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Reddit Reviews
[seattlecoffeegear.com](http://seattlecoffeegear.com) has a large selection, and also a lot of demo videos and info. I started with a Rancilio Silvia, still have it at work, but after several years upgraded to a better, bigger machine (Diletta Bello). That has been totally great. You will need to buy a good grinder too. But, it is so much better to be able to make a great espresso or mocha at home.
Unless you already have one, I'd suggest investing a good chunk of money into a grinder before saving for a machine. If you do a lot of milk drinks, I'd suggest a dual boiler or heat exchanger machine. You have options like La Marzocco Linea Micra or the Profitec Move for a simple dual boiler with programmable timed shots with pre-infusion, probably closest you'll get to a commercial style machine at home. Honestly, it's all you really need. Another option would be something E61 based, like the ECM Mechanica Max, or the Profitec Drive, Diletta Bello/Alto, etc... The issue with these machines is temperature stability and having to flush some water to stabilize things, but once you do the machine has tons of power and allows for things like flow control so you can really take control and dial in everything. They also have that beautiful mirror polish and old-school looks. And then you have machines like the Decent DE-1, Sanremo You, Wendougee Data... The machines are really more of a computer than an espresso machine and allows you to control every variable from the touchscreen so you can go all Mad Scientist with your espresso with flow and pressure curves, temperature curves, custom profiles. It's a really cool cutting edge tech!
End of reviews
Rankings by Use Case
Top recommendations from others in the same boat
Best for Fast morning workflows

Top pick
Breville - Bambino Plus
Best for Hosting and entertaining

Top pick
ECM - Synchronika II
Best for Light roast specialty coffee

Top pick
Flair Espresso - Flair 58 Series
Best for Long-term repairability

Top pick
Gaggia - Classic Pro E24
Best for Milk-based drinks

Top pick
Breville - Bambino Plus
Best for Minimal effort brewing

Top pick
Breville - Bambino Plus





