Good Coffee Machine?

• 

  this is us on 11/12/2023 - 14:33

  -1

  Delonghi Magnifica

• 

  jugsy on 11/12/2023 - 14:42

  Espresso is still the basis of all the drinks you listed. Almost all machines come with some kind of milk frother so you're good to go. I agree that the Breville you picked is the best with inbuilt grinder, otherwise the Ozbargain favourite standalone is the Breville Smart Grinder Pro.

• 

  jasiano on 11/12/2023 - 14:57

  +1

  What does she mean exactly by 'coffee machine coffee' - an espresso machine? a batch brewer?
  Specifically what TYPE of coffee does she like (eg. the flat white/latte she gets from a cafe, or a long black, or a shot of espresso etc… milk or no milk?)

  Making an ASSUMPTION here, she is referring to something like in a coffee shop, i.e. the 'machine' being an espresso machine and her coffee is an espresso base, possibly with milk but not necessarily.
  $800 for a machine AND grinder, especially new, is not a lot - at least not for anything considered 'good'. Depends how much she drinks, the effort she (or you) want to put in, and how refined her coffee palate is (yes… that is the Coffeesnob in me talking).

  The Breville Barista Express is an espresso machine with built in grinder and an…. okay.. espresso setup. Pressure & temp stability is not the strong suit but if you are making just a single coffee every so often that is fine. The problem is if the grinder dies then either you get a whole new machine or a separate grinder anyway (and vice versa if the brew part dies you are left with a very bulky grinder).

  If you/she doesn't mind a bit of labour… a good quality espresso focused hand grinder can be had for maybe $200 or less which will be comparable to many electric grinders in the $500-1000 mark… think KinGrinder K4 on Amazon these days is about $120, less if/when on sale.
  The Breville Smart Grinder is.. convenient as it's electric but tbh the grind is not that great. I had one (for far too long I admit as I was saving for better gear) and it does the job but is loud, slow and inconsistent.

  Then you can spend the rest on the slightly better Breville Bambino Plus which full retail is ~$600 that is slightly better at pulling espresso and has an automated milk steamer as well for simplicity.

  OR…

  if you want super simple, a fully automated espresso machine that makes coffee and steams/pours the milk is an option… I don't know how much these go for these days as I don't find they are great for anything other than offices/work spaces to churn out quick cups for staff…

  • 

    infringement payer on 12/12/2023 - 16:44

    Hi there, I mentioned in the post that she does like long black, lattes, soy cappucinos, flat white etc. She is no connoisseur but just enjoys some good Melbourne coffee; so she does get freshly roasted beans from some cafes, which at the moment she is drinking from Industry Beans.

    We do already have a hand grinder where I grind it by hand; but yeah if a machine could do it that would be great - but if hand grinding is better then happy to do that if grinders are super expensive. The grinder is called a Time more c2. If the grinder on the machine isn't great we don't have to get a machine with a grinder.

    I will look at the Bambino Plus :). Thank you.

• 

  Jl3636 on 11/12/2023 - 14:59

  +3

  Breville barista express 600 bucks best you can get at that sub1000 price range

  • 

    Loubon on 11/12/2023 - 15:17

    Agreed. Have had my Barista express for 5 years now, multiple coffees a day, hasnt missed a beat. Once you get it dialled in, makes great coffee… Your wife will love it.

• 

  The Hobo on 11/12/2023 - 15:14

  +1

  Under $800 with a grinder, the only option worth considering is the Breville Barista Express. (unless you get one of those semi automatic machines, which are a little bit simpler, but don't make as good coffee. There are a few alternatives to this, but I'd strongly recommend the BBE over any of them.

  Your next step up from this one is the Breville Dual Boiler, which is ~$1000 on it's own, plus needs a separate grinder, so essentially looking at $1400-1500 minimum all up.

  • 

    infringement payer on 12/12/2023 - 16:47

    Thanks! It doesn't have to have a grinder - I am happy to still grind the coffee beans like a peasant. I don't really quite understand how different the machines can make the coffee taste but am happy to get one that tastes better.
    I didn't know an electric grinder would be so costly.

    • 

      The Hobo on 13/12/2023 - 13:23

      A good grinder is important - I forgot about the Bambino though, and the Barista Pro is also within your budget as per below.

      It's a small footprint, and very capable machine - if you pair that with a decent grinder, you may only exceed your budget by a little bit - but have really good coffee.

      Breville Barista Express - $500

      Bambino = $500 +
      Smart Grinder = $250

      Barista Pro - $800

• 

  freefall101 on 11/12/2023 - 15:19

  I just bought a breville barista express impress (stupid name), it is the simplest espresso machine I've seen/used. Definitely not the best, and even the Barista Pro for a little bit more (goes for $800 on sale) will be more consistent, but being able to grind, tamp and extract without too much thought is excellent. I'm never going to weigh out my beans, keep a close eye on pressure, etc, that's just not me. This takes a couple of shots to calibrate then I'm mostly good for the bag of beans for my once or twice a day coffee.

