Bezzera - Livia 90

Exciting new venture!! I have owned two vintage machines that were refurbished and loved them both! First I would start narrowing down what your set up would look like. Some machines need to be hooked into a water line some have their own tank that you fill and feeds into a boiler, some you power off and fill the boiler directly. Counter top/personal use: Find something that has a water reserve instead of a single boiler that you need to refill. My lever machine (pavoni) didn't have a reserve and I would have to power down the machine, let the steam off, then heat water, then refill the boiler, then get back up to temp - every 3-4 baskets. It was fun to work with a lever machine and something that felt so vintage, I had a lot of control on presoaking and pressure so I could, "play" with the extraction. You can find one that isn't a single boiler/reservoir if you want that level of control but may not super user friendly unless you want to geek out at an extreme level. Currently I use a Pasquini Livia 90 and not having to work so much to get it up to temp, and not having to power down to refill feels like luxury now! Downside is I have less control over how long it presoaks, but it is consistent and pulls some fantastic shots if the grind and tamp is dialed in. IMO unless I am going to the highest end of new machines I would look for refurbushed machines for sale. Those old machines were built with old tech and those group heads look like they would be a piston in a car. They can handle heat and pressure like nothing else! It is built to last forever and if you take good care of it should last you a long time before needing to replace anything. I like the heavy, massive metal, vs the plastic and cheap feeling material of modern day counter top machines that some friends of mine have gotten. Avoid Ninja, Breville, and brands that you would see in a box store. Do NOT get a combo machine that has a grinder built into it. They inevitably break and you'll be getting a new grinder anyways. Commercial level: I worked on a Marzocco when I was a barista as a kid and those industrial triple or quad group head machines will always produce so much thermal mass and consistency - if you want something at that strength go for it! Just know that you will like need a dedicated water hookup and it's own dedicated electrical line. It takes a long time to get up to temp so turn it on the night before or leave it on 24/7. Unless you wanted to for some reason I don't think this is your best route. TLDR: Honestly, I think for what you are looking for I would look for a machine that you fill the tank, and pass on the industrial level machinery that requires a water line hookup. Here are some good options for something newer: Espresso Machines – Clive Coffee https://share.google/LqscZXK9OL1Ds2gb4 Somebody who has experience on these machines or knows more about specs than I do could give you a more detailed response on these specific options. Don't get something that has a grinder and extractor in the same machine.

Got a micra after owning a pasquini livia 90 for 14 years or so. It basically delivers the classic Italian 9 bar shot perfectly and has nice QOL features. Not a lot of advanced, modern espresso geekiness like flow profiling. If you want good solid shots, solid on/off timer, excellent steam, and a machine that is easy on the eyes, and you aren't gonna flip out if you don't have flow profiling, then it's basically perfect. It does precisely what my livia 90 wanted to be able to do and it does it far better.

I have had my Pasquini livia 90 over 25 years, with good maintenance and cleaning, still makes the perfect espresso.

Cool looking machines but I could never get good espresso out of mine. Ended up switching to a Pasquini livia, and then kept going until my current La Marzocco. Would have saved me money to start with La Marzocco