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automatic Espresso machine reco

5,190 Views | 43 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by RustyBV
Sazerac
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AG

Built in grinder
Water reservoir
Double boiler?
Easy to clean / maintain

Used for espresso and lattes

Was looking at a couple Breville Barista models and a Calphalon that gets good reviews.

<<$1k


FitzChivalry
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AG
Huge fan of the barista express. Gets used multiple times daily. Built in grinder is sufficient. Overall easy to use once you get the hang of it. Easy to adjust for different beans.

Be sure to clean/descale regularly.

Use quality beans.
Sazerac
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AG
Is that one that you have to tamp and manually insert the grounds?

Looking to make this as automatic as possible.
FitzChivalry
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AG
It is.

I will say that having manual control of the tamping will allow for some exceptional shot pulls. My only complaint is sometimes getting grinds on the counter.

I think the Impress is the one that auto tamps? I have not used that one personally.
aggielax48
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We've enjoyed our Gaggia Velasca Prestige.
DiskoTroop
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I'll give you a perspective from a facility manager.

We had auto grinding/brewing machines at our buildings in Houston in the early 2010's and they were a nightmare. Not from a reliability perspective or quality of product perspective, but from a janitorial perspective.

The hopper with grounds pucks was an ant paradise. Every. Single. Machine. had ants at some point or another. They were in places that previously had never had ants and after we got rid of the self grinders the ants never came back.

If you're not going to clean the hopper every time you use it, I'm gonna tell you it might be an issue.

Aside from that I have no opinion on maker, quality of product or quality of the coffee. Just be aware cleanliness might be an issue.
HouseDivided06
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Following as we are looking for one as well. Almost got a used Breville one (the $750 version) that was lightly used for $400 but didn't pull the trigger fast enough. In regards to the bean hopper and ants, I have had a drop coffee maker with bean hopper for more than 10 years and never had an ant issue with them. I would wager that is more of a commercial space issue. Just my personal opinion. But interested to see the recommendations, especially ones in the $500 range.
Sazerac
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Been researching for a bit. For super automatic At that price point looks like

Gaggia Brera

Is one to check out.

Bunch of options in the $800 range from Gaggia, Breville, then a couple Philips and De'Longhi

I like these separate milk carafe systems, or at least something self cleaning.

Researching and want to see if any are on Black Friday / cyber deals.
aggiedata
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We like ours! Nice change from the k-cups. Look for deals on Amazon or whole latte love.

Sazerac
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Which is this model?
terradactylexpress
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Have had a Phillips/Safeco automatic for 3 years and it's been awesome. Don't get the one with the fancy milk frother, just get a typical steam wand
Max Power
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TheFunnierPhideaux said:

I'll give you a perspective from a facility manager.

We had auto grinding/brewing machines at our buildings in Houston in the early 2010's and they were a nightmare. Not from a reliability perspective or quality of product perspective, but from a janitorial perspective.

The hopper with grounds pucks was an ant paradise. Every. Single. Machine. had ants at some point or another. They were in places that previously had never had ants and after we got rid of the self grinders the ants never came back.

If you're not going to clean the hopper every time you use it, I'm gonna tell you it might be an issue.

Aside from that I have no opinion on maker, quality of product or quality of the coffee. Just be aware cleanliness might be an issue.

Sazerac
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Sazerac said:

Which is this model?



Guessing Velasca ?

That's on my short list
cbaker20
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Have had 2 Phillips saeco xelsis machines for about 5 years. Yes, there is daily minor cleanup but would recommend. Mine do have the auto frother and it works well. I have a milk based drink (usually a flat white) daily.

I bought this brand because the drinks come out hot and temp is adjustable if you like. Cold coffee is the main complaint I read about jura machines when I was researching.
aggiedata
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Sazerac said:

Sazerac said:

Which is this model?



Guessing Velasca ?

That's on my short list


Yes, Gaggia Velasca Prestige. We got it off Amazon.

We like it a lot but it does require some maintenance. Nothing terrible but still needed.
Sazerac
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The Philips 3200 (Old Saeco design) looks attractive from that standpoint. Very easy to clean milk system.
DavisGary88
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We have had same machine for over a year. We love it and it's easy to maintain.
GarlandAg2012
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Not sure going under $1000 is going to get you a very quality machine, although the exchange rate is very favorable compared to when this was produced.
Sazerac
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I'm not some espresso snob.

