DeLonghi - ECP3630

I'm a little confused. Do non-thermoblocks take that long to heat up for a home espresso pull? I only have a Delonghi 3630 but even my time to hit boil temps (gauged by the built in LED, not measuring it independently) is <2 mins.

Go to Facebook Marketplace and try to buy a DeLonghi ECP (ideally a 3630), a DeLonghi Stilosa, or a DeLonghi Dedica for about 50 dollars. Be patient and you will find one and don't be afraid to offer that price if they're listed higher. Then, use your savings to buy a Starseeker E55 from AliExpress, or continue grinding at your store but buy yourself an unpressurized basket and a bottomless portafilter as well as a WDT tool. Plenty of budget options for those.

Oh it absolutely can. Definitely look at the advanced mode video by Tom's Coffee Corner and in the future even try to wand swap to a Rancilio when time and money permits. Any model ECP but the 3630 is the best. All metal exterior.

The Delonghi stilosa and ECP line are great for the cost. I have the ECP3630. You're likely to find a used one in good condition for cheap, just be sure to clean and descale thoroughly. You can also look at casabrews, Amazon has one on sale for $100 USD new.

I have the Delonghi ECP3630 and I'm happy with it. The Stilosa is a bit cheaper and also decent.

Ignore the haters =) You can get good espresso out of cheaper machines. Look into the Delonghi ECP3630 or the Delonghi Stilosa. Both can be had for around $120. The ECP3630 is probably a bit "better" and is on sale at BestBuy: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/delonghi-manual-espresso-machine-stainless-steel/4372109.p?skuId=4372109 Even better, look at that link and check if a best buy near you has an open box unit available... I literally just now picked one up for $45. Hell yeah. Some notes: -These Delonghi units are great for the price because they use actual boilers instead of cheap thermoblocks, which is amazing at this price point. -The porta filters that these come with are pressurized. This means they don't technically make "real" espresso and your shots won't have real crema. But it also means that they are very easy to use and you can make "espresso" (in the sense that it is a very concentrated shot of coffee) out of even stale supermarket coffee. This may be perfectly acceptable for you. But, this matters a lot for those who want real espresso, particularly if you plan to drink straight espresso shots. The neat thing is, you can buy a compatible aftermarket portafilter and aftermarket espresso basket and use them to make legit espresso on these machines. They are perfectly capable. Heres an example, https://youtube.com/shorts/56uKb2yKHek?si=zN7EC5FGEXgTUt5u Best of luck, hope this helps 😁

For a budget of $250, the De'Longhi ECP3630 or the Breville Bambino are both reliable and userfriendly options, and checking local classifieds or thrift stores for lightly used machines can help you maximize your budget.

De’longhi ecp 3630 , was gifted to me 3-4 yrs ago, used 5x a week. Consistent espresso, easy to clean. I even gifted one last year and they love it

That's exactly what I did. ECP3630, the stainless steel one. Got a nice bottomless portafilter with matching tamp and WDT, all rosewood handles. With my Encore ESP, I make some damn good shots.

Some things I've learned in my journey: 1. You'll probably make mistakes in purchases, even with tons of research. You'll probably realize months into it that you didn't need to spend what you thought you needed to spend. But the more educated you get, the better chance you get of not wasting too much. 2. Don't just research products, learn everything you can about the process of pulling shots before making a purchase. If you're more informed about which process is more attractive to you after knowing all the pros and cons, you'll have a better chance of buying something that complements your lifestyle. Binge James Hoffmann, Lance Hedrick, Morgan Eckroth, and Tom's Coffee Corner, all on YouTube. They all go over every aspect of coffee, including technique and gear. And don't be in a rush to buy the equipment. 3. For me, a simple, cheap, non-automatic machine (De'Longhi ECP3630) works exceptionally well, and is like 90% of the way as satisfying as my local amazing third wave shop. Definitely better than most second wave cafes. 4. Espressos, by nature, are quick. Even with prep, it's just a couple minutes. I don't make a ton of milk drinks, which I would consider extra time. So, if you didn't get an automatic machine, pulling a shot itself is quick and easy (especially when using a scale), and milk drinks are for slow, lazy mornings. 5. At the risk of not knowing much about the super auto machines, I suspect the fewer features there are, the easier it is to dial in a shot. But I might be wrong on that.

So I just switched over from my Nespresso to a Delonghi ECP3630 about 2 months ago, and here are my thoughts in relation to the questions you asked: * Is the difference in taste and quality really that noticeable? * YES. I literally will never go back. I sold my Nespresso and got all of my machines (grinder, espresso machine) from FB Marketplace, and then bought all the accessories (portafilter, puck screen, WDT tool, dosing funnel, etc.) online new. I literally don't even go to the coffee shops anymore because I'm not super interested and I'm already really caffeinated literally every day before I leave the house. * How much more work is it (grinding beans, prepping the shot, cleaning, etc.)? * It's more work but I find it fun! I grind my beans daily and measure out 16-16.5g, and while my grinder grinds my beans, I am flushing out my portafilter and heating it up. You get into a good rhythm pretty quickly, at least in my experience. I turn on my machine, feed my cat, get my milk out, and by the time I'm back at my machine, it's heated up and ready to go. * Is it significantly more expensive in the long run (machine, grinder, beans, maintenance)? * Probably yes, I haven't done any specific calculations but I have spent easily $150+ on the accessories as they're quite expensive. My grinder was $60 and my espresso machine was $80, both used on FB Marketplace. I modded my machine to have a Rancilio steam wand, that was about $30 including shipping. I thought I broke my steam hose so I ordered a new one for $20 including shipping, ended up not needing it, and got a refund of $9 for the part. I use Trade Coffee for my bean delivery since I like trying new beans and experimenting with dialing in, I do the 3-bag subscription and that's about $60. I go through beans quite quickly because I'm drinking 1-2 shots per day and my Baratza grinder has quite a bit of retention, but I'm totally okay with incurring that cost. * And from what price point can you get a good espresso machine that actually delivers quality espresso? * Any price point! I think there's something out there for everyone, whatever the price point you're at. For me, I think I'm definitely gonna stick with my current set-up for a while since 1) I don't have the income to spend any more on this hobby currently and 2) I'm not SO into espresso making that I'm going to shell out a couple grand for a new machine or save up that much for something in the future. I'm happy where I'm at right now, and I had a relatively low upfront cost for entry into this hobby, although spend whatever you're comfortable with to make this process fun! With my current set-up, I'm 120% satisfied. TLDR; super worth the upgrade. I don't even go to any outside coffee shops anymore because I don't need to and don't have a desire to after being appropriately caffeinated (and enjoying the process in becoming so!) at home.

honestly if you wanna go all in on this hobby, I would get into the more expensive machine. for me, I got a used delonghi ecp 3630 which works just fine for me being a beginner who doesn’t have the budget to spend more on materials and/or machines. :)

totally, the ECP models are surprisingly capable for the money. I picked up an ECP3630 for $150 new and grabbed a nice 1Zpresso J-Ultra on sale last year for like $200... add ~$50 for IMS basket and a bottomless and boom making great espresso. if you take that stupid panarello thing off you can steam some really good milk too. You don't even need to swap the wand to get perfect milks. ECP's for sure shouldn't be overlooked as a perfectly capable budget option. In the end, the results you can get from the machine can punch above its class.

For what it’s worth. I just picked up a delonghi ecp3630, j- ultra grinder and upgraded the bottomless portafilter during prime day/week. Super budget but I’m impressed and pleased.