Hi all, this is my first post on the site, but I have been browsing for some time. I am looking to set up a "home system", as I am on a graduate students budget and sick of getting shilled by corporate coffee chains and their mediocre brews. I don't have a lot of dispensable income, but definitely do not believe in buying crap. What I am looking for is what some people seem to be referring to as an "entry level" setup, specifically a grinder and a espresso machine. The grinder needs to be dual use for both coffee and espresso. The machine needs to be semi-Auto or Auto, and not outlandishly expensive. Thanks all, and look forward to hearing back. (edt. title as looking to buy espresso machine as well)
Well I'll defer to the experts, but: The (now discontinued) Starbucks Barista is a decent home espresso machine. I have one and I'm quite happy with it (had for 1 year now). You can find a lot of them on craigslist for $50-100 (before being phased out they sold for $400). I'm also a grad student so I know about the budget thing. The Barista is definitely not crap, but it isn't a Silvia either. But for entry-level, I think it's a good choice. Starbucks also makes a burr grinder that you can mod to get finer grind settings (a friend has one that he uses with his La Pavoni lever machine and his coffee is great). You can get them on ebay for like $70-80 I think. I'm sure other people have other options to suggest as far as grinders go - I'm not too familiar with the less expensive grinders, but if you want to spend $300 you can get a Rancilio Rocky and you won't be sorry. Sorry if this isn't helpful - I don't know what your budget is, so I guess I'm giving you the cheapest possible setup that will give you good espresso. Good luck with your setup!
Do you have a budget in mind for both? That might help people to find a nice setup for you, and Gaggias are another great option for basic machine and grinder. I started with a Gaggia Evolution and MDF myself and still have both because they're fairly easy to use and give really good results. You can usually find them used or refurbished for less than new, which right now their brand-new prices are on the high side for what you get.
While a Startbucks Barista is ok for making milk drinks, I would not use it if you like espresso.
I've owned 2 Barista's, Gaggia Classic, a few other less $ machines, and a Silvia (I installed a PID after a few months) and I can tell you there is a MASSIVE difference when drinking espresso. Milk hides a lot of flaws in the coffee so most any cheap machine will do unless you are picky. That is why $bucks does so well, they have total crap coffee that is burnt but the milk drinks, which is what most people get, hides the flaws... and most people don't know good coffee anyway.
btw.. I'm not even a coffee snob, I just appreciate and can tell the difference.
The lowest machine I'd start with is a Gaggia if you drink espresso. The Classic is a nice machine but there are others with the same internals if you don't need a metal body... and they are much less $. Also, at least get a Gaggia MDF, but I'd spring for the Rocky.
buying used on this forum is likely your best all-around bet.
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