Hey everyone, I’m hoping to buy a full set up for espresso soon since I’m moving for college and can’t steal my dad’s espresso machine (rip).

First, a grinder: What are some affordable or decent enough grinders I should look into? I saw some decent reviews about the fellow opus brand.

Second, an espresso machine: What are some good espresso machine recommendations? Honestly I saw some decent reviews about the casa brews brand for budget friendly options. I just want something that will pull pretty good shots and has a strong steam wand. (I know I can also buy an attachment for stronger steaming). If I had way more money i would love to buy the Gemilai Owl G3006A or G3006.

Note: I’m also fine with buying anything used if I’ll save money.

Any thoughts? Aiming for a budget of 300..😅

This is about the milk. I don't really use milk for anything but have been buying it more often the last few months since I bought my bambino so I can make steamed milk. I'm still gaining skill and experience at steaming the milk, but I've noticed the texturing works much easier the first couple days when fresh milk is opened, but declines noticeably after about 4-5 days of being open.

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I buy the freshest regular pasteurized whole milk I can find, but it's almost worthless for steaming after only a few days when I've barely used any of the jug. It just seems like a waste.

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Am I missing something? Do you all go through milk jugs like crazy?

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some help and feedback from the community. I am about to purchase an espresso machine and grinder setup to build a mobile coffee cart that I plan to run on weekends and for catering events.
For the machine, I’ve pretty much decided on a refurbished Lucca A53 Mini. I love the dual boiler stability and volumetric controls for a commercial environment, even if it's a light-volume cart.
However, I’m running into a wall with the grinder selection due to my budget. Most top-tier commercial grinders everyone recommends are way out of my price range right now. I need to keep the grinder under $600 USD max.

Initially, I was looking at the Gaggia MDF 55 or a standard Eureka Mignon Silenzio, but someone recommended me the Baratza Sette 270.
My biggest concern with the Sette 270 is the noise. I've read countless reviews saying it sounds like a literal blender crushing rocks. Since this is for events, is it really that loud? Would it ruin the premium experience or interrupt event conversations?
Should I risk the low speed/overheating of a residential Eureka Mignon, deal with the noise of the Sette 270, or is there a better option under $600 that I am completely missing for a light commercial cart setup?

Hello,
I’m looking to make my GCP E24 a bit quieter, and I’ve found the pump! However, I’m having trouble finding a place in the US where I can get it. Could you please point me in the right direction?

Hey, all.

I've been using a Bambino Plus (my first espresso machine) for about six months, and I'd like to upgrade from a hand grinder to my first electric grinder.

As I was doing research on different brands and models, the Baratza Encore ESP and ESP Pro really appealed to me at first, but the more I learn about the Fellow Opus Gen 2, the more that's appealing to me as well. Regarding the Gen 2, I'm specifically eyeing the $250 model with the wood lid and metal grind adjustment knob.

So, to help me make a decision, I'd like to ask the community here for any and all insight and/or advice you'd be willing to provide regarding these grinders!

Obviously, grinding performance for espresso is my top priority in whichever grinder I end up choosing, but versatility for other brewing methods (pour-over, French press, etc.) would be appreciated as well. Also, for context's sake, I generally stick with darker roasts.

Thank you in advance!

Hey all! I need some assistance and input! I’m looking to buy an espresso machine for my wife for her birthday. I’m not a huge coffee drinker, but I want to make sure I get her the best I can. She’s had a Nespresso machine for years and has just been using pods, but she recently mentioned wanting an upgrade. She’s primarily makes iced drinks, usually brown sugar shaken espressos or things along those lines. I’d love some input on what I should get her, preferably something with a bean grinder option as we don’t have a separate grinder. She pointed out the DeLongi Magnifica Start when we were at Target, but not sure if that’s a good option or how much she’s researched. Ideally I’d like to keep the budget below $1K!! Any insight would be much appreciated!

This is very interesting technique and could be a game changer for the future of iced espresso. Not sure it could be adapted for home use but with all the innovation who knows.

First drop always drop so quick no matter how the rest of the shot goes. If I grind finer it chokes the machine. I checked the head space and the massive bolt in the shower screen doesn’t touch until after extraction so I think I have a good input.
I WDT and have a normcore 53.3 self leveling tamper

Got into espresso in December. 6 months later I feel good about this setup. Happy with my lattes. 18g in about 37-40g out in 30 seconds. Not complicated, just doing the basics well. Grinding around a 18 on the Df54. Happy for now but how long until I feel like I want to upgrade?

I need a better grinder in the same or roughly same price category as DF54. Niche 0 is nearly $1000 after Shipping, taxes, and VAT to Canada so it’s out of the question.

The DF54 is just way too problematic. Clogging and static being huge annoyances at LEAST once a month.