  Then the steam wand will deliver hot water for a long black or steam for a milk based drink, so you're good there.

  The price also sold me, $525 for a refurb from breville (on their ebay store with the last refurb sale). Goes down as low as $700 new but I got sick of waiting for it to hit that price again. Coming from a basic delonghi and bodum grinder the coffee improvement has been massive.

  • 

    The Hobo on 11/12/2023 - 22:10

    Haven't seen the Barista Pro for $800, but if you can get it for that price, then absolutely.

    • 

      freefall101 on 11/12/2023 - 22:32

      +1

      Was $700 for Black Friday https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/815219

    • 

      infringement payer on 13/12/2023 - 14:06

      It's available for $768.69 at JB right now with the coupon code; should I just grab it?

      • 

        The Hobo on 13/12/2023 - 14:39

        Yup - can't go wrong with it. (If it was $700 on BF, it may go down to similar for boxing day - no guarantees though)

        The product itself - big tick.

        • 

          Pascal on 14/12/2023 - 22:19

          +1

          @The Hobo: JB usually has price guarantee, should kick in if price goes down on BD

• 

  coffeeinmyveins on 11/12/2023 - 15:26

  I have seen that the Breville Barista Espresso is quite popular - does this mean it only makes espresso coffee? I know she usually changes it up; e.g long black, latte, soy cap etc.

  espresso is the base shot for all of these coffees. so yes, you can make a 'latte' with a coffee machine.

  Coffee is definitely a personal preference thing, maybe get her involved in this decision? If she's the one who drinks coffee and you don't, there's no way you're going to be able to get the one that SHE wants.

  • 

    infringement payer on 12/12/2023 - 16:51

    Hi there; thanks for that - it's good to know. I ended up letting her know and asked if she'd like one, and she is interested but she also doesn't really know how to work a machine - just enjoys making her own coffee (drip).

    • 

      coffeeinmyveins on 12/12/2023 - 19:12

      If she's interested in learning there are courses that offer the ability to show you how to use an espresso machine.

      Be warned tho, an espresso machine is easy to learn but hard to master. They're much more temperamental than drip/moka coffee.

• 

  ESEMCE on 11/12/2023 - 16:02

  What beans are you currently using?
  I'd suggest if it's Supermarket beans, upgrading to Freshly Roasted Beans from any of the vendors who sell regularly on here is a far better investment than a machine.
  Perhaps that and a French Press if you're super keen to change the brewing method.

  Worst case, the French Press and hand grinder are good for taking on holiday.

  • 

    infringement payer on 12/12/2023 - 16:48

    Hi there; we're currently using some Industry Beans coffee beans. She generally goes to different coffee shops and buys their beans; so not super market ones.

• 

  AustriaBargain on 11/12/2023 - 16:27

  Not all coffee machines have the milk steamer. I'd get one with the steaming wand built in, otherwise you'll have to buy another machine just to steam the milk for your lattes. Don't bother with those milk throthing sticks that spin.

  • 

    infringement payer on 12/12/2023 - 16:50

    Okay, will note that. Currently she does use those milk frothing vibrating wand things for the soy milk.

• 

  Dollar General on 11/12/2023 - 16:41

  +2

  Breville bambino plus & a grinder.

• 

  sumyungguy on 11/12/2023 - 17:32

  Get a bean-to-cup (fully auto) machine. OK with pre-owned?

• 

  DannyC on 11/12/2023 - 18:51

  -She only drinks about one coffee a day
  -Would prefer a machine that is not too big; as we don't have a lot of counter top space
  -Would be good to have a grinder
  -Perhaps a machine that doesn't have a big learning curve; she doesn't have barista skills (that I know of).

  Just get a Nespresso Essenza Mini with a Aeroccino milk frother. If she only does 1 coffee a day and she doesn't have the time or skill to froth milk and dialling in the espresso shot. Convenience is key here. If it is too inconvenient for her she will loose interest and that $600-800 you spent is just a big metal paper weight. In saying that Nespresso has a certain taste to it, some hate it some don't mind it, why don't you go into a Nespresso store and try their coffees and see if the missus likes the taste? All up you would probably pay $200-250 for the machine n frother, then $0.8 per pod going forward. And yes i realise that the pod system is an environmental nightmare, it is what it is.

  If you are really wanting a machine, Breville Barista Express is your best bet at around $600. If you have a local roaster I suggest getting beans from them instead of supermarket stuff and dial in your espresso shot properly. Look at youtube for tips. Then learn how to froth milk properly. It is easy once you get the hang of it. Again youtube is your best mate here for tutorials and tips.

  Hope this helps.

  • 

    infringement payer on 12/12/2023 - 16:49

    +1

    Hi Danny; I think she'll be able to learn and have patience to make a good cup of coffee. At the moment she's using one of those little wands that froths the soy milk up which she adds to it, and yeah we are getting coffee beans from Industry Beans or other coffee shops so not supermarket beans.
    Thank you for your suggestion!