Quote:
Originally Posted by scottmandue
Okay, that is pretty cool... especially seeing as I usually do multiple shots of coffee.
However convincing my wife I need a $800 coffee maker might be a hard sell 
On the other hand the reason she shot down a espresso machine was that "they are so messy" and a super automatic would eliminate the grinder (grind my own beans every morning and some spillage is inevitable) and the mess of tamping/loading.
Hmmmmm |
So I did some online research of the Breville that you linked earlier and couldn't find anything but positive reviews and comments. I saw that BedBathBeyond sells those things and we have a load of coupons... So we head over to their local store and in the same mall is a high end kitchen shop (Sur La Table) that I know sells espresso machines. Sure enough they have a table lined with Jira automatics (wow $5600 for the top model) and free coffee samples. At the other side of the table are the semi-automatics and the single serve (Nespresso) options. We leave convinced that Breville is a decent product and $415 later walk out of BBB with our
https://www.wholelattelove.com/breville-bes870xl-barista-express.
I like that it comes with it's own burr grinder but is not dependent on it for ultimately making an espresso. Getting the right grind is critical and changes from bean to bean. We get it home, unpacked, cleaned, and prepped. It took me 3-4 tries to get the grind and volume settings correct but now pulls a double shot of Pete's espresso like a champ. Sure it's messy (coffee grounds) compared to the Jura and single serve machines but it fits my needs, has a quality appearance, and is simple to operate.
To appease the karma gods my wife did buy a copper whisk and a new lid handle for our Le Creuset dutch oven from the fancy place.
I'm still going to get a new portafilter for the old machine we have and give that to our daughter for her college apartment.