I use the Shardor coffee and spice grinder which comes with 2 removable stainless steel bowls, one for dry and one for wet ingredients. These are perfect for small quantities.
$30 bucks Shardor on Amazon prime sales. Easily modded to grind finer.
Didn't know if I'd stick to this hobby, and I did. During the time my (replaced and twice fixed) old machined died, so upgraded to a Delonghi Dedica. So was trying out a cheapo. Thought of upgrading but no need to.
Challenges of cheap machines are... never consistent. Espresso is actually VERY easy if you have the right machines, beans, etc. Usually expensive equipments will cover for little variables and mistakes. Kitchen appliance cheap machine is the hardest to make a good cup, IMHO.
So don't go too cheap. 😁
I just bought a shardor and it works great with a bottomless at setting 3. I was going to return it on day 1 if it didn’t and thankfully it’s all good. I’m starting to think that a lot of these “rules” about grinders people have held for years now are starting to fall apart as new products hit the market.
I recall a few years ago being told you can’t make espresso in any machine under $300 (used) and a friend of mine recently got one of those cheap $130 CasaBrews with a bottomless portafilter and it makes great espresso. Yeah, it’s cheap and probably won’t last many years, but it completely defies everything I had read on this sub a few years ago.
If the main criteria is the quality of espresso, I'd buy a machine with PID, e.g. Profitec Go, Apex V2, Lelit Victoria.
If you think that she will make lots of lattes, maybe a Heat Exchanger like Lelit MaraX.
If she will make milk beverages but the quality of her espresso is a must, I'd choose a dual boiler with PID like Lelit Bianca or Elizabeth, but then only the machine will consume your whole budget.
Grinders are even more important, you're right. I'd recommend a DF64 because in the future she may try different burrs if she wants. And in the US, the DF64 are relatively cheap. Shardor is even cheaper, but the build quality is not the same, and it's a newer model, we don't have enough data to tell about longevity. I have both and I'm happy with my Shardor so far. But if you can, buy the DF64.
Long story short, Lelit Victoria is being sold for 800 by Whole Latte Love, a Df64 you can buy for 400 from Amazon, then you can buy some accessories like a Normocore Tamper, a knock box, puck screen, tamping station, barista mat, a WDT tool, some nice espresso cups like Loveramics or Kruve, with your remaining budget.
In case you're interested, I recommend this video about building an espresso setup:
https://youtu.be/FcA8APz2khs?si=jpLjhj-UqNHNPSeA
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DF54 Series
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Great value for espresso, but clogs and poor for pour-over.
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