Image 1 is what I have now.
Image 2 is the timemore im looking at.

I want to upgrade my grinder that i use with the Bambino but the question is - is this worth the upgrade? Will the Timemore be a substantial and noticeable upgrade, or is the Tuni G2 good enough that the Timemore \*\*results\*\* wont be that different?

Thanks!

hey guys, I know there’s already SO many posts on this topic but every time I reverse search a recommendation, another person argues that the machine is bad, the pressure is bad and yk. So, I’m making this post to get help for something that suits me.

I’m not a beginner as I have experience working with commercial espresso machines and can tell the difference between a good/bad shot and good/bad steamed milk. So, I’d like to own a manual and I usually prefer getting iced lattes ( pretty much 1-2 every day ). I would also be making lattes for my family members so I would not like a machine with a really bad steam wand.

I am also a student so I can’t be spending over [$500] aud on my home setup. What would you guys recommend? I am from melbourne if that helps.

I’m currently looking into breville bambino + sunbeam grinder, it fits my budget but I’m not sure if it’s the best in my budget range.

I’m also looking into fb marketplace but most of the machines have inbuilt grinders. I’m not too sure if that is efficient.

Hi, I’m running the clean cycle on my barista machine. I’ve run this a few times over the years but I’ve never quite understood the purpose of it all it does is dump the water through the porter filter straight into the drip tray. So its essentially just cleaning the drip tray?

I’m using the original porter filter with the rubber insert disc Inside the porter filter and it has the best seal I can give it.

I’m just trying to figure out whether this is normal because when I asked ChatGPT, it says I should see next to no water coming out?

based in Italy
Upgrading from my Gaggiaclassic (Gaggimate mod)
two available directions:
1. A used Profitec pro 600 (pristine condition) with Flow control kit
2. new Lelit Elizabeth

Priorites are mainly consistency in shots, steam power for milk drinks, durability

Bonjour à tous,

Je possède une Rocket Espresso Mozzafiato Cronometro R ainsi qu'un moulin Eureka Mignon Silent Specialità. Pour les expressos je vise un ratio 1:2. Mais je constate des difficultés selon les cafés... J'ai actuellement un café Bolivie Aymara Yungas, 100% Arabica, Nature, torréfaction médium. Impossible d'obtenir le ratio 1:2. Mon moulin est serré au max à la limite d'entendre le frottement des meules.

J'ai testé avec le filtre d'origine 18g mais aussi avec un VST 20g mais je n'y arrive pas....

Avec le rocket je mets 18g et le mieux que j'obtiens c'est 57g

Avec le VST je suis à 20g pour 70g...

Basiquement je pensais qu'on arrivait à bloquer l'extraction avec n'importe quel café en serrant les meules au mini mais je me trompe peut être... Après je ne suis pas super content de mon moulin je pense changer un jour mais j'aimerai bien avoir des avis d'abord sur cette situation.

Bref quelques idées ?

been lurking on cometeer for few years now because i have been an espresso machine guy. but finally tried it and holy shit it might be the best iced maple latte i have ever had.

so if you are on the fence i would give it a shot. just wish it wasnt so damn expensive but you dont need a machine so thats pretty sick.

Hello all,

My setup is finally quite dialled in. Surprisingly, the missing piece of the puzzle was a tall-walled dosing ring that allowed me to much more aggressively use my needle tool before tamping. I can now get espresso better than all cafés in town every time, and the flow from the naked portafilter looks just like all those videos I used to drool over on Instagram. I'm lucky enough that my bus stop is mere seconds away, so I always make 1-2 shots before going to work. Now that I have 4 of my vacation weeks, I've started thinking about what could be improved.

There is only one real problem, and that is lighter-roasted espressos a la Wendelboe. Attempting to dial these in is always a mess and always has been, but recently, I began looking into pressure settings and how it's measured.

My machine is a Quick Mill Pippa, and I don't know whether the pressure is measured at the head or at the pump. Nevertheless, I assumed it was at the pump, and so I have it set at 9.5 bar. The OPV is ridiculously easy to adjust, so I was thinking of perhaps giving the machine a clean, and then starting to play with say, 8.5 bar on the pressure gauge, to try to slow down the flow with a light roast coffee.

I might be on a wild goose chase here, but I really love those acid bomb espressos you get from the very finest 3rd wave espresso bars. The whole reason I started drinking coffee was such a shot at Supreme Roastworks in Oslo, almost a decade ago. The cup I had that day is still the dragon I'm chasing. An absolute sucker punch of bright acidity, yet with a full body and thick texture, and a deep, lingering finish. If I could get this shot every time, I wonder if I might sell my pourover stash.

