Buying first serious espresso machine and grinder
The Breville Dual Boiler is pretty good from what I can tell. It’s probably the cheapest dual boiler out there so if you’re looking to make milk drinks it’s ideal. It can also be modded to allow for flow control. Look at Lance Hedricks video for that.
I really love my DF64 and if you live in Europe, you can get it cheaply from a Belgium company. The Niche is practically unpurchasable, so good luck with that. I would also check out the Eureka Oro Single Døse, or simply their Mignon Manuale. You can use the latter for single dosing, just purge a little of the left over coffee each morning.
More on reddit.comBest Coffee Machine & Grinder Combo Under $1000? : espresso
Coffee machine with built in grinder : JamesHoffmann
Looking to buy grinder ($300) and espresso machine ($500)
Bambino Plus would be the safe choice. Legato V2/Apex V2 has a very attractive feature set, but it is a brand new machine with no track record. I you are a modder, Gaggia Classic Pro Evo (make sure you get the 2024 model with Boilergate fixed) may be the best choice.
If you haven't already seen it, watch Lance Hedrick's video review of the Legato V2 before making your decision. And if you are a modder, watch his review of the Gaggiuino V4 mod.
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