me a mokka pot last year for Christmas and from there I’ve grown quite passionate about my morning coffee ritual. I bought a smart grinder pro, started buying freshly roasted beans from local roaster and become hooked on youtube reviews.
You know how it goes, every brew becomes more than a quick cuppa – it’s the science, the tweaking of minute details… I think I’m ready to take that leap and buy an espresso machine to extract all that goodness of liquid gold we so desire!
It would seem that a single boiler machine is a good place to start for a newbie – but these are entry level and bit fiddlier when it comes to milk based drinks, but these can be justified in the budget…
So that leads me to heat exchange machine which seems to be sweet spot in terms of quality and value vs a DB/SB – but at double the cost of single boiler. Before I came across this site, I was asking myself who buys a $2500 coffee machine for home?! Apparently a lot of people do.
So, I’m trying to justify, is it worth buying a $2000 espresso machine or is this all just a fantasy? Am I caught up in the theatrics of pulling a shot with an Italian beauty or this an obsession that I'll get bored with?
My short list is:
VBM Dombobar Jr
ECM Mechanikia Slim
Di Bartoli Lumina
Rocket Appartmento
Bezzera BZ10
I like all coffees, short, long, white. My wife is espresso only, and we would each drink at least two in the morning at home, and weekends at least 4 cups each. Obviously, the styling has to be good to look at and compact enough to convince my lovely wife that it will not clutter our kitchen.
Oh yeah, is it okay to buy interstate (online), or should we buy from local stockist and do they have end of year sales to wait for?
How much could I expect to pay in service / maintenance each year?
You know how it goes, every brew becomes more than a quick cuppa – it’s the science, the tweaking of minute details… I think I’m ready to take that leap and buy an espresso machine to extract all that goodness of liquid gold we so desire!
It would seem that a single boiler machine is a good place to start for a newbie – but these are entry level and bit fiddlier when it comes to milk based drinks, but these can be justified in the budget…
So that leads me to heat exchange machine which seems to be sweet spot in terms of quality and value vs a DB/SB – but at double the cost of single boiler. Before I came across this site, I was asking myself who buys a $2500 coffee machine for home?! Apparently a lot of people do.
So, I’m trying to justify, is it worth buying a $2000 espresso machine or is this all just a fantasy? Am I caught up in the theatrics of pulling a shot with an Italian beauty or this an obsession that I'll get bored with?
My short list is:
VBM Dombobar Jr
ECM Mechanikia Slim
Di Bartoli Lumina
Rocket Appartmento
Bezzera BZ10
I like all coffees, short, long, white. My wife is espresso only, and we would each drink at least two in the morning at home, and weekends at least 4 cups each. Obviously, the styling has to be good to look at and compact enough to convince my lovely wife that it will not clutter our kitchen.

Oh yeah, is it okay to buy interstate (online), or should we buy from local stockist and do they have end of year sales to wait for?
How much could I expect to pay in service / maintenance each year?


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