Breville - Bianca (PL162T-120, PESBN03PSS1BXX1)

I'd say that the Gaggia for $500 and the next step up is a Lelit Biance for $2500 a step down might be the Breville Bambino for $370 Best value would be a Gaggia, and only fret about a grinder and a week of learning temperature surfing, if you need it

Well I'd say that the best solution might be a Gaggia machine and try to get a grinder that costs more than the machine. If you're getting like an $800 plus grinder you're basically set till you want to spend $5000 on a La Marzocco Machine. The Real Spromethius compared his Gaggia Classic Pro (I'd get the new ones with the bigger copper boiler and proper pressure spring) with his La Marzocco, and he said most of the time they were very close in quality. But in doing taste tests, he said he actually preferred the Gaggia, it was a touch brighter. If you have high level grinders and perfect water (you can filter it and mineralize it with drops or powders), I still think it's pointless to upgrade, unless you want a most consistent espresso. With the copper boilers you don't need a PID, and I'd lean towards a liquid crystal temperature strip above the portafilter if you need to temperature surf. Unless you're going for a Lelit or La Marzocco or going for the $5000-$15,000 machine range you're not really going to be getting any benefits other than some ease of using and more consistency, and you're better off in >95% of cases to buy a step up in an espresso grinder than ever buying a new espresso machine. get yourself a copper boiler Gaggia, and forget about another machine for 20 years, put all your future money into a grinder, and water treatment.

Lelit Bianca is probably your best choice. It looks good on your counter, it’s a conversation starter, and it works great. Then spend another $1,500 to $2,500 on a great grinder to make great coffee. If you cheap out on the grinder, you will get cheap coffee. Order of importance: 1. Coffee 2. Grinder 3. Brewer

Same aswell! Great machine. Went from ECP3420 -> Apex v2 -> Bianca v3 with EG-1. Went all out so I don't need to upgrade for many years. Best quality, no problems for the past months I've had it.

Consider a Diletta Alta, Bezzara Matrix DE, Lelit Bianca V3. All dual boiler high quality machines available in your budget. Flow control or preinfusion, PID, etc

Former obsessed barista here lol i know how you feel :))) Almost eveything you say rings lelit bianca v3, the rotary pump, nice steam, flow profiling, except for the part about saving the profiles, that would be Decent DE1 territory. i don’t see myself with a LMLM at home, although I absolutely adore Linea in a cafe setup, it is just reliable, I wanna play around at home and need profiling (maybe GS3 but I don’t like the aesthetic tbh) Personally I would be happy with a gaggimate modded rancilio silvia but i don’t know if it would withstand 20 shots a day. I have also heard great things about WPM Primus but definitely doesn’t have the charm of a cafe workflow machine

I went from a Lelit Anna to a Lelit Bianca and, without changing a thing about my prep process or grinder, the difference was night and day. My worst shot with the Lelit was better than my best shot with the Anna. I've had it for almost 3 years now and it remains the best purchase i've ever made.

Build quality wise I am perfectly happy with my Bianca. I think it really depends on aesthetic preferences. Do you like the rounded edges or the square profitec/ECM look? Do you want I all black with walnut trim? Do you like the stupid round knob on the Drive vs. The beautiful paddle on the Bianca flow control? 😂

My brother has the Profitec GO. It is a really nice machine that makes great coffee, especially for the price. In my opinion, the LM just isn’t worth the big price difference for normal home use. Plus, dual boiler machines use a lot more power. That alone would be a big factor for me. Descaling is also something to keep in mind. Dual boilers should ideally be descaled by a professional, while the Profitec can be descaled by yourself pretty easily. After owning a larger dual boiler machine (Lelit Bianca V3), I’d definitely go for a smaller, simpler machine any day

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

I’ve had mine for about 5 years now and it’s pretty easy to clean the stainless steel

I’m taking it in for its first today actually. Had to find someone to service it. It started a leak and the pump runs constantly regardless of the lever position. Honestly pretty happy it’s taken this long