OT: Espresso machines

Erik,

Espresso is very like high end audio. Some treat audio as a passionate hobby while others just want to have simple background music. Like audio gear everything matters with coffee. Coffee beans are an agricultural product with tons of variety. Origin, light/dark roast, age of beans, altitude, humidity, grind settings, grind time, burr size, burr angles, puck prep (tamping) extraction temp, extraction time, water pressure, milk frothing, and more. There are a lot of factors that need to go well. This is NOT a frustration free pursuit. Automatic machines attempt to mitigate some factors but most users will waste money on trial and error. It is better to study this carefully and choose wisely. The looming tariffs might make this even more complicated.

I have two espresso stations with about $15K invested. I see you are already roasting your own beans. That puts you way beyond the basic morning cup of joe arena. 

The number one mistake I see folks new to espresso is the focus on the actual espresso machine. The real deliberated focus needs to be on the grinder. A few years ago home baristas upgraded to expensive grinders that were designed for coffee shops. Lately the focus is on high performance “single dose” grinders with specific grinder burrs designed for specific results. A really good grinder is like the “source first” concept in audio. I cannot stress this enough: I would rather have a top level grinder and a so-so machine than the other way around.

Grinder technology continues to evolve at a full speed. Getting the latest and greatest can be challenging as manufacturers produce these in smaller numbers with “deposit money down and wait” times. 

I would head over to the HomeBarista forum. The devotion, passion, endless debate and angst over price vs performance will 100% remind you of the high end audio forums like Audiogon. This is a massive site/forum with tons of enthusiastic members. All of your questions and concerns have been addressed by many others.

Good luck!

Baratza is owned by Breville. They make a ton of models. A good “sweet spot” option is the Sette series. 

Depends on your expectations and budget of course. More serious espresso nerds move on from Baratza due to the loud noise and the plastic gearbox that can fail over time. I regard this level of grinder to be in the same position that SONOS audio kit has: too expensive for many, just right for some and largely ignored by serious users. 

Your mileage may vary…

The noise and nylon gear parts are one thing. But doubling your budget gets you into the arena of reduced ground retention. The legion of modern single dose grinders are just better. Period! 

They cost more and you should measure your grams in and grams out with an accurate scale. 

This sounds like a lot of faff and it is. But if you enjoy switching between dark roasts and light roasts and want to avoid a lot of frustration with messy bad shots this is the way to go.

A bottomless portafilter will make you scream for mercy until you get your whole system dialed in and then the performance, shot constancy and taste satisfaction will reveal itself. Just like the oft said “the veil was lifted” in the audiophile world. 

A good bag of fresh beans will come in a 12oz bag. Freshness is key as beans age very quickly. Age is a major variable. Your taste preference might range from dark roast to light roasts. The lighter the roast the more demanding it becomes on your grinder, in terms of of pulling a great shot. Darker roasts create more oily residue in your grinder.

I like medium roasts with smaller beans. 

I weigh my beans in a dish with a performance espresso scale. 18 grams in with almost no headroom in a bottomless portafilter. The “God shot“ should take about 27 seconds with no fines or spritzing with great crema. The fine control of your grinder setting becomes the all important variable in a system of many variables. 

Pulling a bad shot and instantly knowing which way to to go with your grinder setting becomes the proven path to espresso happiness…

A big fork in the road here is if you enjoy pure espresso drinks or drinks with milk. If you like cappaccinos or lattes then a quality double boiler machine is a must. 

I have owned several machines over the years. My main station has the Lamorzacco Linea Mini. It does an amazing job with producing great espresso shots and is super fast and powerful with frothing milk.

https://home.lamarzoccousa.com/product/linea-mini/?srsltid=AfmBOorGIA9TDQOX8ij6WKlrgiPauraKyY2kkxCno9N8fW9jdK8rH6bf