
Breville
Bambino Plus
Fast heat-up, easy for beginners; inconsistent shots, annoying cleaning.

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My Bosch Verocafe makes a pretty good tall coffee (both a coffee pot option and travel mug with the Costco version). My husband uses the coffee pot option every morning but also likes the slow brew and Americano, which are smaller cups. It doesn’t taste exactly like drip coffee to me, but it’s closer than some of the other machines (we tried various ones at Sur La Table and Williams Sonoma, including the Jura). I also thought the DeLonghi Rivalia also made an excellent cup of coffee (tested in Williams Sonoma) but not sure how tall it is.
I bought the Bosch Verocafe 800 - Costco version, but I got an open box on eBay for close to your price range. The Costco version (specific model no.) makes a pot of coffee. It tastes closer to a cross bt a weaker Americano and drip coffee to me, but my husband is a drip coffee person and likes it. Allegedly some Sur La Table stores have a Bosch Verocafe on display that they use as testers to make coffee in store and you can sample it, but my Sur La Table didn’t have it The DeLonghi Super autos also make a decent version of a drip coffee, and you can get a sample of that at Wms Sononma. I tested the “drip” coffee from the Rivilia (sp) model and thought the coffee was very good. But those machines don’t have a coffee pot option. Some will make a travel mug size (Eletta) but that’s out of your price range.
People in this sub just group think and most people haven't tried more machines than the one they own. For instance, a lot of people trash the Bosch 800 but I know for a fact it makes espresso as good as a zura z10 as I've tried them both side by side and in fact a few of us thought the Bosch was better and is about $4k cheaper if you get it on sale. I've also tried the top end kitchenaid but not side by side and remembered thinking it's not any better. Point being, I'm not surprised on your analysis here.
I concur, have the Bosch and it makes a really decent cup. I typically brew the red eye (drip plus a shot of espresso) and it tastes great. Its also nice when you have guests that don't care about espresso drinks and you can just brew a big batch into the pot.
I use it daily, sometimes too often per day. Overall, it's the only superautomatic purchase I have kept and not returned. It makes great espresso imho. Your results can and will vary depending on your water, espresso bean quality and grind. Milk based drinks are very good but if you want scalding hot experience, you'll be disappointed. It's warm or somewhat hotter than that and I find it to be a very acceptable temperature. It does make a great cappuccino, latte and flat whites. Haven't tried other choices but it can do cold brew. Very easy to maintain. I purchased mine from Costco and it comes with cup warmer feature and WiFi/remote access thru the Bosco phone app. This remote feature is interesting but really not useful imho. As with any purchase of a superautomatic, review the return policy of the store/vendor first before purchasing. Easy return policy is very important, imho.
Very well. Just routine cleaning. Still makes terrific espresso and lattes.
Had a few superauto machines like DeLonghi Eletta Explore and others but they were all returned because they couldn't meet or surpass my semi-auto unit at the time. Tried Bosch 800, kept it and gave my semi-auto to bil & sister. It has a rather length list of drink options offered and does superb at milk foam. But a common complaint is it will not make scalding hot espresso with milk. This is true but counterpoint is I can drink it immediately instead of having to wait some minutes like in the past with the semi-auto unit. Freshness of roast, roasting depth and selection of coffee bean along with highly filtered water makes excellent espresso by itself (my preference on most days) and excellent flat whites, imho. The same is true for a latte. Crowd favorite is the kitchenaid brand but you should compare brands/models to find which satisfies you the most.
yup, Bosch 800 is the only superautomatic that I haven't returned for a refund. I enjoy the espresso, flat white, coffee and latte it makes. As for milk temp, it's not scalding hot but very enjoyable immediately after brewing with no waiting for it to cool down some.
I went with my Bosch 800 which has an iced coldbrew macchiatto option.
I have had my Verocafe 800 for about a month now and its been amazing for my family and friends. Definitely makes an amazing brew that's better than Nespresso, K-Cup machine. Been using Lavazza Espresso (plain) and Starbucks Pike Place beans so far. Probably made over 100-150 cups so far.
I love my Bosch 800 after I finish making cappuccino I put it in the microwave for 25 seconds. It is amazing machine. I love it. I used to have Miele automatic machine, but this one is a lot a lot better than the other one. I love it all the complaints about it is the milk is cold solution little bit in the microwave and that’s it
The Bosch 800 is the only one to consider I had an earlier model B30 it lasted problem free for 20 years and nearly 27,000 cups. When it finally broke I bought the 800 love the coffee. This sub is full of broken down Kitchen aides and DeLong crap don't waste the money the only other brand is Jura.

Breville
Bambino Plus
Fast heat-up, easy for beginners; inconsistent shots, annoying cleaning.

Cafelat
Robot Series
Manual, durable, exceptional espresso; no milk, effort for multiple shots.

Gaggia
Classic Pro E24
Mod-friendly workhorse, great espresso with mods; weak steam, poor temp.

Lelit
Bianca
Precise flow control, dual boiler; long heat-up, average build quality.

DeLonghi
Stilosa Series
Budget-friendly, moddable; flimsy build, needs upgrades for good espresso.

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