Classic Evo Pro

If you were to save up a few extra quid, you could grab a niche zero grinder and a gaggia classic (Classic Evo Pro 2024 or Classic Pro E24 if you want new). The niche zero is a modern coffee grinder that has basically blown away the competition. Most other grinders are going to be much bigger or cost a lot more. The gaggia classic has a huge fanbase about it and there are lots of mods and upgrades if you like to tinker but this set-up will easily last you 10-20 years until you decide to spend stupid money on something [decent](https://decentespresso.com/overview) IMO if you go for anything less than this, you will be back within 2 years asking about which machine/grinder to upgrade to Edit: you could go full manual espresso if you want cheaper but the workflow is going to be much slower, you won't be able to do multiple drinks back to back and you lose the ability to do proper milk-based drinks

Why not a Gaggia or used Rancilio Silvia and then do a gaggimate mod on it? Classic styling, minimalistic and tasteful technology, within budget, and hits well above budget. Also extremely repairable with the amount of attention they get, both parts and repair walkthroughs are readily available.

Is a $200 SK40 a “good grinder”? Serious question. Purchased it 2 years ago along with my Gaggia classic evo. Been making cortados daily while wondering if my coffee is good or not. Nothing to compare it to and diluting with milk which makes it even harder to tell.

I know about "Boilergate". But a simple search even a young child can perform, will point out **exactly** which serial numbers to avoid. I agree that the E24 with its slightly bigger brass boiler is far superior in all respects, but if you find a "safe" Evo, you'll be fine. I live in country with very limited distribution for Gaggia - we're typically flooded with the cheaper Australian and Chinese alternatives - I've had my Evo now for almost 3 years and during my installation of my GM Pro, I decided to open up my boiler to check on all the flaking that's happening inside and to my utter surprise, it looks brand new! It should be very easy to replace with a brass boiler when it eventually does start flaking (and hopefully I'll be able to source one locally by then)!

I agree 100%. Get yourself the GCP. It makes awesome espresso. You might want to upgrade the stock filter baskets though. Just upgrading the baskets will already see a significant jump in shot consistency. While you're at it, get bottomless portafilter too, so you can fit the larger baskets (if that's your thing). I had my GCP for over a.year before I went ahead with the GaggiMate Pro mod. I completed my mod only a month ago and have never looked back! It's not only a huge upgrade, but the (Discord) community is awesome!

If you like Gaggia, don't get the Evo. It has the coated boiler that flakes off AKA "Boilergate". Get the latest model Gaggia Classic E24. Breville Bambino Plus is usually priced about the same as the 840 but is a more modern design. Anna is a great quality machine but has slower warm up and longer transitions between brewing and steaming than Breville. You can't go wrong with any of these choices as long as you get E24 instead of Evo.

Gaggia Classic Evo should be avoided due to "Boilergate" issues with flaking of its coated boiler. Gaggia Classic E24 is the one to get.

The usual recommendations at your budget are Bambino, Bambino Plus, Gaggia Classic E24 (avoid the older "Evo" version), Lelit Anna, Rancilio Silvia. Research their differences and pick your favorite. They are all good options.

> Gaggia classic or classic pro (not sure of difference yet) This is the highest quality machine at your price point, but the hardest to use since it lacks a PID. But if you are handy, you can upgrade it for PID or go all the way with Gaggiuino or GaggiMate and it will have most of the features of a $4000 DE1Pro. If you want a machine that will work better out of the box, get Bambino or Bambino Plus. Regarding the differences: * Gaggia Classic was the OG, made from 1991 to 2018. * Gaggia Classic Pro, made from 2019 to 2022. Added a pro-style steam wand, replacing the Pannarello wand in the Classic. * Gaggia Classic Evo Pro, made in 2023. Used a teflon coating in the inside of the boiler that was supposed to reduce scaling. Instead, the coating flaked off with use, creating the "Boilergate" scandal. Stay away from this one. * Gaggia Classic E24 (sometimes called Pro E24 or Evo E24) made from 2024 on. Replaced the coated aluminum boiler with an uncoated brass one. If buying new, get the E24. Its brass boiler has better thermal stability than the aluminum one used in previous versions, which reduces the need for temperature surfing.

