Reddit mentions: The best espresso machines & coffeemaker combos

It all depends on what your husband likes. The vast majority of coffee drinkers love Keurig machines as they're super easy, quick, single serve, no mess, and there are unlimited options of different K-Cups.

If he likes regular coffee or flavored coffee, get him a Keurig machine like this K55 on Amazon or check out the Best Selling Single Serve Brewers. Keurig machines are quick, easy, and no mess. I use mine every day. Yes, I have other machines for fancy drinks but the Keurig is the best for regular, every day coffee, especially when I'm busy. I prefer iced coffee so I have a Keurig that makes hot or cold coffee, but most machines are hot only. There are thousands of different kinds of K-Cups out there and some that serve beverages other than coffee like hot cocoa, chocolate milk, cider, all different kinds of teas, and I think I even saw some lemonade or some type of lemon drink. If your husband likes mocha Frappuccinos, he would probably like Starbucks mocha latte K-Cups and Gevalia mocha latte K-Cups. Keurig works well for all different types of preferences.

If he likes lattes, espresso, mocha, or other flavored coffee-based drinks, check out the NesCafe line of Nespresso and line of Dolce Gusto machines like the Dolce Gusto Genio. The Dolce Gusto line is much simpler than the Nepresso machines and has more flavored drinks. If your husband likes mocha, you could get these. I have the Genio along with my Keurig and a few other coffee machines. The Dolce Gusto machines are great but they are more for fancy drinks, not regular coffee. I should also add the cups for Dolce Gusto machines are far more expensive per serving than K-Cups, there are far less flavors/options versus K-Cups, and they don't sell them in stores so you have to buy them online.

If he already has a Keurig or wants something a bit fancier, get him a French press like these on Amazon.

If he likes cold/iced coffee, you could get him a cold brewer like this.

Remember, whenever you buy anything on Amazon, always use the Amazon Smile link and select a charity to donate to. To learn more abour Amazon Smile, click here or go here to learn how to change your charity. I personally use the Doug Flutie Foundation for Autism as my charity and it's worth checking out.

I feel like we're in the same boat. I got a pretty decent espresso machine - 1 or 2 models back from this - http://www.amazon.com/Breville-ESP8XL-Stainless-Espresso-Maker/dp/B0002VAFWA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1395850116&sr=8-3&keywords=Breville+espresso and it works well sometimes. I have played around more than you can imagine with a couple home grinders and just can't get the same results as buying actual pre-ground espresso....which I've found is pretty damn expensive.

I'd never been a fan of drip coffee because almost everything started tasting too watered-down for me and I was craving espresso for the same reasons I was starting to drink some hairy-chested Cali red wines. I stumbled on this machine for $125 - http://www.amazon.com/Breville-BDC550XL-YouBrew-Glass-Coffee/dp/B005I72AXA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1395850256&sr=8-3&keywords=Breville+YouBrew and the espresso machine is collecting dust. Basically now I buy whole beans (Peets and Trader Joes Italian Roast are the 2 faves and cost me about $1 a pot) and the machine grinds for each cup and I just jack the strength up near the top of the 7 settings. It does require some significant cleaning each time but I felt like it was much easier to get used to than cleaning the espresso machine. It seems like a lot to outlay for the machine but I signed up for mint.com and saw how much I spent at Starbucks (hint, more than my internet bill each month) and it was easy to dump the money in. Hope this gives you another perspective at least.

Also throwing my support behind the Breville Infuser as a good starter machine. While it lacks the serviceability of a Gaggia Classic, the Infuser is more feature-rich and user-friendly, in my opinion. Its advantages:

• Thermoblock temp regulation by PID (non-programmable)
  
• Includes a (magnetically-housed) tamper
  
• Pre-infusion (automatic or manual)
  
• Programmable volumetric dosing
  
• A real swivel steam wand (no swapping out the panarello frother for a Silvia wand, like is recommended for the Gaggia)
  
• Built-in replaceable water filter
  
  If you don't need to programmability, you can save some money and get the Duo-Temp Pro instead. Weirdly enough, both machines are cheaper through Amazon.ca than any US-based retailer I've found. (Infuser and Duo Pro)
  
  As stated above, it's a slow machine if you like making large milk-based drinks (on account of it being a thermoblock-heated machine, so it can't pull shots & steam similtaenously, and its steam pressure output is pretty low). Otherwise, it's fine for pulling shots.
  
  Assuming your $500 budget was exclusive of the grinder, buy a Sette 270 and it'll outlast your Breville and be ready for when you get upgrade-itis to a prosumer machine.

