# Help me buy a good Espresso Machine
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-a-good-espresso-machine/416404
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [August 21, 2007, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-a-good-espresso-machine/416404 "2007-08-21T18:26:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2007, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-a-good-espresso-machine/416404/1 "2007-08-21T18:26:34Z")
A lot of the folks who work at the Home Office are dedicated coffee lovers. Jokes are bandied about regarding my needing to deliver espresso to them when I am in the office. ( This happens every 3-4 months, maybe, for a day).
They have my back and without them I could not function. I want to get them a gift. Not everyone who works out of this office will drink espresso so I am not overly concerned with the need to buy a $ 5,000.00 machine that can service 20 people in 20 minutes. OTOH I cannot worry about offending the non-coffee drinkers who might feel slighted that the gift is not applicable to them.
I have been looking at machines in the $ 600.00 range + accessories. This [Gaggia Baby D Espresso Maker](http://www.coffeemakers.com/espresso-machines/semi-automatic-espresso-machines/gaggiababydespressomachine.cfm) is a reasonable example of what I’m looking at.
I know nothing of these machines. Anyone have experience with em? I do not want one that requires a water feed hook-up. The ones in this price range seem to have resevoirs. The company brings in bottled water in the 5 gallon bottles for drinking, so I know they will have decent water to brew with.
Preferences? Bad experiences? Good experiences? Brand recommendations?
Cartooniverse
---
### Author:  [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2007, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-a-good-espresso-machine/416404/2 "2007-08-21T19:36:53Z")
[QUOTE=Cartooniverse]
Preferences? Bad experiences? Good experiences? Brand recommendations?
Cartooniverse
[/QUOTE]
I’m looking at the[Nespresso D300](http://www.nespresso.com/precom/sima/fiche __Nespresso_D300__ N_D300_754_1_us_en.html) for myself at home and here at work.
---
### Author:  [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2007, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-a-good-espresso-machine/416404/3 "2007-08-21T19:42:56Z")
I did a lot of research on [coffeegeek.com](http://coffeegeek.com) before we bought our espresso machine. Our coffee needs and budget were exactly like yours. I looked at their reviews on about twenty different machines in our price range, and their recommendations were overwhelmingly for the Rancilio Silvia, which we bought. I remember more than one reviewer stating that it is a durable workhorse of a machine. It has served us extremely well, but took a bit of time to learn exactly the right grind, tamping, etc. It has a reservoir which holds about 3 quarts of water. The downside is that it takes about 15 minutes to heat up to brewing temperature.
Whatever you end up buying, it is _absolutely necessary_ to also purchase a burr grinder, if you plan to grind your own coffee. Regular blade coffee grinders do not produce a uniform enough grind to give you the results you want for espresso. We went ahead and got the Mazzer Mini (also after exhaustive research), a smallish burr grinder which has also given us great service. It’s possible to have your coffee bean vendor grind for you, but that means you are using a lot of stale, pre-ground coffee as you reach the end of your batch. If you buy pre-ground, you’re stuck with whatever size grind you purchased, even if you decide partway through the batch that you’d like it ground a bit finder.
Good luck to you in your purchase. Have a look at [coffeegeek.com](http://coffeegeek.com) - they’re very knowledgeable.
---
### Author:  [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2007, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-a-good-espresso-machine/416404/4 "2007-08-21T19:47:33Z")
One thing I like about the Nespresso is that it uses [pods](http://www.nespresso.com/precom/n_espresso_us_en.html) which are vacuum sealed individual servinings. You drop the pod in, brew your cup and throw the pod away. Fast and no mess. Indispensable for an office setting.