I am super happy with my Lelit Victoria, but if you would like to own a dual boiler because you do a lot of milk beverages, then maybe have a look at the Lelit Elizabeth.
I own the Victoria as a first machine and bought that used for a very good deal. And I am super happy. But we drink a lot of milk drinks and I must admit, a dual boiler machine would have been more comfortable
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
Lelit Grace. I moved to MaraX because you can have flow profiling kit. I used to do cheap man flow profiling with steam knob - Grace and Victoria let you open the steam valve while brewing, which reduces the pressure and you can see this nicely on the gauge. It made the most difference to espresso taste for me. Slow preinfusion and lever like profile for the later part of the shot.
Amazing gift and presentation of the gift. Props to the gift giver.
My situation is fairly similar to yours. At home I make a few espressos for myself while my wife drinks a cappuccino or latte. For this purpose a single boiler machine is going to be fine, but having a dual boiler will make your life a lot easier.
The issue with a single boiler is not necessarily its capability, but the fact that changing the boiler temp to steam and then back to coffee takes time and effort. It gets annoying. With your budget, I think you can do better.
Yes, traditionally it has been good advice to spend as much, if not more, on the grinder than on the machine. But these days I think that advice is not quite as pertinent to most people. Affordable home espresso grinders have gotten good. It used to be the Rancilio rocky or get a $1500 Mazzer mini, but now we have the DF64 and all it's variants, the Lagom line, Eureka Mignon, Baratza, and many more to choose from. I say, take $500 for the grinder and spend the remaining $1000 on a nicer machine. If you look through online retainers open box or refurbished listings, you may find something very nice indeed. Let's also not forget that black Friday is very close. I think your $1500 can go far. Much further if you consider buying used from Facebook marketplace or eBay. I know I'd much rather have a moderately used dual boiler than a brand new single boiler.
However, if you're intent on buying something now, and it must be new from an online retailer, let me suggest a few products.
Grinder:
Eureka Mignon Specialita/Silenzio/Etc
-this is one of the gold standards for a classic espresso taste in a package that excels in build quality, style, and ease of use. Seriously, it's quiet and the grinds are static free with barely any retention. I highly recommend.
Machine:
ECM Casa V,
Profitec GO,
Lelit Victoria
-each of these single boiler machines sits at the very top of the spectrum of single boiler machines. Each have good temperature control (PID), good build quality, and will steam enough milk for a Latte without running out.
Hope you find a setup that makes you happy. $1500 is an above average spend for a first espresso foray, so I'm sure whatever you end up with will be stellar. Many of us have started from $300 or $500 setups and progressed to where you are starting.
I had the Anita, just like your Anna but with an integrated Fred grinder for 2 years. Then I had an itch to upgrade my grinder, did that and then ended up with a Victoria for a few months but now I have the Elizabeth. I couldn’t be happier and that’s what I would recommend for you to consider. You already know the Lelit workflow, Elizabeth is miles ahead of Anna and you’re basically saving £2k (it’s £1.2k brand new)
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