A while ago I took my own espresso machine apart, measured everything and started prototyping wooden parts for it. That turned into a small workshop in Styria, Austria: solid oak and walnut parts for espresso machines and grinders, finished by hand.

These are the first real pieces, all in oak:

• Mazzer Philos lid.
• Eureka Mignon lid (square 300 g hopper).
• Lelit steam wheel (Elizabeth / Grace / Victoria / Kate). Replaces the small plastic wheel and turns more easily.

All mounting points are stainless steel (threads) or brass (clamps), set into generous threads in the wood and glued, so nothing pulls out. Finished with two layers of food-safe hard-oil.

Last photo: fresh reason walnut, raw vs. oiled. That one is next.

Question for you: Philos and Mignon are covered now. Which grinder or machine should get a wooden part next?

Happy to answer questions about the process.

If you want to have a look: alfreds.store

Got given a cheap machine back in March, had never made anything apart from instant coffee before. I've since upgraded to a better set up. Still learning, and there is a lot to learn. I didn't realise how big or addictive this could become.

Hello everyone,

I'm using the Cafelat Robot and Kingrinder K6 on a daily basis, loving 1:2,5 shots with light to medium roasts, sometimes turbo shots, rarely medium/dark roasts in a more classic fashion.

My standard recipe to start from is 18g/45ml, using a simple pre heating method and boiling water. Overall I'm really satisfied, I just wonder if an upgrade to another Hand grinder that's specifically suited for espresso would do me any favour.

Three things I'd be looking forward to in an upgrade:

- better range to dial in the grind size (with my K6 I'm limited to about 10clicks of range) ultimately leading to better tasting espresso

- easier grinding, if possible (less force needed, faster grind size)

- other QoL features like magnet cups (really optional)

Does it make sense to upgrade? Did someone upgrade from K6 and found it worthwhile/disappointing?

Love a non electric setup, so I'm currently not interested in an electrical grinder.

Thanks in advance ✌🏻

Location: Germany (Europe)

Current setup: Eureka Mignon Oro Single Dose Pro grinder. I recently sold my Sage Bambino Plus and am looking to upgrade to a machine that will last me for years.

Experience level: Still relatively new to espresso. I started making espresso at home in early 2026, so I’m learning and improving, but I want to invest in a setup I won’t feel the need to replace anytime soon.

Drinks and frequency: Usually 2 drinks per day, sometimes 3–4. I make a mix of straight espresso and milk drinks.

What matters most to me:

• Consistent espresso shots and good temperature stability, including when pulling several shots back-to-back.
• Strong steam power and the ability to brew and steam simultaneously.
• Good build quality and reliability, with decent service and parts availability in Europe.
• A good-looking machine, since it will be a centrepiece on my counter and I may feature it in coffee content on Instagram.
• Convenient everyday workflow. I have no water line or drain near my coffee setup, so I need to use the water tank and empty the drip tray manually.
• Good value for money. I’m willing to spend more for meaningful improvements, but I don’t want to pay a premium just for features I’m unlikely to use.

Machines I’m considering:

• Lelit Elizabeth 3 (latest version) 1600€
• Lelit Bianca V3 1800€
• Profitec MOVE 2.0 1800€
• Bellezza Bellona 800€
• Ascaso Steel Duo 1300€

I’ve also looked at the Profitec GO 2.0, although I understand that a single-boiler machine may not be the best fit for my desire to brew and steam simultaneously.

The Elizabeth seems like a practical option, the Bianca appeals to me because of its looks and manual flow-control paddle, and the MOVE looks particularly interesting for its workflow and consistency features. The Bellona also looks attractive from a value-for-money perspective.

My main question is about diminishing returns.

For example, if the Elizabeth 3 costs around €1,600 and the Bianca around €1,850, is the extra €250 genuinely worth it for my needs? Would I notice a meaningful difference in the cup, temperature stability, workflow or build quality? Or would a less expensive machine such as the Bellona get me 90–95% of the way there in everyday use?

