I'm an ex-barista and these easy upgrades will make your cheap espresso machine brew like a pro
But not all hope is lost — some espresso machines are under $300, and they're actually really good. I recently tested the $149 De'Longhi Stilosa and I can't stop yapping on about it. Admittedly, I expected it to be trash, but it's the complete opposite.
There are a few essential upgrades, though. You cannot use pre-ground coffee, not under any circumstances. You need to get your ratios right. And, finally, you need single-walled portafilters.
The U.K. version of the Stilosa comes with single-walled portafilters, whereas the U.S. one doesn't. I'll recommend alternatives, tips, and tricks below — all from me, an ex-barista.
If you know even a little bit about coffee, I'm sure you already know that having a good grinder is the most important thing you can do. Most of them are very low effort — the Baratza Encore ESP and Breville Dose Control Pro ($199 and $139) respectively are electric, so you just press 'grind' and go.
Hand-grinders are more unique. You can adjust the grind size to the nth degree (we're talking literal microns here) and provide a more personalized experience.
My personal recommendation depends on your budget and coffee style. Got money to burn? Then get the Comandante C40 MK4. Want a decent grinder that's relatively cheap? Then the Breville Dose Control Pro is for you. Just make sure your grinder has a burr and not a blade.
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
The Dose Control Pro is one of the cheapest grinders on the market today. Not going to lie, it's not the best, but considering the price? Heck, it'll do. It has good uniformity and consistency and is one of the easiest grinders to use for beginners.
Why is a good grinder so important? Many reasons, but most of it is because of a) freshness of coffee results in good flavor, and b) too coarsely or too finely ground coffee will result in nasty espresso.
Shop-bought preground coffee will 99% of the time result in nasty espresso. It's not been ground fine enough for most home espresso machines and is usually stale after a few days. You'll never be able to achieve cafe-quality espresso with preground coffee.
Enter the coffee grinder. Even grocery-store branded wholebeans will taste better than premium preground. If you make sure you're grinding on the finest (or almost the finest) setting, your espresso will be so much tastier. Look for a texture around the size of baker's sugar or even as fine as icing sugar or flour.
With a good grinder, you'll be well on your way to brewing like a pro.
While some more expensive espresso machines have built-in dose, preinfusion, and extraction times (or volumes), cheap espresso machines tend not to. As a result, if you have a more basic machine, you'll need to measure these amounts yourself. Also, I've found that you can't always trust machines. I would much rather figure this stuff out myself.
So to upgrade your cheap machine, you'll need a coffee scale. Thankfully, I've tested loads of the best coffee scales, so without much ado, I'll tell you exactly which one you should get.
The Wacaco Exagram Pro is one of the cheapest coffee scales on the market and it's the one I personally use every single time I make a coffee.
The Wacaco Exagram Pro coffee scale is so good because it does what other scales seem to be incapable of — be affordable. Some of the premium scales can go for almost $300, so $50 for a scale of this quality is a steal.
If you're brewing espresso on a budget, then there's nothing I recommend more than the Wacaco Exagram Pro scale. It has an auto-detection mode, so it will automatically start timing once your espresso pours. The dial surface is water-resistant but has no IP rating, so while it'll be fine if a little splash falls on it during coffee making, I wouldn't go dunking it in the bathtub.
I use this scale every day and I have no complaints at all. It's reliable, accurate, and most of all, affordable.
My last point depends on what machine you have. Some machines come with both dual- and single-walled portafilters. You want single-walled portafilters.
Dual-walled portafilters (sometimes called pressurized) basically squeeze the espresso through a tiny hole, which creates air inside the espresso. While this means your espresso looks nice and the crema is thick, you'll lose a lot of coffee flavor.
Single-walled portafilters (sometimes called non-pressurized) have loads of little holes so the espresso can extract without being pushed out.
It's very easy to tell the difference. The left portafilter is a dual-walled, and the right is a single-walled. You want the right side.
So if your portafilters look like the one on the left, you need to get yourself some single-walled ones. Some budget espresso machines only come with dual-walled to try to cover up that the espresso machine isn't that good.
However, if you get a single-walled one, you can bring it back. It's salvageable, I promise.
First, you'll need to figure out what size your coffee machine's portafilters are. The De'Longhi Stilosa I mentioned earlier uses 51mm, and the Bambino Plus uses 54mm (but comes with single-walled portafilters).
