Mini Doser

Have 15 year old Mazzer Mini with doser. And got NZ this year. My answer is strong YES. Sadly the tariff bumps it to a more expensive category. But still worth it. They hit the mark on this piece. And it looks great on the counter.

Glad you are exploring the world of espresso. The Niche Zero is so cool looking. And at your current and aspiring level of skill, should satisfy for a long time. I have an old Mazzer Mini. The Niche is so much easier on the eyes and quieter and so user friendly to dial in for different beans. Plumbing in takes you to next level of convenience and water managment. The better machines are monsters. So what?! A heat exchanger may be smaller. I think they are great. Other than the cooling flush, they do the job. Nuova Simonelli has a nice look. I am partial to Quick Mill, or Izzo. LIke the Vivi. Keep in mind its a a bit of a messy hobby. Grinding coffee is messy. You need a space that isn't taking up other kitchen areas. Have fun. Home Barista has great forums. And many useful tips

Consider this and the link to "choosing an espresso machine rationally" [https://www.home-barista.com/advice/izzo-alex-duetto-iv-4-year-review-t102661.html](https://www.home-barista.com/advice/izzo-alex-duetto-iv-4-year-review-t102661.html) Plus, you have to get a good to excellent grinder. Another rabbit hole for you. As important or more so. I have a Quick Mill Vetrano. My first one lasted almost 20 years. Another great unit that doesn’t get enough chatter on these forums is the. Izzo Alex Duetto. It’s a tried and true built like a tank. I had the Bianca for a couple weeks. It felt flimsy to me. So I exchanged it for the Vetrano 2B Evo. Chris Coffee has a one month return policy they honored with zero friction. Mark over there is a really good advisor. Their customer support is next level. So keep in mind the Vendor you are buying from. And think about what water you will be using. I agree with this [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3-ixio7fSg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3-ixio7fSg) and to me flow control adds unncecessary complexity. Beans and grinder way more important Maybe a Quick Mill Silvano with thermoblock for steam will fill the bill. Get an excellent grinder. I have a Niche Zero and an old Mazzer Mini. Another plug for Chris Coffee

i have an atom 75 and i love it. better shots than i got from my mazzer mini plus its quieter and much faster. love the setting knob for grind, and the controls.

Your OXO grinder is going to be the bottleneck here, more than the machine as you start to scale up. I started with an old Breville myself and didn't start pulling shots the way I actually wanted them until I upgraded to a good grinder, I splurged and bought a Mini Mazzer grinder - it was a big purchase at the time but I've had mine for 20 years now and it's been flawless through multiple espresso machine upgrades. For your budget, I'd grab the Bambino Plus and put the rest toward a quality grinder like a Eureka Mignon Notte (on a budget) or used Mazzer if you can find one. The grinder is honestly where much of the magic happens, and like buying guitars, once you get the bug you'll keep wanting to upgrade anyway so might as well invest in something that'll last.

☝️this, I have 2 Mazzer Minis for regular and decaf espresso, and a baratza mainly for French Press and cold brew

It is the internet, with a global reach. Many of the subs and forums get dominated by people who need to tell why they are right and you are wrong. Having owned a DF64 and found it to be one of the loudest, most unreliable grinders backed with no customer service, I have had in 40 years, I would say well done you dodged a bullet. Anything by Option O gets my vote (I have a P64 now, owned a Mini and tested a Casa and P100). The cheaper Eurekas I like as hopper fed grinders, but not single dose (the adjustment is not consistent). Niche Zero (I have one) is bombproof, quiet and lovely adjustment. However, more of a traditional darker to medium roast grinder. A used Mazzer SJ or Mini would be bombproof and a good find.

You could get something like a used Mazzer Super Jolly or Mini, they are a lot more robust and inexpensive to repair, including replacing burrs. They are basically bombproof. You should get a used one for under your budget (but I don't know your used coffee appliance market, although I have had great coffee in Chang Mai when visiting as a tourist).

I had a couple of their Mini’s and highly highly recommend them to anybody new to prosumer gear since they last forever are very simple to work on and you can find them sometimes for 300 to 400 dollars in great shape. Just look for one that was privately owned. Now I have a CEADO it was supposed to be a big step up to go back to a mazzer, even though I am looking at some higher end grinders these days. I also had one of these in an apartment that we just sold all the contents of. I like the dosing a lot, but it made a big mess. https://thekitchenbarista.com/products/eureka-mignon-specialita-flat-burr-coffee-grinder-chrome

Looking for the same, with one more feature that may not exist. I can stretch the budget for the right grinder Been using a mazzer mini for 15 years. It's a stellar workhorse that will outlast it's new owners grandchildren. It's also extremely loud. The other issue, which may be common on all grinders, so please comment, is this workhorse takes 3 shots to really adjust to a new setting. Does a grinder exist that grinds and clears entirely of coffee so that you can adjust and not have to burn through a couple shots? The issue is the mazzer leaves residual coffee in the chamber.

I've been married for 32 years and deeply into espresso equipment and making for 25 years. My advice: buy a grinder from a long time vendor who will support you with spare parts and advice as you need. The burr thing is completely overblown in my experience. What I want these days is a well engineered grinder that will last forever that I can keep maintained. Tangent: I've bought and sold a lot of espresso machines and grinders over the years and the only transaction I truly regret is selling off my Mazzer Mini. My situation: I liked my Niche Zero until I encountered an issue and discovered the underlying design was not that great, and the customer service lacked (I posted on this previously). I'm too one of those that need a grinder to do espresso, Aeropress and filter drip, and I will likely pick up a Ceado E6C Chameleon at some point. I think that would serve your needs well also. I think the Philo is the other one I'd consider, but I just can't see doing the price difference from the Chameleon. Family advice: get others in your family addicted to good coffee so that their main concern is having a reliable grinder that works well, and are willing to accept a little bit of noise. Honestly, my vibe pump Go is probably as loud as my grinder anyway.....

It’s a bit over your budget but I would stretch to the Mazzer Mini

2500 CAD is not enough for a proper commercial setup, full stop. A proper commercial setup incudes a plumbed in dual boiler machine, and a large hopper grinder that can dose out beans by either time or weight (ideally weight). Both should come from a reputable commercial brand with local technical support like La Spaziale, Mazzer, etc. The machine will run you 3500+ CAD and the grinder 1200+ CAD. Given you don’t have the budget for this, you are either going to have to make a bigger budget, look used, or compromise somewhere. First, I would check FB marketplace for local commercial machines and grinders. If you find something that seems reasonable, research it online and post it in groups like this for advice on whether it will work and whether it’s priced fairly. You can also look for a local espresso technician, they often have used machines to sell. If you can’t find used options, and you absolutely can’t afford a bigger budget, your best bet is to get a durable and reliable consumer machine and grinder, accept that your output will be very slow for a commercial environment, and optimize it as best you can. A Rancilio Silvia would be my recommendation for the machine and should be available for 1200-1300 CAD. For the grinder, Rancilio again has a strong option with the Stile and Stile OD for 1100-1200 CAD, or you can look at the Ceado E37J for 1350 CAD, or even step up to the Mazzer Mini for 1400 CAD, which is maybe the best overall option as it’s a true commercial grinder.