The grind is important. My Kroger has a grinder on the coffee aisle where you take the whole beans and run them through the grinder and back into the bag for purchase. The espresso grind on that machine just happens to works perfectly with my machine. My wife once brought me some ground by Starbucks - It was so fine that my cheap Cuisinart doesn't have the pressure to run through reliably - so keep that in mind when considering your options. The downside to grinding on the store grinder is that purists say you should only grind what is needed immediately as the beans will stay fresher in whole form. My palate isn't sensitive enough to tell if the beans were ground minutes ago or three weeks ago though. I also have a hand crank grinder, which takes a lot of work for a double shot, but works well when properly adjusted. It took me a long time to dial it in though, even a little too coarse makes a very noticeable difference in the quality of the outcome. And the finer you grind, the longer you have to run the crank. The handle is removable though so I could chuck it into my cordless grill if I really get lazy.

    rsvman2 maybe hes on to a new technique🤔...🙃

      pellmell looks interesting.....gonna have to read up on that contraption!

        johnnydoom The downside to grinding on the store grinder is that purists say you should only grind what is needed immediately as the beans will stay fresher in whole form.

        No. The downside of the store grinder is when someone grinds a # of banana cream before you grind yours. I guarantee that some of that banana will mess with the taste of your espresso.

            Walterjn That makes sense. I haven’t had that happen yet, but I can certainly see the contamination factor of using a community grinder.

              Walterjn

              Yeah, don't need to worry about that. Once i decide on a machine, the next step is to find a good grinder

                  shokosugi look at ceramic burr grinders. Not cheap, however they will be very consistent, you should be able to find one fairly easily.

                    johnnydoom The grind is important... It was so fine that my cheap Cuisinart doesn't have the pressure to run through reliably

                    The grind needs to be completely different on pressurized (rather coarse) and regular (very fine) filters. Most machines can work with both kind of filters altough the small 51mm ones are optimised to work with pressurized filters, the larger 58mm machines are optimised for regular filters. Capuccinos and lattes are best made with pressurised filters, the real deal espresso with unpressurised. If you want a versitile espresso maker that accepts all kind of filters look for 20 bar pressure or more.

                    Regular filter single layer with a lot of holes at the bottom:

                    Pressurized filter double layer with one hole at the bottom:

                    On those small 51mm machines one can also use ESE-pads (Easy Serve Espresso) with the right adapted filter. It's an easy way to start becomming a barista : right grind, right dose, stays fresh and most mayor Italian coffee brands have them. One can easely find such a filter on Amazon if it is not included with the machine. Downside for a double dose one needs to charge twice; there's no 2 cup ESE-pads/filter.

                    The ESE filter:

                    The coffee I use (0.15€/dose):

                    My machine Hkoenig 20 bar (100€):

                      I currently use the Bambino, works "well".
                      I had the Saeco Aroma, which made a deeper/richer brew, but zero automation.
                      See if you can find a used Saeco Aroma~$100?
                      Mine is 20 years old and still running when gifted.
                      You will need a very good burr grinder for all machines, maybe used as well.
                      People tend to either upgrade and stick with home brewing or never use the stuff they have.
                      Either way, plenty of used machines and grinders to be had starting off cheap.
                      Kinda of like $12 shipped.
                      All your questions can be answered here:
                      https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com
                      Lots of reviews and videos, etc.

                      12 days later

                      Update: Well, I ended up ordering a super automatic machine - Gaggia Magenta Prestige. I love my milk drinks and for the sake of convenience, I went this route. I know they don't make the best espressos but the ease of use won me over as well as I know it'll be much better for the wife too as I don't think she was too interested in manually making her coffee drinks.

                      I ended up going with a refurbished unit to save money, so hopefully it'll be okay. Slightly risky I know but wanted to get the most bang for my buck with respect to features and options

                      Soon I'll be drinking my lattes while perusing the Buzz!