Espresso Setup reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 155 Reddit reviews across 4 subreddits and 40 posts to rank the best Espresso Setup brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/espresso, r/Coffee, r/JamesHoffmann, r/barista. Top-rated brands include Breville (4.3/5), Sage (4.8/5), Gaggia (4.2/5).
Stats
Reviews155
Subreddits4
Posts40
Brands62
Products63
155 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Breville
4.3
(18)
"Not sure the price difference in America vs there, but over the last 5 years my Brevile barista express has saved me I think around 300% of the cost of the machine."
"Breville Barista Express is one of the best values available at $600 USD."
"Used Breville Dual boiler and a Df64 or Niche Zero."
"Used but basically new Breville Dual Boiler (700€) + DF64 (400€) + A few upgrades (~200€)"
"Used but basically new Breville Dual Boiler (700€)."
"If your price is $500 then I’d say for sure a Breville Barista Express is the best bang for your bucks."
"I found a brand new Breville Smart Grinder Pro."
"I would probably recommend the breville barista express since it has a lot of nice features."
"I got the Bambino to replace the Dedica and it’s still going strong."
"It’s a combination of a Bambino (plus or non-plus makes not much of a difference)."
#2
Sage
4.8
(16)
"Bambino and DF54 should fit the bill. Cost me £550 thus far and both are great for espresso, black and beautiful."
"Either Bambino with DF64 Gen 2 or Bambino Plus with DF54."
"How about bambino plus and niche zero"
"I have a bambino with a Lagom mini, and am very happy with the setup."
"The bambino is a monster! Such a good machine"
"Bambino and a 1zpresso handgrinder/Eureka mignon."
"Breville Bambino with 1zpresso JX Pro grinder."
"Recommendation is a Bambino and J-Max. Total is just above $500."
"A bambino and an eureka mignon from espressocoffeeshop.com should be 500-600 pounds."
"Have the Sage Bambino Plus myself. The automated milk steaming is amazing."
#3
Gaggia
4.2
(11)
"A used Gaggia Classic Pro and Eureka Notte."
"I got a 3month old $1000 setup for $500."
"I always loved Gaggia espresso maker."
"I would definitely go with the Gaggia Sette combo."
"Gaggia classic pro and a varia hand grinder."
"The better machine is the Gaggia Classic Pro (not the Evo version). It‘s also a machine which is highly upgradeable."
"Gaggia Classic Pro (Good with a few mods)."
"Gaggia classic pro paired with a Eureka Mignon Silenzio."
"Versuchs doch mal bei Kleinanzeigen mit einer Gaggia Classic ;)"
"Gaggia Selecta Deluxe 2007 (Coffee Deluxe in a Classic body) for 60€."
#4
Eureka
4.9
(9)
"- Eureka mignion Oro single dose (700)"
"Eureka Zenith 65e and Lucca a53."
"Eureka specialita from EspressoCoffeeShop for around 400 euro."
"Or for great bang for buck get a Eureka Mignon Zero from EspressoCoffeeShop and a Profitec GO or Silvia."
"$400-500 invested in a decent grinder could work wonders. I know you can get a Eureka Mignon for that and have it make great espresso."
"Go to EspressoCoffeeShop it's an European site."
"I’d get that setup along with a Baratza Encore."
"Great choices! I love my Specialita."
"The eureka grinder is good but if you enjoy playing around with your equipment, a df64 gen 2 would be a pretty good purchase."
#5
Lelit
4.8
(9)
"- Lelit Mara X (1700)"
"Lelit elizabeth. dual boiler so no screwing around with temp surfing."
"Lelit grace +eureka specialita."
"I'd probably go for exactly the setup I have now: Lelit Mara X and a Niche."
"Lelit Anna PID ($700) Eureka Mignon Silenzio ($500)."
"Hard to beat at that price and i really like the design."
"My dream setup costs about that much, a bit less actually, consisting of a Lelit Bianca and a Niche Zero."
"I myself bought a Lelit Anna 2 PID (PL41TEM) and a Sette 270."
"I went with a Lelit Glenda ($900) and a Sette 270 ($300 refurbished)."
#6
Profitec
4.9
(8)
"Just went from a Bambino Plus to a Profitec GO. I'm blown away by the quality improvement."
"For you're budget I'd probably go with the Profitec Pro 600 and maybe the DF64 Gen 2 for the grinder."
"Profitec pro 600 and timemore or df64 with some nice burrs should be around 3k"
"The new Profitec GO or the ECM Puristika/Classika would be good starting points."