Affordable Good Espresso is essentially nonexistant according to the most upvoted posts in this sub. There are ways to do this for instance finding used Gaggia Classics on eBay for circa 200-300 dollars and $400 new and the installation of a PID or essentially an electronic temperature control unit which will run you another 150 dollars. You'll have a hard time making milk-based drinks with this setup for lack of something called a dual boiler, but we can read about that later. It should be great for pulling awesome shots.

Not sure what "affordable" is to you so I'm putting out ballpark numbers here. A lot of people have relative success using fauxpresso methods such as the Aeropress and Moka Pot, but that's up to you.

Also consider if you want to have a semi-automatic machine which is one where you make your own ground coffee in which case you'll need a proper grinder as well! Grinders good enough for espresso should cost around $300 but I would assume that's far past affordable so you can always get preground espresso coffee at your local coffee shop because people on /r/coffee usually consider supermarket coffee (with the exception of Whole Foods, consider them!) the devil incarnate.

It all really depends where you want to be, give us some more info to work on.

tl;dr if you're a poor college student who's lazy and just wants espresso and wants me to shut up at this point consider a Nespresso machine with pods

Here!

take the red pill if you'd like to go further down the rabbit hole and explore a world of pure imagination!


http://www.reddit.com/r/Coffee/comments/1603wt/why_do_espresso_machines_cost_so_much/

http://www.reddit.com/r/Coffee/comments/1pti1m/what_is_the_least_amount_of_money_that_you_would/

Thanks! It's all lower-mid tier stuff but the best bang for the buck imo.

Espresso machine

Grinder (not the best, be warned)

French press

I use this machine and love it to death! It’s simple and easy to use. The steam wand isn’t my favorite but I mostly use it for iced espresso drinks. It’s a really great value for only being $100!

To me nothing tastes as good as an espresso shot used to make a latte or flat white. The equipment costs more, but the Italian style of coffee and taste (to me) I adore. Better than my Aeropress (which is basically a glorified french press) I use at work or drip coffee. Oh, and always use quality, freshly ground beans!

How many cups have I poured ever? I would estimate a couple of hundred. I've been working at it for a little under a year at home on a Krups machine.

I worked as a barista for a little under 3 months which got me more curious about trying it at home. Plus, what better way to feed my caffeine addiction than by trying to make my coffee pretty?

In the picture I steamed the milk to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. I put the espresso into a small cappucino cup and added pumpkin pie spice on top. Then I poured the milk and voila!

I am still trying to control the consistency of the milk. I learn more about it everyday, it seems like.

We have a Jura Ena (9 I think) superautomatic. It looks a lot like this one if a lot older This machine has served my Center at a decently large Biomedical Research Institute extremely well for years now and we drink a lot of coffee (probably 10-15 lbs per month get pushed through that machine). I'd highly recommend it.

The only maintenance it has required in what has to be at least five years (and probably significantly more, its been here longer than I have) is the occasional descaling pellet. It doesn't require any filters or disposable pods, and the ceramic grinder is still plugging away as good as ever. Just dump the grounds from the tray, refill the water, put beans in the hopper and its good to go. Adjustable grind and volume settings (including the ability to set the default to a larger volume to approximate drip), and can steam/froth milk. For less than ~1400 new and significantly less than that refurbished, you can get decent beans and still come out way ahead of what you'd be paying for disposable pods.

I tell all my guys to "pack your happiness", whatever that entails. For one guy it was 10 cans of smoked oysters, another needed 5 lbs of dark chocolate, I personally need my travel espresso maker and fresh coffee (handpresso) Since it's his first deployment, he might want to come up with a budget for each port. I've seen guys come back with way less money saved up than they could have had if they had made a plan before going out. Anywho, cheers, happy deployment~

Yeah, that does kinda suck.

I got mine used from craigslist for about $30. (Pretty standard Krups model w/the frother and a normal drip coffee system on the side) and it does what it's supposed to.

Sure you could go extra fancy (or extra authentic w/the italian stovetop model) but as long as you buy one with minimal features for a reasonable price you'll be fine.