Once you know the size, any third-party portafilter will do the trick. You may need to buy a new group head too, just to ensure you're getting the best you can.
As I promised in my headline, these tips are very low-effort. All you need to do is buy something — quite low effort if you ask me. However, there are loads of high-effort upgrades available, too.
The first is installing a PID controller, which controls the temperature of the water to prevent weak or burned coffee. You can also do things like installing a pipe into your drip tray and auto-draining into plumbing (obviously only do this if your machine's drip tray is big enough). On top of all of that, you can even replace steam wands with third-party steam wands.
Remember — these are very technical and very high-effort upgrades. They're not for the inexperienced or beginners. I would recommend staying away from these unless you precisely know what you're doing.
Also, if you've got a great grinder, a coffee scale, and some proper portafilters, there's no reason why that won't massively upgrade the flavor of your coffee anyway. For most people, following those 3 tricks will have you pulling shots and slinging lattes like there's no tomorrow.
If you have any coffee questions, please leave a comment and I will reply to you!
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Tom's Guide
2 days ago
- Tom's Guide
Shopping for an espresso machine? Here's 3 things I wish I'd known sooner (and I'm an ex-barista)
If, like me, you have a Breville espresso maker, you'll know that no one else makes entry-level easy-to-use espresso machines like Breville. However, there are way more brands out there making fantastic machines too. But because there are so many, it can be really overwhelming. I'm an ex-barista, so I know my way around a commercial espresso machine like the back of my hand. All that being said, home espresso machines are a different kettle of fish (although... I do still know my way around a home espresso machine like it's the back of my hand... but there are way more variables in home machines). So what's the best rated espresso machine? What makes a good espresso machine, well, good? How do I choose one of the best espresso machines? You should look out for a few different things. You'll want consistent, reliable heating, powerful pressure in the steam wand and extraction, and if you want the best of the best? You'll need a separate grinder. I'll discuss everything thoroughly here. Okay, apologies for starting with major jargon. If you don't know what a PID controller is, it's basically a piece of tech that monitors and controls water temperature at every point during the brewing process. The PID controller is essential because it prevents your espresso from getting burned or tasting weak. Some budget-friendly espresso machines with a PID controller are the near-perfect Breville Bambino Plus ($499) and the Breville Bambino ($299). My parents recently bought themselves a Breville Bambino, so I can now officially say that I've used this machine. I actually adore it. No, it's not as powerful as the Bambino Plus ($499, the machine I personally have), but for just $299, it blows the competition out of the water. If you're on a "as low as possible" budget, this is the best machine for you. While espresso machines sans-PID controller are capable of making good espresso (the De'Longhi Stilosa, for example (with single-walled portafilters)), if you want consistent, reliable, no-fuss 10/10 espresso? You're gonna want a PID controller. However, you can still get good espresso without a PID controller. You'll need to check for temperature stability and boiler consistency, though. I'll recommend a couple of non-PID machines here to help you out. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. There's a caveat to this piece of advice. Mostly drink iced lattes? Then by all means, get a machine with a 1-hole steam wand. You won't be using it that much anyway. But if you want to learn how to make beautiful latte art and get Instagrammable coffees every time? You'll be in need of a 4-hole steam wand. And for that, I have but one recommendation (if you're on a normal people budget). This is the espresso machine I use everyday. It's $200 pricier than the Breville Bambino for two reasons: one, the Plus has an auto-milk function, perfect for more hands-off baristas. Two, it has a 4-hole steam wand, as opposed to the Bambino's 1-hole steam wand. I can make gorgeous latte art with ease on this machine. That's not to say all 1-hole steam wands are bad. The Bambino's 1-hole steam wand is actually really good... but