"If you go $100 higher on your budget you can get a Profitec GO *and* a Niche."
"Might want to consider steping down to the Profitec 700."
"Profitec Pro 300 and Eureka Mignon grinder. The Profitec is rock solid."
"I’d like to poke around and see if we could upgrade you to a Profitec 500."
#7
Flair
4.5
(6)
"Flair Signature. J-Max grinder. Cheap scale. Preheat system. $500."
"If you want a better performing options, Flair 58 is still as easy to disassemble."
"Flair pro 2 all the way - breaks down and comes with a travel case."
"A Flair of your choice plus a grinder to match, if you don't care about milk much then this is the way."
"Disclaimer: This is a manual setup: [Flair Neo: $100]"
"I would go for a manual such as the Flair, and then go out and buy a really nice grinder (Baratza Vario)."
#8
Picopresso
4.6
(5)
"I travel a lot and bring a Picopresso and a J-Max."
"Can confirm. Picopresso + good hand grinder = surprisingly sweet, tasty espresso anywhere."
"I travel a lot for work, and IMO the Picopresso is the best option."
"I bring a Picopresso to work now."
"I was looking at picopresso and then paring it with a 1zpresso jx-Pro or j-max grinder might be worth you to look at."
#9
SanRemo
5.0
(3)
"I would add the SanRemo You to the list"
"Go for a sanremo YOU + monolith flat max."
"I bought a SanRemo You with a Lagom Casa."
#10
Nespresso
3.5
(4)
"Have you considered Nespresso? It is not bad for its price."
"Will make pretty good lattes for $200 all-in."
"Nespresso."
"A super-automatic or nespresso would be her best option."
#11
Rancilio
4.7
(3)
"I got a 3month old $1000 setup for $500."
"I have the Rancilio Silvia(~800usd) and a Niche Zero(~600usd) and I am extremely happy."
"Machine: rancillo silvia"
#12
Espresso Machine
3.3
(4)
"You should try to get a machine with a commercial-like steam wand, the rest wouldn’t really matter in your case."
"Having cheap machine means you will have an instant boiler that needs to be switching between heating for an espresso / heating for a steam."
"Yes, if you use a lot of milk and/or some sugar, you can just get any espresso machine."
"No need for super expensive machine if you’re having a lots of milk and sugar."
#13
Niche
5.0
(2)
"If you like conical burrs (sweet and good body)."
"Niche Zero and Cafelat Robot."
#14
Lagom
5.0
(2)
"For grinders i would get a lagom mini ($400) or niche zero ($600) if you like conical burrs."
"Lagom mini and flair 58."
#15
Weber
5.0
(2)
"IMHO it is the best grinder I’ve ever used."
"For the grinder, probably the Weber EG-1."
#16
DF64
5.0
(2)
"Used but basically new Breville Dual Boiler (700€) + DF64 (400€)."
"If you like flat burrs (fruityness, clarity)"
#17
Bambino Plus
4.5
(2)
"Bambino Plus + Lagom Casa, or MiiCoffee Apex( or Turin Legato)+ DF64 Gen 2, or any combination of these machines and grinders, depending on what's available to you."
"Bambino Plus and the Lagom mini."
#18
Mazzer
4.5
(2)
"Wow that 2nd hand Mazzer is a great deal."
"Wow that 2nd hand Mazzer is a great deal."
#19
Comandante
4.5
(2)
"A GOOD grinder first. Comandante C40+ redclicks/Kinu m47/1zpresso/Niche Zero is the ones I recommend."
"You can go low tech with a comandante/z1spresso and flair 58."
#20
Moka Pot
4.0
(2)
"Any cheap espresso machine, or even a moka pot/aeropress + milk foamer would probably do the trick."
"Could use a moka pot and add steamed milk."
#21
Silvia
3.5
(2)
"Silvia and a Baratza barely gets you under budget and probably the best option."
"The silvia is nice but IMHO I dont think its worth it if you do the preheating mod."
#22
BDB
5.0
(1)
"I love my hyperaligned Vario with upgraded forte parts and steel burrs. BDB with flow control."
#23
BwT
5.0
(1)
"- BwT water pitcher and filters (100) "
#24
Atmos
5.0
(1)
"- 2 Atmos vacuum canisters (50) "
#25
Gem
5.0
(1)
"- gem scale (30)"
#26
DWT
5.0
(1)
"- dwt and collar (30) "
#27
Milk Pitcher
5.0
(1)
"- milk pitcher (20) "
#28
Hey Cafe
5.0
(1)
"Very portable, quality grind, and dependable!"