Found it on Amazon... so I may have gotten a pretty good deal on it

We have a Nespresso machine, and I love it because it's easy, but I can still make a great tasting latte for myself in the morning. They are expensive, but cheaper than buying it at a coffeeshop.

save more and get honestly you will want to spend the majority on the grinder https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%80%90%E4%B8%A6%E8%A1%8C%E8%BC%B8%E5%85%A5%E3%80%91Breville-BES870XL-%E3%83%90%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF-Express-Espresso-%E3%82%A8%E3%82%B9%E3%83%97%E3%83%AC%E3%83%83%E3%82%BD%E3%83%A1%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AB%E3%83%BC/dp/B00CH9QWOU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510030616&sr=8-1&keywords=breville

https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%83%87%E3%83%AD%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AE-%E3%82%A8%E3%82%B9%E3%83%97%E3%83%AC%E3%83%83%E3%82%BD%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AB%E3%83%97%E3%83%81%E3%83%BC%E3%83%8E%E3%83%A1%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AB%E3%83%BC-%E3%82%A8%E3%82%B9%E3%83%97%E3%83%AC%E3%83%83%E3%82%BD%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B7%E3%83%B3-EC152J-%E3%83%96%E3%83%A9%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%C3%97%E3%82%B7%E3%83%AB%E3%83%90%E3%83%BC/dp/B0047C8856/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1510030796&sr=8-8&keywords=delonghi%28%E3%83%87%E3%83%AD%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AE spend rest on good grinder

I'm a huge kitchenAid fanboy and when I first found out about this machine I drooled. Then I dug into the reviews, and they are not [pretty](https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KES2102ER-Espresso-Independent-Boilers/dp/B00LU3MOHS). It looks like this current generation isn't horrible, but I would pass on this, unless you really love the aesthetic.

Espresso: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007KG5IYK?pc_redir=1409544752&robot_redir=1

Grinder: most hand grinders will fit the bill. The hario slim is an excellent way to go.

Maybe I'm unrefined, but this is what I'm using now and get pretty good coffee. It just has to be cleaned a lot and is a bit inconsistent.

BVMC-ECM260 Espresso https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003L12NKU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_EPexxb9DD39Z2

That seems alot for not a very polished piece of kit. It has some positive reviews though but this is slightly cheaper and much better known. Also produces great espresso!

All this being said, as you say, expensive if you've no need. But when does that ever stop us coffee folk!

I would recommend Miele. 100% designed and manufactured in Germany to crazy high standards. Here is the machine I have:

https://www.amazon.com/CM-6110-Coffee-System-Black/dp/B015P7V70Y/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1504938963&sr=8-6&keywords=Miele+coffee

The coffee is amazing - The biggest BIFL issue with these machines is their cleaning capability. They get really gunked up inside and you want one that can take care of this stuff.

My current machine is a Mr. Coffee ECMP10. It's actually been an incredibly solid machine. We got it for something like $50 around 12 years ago and it's still going strong.

The funny thing is, the machine is still being sold but by Breville now. They've replaced the plastic case with a stainless steel one and increased the price by about $200. See it here.

I got a Breville Cafe Roma in very good condition (the base needed to be replaced due to warping somehow, but you can find replacement parts for the machine online). But if I recall I paid under 200$ for it. Thus far I've enjoyed owning it. The tamper it comes with is terrible however, when purchasing this machine I'd highly recommend buying a better temper.

I would imagine you could ask any coffee roaster to grind it very fine for you, or if you have your own grinder, turn it down as fine as it will go. If you have an adjustable mill grinder, that's better.

AFAIK, Turkish coffee doesn't require a certain type of bean, but a medium roast will take you far unless you like your Turkish coffee with extra sugar (two teaspoons).

If you need tips on how to make it, head on over to /r/coffee. If you want an automatic option, this one works really well. I've seen cezves at Istanbul Market on Gammon and you can get vacuum-sealed Turkish coffee there.

Got one of these at GW myself for $13 a long time ago. I took it apart and replaced all the gaskets (around 10 hours of work). It's been my daily fix for about a year now.

You might have to change the group head gasket. If you put the portafilter in it and it goes beyond that circle alignment mark then the gasket is probably worn.

Also one of your biggest enemies is if one of the two boilers is leaking. The older models had a black EPDM gasket. Later they upgraded them to these red high temp gaskets. There is one screw on the back if you take that off then take the screws off the top you can look down at the boilers and see if they're leaking anywhere. Mine was leaking super badly from the frothing boiler and I could see the stain on the bottom plate.

Feel free to PM me if you have some tech questions about this. If your thermostat is bad though I can't help you there.

edit: Sorry to burst your bubble but they're probably closer to $750 now new for a red one on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KES2102ER-Espresso-Independent-Boilers/dp/B00LU3MOHS?th=1

Still a great deal though. Although I bring it up because I think a used one might be around $300 on eBay. I mention it because you seem to need a drip tray, red flow overflow indicator, and chrome drip tray piece. That can probably run $50+. Then you need a portafilter, gasket replacement, cup rail on the top... etc. So costs can add up quickly.

Yiu can buy an espresso machine for under $200.

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B0002VAFWA/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1421368275&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=41CBH65TS7L&ref=plSrch

Save 50 cents or more per espresso.

