Craigslist is your friend. Buy a 2nd hand espresso machine and grinder (I assume your current one may not grind fine enough)) $300 is not going get anything decent new. I scored a working Silvia for $200 on Craigslist a few weeks back. I suggest a used Delonghi ESAM3300 - all in one - easy, no maintenance, fast (no need to wait for it to heat up), all in one (grinder and coffee all in one). Decent but not great coffee/espresso
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I have the Meraki and I’m loving it so far. That being said I would not put it in an office situation with novice users. A fully automatic reconditioned Delonghi Magnifica 3300 is as close to idiot proof you’re going to find and it makes pretty good coffee.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N2YKQ0
This. I’d love to eliminate manual steaming, but i doubt there’s a machine that will steam milk to the 160° I prefer. I have yet to see a manufacturer or review list the actual milk temperature so I suspect it would be underwhelming.
That being said, I have 3 Delonghi semi auto machines of the ESAM 3XXXX generation and love them. The infuser is more or less the same regardless of what machine you buy. IMO these older made-in-Italy machines are more repairable than what we’re seeing now, but that’s a sign of the times. At some point I’ve replaced the boiler, solenoid, steam valve, water pump or steam generator on these units myself and the parts are cheap.
A machine that came with both a steam valve and an auto-milk option would be perfect.
I got tired of pods. I would get stuck with pods if I didn’t like them. I decided to pull the trigger and replaced my Nespresso Vertuo machine from 2015 with a Delonghi Magnifica Veo. It’s pending shipping but I’m excited. I rather have fresh coffee beans.
Top Espresso Machines on Reddit
1
Breville
Bambino Plus
77% positive of 1,081 users
Fast heat-up, easy for beginners; inconsistent shots, annoying cleaning.
FreddyFrog12345
