Hey guys,
I'm thinking of buying a coffee machine and I'm really stumped about which to go for.
I originally went with "the Barista Express" (BES870BSS) since it had my wants of a grinder + wand, but there was a leaking problem from the first few coffees and the machine took very long to start in almost all aspects (I have previously used the Sunbeam Cafe Series Espresso Machine [EM7000] and everything about it performed better). I attribute this negative experience to a faulty product though.
I wanted to move on to the DeLonghi La Specialista Coffee Machine (EC9335M) but the reviews are fairly negative. I've looked at pretty much all the past deals and many people have not recommended it. I learnt a lot from the comparison video linked by a user on another OzB page and I learnt a fair bit about why from there, but I wanted to hear everyone's thoughts about which are some good ones to consider as an alternative.
What are your thoughts on the Barista Express by Breville and the Cafe Series Espresso Machine by Sunbeam? Is there another model altogether you'd rather recommend?
My overall budget would be under $1000. I've heard many people suggesting breaking the ceiling and going for the Dual Boiler + grinder, which I may consider as well but I have no idea what makes that one so appealing to many OzB users. For clarity, I don't have the EM7000 anymore as that machine was at my parent's house, which I have moved out of. Happy to consider buying it again for myself though if recommended.
Thanks!
Depends how good you want the coffee output to be, I have the dual boiler and I see nothing better under $3-4k grinder is a different story and is the main issue here, barista express grinder is ok for one or two coffees at a time but it will heat the beans up to the point where you’ll have consistency issues, I’d recommend doing a 2 hour barista course prior to even purchasing a machine and this will lean you in the right direction. I got the BDB and grinder for $1098 not long ago and at that price it’s a on awesome machine.