Espresso/Coffee Machines

[matt_thatsme]

Like most normal human beings, I enjoy a cup or three of coffee in the morning. I’m an early riser and like to drink a cup before I head to the gym at 0500. I may drink another cup before I head to the office or first thing when I get to the office. I like coffee all kinds of ways - just plain old black, cold brew, with bourbon/Irish cream etc. I also love a good cup of espresso or a latte. What I don’t enjoy is paying $4-6 for a latte at Starbucks, which brings me to the point of this thread. I’m looking to buy an espresso machine.

I can definitely tell the difference between espresso-like coffee and a good espresso. If you are reading this you probably already know that “espresso” is just a method of brewing coffee (near boiling water pushed through compact finely ground beans resulting in thicker liquid with crema on top). There are many machines that label themselves as “espresso” makers, but don’t make true espresso. That said, I don’t have time to play barista, so I prefer not to spend time honing my skills to get that perfect pull. Instead, I want an automated machine. Currently I’m looking at the Jura Ena Micro 5 and I’ll pair that with a Breville BMF600 frother.

Does anyone own or have experience with the Micro 5 or any of the Jura Micro line? Any recommendations for other similar machines for under $1k?

 

[AKAK]

 

[FCollinsBuckeye]

I drink a ton of coffee in many forms. Too much probably, but fuck it.

We had a Krups Cafe' el Duomo or something like that, and it had an espresso maker on one side and drip coffee pit on the other. It was okay and the espresso side did a decent job, but you did, indeed have to be a barista get the hang of it. It is now in storage and we only get it out when we have house guests and need to make pots of coffee at a time. Plus it takes up a lot of counter space. Do not recommend.

My go-to morning coffee ritual these days is a French press. I've dialed in my grind, have a few favorite beans/roasts I rotate and I've perfected my steep time so it's just what I want every time.

Now, we have several other coffee makers that we sometimes use, including a Chemex pour-over (love it, but a bit slower and less efficient that the press) so that's reserved for lazy weekend mornings. On some occasions we use our Cuban coffee maker (like the ones AKAK linked), otherwise known as stove-top espresso maker.

Finally, the one I'll suggest to you is a Vietnamese coffee maker:

These are very inexpensive and once you get your grind, 'packing' technique and quantity of grounds right, this little guy makes a wonderful, small cup of strong coffee much like espresso. I think they can be found for $10 or less. I really like this little thing and recommend you try one out since they're so cheap.

Now, one of the keys to all of these (and any espresso maker you may settle on) is getting your GRIND right. I had a motorized blade grinder for years and years (went through a few of them in fact), but we realized a few years back is that we need a proper burr grinder. You may know and perhaps you already have one, but a burr grinder is highly adjustable and produces a UNIFORM grind. This is key in that once you figure out the ideal setting, you will minimize any sludge or super fine grounds that may slip through the find mesh or perforations in any of the above coffee making devices.

EDIT: I realize you asked for an automatic-type espresso maker. I kind of enjoy the morning ritual of making the java and the above outlined coffee makers are all fairly simple and don't take too long once you get the hang of them.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Like most normal human beings, I enjoy a cup or three of coffee in the morning. I’m an early riser and like to drink a cup before I head to the gym at 0500. I may drink another cup before I head to the office or first thing when I get to the office. I like coffee all kinds of ways - just plain old black, cold brew, with bourbon/Irish cream etc. I also love a good cup of espresso or a latte. What I don’t enjoy is paying $4-6 for a latte at Starbucks, which brings me to the point of this thread. I’m looking to buy an espresso machine.

I can definitely tell the difference between espresso-like coffee and a good espresso. If you are reading this you probably already know that “espresso” is just a method of brewing coffee (near boiling water pushed through compact finely ground beans resulting in thicker liquid with crema on top). There are many machines that label themselves as “espresso” makers, but don’t make true espresso. That said, I don’t have time to play barista, so I prefer not to spend time honing my skills to get that perfect pull. Instead, I want an automated machine. Currently I’m looking at the Jura Ena Micro 5 and I’ll pair that with a Breville BMF600 frother.