it requires much more finesse than the Bambino Plus. You'll definitely have to practice with a 1-hole steam wand more than you would on a 4-hole steam wand. For that reason, I'll always recommend 4-hole steam wands over 1-hole steam wands. If money is no object to you, then this is the most impressive steam wand I've ever used. This steam wand is pretty much identical to a commercial machine's. Yep, if money was no object, this is the machine I'd buy. While it doesn't have a PID controller, it has precise temperature control, so it all checks out. You can literally choose the exact degree you want your espresso at, which is just luxurious. On top of that, the steam wand is the most impressive home steam wand I've ever used. I felt like I was back in my barista days. I've recommended bean-to-cup espresso machines before — and I'll recommend them again — but they're not for everyone. If you're a serious espresso purist, then a bean-to-cup isn't for you. If you want the best tasting espresso possible, you don't want to be buying a machine with a built-in grinder. Some people say that the grinder is the most important part of the coffeemaking process, and I'm inclined to agree. If you have a phenomenal grinder, then your espresso will, more likely than not, taste amazing. Of course the grinders on espresso machines won't be as good as dedicated grinders. Just think about it: if you're trying to do two things at once, both things will be worse than if you were trying to do one thing, but perfectly. No, the Gaggia Classic Evo Pro doesn't have a PID controller, but it does have a brass boiler and group (where you put the portafiler)(where you put the coffee) so it has better temperature stability. If you have really good hardware like this, you don't need a PID controller as much (although it would be better to have one). The steam wand has 2 holes which means better, more consistent milk aeration. So remember: PID controller (or temperature stabilization elsewhere), no 1-hole steam wand (unless it's the Breville Bambino), and no built-in grinder (unless you want convenience over espresso perfection). Of course, there's no hard-and-fast rule. These are just things I wish I'd known before buying an espresso machine. Do you think I've missed anything? Let me know in the comments. Also, feel free to ask questions about specific models in the comments too — I'll always reply! Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. 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Tom's Guide
26-06-2025
- Tom's Guide
I just tested this ‘entry-level' espresso grinder and it's totally transformed my morning coffee routine
As I'm writing this, I've just come to the end of testing the Varia VS3 coffee grinder. If you're into espresso or partake in the world of specialty coffee, I've no doubt you'll have heard of this grinder. Striking in its appearance, and priced at a super attractive price (as espresso grinders go) of $299, the VS3 is a go-to first grinder for many coffee enthusiasts, and often touted as one of the best coffee grinders for beginners. Despite that, it's no stranger mixed criticism from the coffee community, and yeah, it has its flaws, which I'll soon be covering in my full review. The Varia VS3 is an 'entry-level' grinder, but don't let that put you off if you're looking for a competent electric grinder for espresso. This grinder performed incredibly well in our uniformity and retention tests, and is ideal for espresso lovers... especially if you're making shots during the early hours! The thing is, the VS3 has one feature that has totally transformed my morning espresso routine, and has me overlooking its (admittedly pretty minor flaws). It all comes down to decibels. There are two main types of grinder: hand and electric. And I'm sure you can guess the difference between the two. I'm lazy, so in the morning when I shuffle downstairs to make my coffee, I don't want to go straight into an arm workout grinding 20-odd grams of coffee for an espresso. So my preference is always an electric grinder (although I use the 1Zpresso K-Ultra hand grinder while I travel). I've used a lot of electric espresso grinders in my time — after all, I get to test them for my job. One of the main problems with electrics are the noise. These things get loud. I'm not talking 100dB, ear-damage-level noise, but the Baratza Encore ESP averaged 82dB in our testing. According to the Hearing Health Foundation, while not a risk to ear health, that's equivalent to being in a noisy restaurant. My Eureka Mignon Specialita is a "quiet" grinder, but still averages around 75dB of