Reply to Restaurant-grade espresso machine for a low-budget home?

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[quote=Anonymous]So it really depends on what you want.  There are machines called super automatic espresso machines that will grind the beans and make a variety of espresso-based drinks (many also have milk dispensers so they can froth milk for you and make cappuccinos, macchiatos, etc.).  The machines give you a consistent decent coffee without too much waiting around and there's nothing you need to do except supply the beans and water, press a button, and clean the machine once in a while.   The thing is, in some ways a super automatic is basically a glorified Nespresso machine. You use whole beans instead of pods and it seems more like a real espresso machine, but I'm not sure the espresso is necessarily that much different/better.  (The Nespresso will be a *lot* cheaper to buy, but the pods will be more expensive than coffee beans).

On the other hand, there are semi-automatic espresso machines where you can really learn to pull your own espresso.  These can be cheaper than a super automatic (although you probably also need to buy a nice grinder to go with it, which might cost almost as much as the espresso machine) but it's a whole skill/art to learn to produce a really good quality espresso.  So if you are willing to wait up to 20 minutes for the boiler to heat up, and you are into learning how to get the water pressure/temp just right, you can make a better espresso than a super automatic--but if you aren't then you can easily make a worse one.

Seattle Coffee Gear has a ton of videos, reviews and shopping options on their website that might be helpful, and you can even call them up and they are very nice about offering advice (and good prices too).  I'd say the price range for a semi-automatic or a super automatic runs from about $500-2000 (and a grinder might be another few hundred).[/quote]

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