Bean to Cup Coffee Machines 2021

I made an "aerocano" this morning. Just one ice cube in my milk jug and a shot of espresso over it. Steamed until nice and hot then back in the warmed-up espresso cup.

I quite liked it. It's good to throw into the mix with my morning espresso.
 
I've got the Magnifica S, it took a little while to get the beans / dials the way I like, but it's been great.
I must have had it two years now. Occasionally I clean the mechanism and apply food safe grease. Hopefully it
will keep on going.
 
I have the barista pro and took me a good few months to finally get the process down. It's now quite a nice feeling though, apart from flat whites which I struggle with there isn't anywhere in town that does a coffee as good as I can do at home.

For those comparing the BE and the pro the dual boiler thing is really handy. I can purge the portafilter and fill a mug with hot tap water and everything is warmed up in seconds. Worth it if you're brewing regularly in between conference calls etc.!

I too weigh beans, weigh grind, distribute, tamp and pull the shot from a preheated / purged machine.

Couple of questions...

- are people generally doing 'double' shots (18-20g) in the larger basket or 9-10g in the smaller ones? I have been told to cut down caffeine so have switched to doing 9.5g in the smaller basket. It's not as good as it was but I'm getting there with it

- anyone weigh the shot and if so anyone aim for anything other than 2:1 in 25-30s?

- anyone messed with pre infusion timing? I note that in the single basket the pre infusion is still going when the shot starts pouring. Is that a bad thing? Guess the puck is saturating more quickly than at 18g

Im using Fortuna beans from divine coffee which I like. Have also tried their Brazilian and Ethiopian which are good but not quite as bold.
 
Thinking of biting the bullet and getting a Sage Barista Pro. Can get it off Amazon with the 12 monthly payments so it won't seem so bad, lol.

What others bits do I need to get? Ones that are must haves to get going, seen some lists above that others have bought but for now just the must haves will do.

Also there is a £70 price different between the stainless steel and black truffle versions on Amazon, other than looks I take it there no difference?
 
Anyone got any suggestions for a relatively cheap machine? Currently have Nespresso machines, normal and Vertuo, but want something better. I’ve got an Aeropress so I know how much better things can be but wouldn’t mind a machine.

I normally drink my coffees as cappuccino or latte so something with some kind of milk frothed would be good. Don’t mind spending up to around £400 but I don’t drink coffee every day so can’t justify spending much more.
 
Cheers. Best I've found one for is about £500 though, so a bit more than I wanted to spend, but by all accounts it's worth it. I probably shouldn't, but I probably will just do it anyway :)
 
Hmm yes, that's a valid point too. Can get a Bambino Plus for £330 and a cheap grinder for about £40. Or just get a Sage Dose Control Pro for £110 and it's still £440 all in. Looks like more flexibility with the Dose Control Pro too. Cheers for the suggestion :)
 
No problem people on here helped me decide 5 or so years ago so I feel obliged to offer advice where I can :) Enjoy - good coffee for relatively small amount of money is a wonderful thing!

I say small amount of money as, when I did the maths based on 3 coffees a day it paid for itself in 6 months.
 
I ended up getting a Bambino Plus and a Sage Smart Grinder Pro. Was going to get the Plus and the cheaper Dose Control grinder for £440 but got the machine and better grinder for £454 in the end.

Must admit the portafilter size did make me think for a bit but if I had got a Gaggia Classic I’d have been looking at £500-600 by the time I’ve got a half acceptable grinder too. On the plus side this kit retains some value so I’m going to see how I get on and if I do end up taking it further, I will upgrade in future :)
 
I think seperates is a good flexible solution, sage grinders have good resale (are burrs expensive)

I've not seen any analysis that says small pf is detrimental .. there are enough supply of tampers/baskets/bottomless for 54's, maybe you can't get 21g baskets, but I've never seen the need for that with a 58 , with coffee prices.

Hard to know to what extent brexit, or covid is responsible for grinders price hikes, but Mignons I had contemplated changing my rocky for that were ~£200 are now nearer £400, over 3-4years
 
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