The wife and I are really starting to enjoy iced lattes. I’m thinking of getting an expresso machine at home so we can cut out the middle man.

I don’t need anything fancy and would like to keep the size and cost to a minimum. I would like something under $100 if possible, filter less (if that’s an option) and a 2 cup brew would be great.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: gpbst3,

My understanding is that a quality espresso machine would be outside of that budget, and high end machine can run many thousands of dollars. Espresso is made under pressure, so there is some fussiness about motors and pumps in low dollar machines not making the grade.

In that price range, I daresay something like a Nespresso machine that uses pods might be a good compromise. The benefit is that the pods are optimized to take into account the limitations of the machine.

That’s a tough one; post above is correct.

Making "real" espresso is pretty involved, and making good espresso takes a fair amount of fuss and equipment.

Buying new, I think you need to spend several hundred dollars to have a shot at making even decent espresso, and if you don't already know a good bit about it, buying used stuff can be a crap shoot.

You might be better off at least starting with a simpler, less expensive brew method that makes something fairly similar to espresso, like a stovetop Bialetti Moka Pot.

A Moka Pot is simple, inexpensive, easy to make good coffee with, and easy to clean.

Some coffee nerdism:

The goal for pretty much any brewing method is to get all the good flavor out of the beans without getting much bad flavor out of the beans. This tends to happen when the brewing method "extracts" about 20% of the weight of the coffee beans into the water.

Normal coffee achieves this with about 1 part coffee to 15-20 parts water.

Normal espresso achieves this with about 1 part coffee to 2 parts water (although there are variations ranging from 1:1 to 1:4 or so).

A Moka Pot achieves this with 1 part coffee to about 6-7 parts water.

So, very roughly, espresso is 3x as concentrated as Moka Pot coffee, which is 3x as concentrated as drip/percolator coffee.

When I first saw the OP's post, I hesitated to respond as unquestionably I would have burst his bubble. Kudos to Aeteocles for being gentle.

FWIW way back when i went through a succession of inexpensive pump units that all failed to deliver acceptable espresso. Finally understood what it would really take and ended up with a prosumer boiler unit with E61 group head that cost $$$$. Got 14 years out it before it died.

Here's an article that addresses units in the range the OP is looking at (Delonghi, Nespresso, Capresso, Mr Coffee). He simply needs to keep in mind that what they produce will NOT rival what he gets from a local barista.

https://coffeechronicler.com/g...est-cheap-under-100/

Josh at the Starbucks in Target makes a mean double espresso.....

De'longhi probably would be the best entry level into getting the espresso type of coffee, De'longhi has some models under $100,

We had a Krups for quite a while that did a good job haven't used it in years though...

Nepresso will be simpler to run and keep clean and take up less space on the counter

De'longhi Espresso Machine

I have purchased equipment from Seattle Coffee Gear Dot Com. I'm a satisfied customer with them.

Check out their website, look for their Shop button, and click on any category.

They also have a button for Refurbished Equipment.

And/or, better yet, call them and ask for their advice on a budget model. I've talked to them quite a few times and have been treated very well and found them to be extremely helpful with any question or help.

They do give a 10% discount on first purchase, plus free shipping.

You're not going to get anything for a hundred bucks, you can get some models for $500-600 ish that may work well enough. And of course you can spend several grand, which I don't do, lol, and you most likely will not either.

Best wishes to you.
.

$100? Yeah, good luck. My machine was $600 five years ago and is what I'd consider low to maybe low - mid-level.

not to hijack this too badly- does anyone have experience with the Gaggia Brera ? I believe that is an automatic, where you put beans in, press a button, and out comes espresso.

we have a keurig, and the screen is whited out, but at least I remember the areas on the touch screen we need to hit in order to make coffee how I like it.

$100 will probably buy disappointment only. that said, it is awful difficult to part with even the $500 for the gaggia even with good reviews.

I did a lot of research a few years back, and ended up purchasing the Breville Barista Express. To do espresso you need a proper grind. This machine handles both. I have had to send it in for warranty repair twice in the 5 years I've owned it. Both times, though we were without a machine for about 6 weeks, Breville handled the whole thing amazingly.

I just checked and the current price point is $700

https://smile.amazon.com/Brevi...e%2Caps%2C197&sr=8-8

quote:

Originally posted by AKSuperDually:
I did a lot of research a few years back, and ended up purchasing the Breville Barista Express. To do espresso you need a proper grind. This machine handles both. I have had to send it in for warranty repair twice in the 5 years I've owned it. Both times, though we were without a machine for about 6 weeks, Breville handled the whole thing amazingly.

