The Best Espresso Machine Under £500

For more information on each of the machines:

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"South Pas" by Red Licorice

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[HomeDistiller]

PLEASE do a video on baskets! what makes a good basket? what changes with the differences in baskets (hole size, hole number metal thickness etc)

[theshonen]

Me in my teens: Modding my PC.
Me in my twenties: Modding my car.
Me in my thirties: mOdDiNG mY cOFfeE MAcHinE.

[free-flight]

"If I was teaching someone to steam milk for the first time..." - very kind of you to offer. I'm free next Tuesday, James. Let me know.

[oliviapearce]

I don’t have the kind of money spare to buy a £500 coffee machine but here I am listening intently to all of their pros and cons how does James make me care so much

[HauntedSheppard]

Since I was coming back to rewatch just some of the machines. I thought I'd put in the work for others:

Build, Shot
2:13, 7:42 Lelit
3:22, 8:47 Delonghi
4:07, 10:31 Rancilio
5:03, 11:43 Sage / Breville
6:05, 13:10 Gaggia

15:42 steaming.

[tsuntsu]

For anyone looking at the Dedica I think it is worth noting that there is now an upgraded version of it (ec885) which comes with a normal steam wand and a normal tamper. As other people have already mentioned, Dedica has programmable buttons, where we can adjust the brewing temp and the amount of liquid coming from the single and double espresso. Also, the machine is highly moddable (replacing the portafilter, adding the pressure gauge, changing the spring to mod the pressure) which makes it quite versatile for the money. With all that, it still remains fairly cheap so if you break something the loss won't be as big as with more expensive machines.

[MangoTheRetriever]

James "I am a fancy man" Hoffmann

[sambarker]

Hey James, could we please turn auto-captions on? As a deaf person I find it very difficult to watch videos without captions, even if they are slightly off/inaccurate.

[TheExpeditionUK]

Quick DeLonghi Dedeica tips: 1) the drip try can be removed for taller cups, 2) keep single or double button pressed until desired water dispensed, it remembers it for next time, 3) hold the steam button for 10 seconds to enter settings mode, press single cup button, now choose temperature, single = cool, double = warm, steam = hot.

[peterzimmerman]

I have owned a Rancilio Silvia for 10 years and estimate I’ve made about 7, 000 espresso shots in this time. With the exception of having to replace the gasket in the brew head, it’s operated flawlessly without servicing for this entire time. I feel this was a great investment and would recommend this machine to anyone tired of the endless cycle of disposable household technology.

[chillyvanilly]

*_Timestamps:_*

Start of *how the espresso shots review* will work: 07:18

Espresso with Machines:
* 07:18 - Lelit Anna
* 08:47 - DeLonghi Dedica
* 10:32 - Rancilio Silvia
* 11:53 - Sage Bambino Plus
* 13:10 - Gaggia Classic Pro

Grind setting per machine: 15:05
How the *Milk steaming review* will work: 15:10

*Steaming* with Machines:
* 15:36 - Lelit Anna
* 15:55 - DeLonghi Dedica
* 16:11 - Rancilio Silvia
* 16:35 - Sage Bambino Plus
* 17:35 - Gaggia Classic Pro

Start of *Conslusions* : 18:05
* 18:10 - Lelit Anna
* 18:39 - DeLonghi Dedica
* 19:06 - Rancilio Silvia
* 19:58 - Sage Bambino Plus
* 20:41 - Gaggia Classic Pro

[tuboe]

The Renaissance Dedica is all respects the same as my recent purchase of the Calphalon Espresso Machine I purchased from Amazon. I’ve wanted an Espresso machine for years and this is the first time I was able to get one. As a novice 71 year old coffee drinker, I really do enjoy my first machine and it does taste good to my untrained taste buds. Thank you for your videos I’m enjoying them and learning a lot about coffee.

[simontrusler]

Once again, sense and sensibility. You've relieved the 9 bars on pressure being in lockdown for 7 weeks now (Melbourne). You're such a breath of fresh air. Thanks :-)

[capinkyky]

At 12 minutes when he throws the filter, my jaw dropped. So much drama. So perfectly timed. Beautiful James moment.

[zulmita]

Having binge watched about 20 videos it is only now dawning on me the man has taken at least 5 shots and sure the delivery gets a little faster but the hand is brain surgeon steady. Thoroughly impressed.

[AndreaMitrani]

I bought a Lelit Anita with a PID and I’m absolutely in love with it. It was the most cost effective way to get a PID machine and it has been a workhorse so far. Hugely recommended.

[mattf]

Gaggia you've got to temp-surf the steaming, too. After I've pulled a shot I switch to steam then turn the wand on as the temperature builds. Once it's giving out a good amount of steam BUT the light (indicating it's 100 degs, and heating element turns off) hasn't come on yet, I start steaming and finish the milk ideally before that light comes on. That way you start at a good steaming temperature but the heating element remains on throughout the steam and your pressure doesn't nosedive halfway through.

[kathleenmacdougall]

I inherited a Sylvia from my uncle, which he bought at least 15 years ago. It’s an incredible machine and still brews great coffee (even after being transported across the country multiple times)! I’ve always been frustrated w the temp control, so this was affirming. You’ve inspired me to finally take the plunge and modify!

[GyZsiga]

James, your channel has fundamentally changed my life. I am a confirmed tea-consumer, eastern style, high-quality teas only... now, however, I am an occasional coffe-taster, because you've helped me to find a new hobby. We've purchased a Lelit Anna with a PID, I learned A LOT from your videos, and now every morning I make delicious espresso for my wife, who is very satisfied with the result. And she is a barista! You, sir, made that happen. Thank you!

[docOld]

I've had a DeLonghi Dedica for around 6 years, and obviously I am happy with it (or I wouldn't have had it for 6 years:). I recall it took some fiddling to get the brew I wanted, and I ended up with a fairly fine grind using a rich, dark bean. The only real problem I had was finding a frothing jug small enough to be able to submerge the end of the frothing wand into the milk. I normally have a latte, but from time to time I'll make an espresso or Americano, or even a Cappuccino.
I bought it when I wasn't exactly flush with money, and since I can afford something better, I've been looking around (which is how I ended up here). But every time I look at a 'better' espresso machine, I realize that I'm happy with what I have. And that's the whole point, isn't it?