What do you guys think of this setup for a beginner?

by Nata_the_cat

12 Comments

  1. Sharp-Ad-9221

    That’s a good start. Frothing pitcher, blind filter, Cafiza, microfiber towels?

  2. obikonichiwan

    Be happy with what you’ve got, and upgrade when you feel like you’ve mastered what you have and it’s within your means.

  3. DoubleBogey19

    I have this setup. I love it. I changed out the steam wand to a rancillio steam wand and that made it better for pretty cheap.

  4. Key_Tadpole_365

    The best setup is the one you’re going to use.

    This is a great setup for starting and learning to dial in etc. Have fun and enjoy!

  5. Specialist-County112

    Looks good, you probably have a 51mm portafilter (is that right?) which will make pulling shot even easier. So now really focus on beans and water more than equipment.

  6. shortfriday

    A machine like this is an excellent value and starting point, very smart to pair it with a grownup grinder too. I used this exact machine for a few weeks on vacation and while I did miss my $3.5k setup, I never had a truly bad coffee. I assume you have a bottomless handle there, if not, that’s the only thing missing.

  7. dr-satan85

    Looks pretty close to my set up, but i have a ghetto old tank of a mazzer super jolly that I got from market place. Honestly, it’s all you need for a decent espresso and espresso based drinks. I’d recommend ripping that metal casing off of the steam wand and putting a cable tie around the rubber nozzle just like everyone else does with those machines.

  8. DamnZodiak

    It’s a great little setup that will get you incredibly far.
    Here’s what I’d personally change, all for little to no money:

    1. Get a little spray bottle to spray your beans (RDT). They’re pretty cheap (often less than a quid) and reduce static and thus mess by a lot.

    2. Get a little tray/bowl/something to weigh your means in so you can hot start your grinder. If you grind directly into your portafilter you can use the dosing cup for that.
    3. If you drink any milk drinks I’d strongly recommend removing/modifying that panarello steam wand. Often times it’s just a weird metal tube that you can pull off and then you have a regular steam wand.
    It might be harder to use the first couple of times but the results are so much better.

  9. Warrior4Jah777

    This setup shows the right priorities; good grinder, reasonable espresso machine.
    I think you can make tasty shots or coffee with it.

    That’s so much better then how I started (2nd hand Saeco Via Venezia with pressurized basket and no grinder ;).

  10. OmegaDriver

    I don’t know man, how’s your coffee taste?