Synchronika I

So, for what it’s worth I have an ECM synch - however it’s a version one so take it with a grain of salt. If you never had a chance to use one before - the first thing you will notice is that it’s a fucking tank. Not in an intruding way, as its profile is not too big on the counter however, it’s heavy, well built, and feels like it’ll last generation. Coming from a Breville Dual boiler beforehand, they are in two entirely different leagues. I can’t speak for the Linea Micra, but if you end up at the ECM, you’ll save a few thousand dollars, and I can pretty comfortably say that you’ll be happy for a long, long while. Grab a good grinder, and spend the rest of the money getting a good coffee subscription. 

Got the ecm synch as my first “real” machine after graduating from pods. Was making great espresso day 1. Flow control is great to have, but you can also leave it at “stock” flow rate and not think about it. Buy once/cry once, the thing is a tank and has all the features i wanted and when friends/family are in town i crank out shots b2b no problem. Im one year into ownership and my only complaint is that i need to upgrade my grinder to a higher tier, but im also still having fun playing with all the variables and will probably wait until i feel like i truly understand what im doing lol Happy to answer questions about it, i make 5-6 shots (some black, some milk drinks) a day on weekdays and more on weekends. Its completely ruined pour over as i really prefer espresso

A dual boiler is kind of unnecessary if you arent doing milk drinks. A single boiler, yes. But the second boiler is for steaming milk mostly. You can make an americano with a shot and hot tap water, or with a single boiler that has hot water on a heat exchange circuit like you said. I have an ecm synchronika and its slightly above ur budget but its fantastic. It can do multiple americanos in a row easily. It can do more too but i doubt uou gain much from that.

I don't think you need to spend that much. A Lelit Bianca or Elizabeth would be fine. Or an ECM Synchronika. If you want something more geeky a Decent would be around your maximum I think. And yes, you can buy a LM but I think it's too expensive for what it offers, you pay a lot for the brand, but it's just my personal opinion and I'm more on the best cost-benefit side.

Then, ECM is a solid choice. I have a Classika PID with flow control and love it. You may want a dual boiler for your milk drinks or a Classika may be good enough, it's very personal. I just don't recommend HXs (if you're crazy about espresso quality).

Great question - this was the final determining factor for me choosing my machine, I wanted to choose the spot (for me) where I sat on the diminishing return curve. Everyone is different of course, but for me it was clearly the ECM Synchronika. Everything below it felt like it had some sort of compromise, and everything above it didn't seem like the extra features etc were worth the money. I still stand by my theory, I am super happy with my machine and 2 1/2 years later I have no regret or envy - if I won the lottery I would probably just yolo a Slayer. Grinders on the other hand - I feel like I could have gone a bit overboard with the E65S GBW but again zero regrets, a lot of new grinders have come out in the last couple of years so maybe I'd make a different decision if I had to today, but it's built like a tank & will work forever & the workflow is fantastic.

Disagree - this exact question was what I asked myself when I bought my Synchronika - everyone is different of course - but for me it was as good a machine as I thought I could get before we got in to 'silly' territoriy.

Synchronika will do that without missing a beat.

Remember that the grinder is a factor too. I have a Bambino Plus and a Synchronika, but also a Sette 270wi with the Bambino and a Mahlkonig E65S GWB with the Sync. I can definitely taste the difference but I think a lot of what I taste is the flat burr vs conical burr. Overall there is a difference between the two setups, but not as much as the price differential might suggest. Unless you're chasing extraction on light roasts etc, the Bambino Plus with a good filter basket, good grinder, good beans and good puck prep can make very very passable espresso

My 2c as the owner of a Bambino Plus as well as a big shiny Synchronika is that it's a super interesting question. The Bambino Plus punches so far above it's weight that there's not much I would bother with in the 'middle' unless you're going for a full endgame machine. My personal opinion is that while the auto steam on the Bambino is a fantastic feature theres nothing like a big steam boiler to get good microfoam. If you really want to get in to espresso theory and profiling etc maybe a Gagguino?? I am doing some playing with ESP32 that I will announce here when it's ready, not so much controlling the machine but tracking outputs but with this tinkering mindset I can see the appeal in a machine like this. I think the main thing with the Bambino Plus is temperature stability - that is what the bigger machines with more thermal mass offer.