Barista Express

Kinda interesting, I have the BBE and if I touch the shower head it gets hot. But here it’s showing non heated grouphead?

We've had the Breville Barista Express (https://www.breville.com/en-us/product/bes870) for at least 10 years and love it. It's not a full on enthusiast machine, but it's reasonably priced considering the level of control you get on the grind, water, pressure, temperature, etc. And it's fast to make a cup.

Former barista/cafe manager here. The Breville will deliver totally adequate espresso, I use it at home! Here's the exact model I use. No bells and whistles, everything's purely mechanical. Mines on year 5 and still going strong, has never once broke. I just descale it and change the filter here and there. If you're very particular, the grinder isn't quite up to par - but again, is totally more than adequate for any non-third-wave espresso making. https://a.co/d/aK6LzLy

Highly recommend Breville, any with the built in grinder. There's fancier stuff of course, but these have frequent sales going on for the holidays, like this [https://www.amazon.com/Breville-BES870XL-Barista-Express-Espresso/dp/B00CH9QWOU?th=1](https://www.amazon.com/Breville-BES870XL-Barista-Express-Espresso/dp/B00CH9QWOU?th=1) Our first one broke after 6 years (my fault for not descaling it enough) but probably made 6500+ drinks in that time, zero hesitation when it came time to replace it. Started with the one I linked, we now have the 'Touch' model with the auto frother.

I used a Breville 860 for years (~10? Can't remember when i got it) before it failed. It's not repairable (I tried). I'm still using one because a friend had one thay he stopped using because he wanted something fully automatic. Breville is good stuff that lasts a long time but I wouldn't call it true BIFL...but I would wager there isn't any electric espresso machine below commercial grade truly is Edit: actually i think both were/are 870s, not 860s. Thanks tariffs! These appear to be above your price range, although they didn't used to be

I had a Gaggia Classic but never used it. My wife couldn't/wouldn't use it. Sold that and my Astoria commercial grinder to buy a refurbished Breville Barista Express. Honestly, it's good enough and I use it every day. I decided on it because we had one at work that served 20+ people a day for 5 years and was still going when I left. Plus my counter was overcrowded with: espresso machine, espresso grinder, drip machine, and drip grinder.

I'm honestly happy with the Breville Barista Express. I had a nicer Italian one with a separate commercial grinder before, but didn't use it nearly enough. If he's new to making it himself, the Breville is a fine starting point. I bought mine refurbished for ~$300. Alternatively, get a better standalone grinder like the Encore ESP and a Breville Bambino Plus. The barista Express ginder seems to be a common complaint. For drip I would get a nice ceramic Hario pourover set, gooseneck kettle (electric or stovetop), and a digital scale. See: coffee "golden ratio." I've also found that mass market beans make the espresso process much harder. I tried learning on a bag of lavazza and just failed repeatedly. As soon as I tried some of my higher quality, fresher beans from Black & White Roasters, it was much easier.

I got a covid deal on a barista express for like $400 or something, base model with grinder and analog pressure gauge. Ive pulled 3 shots a day every day for 4 years. Well well worth it. I know it sounds weird but you could scour for a used one. Breville pushes upgrades with touch screens and AI probably, none of which I'm interested in. Check around for deals or used (would need a deep clean ofc) It paid for itself quickly