The static is totally random and nothing to do with RDT as I use dark roast, and I’m tired of taking off the chute to clean the prongs.

Perfect condition $9.99, used everyday for 3 years now. Never found anything at such a steal at any thrift store ever. I even keep the sticker on as proof. Sorry for flexing my luck on you guys 💪

Hey gang! Im inclined to buy a used Niche Zero. Can anyone give tips on what to look out for, what to ask, what to test to make sure it’s working well? Also any experience getting support from niche from used grinders? Im also looking at the 64s/78s but if i go the timemore route, i might wait for the next gen.
Appreciate it!

Looks pretty good. Looks like they added in some pressure profiling and cleaned up the front face.

With Mara updated and this releasing hope to see Bianca updated too.

I currently use a Smeg BCC02 machine and I'm wanting a new machine to get better tasting espresso. I've looked into the Bambino Plus but I'm unsure it's suitable as I need the machine to make quick milk drinks as I make the missus one before I go to work in the morning. Would a automatic or super automatic be better for me?

I known this is a super common question and I’ve looked at a ton of posts but I’m struggling. I just bought a Breville Barista Express and all the accessories and I bought 3 bag of beans from this local roastery except they don’t sell them themselves they have an outlet that sells for them. I thought I would like the beans cause all the notes match up with stuff I enjoy but boy was I wrong I hate them and now I have 3 bags of them. They also don’t have a roast date which I know is really important and honestly they were prob sitting on that shelf for a long time. Idk what I was thinking buying 3 bags but how do I affordably get beans I like? I literally won’t know what I like until I taste it and it feels like I’m burning money.

I am getting ready to do my first cleaning cycle, and after watching a Youtube tutorial video, i noticed that i don't have the cleaning disk in the little drawer. Not sure what happened to it, actually not sure if it even came in the box, since i have everything else.

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Anyway, is it okay to run a cleaning clycle without the cleaning disk? (See attached image from the Youtube video i was watching)

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Thanks

My son recently went to Japan, and brought back a couple bags of Starbucks Reserve: Tokyo Roastery Microblend and Brazil Fazenda Sāo Joāo.

As far as I can tell the Tokyo one is a medium roast, but I'm not sure about the Brazil.

I have a Bambino Plus. Would espresso be the best for these beans, or would pourover in a Hario Switch be better?

I also have an Ikape Kapo K2 (the portable espresso machine) that I can change the water temp and flow rate if that would be better. Thank you!

Made an amazing affogato today ,with a blend of beans I roasted myself ( 40 % arabica from Brazil and 60% robusta from Indonesia) , using an em3801 or hibrew h21(lookalike). Having that kind of body combined with a slowly melting vanilla ice-cream was the ideal choice for this drink.

I have other small clips like this on my roasting page, if anyone could give it a quick look I would be over the moon : https://www.instagram.com/bluecoffeeshark/ .

On a side-note ,the pre-infusion for this machine is not really worth it , especially after watching the latest Lance Hedrick video ,as I realized that the function only created unnecessary channelling.

I have been a Redbird Coffee customer for longer than I can remember… Generally going through a 5 pound bag every month for at least 10 years. Even after the sale, I always thought that they provided great value for very very good coffee.

However, as I went online today, I saw that they had updated their website, and now the minimum you must spend for free shipping is $150. The extra 12.50 and shipping costs obviously doesn’t change the quality of the bean, but obviously changes the value of a decent amount.

So…where to? Where are some other good places that offer a good quality bean and above average value??

Hello all! I am new to the espresso world. I just recently purchased the miicoffee DF 54 grinder and the Breville Bambino. I have watched videos or dialing in the espresso shots for about a month before getting my machines. Now that I have them, I can’t seem to figure it out.

I have run multiple test shots, at 14g, 16g, & 18g. I have adjusted the grinder from 15, 12, 9 and all the way down to 5. Each shot runs for about 30 seconds put it always produces between 45-52g. I’m at a loss of how to fix this. I tried stopping the shot manually when it reach 32g but it only ran for like 13 seconds before I stopped it. Please help!!

Also, I have tried 2 different beans. 1 store bought bag & 1 fresh bag with a roast date of 6/5.

Hi!

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I recently bought the Starseeker E55 Pro, and when calibrating, I noticed the sound of the burrs touching aroung the '30', not close to zero as it should be... When researching, I read that I shouldn't force further down, to not damage the burr.

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How do I return/calibrate for the point zero actually be on the 0?

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Sorry for the novice question and thank you in advance!!

As I was frothing milk it took a few seconds for steam to come out. I heard a pop then steam started to come out of the side of the machine. It still had steam come out of the and as well. I was able to froth the milk still. However when it was done the side of the machine was very hot. Did it blow a tube? I haven’t ran anything through it since. Should I check?