#29
Brevile
5.0
(1)
"Has saved me I think around 300% of the cost of the machine."
#30
Decent
5.0
(1)
"The ideal machine at the moment for light roasts."
#31
Rancilio Silvia Pro X
5.0
(1)
"The tank-like build and dual boilers of the Silvia Pro X would put it toward the top of my list."
#32
Gaggia Classic
5.0
(1)
"I got a used gaggia classic for 100 euro. Super happy with it."
#33
Breville Barista Express
5.0
(1)
"My Brevile barista express has saved me I think around 300% of the cost of the machine."
#34
Lelit Mara X
5.0
(1)
"I would go with lelit mara x ($1000) - hard to beat at that price."
#35
Flair Pro 2
5.0
(1)
"You would be well suited with a Flair Pro 2 or 58. Plus a 1zPresso JMax or KMax."
#36
ROK
5.0
(1)
"I’ve been traveling with my ROK for years. Very easy to clean."
#37
Specialita
5.0
(1)
"Great choices! I love my Specialita and my dad just got one as well to replace his MACAP M4."
#38
Varia
5.0
(1)
"Varia is by far the best looking grinder IMO."
#39
Quick-Mill
5.0
(1)
"I always suggest the Quick-Mill Silvano Evo."
#40
Cafelat
5.0
(1)
"I’d recommend the cafelat robot or flair 58 and an 1zpresso j-max."
#41
Rocket
5.0
(1)
"Rocket appartamento with 110v from Espresso Coffee Shop for about 1300 bucks."
#42
1zpresso
5.0
(1)
"1zpresso and cafelot robot is a legit start, imo."
#43
Kino
5.0
(1)
"I would buy a Kino grinder with either the Cafelat Robot or a Flair 58."
#44
Aeropress
4.0
(1)
"Another option is to try “espresso style” coffee from an aeropress, which are under £50 and can make a very strong, small cup of coffee."
#45
Grinder
4.0
(1)
"I suggest getting a good grinder and keep the filter machine."
#46
Espresso Grinder
4.0
(1)
"I'd suggest buying another grinder for drip coffee as espresso brewing are sensitive to micro-adjustments."
#47
JX-Pro
4.0
(1)
"For a good budget grinder look at the JX-pro (180)..."
#48
Bialetti
4.0
(1)
"I have both a cheap 3 cup Bialetti moka pot and a more expensive 9Barista espresso maker."
#49
Jura
4.0
(1)
"Jura E3"
#50
Ascaso
4.0
(1)
"Maybe an Ascaso for short heat up and some kind of Eureka grinder?"
#51
La Spaz
4.0
(1)
"How about a volumetric machine, aren't the La Spaz volumetric?"
#52
Nanopresso
4.0
(1)
"I've had a nanopresso for a few years that was initially my main machine."
#53
Cuisinart
4.0
(1)
"The espresso is actually not that bad."
#54
Delonghi
4.0
(1)
"Eine Delonghi EC685 mit einwandigem Sieb."
#55
Timemore
4.0
(1)
"Bei diesem Budget würde ich eine Handmühle empfehlen wie z.B. Timemore C2."
#56
Bambino
4.0
(1)
"Sounds like you would be happy with a Bambino and Smart Grinder Pro for less than $500."
#57
Presso
4.0
(1)
"The Presso is probably in the same category as the flair and robot."
#58
Synchronika
4.0
(1)
"Functionally the Synchronika and Pro 700 are identical."
#59
Quickmill Silvano
4.0
(1)
"I bought some weeks ago a Quickmill Silvano with a Quickmill grinder for 600 Euro."
#60
Sage Oracle Touch
4.0
(1)
"For domestic machines, the Sage Oracle Touch (~£1800 from Redber) would be a great middle-ground between bean-to-cup and semi."
#61
Gaggia Classic Pro
4.0
(1)
"Gaggia Classic Pro at least, and since you probably won't care too much about straight shot taste."
#62
Moccamaster
3.0
(1)
"Stay away from espresso, it will ruin you for that price. Try and find a good reliable drip machine like a mochamaster."
Discover your audience
GummySearch is an audience research toolkit for 130,000 unique communities on Reddit.
If you are looking for startup problems to solve, want to validate your idea or find your customers online, GummySearch is for you.
Sign up for free, get community insights in minutes.
Tell me more
Get started