I just want something that makes a reasonable set of drinks, simple controls for the wife, and super easy maintenance (especially for milk / froth).

Plenty under $1k seem to offer
DiskoTroop
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GarlandAg2012 said:



Not sure going under $1000 is going to get you a very quality machine, although the exchange rate is very favorable compared to when this was produced.
That is painstakingly detailed.

Does this guy review James Coney Island by chance?
GarlandAg2012
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TheFunnierPhideaux said:

GarlandAg2012 said:



Not sure going under $1000 is going to get you a very quality machine, although the exchange rate is very favorable compared to when this was produced.
That is painstakingly detailed.

Does this guy review James Coney Island by chance?
Ha, not sure about that, but he's probably my favorite coffee youtuber. He has forgotten more about coffee than I'll ever know.
DiskoTroop
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I'd be interested to see what he has to say about my chosen coffee production devices. I feel like I researched them well but now I feel inadequate next to his knowledge…
Sazerac
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Pretty sure I'm going with one of these Phillips LatteGo models. Waiting to see if there is a Black Friday sale or a discount at Williams Sonoma. They don't even have stock on Phillips.com (15% discount coupon available)

ktownag08
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aggiedata said:

We like ours! Nice change from the k-cups. Look for deals on Amazon or whole latte love.




Have had this one for 3 or 4 years now, and it's been flawless. Gets used for minimum 4 espresso/espresso lungo shots daily between the wife and I.
NE PA Ag
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You might consider getting a used/refurbished machine of high quality. I can't speak to current models, but about 14 years ago I bought a refurbished Saeco machine for half the price of a new one and it's still going strong with every day use. I've taken it to a dealer once to get it serviced and had to replace a gasket on the water reservoir, but otherwise it's been perfect.
Sazerac
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Where did you find a refurbished unit?
NE PA Ag
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Sazerac said:

Where did you find a refurbished unit?


I can't recall the name of the establishment since it was so long ago, but I found it via research. I went with one that had a good reputation online.

Eta: I had also narrowed down the brand and model choices before working on finding a dealer that sold refurbished units.
aggiedata
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Sazerac said:

Where did you find a refurbished unit?



Here:

https://www.wholelattelove.com/collections/outlet
terradactylexpress
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Also check out Seattle coffee gear
HouseDivided06
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Pulled the trigger on this one last night. The deal is still going through Monday but $1,000 machine for $699.

Deal of the day: De'Longhi Dinamica Automatic Coffee & Espresso Machine, TrueBrew (Iced-Coffee), Burr Grinder + Descaling Solution, Cleaning Brush & Bean Shaped Icecube Tray, White, ECAM35020W https://a.co/d/88jGk45
Sazerac
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I'm still having analysis paralysis and can't pull the trigger on anything.
aggiedata
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Sazerac said:

I'm still having analysis paralysis and can't pull the trigger on anything.


Now is the time with all the sales. You won't regret it. We have no regrets. Just do it!


Gaggia Velasca Prestige Espresso Machine, Stainless Steel https://a.co/d/5dU1THX
Sazerac
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Was going to get a Phillips LatteGo based system but none are really on sale.

All the reviews of the other higher end machines on sale all have major issues with cleaning / no water filters / complicated milk systems.

Just can't pull the trigger on anything.

Latest I looked at is Costco has a Miele for $1k that is $1500 on Amazon, but has many of these same issues.
HouseDivided06
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So I was really close to going with the $750 Breville model because I like tinkering but my wife doesn't want the hassle. The one we got is very user friendly and supposed to be easy to clean. The down side is you have to manually froth and heat the milk. Given that I anticipate I'll use it mostly for americano, I am not terribly concerned about that. She likes lattes more but only drinks coffee a couple times a week. But the reviews I read for this model are very good. I frankly don't love the aesthetics of it and only the white model is on sale which sucks as I would have preferred the stainless model, but for the price, it's very hard to beat.
Sazerac
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I pulled the trigger on the Philips

Just liked the ease of maintenance and milk cleanup.
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