I’d especially appreciate feedback from owners who have used these machines for a while, rather than comparisons based on specifications alone.

• How do the Elizabeth 3 and MOVE 2.0 compare for shot-to-shot consistency and everyday convenience?
• Is the Bianca’s flow control something that meaningfully improves espresso, or is it mainly an enthusiast feature?
• How important are the differences in steam power and temperature stability for someone making 2–4 drinks per day?
• Would you trust the Bellona for long-term ownership, including service and spare parts availability in Europe?
• At what price point do you think the improvements become marginal? Would you spend closer to €1,900, or save the difference and put it towards better beans, accessories or future upgrades?

I’m not necessarily looking for the most feature-packed machine. I want the best balance of espresso quality, consistency, reliability, workflow and value for money over the long term.

Thanks for your advice!

I know it’s nowhere near as good as many people’s coffee corner, but this is mine.

Delonghi DEDICA EC-685
Compak K3 grinder
Nespresso Aerochino
Aliexpress portafilter & tools

(Aslo, please don’t mind the container above the shelf lol)

Just a PSA that I've discovered a small design flaw in a perfect grinder. If you're concerned about cosmetics and scratches on your grinder read on....

Yes it's not likely to occur and yes it's easily avoidable but if you're like me and you accidentally bump the hopper locking slide open too far you'll get a permanent scratch on the top body because the button of the locking slide rubs the top body of the grinder, metal on metal, permanently scratching the brushed stainless body.

I would have liked to see mazzer put a 90° stop in the mechanism that swings out so it would just stop short of actually touching the top body of the grinder, or the other possibility is to raise the button part that you hold and swing the slide out, and raise it a little bit higher flush with the slide plate so that it clears the top of the body instead of digging into it.

Maybe they've already assessed that and done this mod because I was one of the first 1,000 buyers of this grinder. Maybe not.

Like I said it's a little obscure and most people on Reddit will probably say just don't do that and in the spirit of a karmic universe jinxing them, subsequently it'll happen to them.

Out of the thousands of grinders, I, who is not in a country where the warranty covers, ended up with the machine that was wired wrong. 48 Euros and one week later it finally runs the correct way. Now with the king size dial my morning coffee is better than ever.

So here is the story. I live in Turkey where specialty coffee gear is very expensive due to exorbidant import taxes and the few importers charging ridicilous markups (Especially on Sage products, that Bambino costs like 1400 euros here brand new, although I bought mine second hand for like 180) so I decided to buy my Eureka from Germany and bring it with my carry on.

However turns out I was sold a machine that was wired wrong, its motor turning counterclockwise thus not grinding the beans.

So... I had to get it repaired in Turkey. Since the warranty is only valid in the country where you bought the machine in, it was not valid and shipping it to Germany and back would cost more than what I paid for the machine. So I had to pay the 48 euro repair fee here. Thankfully no parts had to be replaced.

The machine costs 500 euros here, in Germany I bought it for 398 so... I still ended up with a 54 Euro profit thankfully.

My dear espresso enthusiasts, this is quite the rabbit hole you've got going on here.

I used to just buy Nespresso pods and be done with it. Never really thought about coffee.

A few weeks ago however, I travelled by car to Tuscany to join a vintage bike ride and stopped in Parma for breakfast. Whilst standing at the counter and eating a cornetto and drinking an espresso ( I felt like a real Italian ) It dawned on me that a good espresso is a fine thing to behold. Enjoying gast station espresso is probably frowned upon in your community but it did open up a world for me.

Fast forward to this week and that delicious beverage kept being stuck in my head. I then decided to consider the purchase of an espresso machine. Skip to today and yes, I have been researching different beans, grind levels etc... the whole nine yards. The rabbit hole is deep and I am excited to learn about it.

I am a 40yo male that likes cycling, now has an espresso machine and likes to drink an IPA from time to time. No doubt, there are many of us here!

I'm posting because I had a hard time finding an answer to this particular problem, and I want to boost the solution.

The problem: Bambino Plus steam pressure cutting out partway through steaming.

