I have been thinking about upgrading my coffee setup at home and would love to hear some real-world experiences. I mostly drink espresso and milk based drinks, so I'm looking for a machine that's reliable, easy to maintain, and built to last. My budget is around the mid-range, but I'm open to spending a bit more if it's truly worth it. If you could only recommend one coffee machine, what would it be and why? What do you like most about it, and is there anything you wish was better? Looking forward to hearing your recommendations!
What's One Coffee Machine You Never Regretted Buying?
- Thread starter shahbaz87
- Start date
I have several coffee making devices and really the ones I still use I have no regrets. I have a couple I wish I had never bought, like my first and last drip maker, and my AeroPress.
All the ones I like are my Oxo Good Grips Cold Coffee maker, Vietnamese Nguyen Phin maker, Espo P0 Ultralight French Press, Hario V60 Switch, Turkish copper Ibrik, Bialetti Brikka Moka pot, and my Cafelat Robot. They all make great coffee, and they all make it a bit differently.
The AeroPress might strike some of you as odd because a lot of people love that device, problem is, it's overrated. The AeroPress people will tell you that it makes espresso, not even close, all it does is make French Press coffee with the addition of a filter that removes the oil that the French Press leaves in. Guess what? I get the better results with the Hario V60 Switch because it too is a filtered immersion maker. The Hario V60 Switch is two makers in one, it's a pour over just like the regular Hario V60 is, and it's an immersion maker. My Espo French Press also makes better coffee than the AeroPress did.
I did switch my Hario from paper filters to a cloth sock type of filter because I prefer coffee oil to remain in my coffee, but that's a personal taste preference because the oil makes the coffee taste richer and fuller. If you don't like the oil
then paper filters remove that which means you would like the AeroPress, or the Hario with paper filters.
All the ones I like are my Oxo Good Grips Cold Coffee maker, Vietnamese Nguyen Phin maker, Espo P0 Ultralight French Press, Hario V60 Switch, Turkish copper Ibrik, Bialetti Brikka Moka pot, and my Cafelat Robot. They all make great coffee, and they all make it a bit differently.
The AeroPress might strike some of you as odd because a lot of people love that device, problem is, it's overrated. The AeroPress people will tell you that it makes espresso, not even close, all it does is make French Press coffee with the addition of a filter that removes the oil that the French Press leaves in. Guess what? I get the better results with the Hario V60 Switch because it too is a filtered immersion maker. The Hario V60 Switch is two makers in one, it's a pour over just like the regular Hario V60 is, and it's an immersion maker. My Espo French Press also makes better coffee than the AeroPress did.
I did switch my Hario from paper filters to a cloth sock type of filter because I prefer coffee oil to remain in my coffee, but that's a personal taste preference because the oil makes the coffee taste richer and fuller. If you don't like the oil
then paper filters remove that which means you would like the AeroPress, or the Hario with paper filters.
Last year, I bought a Breville Infuser during a sale on Amazon for $400. I was very skeptical of it but it's been great. Turns out, as much as I like an espresso, it's gone too quickly so I've come to make an Americano in the mornings now. If I'm still alive when this machine finally gives up the ghost, I'll buy something higher end but I'm not interested in milk drinks so life is a wee bit easier when all you really want to do is pull a good double shot.
The best espresso maker you can buy cost less than $550, it's called the Cafelat Robot, this manual pull lever machine has no electronic parts, it will last several lifetimes! You can pull coffeeshop quality shots from it. The Cafelat Robot is a manual 58 mm lever machine that delivers higher extraction potential, pressure profiling, and more control giving you creativity over your shots, but requires more technique. There is no need to preheat the brew chamber for this machine.
Then there is another if you want consistency with automatic operation without any fuss with a manual lever pull espresso maker, and that is the 9Barista MK2 Pro, while it will cost about $890 it to can last a very long time due to no electronic parts. The 9Barista MK.2 is a precision-engineered, thermodynamic espresso machine that delivers perfectly stable temperature and pressure with zero skill required. There is a less expensive 9Barista version differences are the Mk2 uses High‑quality machining, but standard alloys and seals; whereas the Mk2 Pro uses upgraded alloys, higher‑temperature seals, more robust machining tolerances. That all means that the Pro survives harsher heat environments and long‑term wear better.
There is also the Flair 49, it cost less than even the Robot, but it won't last as long and won't pull quite the quality of shots like the others can pull, and the shot consistency is the lowest of the 3, not bad though, just not as good. Also, of the 3 the Flair will have the lowest durability but still higher than any electric espresso maker. The Flair 49 you must preheat the brew chamber; thus, more fuss than the Cafelat Robot; and it has more parts to clean than the Robot which again is more fuss. The Flair 49 wins the budget contest against the other 2.
The Flair 49 you might find these on sale during certain times of the year, but the others due to the more factory direct and small factory operation those rarely go on sale if ever.
Of all the machines I've had (home and commercial), pump, lever, etc. I choose to stick with the Rancilio Silvia Pro. I rarely bother heating up the steam boiler, but it's there when needed for guests. The build quality, durability, repeatability is second to none and the type of thing that will last my lifetime with typical cleaning/preventive maintenance. Currently have had it for 5+ yrs, is on daily for 1.5-2 hrs and crank out 6-7 extractions, have done 14 within an hour no problem, along with steaming milk for about 8 drinks. That paired with a capable grinder and fresh coffee I roast gives me espresso nothing else anywhere has ever came remotely close to matching.
That Pro version of the 9Barista is a bit much, lmao... a lot of expense/effort for 1 extraction, then repeat 5-6 times in my use case.
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