I get folks in all the time looking to get their first set up. If you’re new to the world of espresso, it’s pretty overwhelming, and the availability of information via blogs and youtube and online personalities can only complicate it more. What matters for your first set up? What’s the right set up? What do you even need?
I like to condense this down to a few values that will help you clarify what will suit your life best.
Budget
Ease of Use
Repairability
Even just considering those three aspects, you can really narrow down what will be a good set up for your lifestyle.
Let’s say we’re looking at budget as our main consideration. If we’re trying to stay under, say, $1000, that’s doable but limiting. Looking at electric grinders and electric (or Semi-Automatic) espresso machines in our catalogue, you’ll be looking at one of two pretty similar machines, and one of three grinders:
Machines;
The Bambino ($359.99)
The Bambino Plus ($499.99)
Grinders;
Turin DF54 ($299)
Baratza Encore ESP ($280)
Breville Smart Grinder ($239.99)
Quite honestly, for those on their first machine, this is a great starting point for many. It’s affordable, it’s got a small footprint, and it gets you learning the basics so if you were to ever want to upgrade to a more feature rich or long lasting machine you’d be prepared.
*Side Note, The Breville Barista Express is currently on sale for 999.99 CAD and is a grinder/machine combo!*
If there’s a little more wiggle room, say up to $1500 for the set up, your options open up some;
The Gaggia Classic ($779.00)
The La Pavoni Europiccola ($975.00)
The Lelit Anna 2 ($1,075.00)
The Breville Barista Pro ($1,199.00)
Keep in mind that, with the exception of the Breville Barista Pro, you will still need a grinder to get your set up complete! For grinders, I would still consider the above list, but depending on your machine choice, you could also consider the DF64 ($500) or the Eureka Mignon Zero ($499), and remember that all grinders purchased with machines are 15% off!
So, now that we’ve covered the budget aspect, what about the other two considerations? I find repairability and how manual vs how feature rich a machine is to be pretty closely tied. For the learning curve, we’re looking at features; how much the machine will do for you, versus how much you need to do or understand to make your coffee, whereas for repairability, the more the machine does for you, the more feature rich it is, the more that could potentially go wrong. I’m a big fan of manual set ups, I find more control as a user makes my experience both more fulfilling, and easier to fine tune, and I appreciate the simplicity on the repair side that simpler machines have.
The most manual set up in this list would be a combination of the Gaggia Classic, and either a DF54 or an Encore ESP. The Gaggia is an excellent entry level single boiler machine, it’s basic, but it’s solid, and endlessly repairable, lasting decades with proper care. There is a significant community online for upgrading Gaggias as well, so many folks will purchase them with the intent to modify and trick them out over time. Working with this set up, you will need to learn how to judge your grind, and either weigh your beans each time you grind, or have a set up that you feel confident in being able to produce consistent repetitions with (such as a specific coffee scoop). You’ll need to get familiar and confident with prepping your puck, tamping your espresso, and judging your pour. In my opinion, this is a huge part of why I would want an espresso machine in the first place - to understand and be a part of what I was making and consuming. If you wanted to get really really into it, that’s when I’d consider the La Pavoni Europiccola, which is known to be just as much an art piece as a machine.
For those who are potentially busier in the mornings, or who are less interested in the process behind coffee, you may want a more hands off experience. For that, I’d suggest considering the Breville Barista Express or Barista Pro. The benefits of these machines are that they’re really a one stop shop, they come with the built in grinder, but also a milk pitcher, portafilter with 4 baskets, tamper, cleaning tool, cleaning tablets, and even a water filter. As well, the machine has pre-set programs to control much of the process for you, including a PID, two volumetric dose, pre infusion, and a dose controlled integrated grinder. If you were to opt for the Barista Express Impress, it even has a built-in tamping function, so instead of using a traditional tamper, you’ll pull a lever and the machine will tamp for you. These machines are pretty intuitive, and Breville has done a good job with information rich videos demoing all the various aspects of drink making for their machines. What I would caution is that Brevilles are notorious for being tough to repair - Breville is proprietary about parts and schematics, and though they can sometimes be fixed, expect a lifespan of 5-8ish years.
There’s a lot to consider in your first machine, but I hope this run down has helped you figure out what your coffee values are, and that clarifies your options for you! Happy coffee-ing!