The solution: replace the 3-way solenoid.

The long answer:

Our Breville Bambino Plus developed a problem where the steam would work for 10-20 seconds, then slowly die with a clogged steam wand alert. The brewing function was unaffected, and I could hear the click of the solenoid operating correctly; purging the steam wand allowed another 10 seconds of steam.

I ran the cleaning cycle and the descale cycle twice, and cleaned the steam tip holes with the pokey tool, to no effect.

I'd like to give credit to u/kevinclimbstrees for posting the same question, and u/Important-Bobcat3282 for providing the answer:

"This is a really hard problem to diagnose, but it’s the 3-way solenoid valve. The rubber tip of the plunger on JLT valves wears out and expands when it heats up, cutting off the steam. Ceme valves don’t have this issue."

When I replaced the solenoid I saw that it was in fact a JLT part; the new one was a Ceme. The repair was fairly straightforward, because the solenoid is right on top when you open the machine. I was able to pry the hose clamps off with a combination of needlenose and sidecut pliers, and tightened the new clamps with 7" endcut pliers. All the screws were Phillips head, and they were all interchangeable except one which had a built in washer.

Thanks to u/ruffdominator for supplying the solenoid part number SP0025522. I found it in Canada at Partselect.ca.

Timemore's upcoming espresso machine made another brief appearance on video. This time showing up at the Timemore booth at SCAJ 2026 in Japan. A brief ~5sec clip is shown in an Instagram reel.

Instagram Link:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Degyc9NJGeU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&obrf=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

I have had my Delonghi Dedica for about 7 years. This past year I finally upgraded to bottomless portafilter thanks to being inspired by all the posts here. The coffee I make is so good!

I am thinking of upgrading to a Bambino and a DF54 grinder next year. Although I must say that I really love my Kingrinder K6!

Redesignad it a bit so it takes a little less time to print.

Hope this will be useful to some.

https://makerworld.com/en/models/3408486-kingrinder-k6-disassemble-helper#profileId-3938140

Coffee shop owner here. We use a 2 group slayer in our main shop and love it. We have the opportunity to take over a space in an existing event space on good terms. It will be decent footfall but much lower (20- 30 espressos per hour) than a busy shop. I was thinking of going with a 1 group slayer.

Does anyone have experience with using a 1 group slayer in a commercial setting? What is the max output per hour that would reasonable? Any other considerations i should think of?

Violet crown coffee shop now has Ilse, Color and Brandywine espresso beans on their shelves. They are currently serving Ilse beans as their default espresso option. Their beans selection and rotation are very good.

I drink exclusively light and ultra light and I'm basically feeling like I've outgrown my Synchronika (rotary pump, pid dual boiler, flow nob and manometer). I'm wondering how clutch the "at group" water temp of modern machines like the Decent and the Meticulous are for those coming from old school boiler machines and if the whole precision approach makes up for the machines being plasticky. I make milk drinks for guests once in a blue moon so don't care about steam at all. I have an endgame grinder. Thanks in advance for any advice!

I've had this grinder for a year, and there's one thing I modified since day one.

After about 10 grinds, the grinder stopped turning, grinded coffee stuck between the rubber, I eventually figured out that the rubber at the bottom was causing the issue(it wasn't flush, the outer part is slightly slanted), so I trimmed it with a knife. Why not sandpaper? I didn't want to risk accidentally ingesting the particles. Since then, it has worked as it should(grinding without stop).(picture as reference)

A few things to note:

After cleaning, make sure the burr is properly aligned with the notch on the rod, and double-check that it stays in place. Keep water and coffee out of the grinder's internal parts. It's difficult to clean.

My settings:

Espresso: 0.2 for medium-roasted beans Moka pot: 2.2+ Pour-over: Haven't tried it yet. French press: 4.0 Still struggling to get it right.

any grind settings recommendations?

I’m sure a lot of you have gone through the full arc starting as beginners, becoming enthusiasts, and eventually dialing in pro‑level home setups or even working in cafés. Most of us have owned multiple generations of machines, grinders, and all kinds of tools along the way.