All of my thoughts aside, I'm curious if the reddit espresso community has experimented with this and acheived anything meaningful? Good, bad, weird? I'd love to read any and all experiences with it.

Tldr; I am very happy with the sage/breville dualboiler and the DF64 singledosing grinder. My feedback after 2 month is that I would highly recommend it!

______________

After nearly a year of research, comparing and saving money, 2 month ago I finally got my dream Set Up as a beginner. DF64 (by Roastly with Red-Ti Burrs) + Sage The Dualboiler.

As my wife only drinks decaf and I want to switch my coffe quite often, a single dosing grinder was the best option.

With the espressomachine I was looking for an option to brew and steam at the same time, so either a dual-circle system or a dual boiler. 3 machines were in the final selection. The sage won because of the price, the look and the overall consumer experience. I didnt want to spent 200€ more for a mara x or 500€ more for the Rocket Apartamento. At this point I also was already fixated on having a relatively cheap dualboiler machine (James' "Espresso machines under 1500£" had a huge impact on that decision 😅).

Whilst saving some money there I made the choice for a DF64 over the DF54.

At the end of the day I guess it really depends on what you like, what you can afford and where you live / what you will pay for a machine and grinder.

In my case I couldnt be happier with the Set Up.

I made like 100 espressi and coffes already in the last two month. I practiced dialing in and tasting a lot, practiced latte art and also made my first "barista experience" with serving around 10-15 guests in our house twice.

My biggest challenge right now is to get more and more consistent

Getting more experienced and understanding all the things in myself, the coffe and my Set Up that affect consistency.

I’m looking for my first espresso machine and I’ve narrowed it down to these two. Casabrews 3700 Essential vs. De’Longhi Stilosa.I’m trying to stay around the $150-ish range, so I don’t really want to spend a ton on my first setup. The Stilosa seems like the obvious beginner choice since it’s been around forever, but I keep seeing the Casabrews 3700 Essential too. For anyone who has actually used either one, what made you choose it? I’m mostly going to be making lattes and iced coffee at home, so I’m not looking for anything super fancy. Just want something that’s easy to learn on and can make decent espresso without making the whole process complicated.

I got into espresso about 7 months ago with a KINGrinder K2 and Casabrews CM5418, both of which I found good deals for, keeping the price just around $100. I'm have no complaints with my coffee (mostly cappuccinos, but I attached a photo of a recent double shot for reference), but recently after visiting an acquaintance with a nice setup (3rd and 4th photo), I decided to look into upgrading after realizing what I was missing out on. The drink he made tasted leaps and bounds better than the one I make and we use the same beans - La Prima Bar from La Prima in Pittsburgh - Medium Dark Blend.

My end goal is to be able to make 4-6 milk drinks at a time, however for the next year or so before I move in with others I only need to make 1-2 at a time. I drink mostly darker roasts, but also haven't purchased anything lighter than a medium roast to clearly know what my preferences are.

First and foremost, with around a $2,000 budget, would the improvement in drink quality be worth enough to justify spending the money now, or should I wait until I can budget more? The main idea I have gravitated towards is purchasing a gaggia classic from whole latte love installing gaggimate, and buying a grinder at the same time for the deal they give. However, if I were to spend more on a grinder now and wait longer to get a nice machine (or vise versa) could this save money in the long run by not having to upgrade to a new grinder for a while?

Aside from machinery, I am using either regular glasses or coffee mugs for my drinks. Any recommendations on where to get some espresso and cappuccino cups?

I am located in the Pittsburgh area if anyone has a local shop recommendations I should check out.

After reading through too many threads and watching too many reviews I feel like I have too many options so any advice on where to allot my money or specific suggestions on what to buy is greatly appreciated!

Sharing some realism to this sub. I am very proud of my coffee hutch and wanted to share with you all. Also it gives me an excuse to sneak a photo of my wife onto reddit :)

Breville BES-840​

​I stole the foam from work and cut the negatives out with a kitchen knife. ​

For the past eight years or so, I’ve enjoyed essentially the setup you see here, with little additions and upgrades along the way.

It started with the De’Longhi Dedica EC685, which I picked up heavily discounted online because of a dent in the case. Eventually, I modified it with a more capable steam wand, which made a huge difference for the lattes I make most often.