Edit: $1+ per "espresso" with a pod machine once a day means you paid $365 for shitty espresso...PLUS the cost of the DRM'd pod machine.

Same consumption using real espresso coffee costs the same including the $150 machine and the following year you save a LOT...

Coffee in non recyclable pods is environmentally unfriendly, more expensive and of poorer quality. Believe the marketing all you want, this is shitty coffee at a premium. Making real coffee or espresso is just as convenient, tastes better, is DRM free and opens up a lot of flavour options....

It looks like they both have their pluses and minuses. Both utilize boilers though the Saeco boiler is stainless vs an aluminum boiler in the Capresso. The Saeco only comes with a pressurized portafilter out of the box, though it looks like you can get a non-pressurized aftermarket option for it. The Capresso includes both pressurized and non-pressurized.

I think the Capresso probably has the superior steam wand which appears to get a desired consistency according to this review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYFOE0qtoE0

The Saeco has a larger water tank (85 oz vs. 42 oz in the Capresso).

Amazon does have some reviews for the Capresso which seem to be mostly good, but somewhat mixed. I think that is just par for the course in this price range, unfortunately:

http://www.amazon.com/Capresso-118-05-Espresso-Cappuccino-Machine/dp/B00FQIUW9A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406834541&sr=8-1&keywords=capresso+ec+pro

http://www.amazon.com/Capresso-Professional-Espresso-Cappuccino-ESPRESSO/dp/B00FSFVN5I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1406834550&sr=8-2&keywords=capresso+ec+pro

And Seattle Coffee Gear's review of the Capresso: http://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/capresso-ec-pro-espresso-cappuccino-machine

Today I found a Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma.

I had to scavange the entire store because they put the pitcher in the mug section and the 2 tbsp puck in the home decor/plate area. I now have everything but the tamper it comes with.

How good of a find was this for ~$16?

I own a Krups Il Cafe Bistro; i've had for about 24 years.

Everything still works on it. I've had to replace a couple of dropped carafes. Milk heater and foaming steam spigot has always worked.

The "modern" version is this newer one.

My model is no longer sold online but I have gotten a identical carafe from Krups as recent as four years ago. I've given the modern one as a wedding gift about two years ago; they are still pleased with it.

I've never looked at the DeLonghi ones as I had a DeLonghi toaster for a bit and was ecstatic after four years of use when that finger-scalding, bagel-sticking, tart-breaking, and crumb tray-jamming, hard to clean fucker finally died and I then upgraded to a different brand.

Anything with a pressure boiler? Stick with something heavy and well-made.

They sell stainless heating / foaming pitchers too. I thought the 8oz was good enough; go with the 16oz; more room for more milk and more aeration.

I'm getting a superautomatic tomorrow, so I will have one like this for sale ;)

http://www.amazon.com/Breville-ESP8XL-Stainless-Espresso-Maker/dp/B0002VAFWA/

I use a Kitchen Aid grinder similar to this one. It has a removable, dishwasher safe bowl that makes cleaning a breeze.

Something like this maybe?
http://www.amazon.ca/Breville-Caf%C3%A9-Espresso-Machine-ESP8XL/dp/B0002VAFWA/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen-substore&ie=UTF8&qid=1449530532&sr=1-1&keywords=espresso+machine

However, devil's advocate for a minute here. (I regularly bash boomers so, I'm not sucking up to them, but making one point.)

They didn't spend $6 for a latte every morning. They spent 25 cents on diner coffee. Cut out the fancy espresso based coffees and save a bundle. Buying a cheaper espresso machine and learning how to do it pays for itself.

http://www.amazon.com/Jura-ENA-9-One-Touch/dp/B004VS32YS

$1279

A cheaper, simpler alternative, is $500 used. You will have to froth your own milk and warm the cup.

Have been using the Breville Cafe Roma for 5+ years (with a burr grinder). It's on the lower end of home espresso machines but seems to work just fine.

https://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-ECP3420-Espresso-Cappuccino-Machine/dp/B00YCP71VK/ref=sr_1_4?crid=28NAS3Y4JWTE8&keywords=delonghi+espresso+machine&qid=1559264636&s=gateway&sprefix=delonghi%2Caps%2C178&sr=8-4

Edited the post. Here's the link http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-BVMCECM260-BVMC-ECM260-Espresso/dp/B003L12NKU/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1464727889&sr=8-7&keywords=mr+coffee+espresso+machine

I'm an espresso guy and couldn't live without my Handpresso when I travel/camp. It's 16-bar, hand-pumped and completely off the grid!

http://amzn.com/B007KG5IYK