So here’s the question: If you had to start over today, or pick just one setup, what would it be?

Would you still spend 5× more on a grinder for that have 10% improvement at best? Do you still prefer manual or semi‑manual machines over fully automatic ones for daily use? Rather have $500 robot over $5000 La Marzocco? And how much do aesthetics factor into your decision now that you’ve tried so many different setups?

Curious to hear what your “if I could only choose one” setup looks like today and how your priorities have changed over the years.

Hey all,

I’ve been doing a bunch of modifications to my Rocket Appartamento. So far, I’ve added temperature control and pressure control by switching the vibration pump on and off based on a pressure sensor at the group head to produce fun extraction profiles (declining pressure, pre extraction, that sort of thing).

I originally wanted smoother pressure control, so I bought a cheap TRIAC dimmer circuit to vary the pump’s power. Unfortunately, it didn’t provide any meaningful modulation. Based on my testing, the pump effectively seemed to operate at either full power or no power. Sad. I have been thinking about getting a PWM dimmer or fully replacing the drive circuit of the pump with a variable frequency pulsed DC driver or something fancy pancy, but I don't know if any of this is actually likely to help since this may just be an issue with the hardware.

Has anyone been able to meaningfully dim the output of a vibration pump? if so, what specific approach did you take? Thanks!

Hi! I’m a newbie espresso machine user. I recently bought my first machine, Casabrews 3700, for the price. I love the coffee but I can’t get the milk to foam up. I’m following everything I’m supposed to do, but it only makes it hot and no foam at all. How long do you normally steam it if you happen to have the same machine? Thank you!

So up until the last part this was one of my better tries. As I drew to milk over it just wanted to float like a blob. I
Guessing this is slightly overstretched?

Just got my first espresso machine which is a DeLonghi ECP3620 (got it for free).

Looking for recommendations on two things:

1. A self-leveling 51mm tamper for $25 or under.
2. A budget 51mm two-ear bottomless portafilter.

I'd prefer if I could get both for around $50, but if I go a bit over or under that's fine. I am just trying to get my feet wet and learn, but not spend so much in the beginning.

Thanks for the help!

Hi everyone!
I have an older Rocket Espresso Giotto Classic (approximately 10-12 years old), which I bought secondhand about two years ago. I've been using it daily without any major problems until today.
Today, while opening the steam valve to steam milk, I heard a cracking/creaking sound, steam initially came out but then stopped. When I tried closing and reopening the valve, no steam came out anymore. After checking, the entire steam valve knob came off in my hand.
The brass threaded shaft is still attached to the machine.
Inside the detached knob assembly, I can see internal threading and at least one washer, possibly two.
Something is loose inside the knob assembly and rattles when I shake it. The steam valve no longer operates. l've attached photos of the machine, exposed valve shaft, and detached knob.
Does anyone recognize what might have broken? Is this repairable by replacing a small component? Thanks in advance

Quick recommendation for the frugalistas who have access to Giant grocery store

I buy cheap beans for milk drinks and when I want a quick shot to rip but don’t care about the taste and tried some grocery store beans recently and was very pleasantly surprised!! $8 for 12 oz

Roasted 7/28, bought 9/28, which I don’t think is too bad overall!

I bought the medium roast Colombian as well that was roasted on 9/4

Both have actually been great. Very forgivable brewing with a wide range of acceptable shots and reaallllyyy good when dialed in, especially for the price

Happy caffeinating y’all

Hi all,

As I always had issues keeping my scale clean with my lever machine and scale (because you need to pull away the cup yourself, there’s no stop button).
I was inspired by some other solutions and created a 3D print files so the residual drip would be caught by this tray, and discarded on the side.

I wouldn’t say it’s the best looking tray, but it does the job with a time more black mirror scale.

Print and get it through makerworld and let me know what you think about it. I made it in such a way that it doesn’t need any support and would get quite a smooth drip bottom part.

https://makerworld.com/models/3412237