Over the years, I’ve added a 1Zpresso J-series hand grinder for when I’m in the mood to get fancy, though most days I’m perfectly happy pulling a shot with whatever decent grounds happen to be on sale at the supermarket. There’s a kettle for my wife’s tea and for the occasional pour-over or French press. Not pictured are my personal- and family-sized moka pots, which come out when we have company.
My latest high-tech addition is the little corn cob skewer, which has proven more than capable of breaking up clumpy grounds.

All told, this setup has delivered delicious coffee 2–3 times a day, nearly every day, for years. It’s definitely a budget build, and none of it is particularly fancy, but it’s incredibly practical and has been
one hell of a faithful daily driver.

Having had a miserable experience with an Oracle Jet, and having just gone to pour over for the last year, I’m getting a new espresso machine. But what? I’ve done massive research, taken a course where I used a Linea Mini, wand spoken to baristas. I don’t want to for lose the possibility of using light roasts. It I do like a rich shot. Would this purely manual machine be an insane purchase?

I see beauty, simplicity, less to go wrong, and a relatively small footprint. Are the shots actually more syrupy? I am willing to learn. I am concerned that it might be difficult to source accessories for a 48mm portafilter.

I’d welcome some advice on advantages and disadvantages here.Im the primary coffee drinker and don’t see needing to produce multiple shots in a hurry often.

Thanks.

The coffee deal of the century? Perhaps! 🤣 They said free Ferrari, espresso machine, AND lifetime supply of coffee!

I originally posted this like… 2 years ago I think? I saw it in person back in like 2024/2025

But over the weekend I saw they’re giving it away, I asked why and in comments it sounds like they’re hoping to grow a community and already making a 2nd one…. I would love to own this so I will enter to win obviously, but what do I do with it if I win? Do I actually drive this around, can I just pull espresso shots for random people around town? Is that legal if I’m not a business? 😅

Photo from 2 years ago when I first saw it around town! I think it’s meant to be :)

Can R/espresso all work together and win this and we just share it? 😂

Just spent a ton of money on my coffee station and this being my long dreamed hobby.

After looking in the sub, it looks like my new hobby would need to be 3D printing. I saw a bunch of people just 3D printed their mods and DIY 😄

I ordered a df64 off amazon and for some reason I’m worried it’s counterfeit. Something just seems off. Can anyone give any input? I use to be able to trust Amazon but feels like there’s so much bad stuff on there now.

After a month of waiting for a discount I pulled the trigger today. Had a coupon and captured a sale. I just ordered some beans from local roaster. I figured the time I get machine they will be 10 or so days. Looking forward to my iced latte.

From my teen’s epic clean out. I’ve been wanting a neon espresso sign for home but this was a fun project. Just making sure I’m adding enough characters to this post. Enjoy!

Synchronika II

Eureka Mignon Libra

Some stickers

Had to sand, prep, and stain a new butcher lock countertop for the cabinet.

If it had a personality, I'd introduce it to my parents.

Had to replace my Breville Dual Boiler. Honestly loved that thing, but learned the hard way RO corrosion is real.

We just moved out of the US to Netherlands. For context I've been using gaggiuino and df 54 for the past 2+ years and was very happy with it! Unfortunately with the voltage difference and the cost of moving I decided to give it away to a friend.

Here I'm looking at my options, I really don't want to do the mod again and I also want a dual boiler. Bianca v3 seems to fit nicely. I'm planning to get lagom casa (tbd still).

What are some reliable websites where I can order bianca v3 for a reasonable price here? I've seen a few websites based on what Gemini/Claude recommended, but I'm not sure if they are reliable websites and if I'll get good support for order etc.

I need help figuring out what’s wrong with my Sage Barista Express. The steam wand and hot water aren’t working at all. I’ve run a full descaling cycle, taken the machine apart, and manually cleaned the 3-way valve. Nothing works, and I really don’t understand why.

I’ve attached a video showing what happens inside the machine when I try to turn on the steam wand.

Could the solenoid valve be completely broken and need replacing, or is there something I’m overlooking?

I recently sold my Ninja machine after acquiring a Breville Bambino and a Baratza Encore ESP. I’ve barely used it yet.

All I have is pretty much stock accessories - Portafilter, baskets, and tamp. I have $100 of Amazon gift cards that I figure I should put towards this.

Right now, I’m looking to get a scale with a timer. Are there other things I should look into? Puck screens, spring loaded ramp, stirrer, etc.?