noise, equivalent to hearing someone running landscaping equipment outside your house. Hardly the kind of noise you want to be making at 6am. If you're a blade grinder owner (which you shouldn't be; they suck), you're likely in an even worse position. My dad's old blade grinder sounded like a turbojet firing up. By contrast, thanks to its DC power supply (more on this below), the Varia VS3 is one of the quietest electric grinders I've used, running at an average of 67dB. Don't get me wrong, it's obviously far from silent, but that's a hell of a lot quieter. If fact, it took me by (pleasant) surprise, the first time I used the VS3 for a morning brew at home. See, while the delta between 67dB and 82dB doesn't sound like much, it is. The decibel scale is logarithmic — a 10dB increase means 10x the sound intensity, while a 20dB increase is 100x the sound intensity. I'm no good at math (so correct me if I'm wrong), but 15dB as I understand it equates to a 30 fold increase in sound intensity. Or to put it another way, the Varia VS3 is, on average, 30 times quieter than the Baratza Encore ESP, and nearly 10 times quieter than my Eureka Mignon Specialita. That has made a huge difference to my morning routine. No longer am I wincing as I grind my beans. No longer am I waking one of our dogs (a light sleeper), and making her bark, compounding the issue. I can brew in peace. Yeah, there is a catch. The reason why the Varia VS3 is quiet is because of that DC power I mentioned above. Fed by DC rather than AC mains, the VS3 only spins at 170RPM. The much louder Baratza Encore ESP runs at 550RPM, meaning it'll get through a dose of coffee much quicker. Does that really matter, though? We're talking 10-20 seconds difference max for an 18g dose. I'd rather have a longer period at lower volumes than a shorter spike. And I reckon my partner would, too, as that's less likely to wake her. And at the end of the day, performance has to play a huge part too. The VS3 is an excellent grinder given its entry-level price tag, scoring very highly in our uniformity and retention testing, as you can see in the tables below. Grind size 300μm 500μm 800μm 1100μm 1400μm Super fine 20% 90% 95% 100% 100% Medium fine 5% 95% 100% 100% 100% Medium 0% 5% 80% 95% 100% Medium coarse 0% 5% 50% 80% 95% Coarse 0% 5% 15% 50% 90% Our first coffee grinder test is always a uniformity test, where we pass batches of ground coffee through Kruve sifters. The more uniform, technically speaking, the better. What we want to see here is large swings in variance, from 5% up to 95%. This means very few grounds pass through one sieve, but most pass through the next, showing low variance. The grinder is essentially doing a good job at smushing coffee beans into evenly-sized grounds. The VS3 performs very strongly in the mid range at medium and medium-fine grinds. At the finest end of the VS3 adjustment range, we see a slight step up in variance, with a 20-90% jump between the finest sifters. Overall, though, this level of uniformity is very high, which makes the VS3 an excellent grinder for espresso. Coarser grounds are a little less uniform, so if you're looking to make a variety of drinks, including pour overs, it maybe isn't the one. But I'm an espresso drinker first and foremost, so that's what matters to me. Coffee in Grounds out Retention test 1 20.0g 19.8g Retention test 2 20.0g 19.8g Retention test 3 20.0g 19.9g Retention test 4 20.0g 19.9g Arguably the most prominent of the VS3's physical features is its 76.5-degree sloping metal body. This isn't just for style. The pitch of the grinder helps grounds fall from the burrs and through the chute more easily, lowering retention. And it works. As you can see in the table above, the Varia VS3 averaged 0.15g retention per dose over four 20g doses. That's 0.75% retention. Not bad at all. As I mentioned up top, I'll be covering the VS3 fully very soon in a standalone review. This grinder has its flaws (mostly relating to that DC power supply), but for under $300, this is a seriously good espresso grinder. The Varia VS3 is an 'entry-level' grinder, but don't let that put you off if you're looking for a competent electric grinder for espresso. This grinder performed incredibly well in our uniformity and retention tests, and is ideal for espresso lovers... especially if you're making shots during the early hours! Sometimes, though, a single feature can make all the difference. And as someone who gets up at 5.45am to head into the office, that feature in my grinders is noise. I've never owned a properly quiet espresso grinder before, but now that I have, there's no going back.
