OT: Espresso machines

Profitec Pro 400. Buy it once and it will last a lifetime. I have a Quickmill and love my machine, not sure I ever need to upgrade from here. I roast twice a month, such a fine time to enjoy the day and be outside!

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!

I have owned a La Spaziale S1 for many years.  It is a simple, long lasting machine that has everything you need for home use.  Very durable. 
 

I also roast my own coffee.  Have you tried a French press?  With fresh roasted coffee you get the best flavors from the  coffee bean oils.  These oils evaporate within two weeks after the roast and best enjoyed through a French press.  How deep do you want to go down the coffee rabbit hole?  😂

I can second the DeLonghi espresso machine in the reasonably-priced category.  I also have one of their dehumdifiers that has lasted much longer than Chinese-made ones.

I use a La Pavoni burr grinder to grind espresso beans.  It's loud, but works well.

I have used several "prosumer" machines over the last 25 years, a Rancilio Miss Sylvia HX to a Quick Mill Andreja Premium HX to an Olympia Maximatic (HX) to a LaMarzocco Linea Micra. The most compact with the best performance was the Olympia, it fits nicely on the counter beneath a normal kitchen cabinet with room enough to reach the top of the machine. The LaMarzocco has a similar height but is wider, but it also is a dual boiler and is self-filling from a tank. I can endorse the Olympia both for compactness and build quality. I have had mine 13 years and they are extremely reliable and also easily serviced with simple tools.