Beginner Espresso setup

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by pfm721

Looking for opinions on what kind of setup to get to make espressos and lattes. Budget for this project is about $700. Fairly new to this so I'm trying to decide if I should go manual, semi-auto, or fully automatic. Any help is greatly appreciated.

I am usually the turd in the punchbowl here. If you want good espresso or lattes for $700 you will have a hard time doing it. A ticket for the slightly better than nosebleed seat starts around $1000.

Figure there isn't an "espresso" grinder worth buying beneath a Rancilio Rocky - they start around $385 delivered. Finding a good espresso machine for $325 is pretty much out of the question unless you want to rehab something really messed up on your own labor.

Here is the closest thing there is to what you want after a comprehensive 15-second search: http://www.wholelattelove.com/Rancil...essentials.cfm

Not sure what's happening with the world of superautos - there may be some masterpieces out there for $700 but I doubt it. Paying short money for this gear puts you in line for a replacement sooner than you'd wish. Think out what you buy really carefully with this in mind: good espresso at home ain't cheap and cheap espresso at home ain't good. American garages and basements carry a huge inventory of inadequate "espresso" machines.