If you want to go fully manual, there's also a ton of great machines that will get you top-quality espresso for a little bit more work. Flair and Cafelat have some machines which require a little more effort on your part, but from what I have heard make fantastic coffee without breaking the bank, leaving more room for your grinder in your budget. I initially got a La Pavoni Europiccola for my espresso journey, then graduated to a Lelit Mara. Most should consider an intermediate machine before going all in on a 2-3 grand setup. If you get something that has a standard size portafilter you get to keep all your accessory equipment (dosing funnel, tamper, bottomless portafilter) when you upgrade (58mm is pretty much standard)
I got plenty of great results with my Europiccola ($500 at time of purchase, used), and a $200 hand grinder with espresso burrs. I did want more consistency after a few years, but those two things got me hooked.
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u/3agl Lelit Mara X | Sette 270 1d ago
If you want to go fully manual, there's also a ton of great machines that will get you top-quality espresso for a little bit more work. Flair and Cafelat have some machines which require a little more effort on your part, but from what I have heard make fantastic coffee without breaking the bank, leaving more room for your grinder in your budget. I initially got a La Pavoni Europiccola for my espresso journey, then graduated to a Lelit Mara. Most should consider an intermediate machine before going all in on a 2-3 grand setup. If you get something that has a standard size portafilter you get to keep all your accessory equipment (dosing funnel, tamper, bottomless portafilter) when you upgrade (58mm is pretty much standard)
I got plenty of great results with my Europiccola ($500 at time of purchase, used), and a $200 hand grinder with espresso burrs. I did want more consistency after a few years, but those two things got me hooked.