What machine is right for me?

coffeemmmmm

Hello coffee people! I need help with the purchase of a new machine....

I was given a small Krups machine which I ended up using so much it blew up, so now I am on the look out for a new one ;D

I have looked at everything from replacing the same Krups one at under $300 right up to the Giotto Premium which was just gorgeous. Frankly I am completely confused at what to get now.

Here is what i would like in an ideal world:

- semi commercial manual if possible
- froths milk at same time as making coffee
- if possible, small enough to take away on driving holidays with me (yes i need my latte every day no matter where I am)

I want the perfect machine for a budget of under $600. If I need to spend more than that, then I think I would prefer to go the whole hog and buy the Giotto at $2,500. At the end of the day, I am only guessing so please help out a coffee amatuer

Thanks so much for your reply!

Honest_Gaza

Sunbeam EM6900 retails for $599 (within your budget) but you can get better price. Ability to froth and do coffee at same time (as per your wishlist). Heavy mother...so needs to be carefully packaged and moved.

mattyj

Let's see ... "semi-commercial manual" - why? "froths milk as same time as making coffee" - understandable. If you want to spend less than $600, then the sunbeam that Gaza mentioned seems the way to go. It's almost a category killer, at that price. the next step up is a heat exchange machine - there's three fine examples in the latest edition of the mag, plus a dual-boiler expobar (which would be my pick of the bunch). "small enough to travel" - this throws a spanner in the works... These machines are large and heavy. I've transported my expobar twice (well, three if I include driving it home from the shop), and stressed the whole time. I'm keeping my old clapped-out sunbeam for holidays ... sure it takes longer and isn't as temp stable, but it's holidays. Maybe a cheap gaggia would be good for your holidays, if you really are prepared to spend all that $$$ for a second machine. "the perfect machine for a budget of under $600" ... there's discussion brewing on CoffeeGeek.com about a new home machine being made by La Marzocco, that will retail for US$4500. Many people are foreseeing this to be the 'perfect machine'. Generally, you get what you pay for - though there are some exceptions to that rule. and then there's the grinder ...

Remus

the perfect machine for me is a giotto for the week and a la pavoni lever for the weekend. life's good when they both live in your kitchen.