I just checked and the current price point is $700

https://smile.amazon.com/Brevi...e%2Caps%2C197&sr=8-8

Coming up on 5 years of Breville Barista Express ownership for me as well. Mine went back for warranty service once. Their customer service was top notch. Once we started getting into the habit of getting a latte 3-4 times a week it was pretty easy to justify the cost. Just 3 lattes a week @ $5 each is $780 in a year. I prefer my lattes over most coffee shop lattes. If this one quits, I'd take a serious look at the next level higher with a dual boiler, but for now I'm very happy with what I've got.

Yikes. I didn’t think espresso machines were this speedy. I don’t want to buy junk either. I’m going to do some more research on the nespresso units

I know a guy named Giuseppe who makes a nice espresso.

A restaurant machine costs like a car. A good one for the home is still around one thousand bucks. The real deal has to handle a lot of pressure and even live steam.

My wife got a Nespresso. They are cheap. You won't be fooled at all, but they make a reasonable facsimile of espresso.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
Yikes. I didn’t think espresso machines were this speedy. I don’t want to buy junk either.

Then you're looking at a minimum of ±$500 for the espresso machine and another minimum of ±$350 for an "adequate" grinder.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
I’m going to do some more research on the nespresso units

A lot more economical, but they don't really produce espresso Then again: There are several here on SF that own and love theirs.

What makes espresso is forcing the right amount of water at a particular temperature through a relatively densely-packed basket of coffee, with a certain amount of pressure, within a circumscribed amount of time. This results in just the right amount of extraction from the grind and the emulsification of the coffee oils--the latter of which creates crema.

The equipment to allow that to happen, reliably and repeatably, requires a degree of product engineering, and materials and manufacturing quality and expertise. These cost money.

Same goes with grinders. The goal is to repeatably create the same grind fineness, without creating excessive "fines" (essentially dust). Producing such grinders also takes engineering, materials, and manufacturing quality and expertise. Thus they are spendy.

I have ±$1,000 into just my espresso machine and grinder, alone. Then there is another ±$100 in various & sundry accessories.

But... I can make a thoroughly enjoyable espresso whenever I want. Every morning I enjoy a true Caffè Americano while at my computer. (I tried going back to the Aeropress. It just doesn't do it for me anymore.) On Sunday mornings I make a Latte for my wife and Cappuccino for myself. They are as tasty as any coffee drink either of us have ever tasted anywhere else ever before.

It was worth it

Coincidentally: I just got back from my local roaster's with four pounds of freshly-roasted whole-bean espresso blend and a bottle of caramel syrup. I'm going to try to replicate something similar to Starbucks' Caramel Macchiato or MacDonalds' Caramel Latte

And this brings me to another point: Espresso machines are hungry beasts. I now go through coffee at about twice the rate I did when I was using an Aeropress or when I was making drip coffee.

Oh yeah: And, as an espresso newbie, be prepared to burn through a lot of coffee getting your technique right.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
I’m going to do some more research on the nespresso units

A lot more economical, but they don't really produce espresso Then again: There are several here on SF that own and love theirs.

I'd argue that the Nespresso units would cost more over the long run if you include the cost of the pods.

There are a lot of people who like them and I won't argue that they're convenient, but I personally didn't care for the samples I tried in the store.

Saeco. But they are around $1000.

We like the Nespresso. We use it on weekends.

With SBUX being ubiquitous, real espresso is available nearly any time.

A few years ago I half-jokingly suggested a Bialetti stovetop expresso maker in a thread like this. I say "half" I'm half Cuban. It was part of my dad's daily ritual to make an espresso for his cafe con leche in the morning and another straight shot when he came home from work. It tasted horrible to me as a kid, but as an adult, I came to love cafecitos, with mucho sugar. I can make the espumita as good as any abuela. What am I missing? How much better is it from one of these $1K makers?

You could always go old school ad make espresso on you stovetop.

The most common ones only produce 1 bar of pressure, but the newest 9Barista Espresso Machine is able to produce 9 bars...but even this is $425
https://9barista.com/product/9...ta-espresso-machine/

quote:

Originally posted by Keystoner:
A few years ago I half-jokingly suggested a Bialetti stovetop expresso maker in a thread like this. I say "half" I'm half Cuban. It was part of my dad's daily ritual to make an espresso for his cafe con leche in the morning and another straight shot when he came home from work. It tasted horrible to me as a kid, but as an adult, I came to love cafecitos, with mucho sugar. I can make the espumita as good as any abuela. What am I missing? How much better is it from one of these $1K makers?

I have one in my camping kit. It isn't espresso, but its a good cup of strong coffee.