personhuang Senior Member Joined: 9 Oct 2012 Posts: 6 Expertise: I like coffee
Posted Tue Oct 9, 2012, 8:34pm Subject: saeco aroma model differences, better machine at similar price range, upgrade
Hi everyone, I am a new user to coffeegeek. I have some questions before I purchase my first espresso machine.
I found that many people recommend Saeco Aroma. What is the difference between the black and the stainless steel model? Only the appearance? Is it worthy to spend $50 more for a stainless steel one?
For espresso machine, is there any better choices than Aroma for given a similar price range ($200-$300)?
There are some discussions about upgrading the pressurized portafilter. Is it better to buy a nonpressurized portafilter or make it from the pressurized one (for example) ?
Any recommendation for a $100 grinder with the espresso machine?
The whole entire reason why machines of this class use Pressurized portafilters, is to compensate for a grinder which isn't very capable of the precision required for grinding espresso. People usually upgrade them to a non-pressurized portafilter only after they upgrade their grinder and want to take advantage of it.
I don't have personal experience with this machine, but a few forum members have recommended this machine as a starter machine for people who are on a tight budget. Check out this page: "Saeco Aroma Espresso - All"
Please read the reviews of this machine on this site. If you can add an extra $300 to your budget, you could start out with something a bit higher end like a Gaggia Baby coupled with a Baratza Virtuoso. That puts you around the $700-ish mark. Suddenly, spending that little bit extra pushes you straight into a class of machines which are capable of preparing espresso properly without using a pressurized portafilter.
personhuang Said:
What is the difference between the black and the stainless steel model?
I don't think that adding stainless steel will make the machine produce a better shot. :-) It's all looks really. IMHO, your money is better spent on something else.
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