Tom's Guide
20-06-2025
- Tom's Guide
I'm an ex-barista and these easy upgrades will make your cheap espresso machine brew like a pro
I know that many of the best espresso machines cost an arm and a leg. Home espresso machines can literally cost upwards of $10k, which is obviously out of the realm of possibility for most of us normal folk. But not all hope is lost — some espresso machines are under $300, and they're actually really good. I recently tested the $149 De'Longhi Stilosa and I can't stop yapping on about it. Admittedly, I expected it to be trash, but it's the complete opposite. There are a few essential upgrades, though. You cannot use pre-ground coffee, not under any circumstances. You need to get your ratios right. And, finally, you need single-walled portafilters. The U.K. version of the Stilosa comes with single-walled portafilters, whereas the U.S. one doesn't. I'll recommend alternatives, tips, and tricks below — all from me, an ex-barista. If you know even a little bit about coffee, I'm sure you already know that having a good grinder is the most important thing you can do. Most of them are very low effort — the Baratza Encore ESP and Breville Dose Control Pro ($199 and $139) respectively are electric, so you just press 'grind' and go. Hand-grinders are more unique. You can adjust the grind size to the nth degree (we're talking literal microns here) and provide a more personalized experience. My personal recommendation depends on your budget and coffee style. Got money to burn? Then get the Comandante C40 MK4. Want a decent grinder that's relatively cheap? Then the Breville Dose Control Pro is for you. Just make sure your grinder has a burr and not a blade. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. The Dose Control Pro is one of the cheapest grinders on the market today. Not going to lie, it's not the best, but considering the price? Heck, it'll do. It has good uniformity and consistency and is one of the easiest grinders to use for beginners. Why is a good grinder so important? Many reasons, but most of it is because of a) freshness of coffee results in good flavor, and b) too coarsely or too finely ground coffee will result in nasty espresso. Shop-bought preground coffee will 99% of the time result in nasty espresso. It's not been ground fine enough for most home espresso machines and is usually stale after a few days. You'll never be able to achieve cafe-quality espresso with preground coffee. Enter the coffee grinder. Even grocery-store branded wholebeans will taste better than premium preground. If you make sure you're grinding on the finest (or almost the finest) setting, your espresso will be so much tastier. Look for a texture around the size of baker's sugar or even as fine as icing sugar or flour. With a good grinder, you'll be well on your way to brewing like a pro. While some more expensive espresso machines have built-in dose, preinfusion, and extraction times (or volumes), cheap espresso machines tend not to. As a result, if you have a more basic machine, you'll need to measure these amounts yourself. Also, I've found that you can't always trust machines. I would much rather figure this stuff out myself. So to upgrade your cheap machine, you'll need a coffee scale. Thankfully, I've tested loads of the best coffee scales, so without much ado, I'll tell you exactly which one you should get. The Wacaco Exagram Pro is one of the cheapest coffee scales on the market and it's the one I personally use every single time I make a coffee. The Wacaco Exagram Pro coffee scale is so good because it does what other scales seem to be incapable of — be affordable. Some of the premium scales can go for almost $300, so $50 for a scale of this quality is a steal. If you're brewing espresso on a budget, then there's nothing I recommend more than the Wacaco Exagram Pro scale. It has an auto-detection mode, so it will automatically start timing once your espresso pours. The dial surface is water-resistant but has no IP rating, so while it'll be fine if a little splash falls on it during coffee making, I wouldn't go dunking it in the bathtub. I use this scale every day and I have no complaints at all. It's reliable, accurate, and most of all, affordable. My last point depends on what machine you have. Some machines come with both dual- and single-walled portafilters. You want single-walled portafilters. Dual-walled portafilters (sometimes called pressurized) basically squeeze the espresso through a tiny hole, which creates air inside the espresso. While this means your espresso looks nice and the crema is thick, you'll lose a lot of coffee flavor. Single-walled portafilters (sometimes called non-pressurized) have loads of little holes so the espresso can extract without being pushed out. It's very easy to tell the difference. The left portafilter is a dual-walled, and the right is a single-walled. You want the right side. So if your portafilters look like the one on the left, you need to get yourself some single-walled ones. Some budget espresso machines only come with dual-walled to try to cover up that the espresso machine isn't that good. However, if you get a single-walled one, you can bring it back. It's salvageable, I promise. First, you'll need to figure out what size your coffee machine's portafilters are. The De'Longhi Stilosa I mentioned earlier uses 51mm, and the Bambino Plus uses 54mm (but comes with single-walled portafilters). Once you know the size, any third-party portafilter will do the trick. You may need to buy a new group head too, just to ensure you're getting the best you can. As I promised in my headline, these tips are very low-effort. All you need to do is buy something — quite low effort if you ask me. However, there are loads of high-effort upgrades available, too. The first is installing a PID controller, which controls the temperature of the water to prevent weak or burned coffee. You can also do things like installing a pipe into your drip tray and auto-draining into plumbing (obviously only do this if your machine's drip tray is big enough). On top of all of that, you can even replace steam wands with third-party steam wands. Remember — these are very technical and very high-effort upgrades. They're not for the inexperienced or beginners. I would recommend staying away from these unless you precisely know what you're doing. Also, if you've got a great grinder, a coffee scale, and some proper portafilters, there's no reason why that won't massively upgrade the flavor of your coffee anyway. For most people, following those 3 tricks will have you pulling shots and slinging lattes like there's no tomorrow. If you have any coffee questions, please leave a comment and I will reply to you!
