XP344C51 Espresso Machine

Never really cared for coffee all my life but here I am in my late 30s, dipping my toes into this new hobby. I have been given an entry level coffee machine for my birthday (Krups Virtuoso +) and I thought I had a good setup to start with. A month ago I stepped into a proper coffee shop and ordered a double espresso and WOW that was an experience. Every flavour made sense, the acidity was complementing the sirupy texture of the drink in a balanced way. So that was an epiphany for me. Properly dialled setup + great coffee beans can create fantastic espresso. But my modest gift doesn’t seem to be equipped for chasing that new high (am I wrong ?) I saw loads of videos talking about coffee machine but it doesn’t help me much. Thing is, I’m fairly sure I prefer espresso than pour-overs. So I’m trying to figure out if, from a quality standpoint, I should get a manual espresso machine or semiautomatic. I don’t intend to drink more than 3 espresso per day and I’m the only one drinking coffee at home. I just want to know if a flair 58+ can deliver better quality espresso than equally expensive semiautomatic machines ? I know the grinder is probably more important in the final result and I already ordered a single-dosing grinder that will arrive soon. But when it comes to dialing the rest of the parameters (extraction time, pressure, etc) I’m afraid I won’t get far without investing a bit in a better espresso machine. Any recommendations ?

Thank you. The Krups can go very fine but I knew the grinder will have to be upgraded as well. $700 isn't entire budget, just what I wanted to spend on a machine. I wanted to keep recs at a reasonable range and avoid suggestions of $2500 machines lol

Hi all, I am very new to the espresso game, having purchased my first espresso machine, the bambino, about 4 weeks ago now. I have done a lot of experimenting and researching in that time. I am experiencing pretty poor results up until this stage. Obviously some of that is just down to experience and “time on the water” so to speak, but it seems like I might actually be getting worse in some ways. Below I will outline the equipment I am using, my process, and things I have attempted to change. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. Machine: Breville Bambino Grinder: Baratza Encore Precise scale Normcore spring tamper IMS 18-22g basket Wdt tool Dosing funnel I am using both the stock portafilter as well as a Normcore bottomless portafilter 49th Parallel espresso beans (3-6 weeks from roast date My usual process is: 18g beans > sprits of water > grind at setting 7 > wdt > tamp (this usually has the edge of the tamper making contact with the rim of the portafilter) I preheat my machine by running one empty double shot through it and then running the wand for approximately 8-10 seconds. When I use the preprogrammed double shot button I am getting approximately 36-38g of coffee in 18-20 seconds from when I press the button. When I run the machine manually I usually get 36-41g of coffee in about 19-20 seconds with 8 second pre infusion (8 second button hold). I usually then do a 2-1 water to coffee ratio to make a mini americano beverage. Overall my espresso comes out very sour most of the time, which I know means it’s under extracted. I have attempted to WDT longer, Tamp harder, and play with grind settings. If I grind on less than setting 7 on the machine the espresso shot comes out silty. When using the bottomless portafilter my coffee sprays everywhere, produces a much larger amount 45+g and is overall a disaster so I have put that on the back burner for now. I am a long term espresso drinker - usually dark roast - and am confident this isn’t a “you just don’t like those beans/this type of coffee” issue. It feels like I have attempted a lot of the easy fixes to the process and haven’t seen much improvement. Any and all thoughts would be helpful. Thanks a lot!

I’m using the same Krups drip coffee maker I purchased in 1991, used nearly every day. Love it more than anything. I’ve been assuming it’ll die at some point but that just happened yet. All my research has pointed to the Moccamaster as my next, though.

I don't have Tchibo, but I found the Smeg model, it's over 2x the price of the Krups I linked in my country. That's pretty typical for Smeg.