Best setup for under £1,000

Vvanq · 28 Feb

Hi everyone,

New to the coffee world (only starting liking it in November after a Luwak coffee in Bali and the realisation I liked Black coffee not milk). As such looking and scouring to find the right setup but without all that built up knowledge of preferences, will discover that during.

In cooking terms I’m advanced, have sous vide machines, ovens etc. So I’d expect a similar flow to develop with coffee so not just looking for ‘my first coffee set’ but something I can use and perfect my craft over time.
The wife though would like something as automated as possible - her current preferred choice is the Smeg BCC13. I can find really only positive review from websites but absolutely nothing from forums or prominent youtubers. She is a latte girl so the auto milk options are appealing.

So I’m open to a ginder / machine, combined or something automatic. Ideally I’d like something which can be ‘faffed’ with when desired but also do something quicker for when I don’t have time or multiple people here.

Please do ask any questions, apologies if I’ve not included any important details.

Adrianmsmith · 28 Feb

vanq preferred choice is the Smeg BCC13

Sounds like you should get that if only for an easy life. I had similar, years ago, long befor getting in to the coffee hobby 😁

My daughter just purchased a samsung microwave with built in grill and oven , which she assures me is all that’s required to become a top chef….. salesman said it was best in class 🤡

Cuprajake · 28 Feb

Get a half decent grinder and up grade machine when you can

Dont go the gaggia route there terrible machines

Look at say a niche duo and a sage duo temp pro

Then when it breaks, look to a bianca as end game

Vvanq · 28 Feb

Adrianmsmith Well I definitely know that isnt the truth for cooking. And thats kinda why I asked really. I know I dont know enough to make an informed choice, but I also don’t want to buy something which is shit for when I do know enough. Hence reaching out to the experts here.

Ultimately the wife would go with whatever, I’m fortunate I’m not in an “easy life” scenario. But if they do a great job then fine, but if they’re average at best then I’d rather go proper.

Vvanq · 28 Feb

Cuprajake I’d heard the build quality on the sage’s weren’t great?

Cuprajake · 28 Feb

I replied on the other forum

But in reality a £1000 doesn’t buy you a lot in home espresso, which is mind blowing

So id aim for a good grinder and an easy machine to use

The likes of the gaggia classic imo are not for beginners, they are hard to get good espresso from

As someone who read all the forums and watched all the vids, i bought into the classic, bought the eureka grinder and then sinked 1kg of beans, not one good shot, £249 later i had a duo pro and the first shot was 1000 times better,

Yes they are consumer, but buy from some where like john Lewis and im sure you get a 3yr warranty. In which time you will have decided if home espresso is for you or you will be well down the rabbit hole and moved on to a better machine.

Dont forget you will need scales, tampers, dosing funnels, cups, wdt which is another £100 ontop..

Cuprajake · 28 Feb

Or double your money and buy a bianca👍👍

Adrianmsmith · 28 Feb

vanq

What are you wanting for a grand!!

I had a sage duo temp pro BUT I personally like milk based drinks

So it sucked for me.

Couldn’t be doing waiting and faffing swapping over from brew using that change over switch

So genuinely i would recommend

Sage Dual Boiler and Niche Zero grinder as rock bottom price best entry in to espresso and espresso based drinks

Some have had them over ten years

Just use filtered water and dont descale too often. Stick to once every 18 months or 2 years or not at all with good water.

You will be getting top quality drinks

Steam power is a bit less than a Bianca or Synchronika BUT other than that its a solid setup and very liveable.

