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I've been dabbling in Espresso (And solely espresso, no milk drinks) for years at this point. For home espresso and espresso drinks, I find it to be more of a hobby, a 15 minute therapeutic process for my morning. It takes practice and finesse to really get a decent cup out of it, and unfortunately a decent amount of money after that to progress.
Here is some basic knowledge I've absorbed from loads of research:
First and foremost, if you're starting out, you can start with this machine to see if you like the hobby. I would recommend getting something off of Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist to start. A lot of people sell their machines once they realize the learning curve. My first machine was a used $60 De'Longhi that I had for a few months before upgrading. Just make sure you clean it and descale it before you use it.
To go along with this machine, you need a good grinder, one that at least uses burrs, not blades. Blade grinders cannot make coffee fine enough or uniform enough for pulling shots. General consensus is that you can only pull a shot as good as your grinder, and if you had to spend money on one or the other, get a good grinder. I had a Eureka Mignon Silenzio ($400) from the beginning but any burr should get you decent pulls.
The caveats of this machine (That don't matter if you're doing espresso only):
1: Single boiler (timing and practice to pull a shot, heat up the boiler, and steam the milk) Dual boiler machines aren't cheap though and I would consider an "End game" purchase (Like $1,000).
2: Frothing wand type is considered sub-par and can make it difficult to froth (Although I believe this can be upgraded)
TLDR - You can get this to start! However, pair it with a decent burr grinder, and consider upgrading the wand if possible. Get your feet wet, and if you like it, you will probably want to upgrade soon. (I would suggest the Gaggia Classic Pro). Look for used machines.
$30ish ones from Amazon worked well for me when I was interested in making espresso.
I'm sure a more expensive one can achieve a better shot of espresso with more options and better temp/pressure control, but if you are on the fence...$160 is still a lot of money to spend for something that still won't come close to the $1k machines.
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Would personally try to find a Stilosa/ECP for $80~ on sale or a Bambino for $250~ on sale instead of this
Another thing to keep in mind woot almost never has manufacturer warranties just their own short warranty
Here is some basic knowledge I've absorbed from loads of research:
First and foremost, if you're starting out, you can start with this machine to see if you like the hobby. I would recommend getting something off of Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist to start. A lot of people sell their machines once they realize the learning curve. My first machine was a used $60 De'Longhi that I had for a few months before upgrading. Just make sure you clean it and descale it before you use it.
To go along with this machine, you need a good grinder, one that at least uses burrs, not blades. Blade grinders cannot make coffee fine enough or uniform enough for pulling shots. General consensus is that you can only pull a shot as good as your grinder, and if you had to spend money on one or the other, get a good grinder. I had a Eureka Mignon Silenzio ($400) from the beginning but any burr should get you decent pulls.
The caveats of this machine (That don't matter if you're doing espresso only):
1: Single boiler (timing and practice to pull a shot, heat up the boiler, and steam the milk) Dual boiler machines aren't cheap though and I would consider an "End game" purchase (Like $1,000).
2: Frothing wand type is considered sub-par and can make it difficult to froth (Although I believe this can be upgraded)
TLDR - You can get this to start! However, pair it with a decent burr grinder, and consider upgrading the wand if possible. Get your feet wet, and if you like it, you will probably want to upgrade soon. (I would suggest the Gaggia Classic Pro). Look for used machines.
I'm sure a more expensive one can achieve a better shot of espresso with more options and better temp/pressure control, but if you are on the fence...$160 is still a lot of money to spend for something that still won't come close to the $1k machines.
Join The Conversation
Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!