Back when I was first starting out, I would have loved to have one of these machines. Very classy and not super expensive. Now I’m in the Rocket and Jura category… The more you like coffee, the more expensive it gets.
Well said.
I happened upon a $1,000 used La Pavoni for $40 at a thrift store. But to get it to do its best, I needed a quality burr grinder, not a $40 cheapy, plus some very good espresso beans.
If anything in the quality chain is omitted, you might well get a $200 machine and average espresso and be happy. When something broke on the LP I sold it for parts.
The folks who make Cafe Busteo (in cans) now make a BRAZIL blend. It works great on machines like the one featured here.
So either be prepared to jump in with both feet or relax and enjoy a simply pretty good machine,
Agreed, espresso is a slippery slope. My current machine is considered “mid-level,” and it cost more than my first car. (Granted, it was a cheap used car.) But for most people who don’t want to dive down the espresso rabbit hole, this particular machine will make quite drinkable espresso that will be better than their local coffee shop.
I’ve owned one of these (or at least it’s predecessor, they seem to keep tweaking it) for nearly six years now. It works. It makes okay espresso: not great, but perfectly acceptable. And it just keeps chugging along. I’ve pulled at least four shots a day the whole time, and more during the Covid lock-downs. The only maintenance I’ve performed is descaling a few times (relatively soft water here). Don’t use the steam wand much.
The portafilter holder has a weird plastic insert apparently designed to divide the juice evenly if you’re pouring two singles in one go and that’s a bit of a pain to clean . Which is my biggest complaint.
It will slide under most cabinets, the skinny profile is easy on counter space, and the water reservoir is big enough that you can pull several doubles without needing a refill, but small enough to keep the water fresh.
I would suggest buying a better tamper than it comes with.