Was doing some analysis on Reddit data and looked into espresso machines. Thought I’d share the results.
The charts show how many people (across all of reddit in the past year) mentioned each espresso machine positively, negatively, or in mixed light.
How its ranked:
- Final rankings use a combination of Wilson Score (same algo behind Reddit’s “Best” sort, Amazon’s “Top Reviews”, Steam’s game ratings etc) and net positive volume.
- So both volume and consistent sentiment are needed to rank. A machine with only 1 review that happens to be good (100% positive) won’t outrank one with 100 good reviews.
- Idea is to show what’s most discussed and consistently supported vs critiqued. Less about what is "best", and more about what's most tried and tested. Hopefully it a useful data point esp for folks who dk where to start.
What's best for you depends on your use case:
Different people have different needs, so I’ve segmented the mentions by relevance to a handful of use cases to make it more meaningful (swipe images to see)
| Use case | Example comment |
|---|
| Tinkering and modding | …I have 2 machines (GC and E24) Gaggiuino modded and love the features and the results…Hundreds of persons with modified Gaggia Classics … without any boiler longevity issues ( u/AdComfortable3016 ) |
| Minimal effort brewing | …Easy to use with programmable buttons…With a new born coming I think Bambino would be the way to go. You can quickly make a cup of coffee anytime you need it and it will be easy to use sleep deprived for both parents… ( u/agracadabara ) |
| Fast morning workflows | … LM Micra has a 3-4 minute heatup (5-7 for steam) which is fast enough I don’t even keep it on all day… ( u/Blacktip75 ) |
| Milk-based drinks | …I have a Micra which is insane steam and while I can do great art with mine vs my girlfriend’s Breville barista, it just isn’t the same taste wise… ( u/aspenextreme03 ) |
| Hosting and entertaining | …I replaced the expobar with an ECM synchronika, and the workflow changed. Steam the milk while pulling the +- 25 second shot. By the time the next shot was ground, the machine had fully rebuilt steam boiler pressure to steam the next pitcher while the next shot was in progress. And so it goes, whether it is 3 of us, or a dinner party… ( u/RuyRogers ) |
| Straight espresso purists | …i make straight espresso and nothing else, no milk drinks. That's why I'm completely satisfied with my flair 58+ and lucca solo with flow control. They both have exactly what I need out of a machine. All i need is temp stability, profiling capabilities, and simple to maintain machines, which is exactly what I have. I never use steam, so no need for a steam wand or dual boiler… ( u/brandaman4200 ) |
| Light roast specialty coffee | … is monstrously good for ultra light roast espresso. You can prolong contact time with steam pre-infusion to push extraction…The Flair made the best shots, hands down… ( u/captain_blender ) |
Additional notes:
- Mentions are deduplicated – each person is only counted once, no matter how many repeat raves
- Non specific mentions get divided between models – e.g. “I love my Gaggia” is split between the E24 and Evo Pro
- I did use LLMs to help analyze the large volume of data – it wouldn't have been possible to do so manually. I hope this doesn't break the recent rules? It's more about the data than anything else though.
Thoughts? Anything that seems surprising or off?
by heyyyjoo
14 Comments
This is really fun! Reddit loves the bambino+.
Would be cool to see for grinders.
For tinkering and modding what does that even mean?
Looks like a lot of Bambino owners responded to the poll
Love my Rancilio!
BEZZERA DUO O_o manipulating the algorithm here… definitely missing in this list 😉
How do you do the analysis? Im interested!
ECM synchronika II is so great
Nice info. Curious how this would turn out for grinders
Man, my Rancilio Silvia with the GaggiaMate upgrade changed my coffee-life completely. Can’t recommend enough, though the Silvia is tough to tinker with (not enough room for big hands, had to get my youngins’ involved).
How were you able to scrape Reddit? Any plug in specifically?
Did you merge data where manufacturers / machines are known by different names?
For example, here in the UK, the Breville Bambino is sold under the Sage name?
This is gold. I saved this just in case
I can imagine the bambino ranking high partly because it’s accessible and more people have it.
Cool stuff regardless! Where can I see the breakdown of comments for each ranking?
Love my Profitec Go!