Does anyone own or have experience with the Micro 5 or any of the Jura Micro line? Any recommendations for other similar machines for under $1k?

Nespresso. I have one of their low end machines, and it's great. Pods are about 70 cents apiece though Amazon has reusable steel pods. I have no idea how well they might work.

For drip coffee, I go full retro. Behold the Coffeemaster C30. It was built in Chicago in the late 40s and early 50s and makes great coffee. It uses a combination vacuum/percolation method. You have to find them on ebay, and they're kind of a cult item among coffee geeks, so you'll probably pay, though not as much as for many Chinese made pieces of crap that won't last three years.

 

[matt_thatsme]

Yep - a burr grinder is a must for espresso. The Micro 5 has a quality integrated burr grinder.

I drink a ton of coffee in many forms. Too much probably, but fuck it.

We had a Krups Cafe' el Duomo or something like that, and it had an espresso maker on one side and drip coffee pit on the other. It was okay and the espresso side did a decent job, but you did, indeed have to be a barista get the hang of it. It is now in storage and we only get it out when we have house guests and need to make pots of coffee at a time. Plus it takes up a lot of counter space. Do not recommend.

My go-to morning coffee ritual these days is a French press. I've dialed in my grind, have a few favorite beans/roasts I rotate and I've perfected my steep time so it's just what I want every time.

Now, we have several other coffee makers that we sometimes use, including a Chemex pour-over (love it, but a bit slower and less efficient that the press) so that's reserved for lazy weekend mornings. On some occasions we use our Cuban coffee maker (like the ones AKAK linked), otherwise known as stove-top espresso maker.

Finally, the one I'll suggest to you is a Vietnamese coffee maker:

These are very inexpensive and once you get your grind, 'packing' technique and quantity of grounds right, this little guy makes a wonderful, small cup of strong coffee much like espresso. I think they can be found for $10 or less. I really like this little thing and recommend you try one out since they're so cheap.

Now, one of the keys to all of these (and any espresso maker you may settle on) is getting your GRIND right. I had a motorized blade grinder for years and years (went through a few of them in fact), but we realized a few years back is that we need a proper burr grinder. You may know and perhaps you already have one, but a burr grinder is highly adjustable and produces a UNIFORM grind. This is key in that once you figure out the ideal setting, you will minimize any sludge or super fine grounds that may slip through the find mesh or perforations in any of the above coffee making devices.

EDIT: I realize you asked for an automatic-type espresso maker. I kind of enjoy the morning ritual of making the java and the above outlined coffee makers are all fairly simple and don't take too long once you get the hang of them.

 

[ExpatAkronite]

Another vote for the burr grinder. I was recently turned on to this coffee mecca website and was surprised to find home roasting is easier and cheaper than I thought. It may very well be the next step (curious to see if anyone roasts their own).
https://www.sweetmarias.com/

 

[Dryden]

Can someone please put into words the ecstasy of drinking 8 ounces of coffee that requires half an hour of manual labor and a $1,000 machine?

Put some Folgers in the Bunn and I'm good to go.

 

[Dryden]

I work with a guy that does a cold pressed french roast every afternoon at 3:00pm. He shows up in the morning with so many Ball canning jars of various fluids it looks like he's running a mobile meth lab. He dirties half the dishes in our kitchenette at work to make three 12 oz glasses of this stuff and then spends the next 45 minutes washing dishes. WTF?

 

[sparcboxbuck]

Another vote for the burr grinder. I was recently turned on to this coffee mecca website and was surprised to find home roasting is easier and cheaper than I thought. It may very well be the next step (curious to see if anyone roasts their own).
https://www.sweetmarias.com/

Yup... another vote for burr grinders. We have a friend who is in the coffee biz who turned us on to burr grinders a number of years ago. It's worth it.

Will also chime in on the Nespresso. Have one of these as well. I don't think that my espresso maker has been out of the pantry since. It makes just about perfect espresso. I will go looking for the reusable cup for that tho. I've wondered how that system would work if I had Illy in the cups. That has serious potential.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Channeling my inner ScriptOhio with a resurrection.....

 

[ScriptOhio]