![What would I upgrade to? [$500-800]](https://www.diningandcooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/zb8q6w9uvwpg1-scaled.jpeg "What would I upgrade to? [$500-800]")
I’ve been making espresso for about a year and a half, and I absolutely love it. I started with a Casabrews CM5418 off of an auction website, got a bottomless portafilter, and used a Mr Coffee grinder for a year. Then, for Christmas, I got my Encore ESP grinder and along with a WDT, my espresso stepped up significantly.
I like having people over and making them lattes. In fact, for my 30th birthday, we turned my house into a cafe. It was awesome!!
My question is; if I were to upgrade my Casabrews CM5418, what would the next tier of espresso machine be?
by Old_Sky8705
9 Comments
Upgrade the grinder. More important.
Biggest item in my opinion if you like having people over is a dual boiler. Unfortunately that’s something that typically comes above your price range. If you’re willing to get into the DIY I would say a gaggia with the PID upgrade. The only issue I have with the base gaggia is steam power and shot after shot consistency. Maybe a used lelit Mara x?
I have an ascaso steel duo (double your target price) I probably wouldn’t recommend something with thermojet for those parties because the temperature can become a little inconsistent. So stick with something with a boiler ideally.
Best of luck!
Gaggia Classic Pro E24 would be a nice upgrade. Will take you far with a strong grinder. Your Encore will definitely be the limiting factor though.
Turin Legato V2 would be the only machine in your price range (actually under it) that would be a notable upgrade. Makes very good espresso and milk drinks, not quite dual boiler but very near it with a brew boiler and separate thermoblock for steaming. Pre-infusion, PID control, adjustable OPV, and slightly finicky flow control give it features comparable to the $1300 Quick Mill Pop Up.
What auction website?
Electric kettle + nice grinder + Cafelat Robot! You can keep your current machine and use it just for milk. With the robot, you literally get the hands on experience pulling shots and the only limiting factor is how quickly your kettle can get to temp after you’ve gone through it. I absolutely love mine. You get an espresso that tastes as good as the really expensive machines for a fraction of the cost.
Robot
Your grinder is great for a Robot and consistent beautiful tasty shots would be very possible.
Given you like making drinks for others, you probably won’t enjoy most upgrades in that price range. Moving to something like a Gaggia, Profitec Go, or Rancilio Silvia still leaves you with a single boiler, so you’ll be waiting a few minutes between pulling shots and steaming milk. Your Casabrews and machines like the Bambino use a thermoblock, which heats up in about 30 seconds and is much quicker for back to back drinks.
If workflow and speed are not priorities and you’re willing to trade that for more control and potentially better espresso, then those machines make sense. The Gaggia fits your budget, and you can likely find a Profitec Go or Silvia used within budget—check r/coffeeswap.