> Gaggia classic or classic pro (not sure of difference yet) This is the highest quality machine at your price point, but the hardest to use since it lacks a PID. But if you are handy, you can upgrade it for PID or go all the way with Gaggiuino or GaggiMate and it will have most of the features of a $4000 DE1Pro. If you want a machine that will work better out of the box, get Bambino or Bambino Plus. Regarding the differences: * Gaggia Classic was the OG, made from 1991 to 2018. * Gaggia Classic Pro, made from 2019 to 2022. Added a pro-style steam wand, replacing the Pannarello wand in the Classic. * Gaggia Classic Evo Pro, made in 2023. Used a teflon coating in the inside of the boiler that was supposed to reduce scaling. Instead, the coating flaked off with use, creating the "Boilergate" scandal. Stay away from this one. * Gaggia Classic E24 (sometimes called Pro E24 or Evo E24) made from 2024 on. Replaced the coated aluminum boiler with an uncoated brass one. If buying new, get the E24. Its brass boiler has better thermal stability than the aluminum one used in previous versions, which reduces the need for temperature surfing.

> Gaggia classic or classic pro (not sure of difference yet) This is the highest quality machine at your price point, but the hardest to use since it lacks a PID. But if you are handy, you can upgrade it for PID or go all the way with Gaggiuino or GaggiMate and it will have most of the features of a $4000 DE1Pro. If you want a machine that will work better out of the box, get Bambino or Bambino Plus. Regarding the differences: * Gaggia Classic was the OG, made from 1991 to 2018. * Gaggia Classic Pro, made from 2019 to 2022. Added a pro-style steam wand, replacing the Pannarello wand in the Classic. * Gaggia Classic Evo Pro, made in 2023. Used a teflon coating in the inside of the boiler that was supposed to reduce scaling. Instead, the coating flaked off with use, creating the "Boilergate" scandal. Stay away from this one. * Gaggia Classic E24 (sometimes called Pro E24 or Evo E24) made from 2024 on. Replaced the coated aluminum boiler with an uncoated brass one. If buying new, get the E24. Its brass boiler has better thermal stability than the aluminum one used in previous versions, which reduces the need for temperature surfing.

If you like Gaggia, don't get the Evo. It has the coated boiler that flakes off AKA "Boilergate". Get the latest model Gaggia Classic E24. Breville Bambino Plus is usually priced about the same as the 840 but is a more modern design. Anna is a great quality machine but has slower warm up and longer transitions between brewing and steaming than Breville. You can't go wrong with any of these choices as long as you get E24 instead of Evo.

Sorry, but Breville/Sage/DeLonghi espresso machines priced around $300 are engineered to be disposable appliances. If you want a long lasting machine, your options are: 1. Go with a fully manual machine such as Flair or Cafelat Robot. 2. Get a Gaggia Classic E24, Rancilio Silvia, or other more expensive machine. If you are in the US, the E24 is on sale at Whole Latte Love for $400. Don't forget to budget for a good grinder. Getting a good quality espresso machine is a waste of money if you intend to use it with pre-ground coffee. If that's what you want to do, use a Moka pot, which will also last forever.

The newer E24 model is on sale at WLL for $400, which makes a refurb for $381 much less attractive.

Reading between the lines of your post I can see that you already know the answer: If you are 100% sure you are going to do GaggiMate or Gaggiuino, then get a Gaggia Classic, otherwise get an Anna and be happy with its PID. If you are going for Gaggia, it might make sense to get a used one, since you will be discarding many of its components for the mod.

> I prefer to just push a button and let the machine do the work You are talking about a a fully automatic machine AKA super-automatic. These start at around $600, but decent quality ones that will last a while are over $1000. They can be found in r/superautomatic. At your budget, you will need one of the semi-automatic or fully manual machines discussed in this sub. > hoping to have something that isn’t made of plastic that hot liquid is flowing through That's also not going to happen without busting your budget. Gaggia Classic E24 is the least expensive machine without plastic in the hot water path. At your $200 budget, for the best espresso quality, go fully manual. Flair Neo Flex for the machine, Kingrinder K6 for the grinder. If you insist on a machine that can also steam milk, then get a DeLonghi Stilosa instead of Flair.

> Is the DeLonghi really that good for a budget model? I prefer it to the other $100 machines such as Casabrews. Advantage of DeLonghi is that it is much more of a mainstream brand, so both online advice and aftermarket accessories will be easier to obtain. It also has a boiler, which gives it better temperature stability than other machines that use thermoblocks. However, if you want the highest quality espresso possible at your budget, you should go manual with a Flair machine. > we can get ground beans locally Using preground coffee puts a very low ceiling on the quality of espresso you an brew. But you can certainly start with preground. When you are ready to take your espresso to the next level, switch to buying fresh beans and grinding them yourself. Kingrinder K6 for $100 will do a great job at that. When you are ready to take your espresso to the ultimate cafe-quality level, switch to brewing non-pressurized (usually done with a bottomless portafilter) and begin climbing the long learning curve of figuring out how to brew non-pressurized. Don't attempt this without a good grinder.