Over the past few years I’ve gotten a small handheld blade grinder, an Aeropress, a French Press, and started roasting my own beans.
The problem is that while some changes stick (like the grinder and the bean roasting), some changes just take up space (I usually use my Mr. Coffee over the Aeropress or French Press).
With that in mind, I’m looking for an espresso maker that is low budget, since I may not use it that often; but is still nice enough that I’m not going to hate espresso making because the machine is bad (ie: low pressure, low heat, leaks, etc).
Most espresso makers I’ve seen are a few hundred to a thousand USD; but since I’m worried I may end up almost never using it (or just using it to froth hot chocolate), I’m looking for one that’s around 100 USD or less.
While I expect you all have loftier targets for your espresso machines than that, I am hopeful if you don’t have any specific recommendations you can tell me what signs to look for that an espresso machine is of decent quality.
EDIT:
As you may have gathered I’m hardly an expert on coffee matters, so I really appreciate your help.
It sounds like for the time being I should stick with the Aeropress I already have and maybe upgrade to a Mokapot (or even a medium range espresso maker) down the line if I really take to it.
For what it’s worth, I did watch the recommended James Hoffman video and was able to make a decent (to me) cappuccino using the Aeropress and French Press I already had on hand!
Thanks again for all your help!
I mean think about what you need for an espresso machine. Precision machining, durable/expensive parts, a really strong boiler, it’s generally quite hard to get that under $100. I will say with a LOT of work you can get amazing results with something like a picopresso or nanopresso
Just my personal experience btw with these espresso (style) machines under $100. Don’t even bother with the cheap stuff that has a boiler they just skimp on everything so the coffee is so much worse
As some have stated, I’d start with a mokapot and a better grinder. If you don’t want to spend hundreds on a good grinder, then kingrinders k6 manual grinder is amazing for about 120. Basically a over engineerinered peppermill.
Without trying to be gate-keepy about espresso, $100 is really too cheap. Since you just have a blade grinder, you’d have to get your coffee ground at the store/coffee shop. That makes it difficult to get the pressure/flow rate right without a pressurized basket.
If I were you, I’d stick to trying to make “espresso-style” drinks (especially if you want milk drinks) with your aeropress, or maybe getting a cheap mokapot, and if you want to spend some money to improve your coffee, spend it on a burr grinder.
If you are set on trying to get up and running with “true” espresso, look for used manual lever machines like a Flair or a Rok, and get coffee ground at the store, and get a pressurized basket.
I’m not sure that a $100 espresso machine even exists.
My humble opinion is you’ll be hard pressed to find something that’s less work than an aeropress, let alone anything that takes even less space than that.
If you’re just looking to froth milk, maybe just get an electric milk frother.I didn’t realize you could use an Aeropress for espresso! That would certainly solve my problem of trying making my own espresso to see if it’s something I would enjoy/ do frequently. Would I need to buy a custom filter? The holes in the plastic seem too large to use it without the paper filter.
It’s not “really” espresso but the AeroPress does make great small, strong coffees. There’s a James Hoffman video on it. You’ll want to use the inverted method (aeropress upside down, mug on top) for a short brew time, a large dose of coffee, and relatively little water.
IIRC I used 18g coffee, stir immediately after pouring 90g of water, then after 90s I flip the AeroPress + mug and press. You don’t want to use a ton of force or you’ll end up with a really bitter taste.
I agree with some other comments here that $100 won’t get you what you’re hoping for.
A better upgrade would be to start saving for a good handheld burr grinder (like an 1zpresso model) to replace the blade grinder. Your French Press and AeroPress will likely taste notably better!
If you do want to venture into good espresso, as someone else mentioned, start looking into Cafelat Robot or Flair. Both can make fantastic espresso at higher quality than semi-automatic machines of the same price point and require much less upkeep. But, for any espresso, you will need more gear (scale, tamper, vessels, etc.) which adds to the price. And all espresso machines will massively benefit from a good grinder.
Good luck!
Like others have said, your biggest problem right now is the grinder. A blade grinder makes boulders and dust. There is no way to get good even extraction from that. There are decent hand grinders from Timemore and Kingrinder starting at $50+ and decent electric grinders from Baratza and Fellow from around $150. These would cover all of the non-espresso grinding needs. Espresso grinding will cost you a little more.
As far as good budget espresso machines go, Lance Hedrick posted this as the new budget choice:
I have a Breville Bambino, which I think is the low end of acceptable, but it’s 300 USD new.
french press or gaggiuino.
Look for a $500 espresso machine that’s used in selling for $200 or less
How could you possibly have gone as far as to roast your own beans and then chop them up with a blade?
Frankly, I’d encourage you to direct your funds towards a proper grinder over an expresso machine. The difference in quality, once you dial it in for your brewing method, should smack you in the face.
To answer your question https://youtu.be/avM-XsaTBIc?t=535
