What is a good, somewhat inexpensive espresso machine?
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 at
9:45 pm
I am considering buying an espresso machine for my dorm room next year, yes my dorm room. My college’s coffee shop is disgusting. They use pre-ground Folgers for the espresso, among many other things. I’ve been a barista for two years and know the difference between a really good latte and one that tastes like mud, so quality is important to me.
What is a good, relatively inexpensive (less than 0) espresso machine with a steaming wand that I could buy?
Tagged with: barista • coffee shop • dorm room • espresso machine • folgers • Latte • mud • tastes • wand
Filed under: Espresso
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There are a few really inexpensive (under $100) espresso machines that use pump . They all have some pros and cons – you can read about that here:
http://www.espresso-machines-and-coffee-makers.com/inexpensive-espresso-machines.html
With your budget, I would recommend that you get one of the lower end Gaggia machine. Gaggia Carezza is a good starter espresso machine and you can get it for around $200:
http://www.espresso-machines-and-coffee-makers.com/gaggia-carezza.html
Finally, do not forget that you will need a good burr grinder. Without a good grinder you cannot really make good espresso. Since the burr grinders are quite expensive, I think that the best options for you is either a good manual grinder (like Zassenhaus) or Breville Ikon or Capresso Infinity:
http://www.espresso-machines-and-coffee-makers.com/capresso-infinity-burr-grinder.html
Hope this helps.
I also was a barista and own the cheapest machine you can get. It’s a Delonghi single dispense but also has the wand. The issue with cheap machines seems to be the quality of the pump (never get one without the pump). As you know espresso is supposed to be a fine grind like powdered sugar consistency. The problem is that cheap machines cant pump the water through such a fine grind. Easy answer…Just make the grinds slightly larger and buy a $89 machine. We also have a $200 dollar machine that has the same problem. I also suggest the espresso beans from trader joes. VERY good! I make an espresso almost every day and have people over for them quite often. I assure you, it’s mostly the bean not the machine.