@Grahamsphillips ??……

Skip the Bianca and go for Synchronika though. Sorry @Cuprajake 🤭😁

dfk41 · 1 Mar

I would buy a grinder capable of moving with your coffee machine journey, such as the Niche Zero. They are bullet proof and have proved all the doubters wrong over the years. If you watch the ads they do come up on here from time to time for about £350. You will never lose very much on them. Machine wise, if you buy a bean to cup type machine, then it is a little bit like owning a yacht but not beiong able to tell it the direction you want to go in. They have very little adjustability so you drink what it gives you. If you buy the Sage mentioned new, then before the warranty has expired you will know if the rabbit hole has swallowed you up or not. This video might give you some ideas

LMSC · 1 Mar

You have got some great recommendations. IMO, you can’t go wrong with Sage + Niche combo.

FWIW, the following are the observations based on my daughter’s experience. She was in your situation 2 years ago.

She has a Bambino, a hand grinder and now Niche. She uses Tesco Ashbeck and buys some very nice coffee. She is very happy, although feels the difference in taste when they drink the same black and the flat white pulled from our Evo at home.

Their experience suggests grinder, good beans and then machine are the orders of importance coupled with filter water. For them, a) dialling in beans are fine as long as they are medium and the south of it; b) struggles to dial-in light roasts for flat whites without choking the machine c) steaming can be a little more powerful; and, d) I often pull some espressos and decafs on her machine tamping a little harder. It can choke the machine, but I get some great shots - this is someone who is used to the coffee from Evo.

She is already sucked into the rabbit hole. For her, temperature stability, light roasts, PI and pressure surfing are important. I can’t imagine she will be content with anything other than at least Bianca, if not Decent, LM or Evo. There is a risk the latter can easily walk away from my home.

In short, Sage and Niche are great kits to start with, provided you cover the other requirements. Please buy what you are comfortable with. Otherwise, buy well and forget upgrading for a long time. GL and welcome to the rabbit hole. 😊

Adrianmsmith · 2025-03-02T08:39:40+00:00

LMSC She is very happy, although feels the difference in taste when they drink the same black and the flat white pulled from our Evo at home.

Thats good to know. 😁☕

When we first had the Evo, it was like, wow , but now its just coffee as its normal .

Alao FWIW i never had a bambino but never suffered choked shots on the Sage Dual Boiler (once dialled in!!).

I realise theres a price difference from Bambino to DB.

Pompeyexile · 2025-03-02T08:54:34+00:00

I started with a Gaggia Classic and. Very good grinder and whilst I could get a decent espresso when it came to steaming milk it was frustratingly slow. So I sold that lot and got a fantastic deal on a new Sage Dual boiler and added a Niche Zero and the difference is like night and day.

You can play around with temp, pre infusion times etc and steam milk at the same time as pulling a shot.

As for build quality… had mine over four years used virtually every day and not missed a beat.

If it broke tomorrow it doesn’t owe me a penny.

Adrianmsmith · 2025-03-02T09:03:46+00:00

Pompeyexile got a fantastic deal on a new Sage Dual boiler and added a Niche Zero and the difference is like night and day.

Yes, exactly that. Its still a sage but above the level where it should be called “just an appliance”.

I used to get a bit narky (unusual for me 🤭) when people used to pull it down. I still say it’s a perfect starter AND intermediate machine. The steam power is also great until you try a machine 2 or 3 times its price. No reason why anyone without upgradeitis ( I cant deny i do have that) couldn’t be happy with one forever …. And with the usual lifespan it really is disposable when it gives up out if warranty .

Cuprajake · 2025-03-02T09:13:37+00:00

You can slayer mod the sdb too,

Just thought it was out of the £500 budget

dfk41 · 2025-03-02T09:21:24+00:00

I would have another (having had 4) Sage Dual Boiler tomorrow. They are fantastic machines and so versatile. The hidden menu gives you so much control 0ver pump pressure, pre infusion and the like. There is a but though and that is once you are out of warranty you are constantly looking over your shoulder. SO, I still say buy a Niche for re sale value and something else. If as a result you want to replace the machine the grinder is quite capable of staying with you. I have owned and used a Niche Zero daily since they were first launched and also owned alongside many other grinders. I cannot see the day when I will not own a Zero