[mattferderer]

I'm just a rookie at making espresso but I would argue my <$100 DeLonghi espresso maker paired with either fresh ground coffee from a local store or illy Coffee from online is at least on par with most chain coffee shops.

I can't stomach drip coffee but have really enjoyed a nice espresso with steam/foamed milk.

The biggest lessons I've learned are don't over pack it, don't under pack it, stop when it turns blond, give it time to warm up & let it run for a bit to get the old water out.

- Edit - I would love to hear tips on what else I can do to up my espresso game though for a reasonable price.

[soulnothing]

Seconding Delonghi as a cheaper option. I had brought in a DeLonghi espresso maker for my team at the last job. We got a decent coffee grinder around 100.

It wasn't earth shattering. But the price to convenience factor was there. First person in always turned on the machine warming it up. We'd make a round of shots before stand up. Then switch to coffee + frothed milk.

For beans we maintained a rotation and all chipped in. We also had a french press, siphon and chemex.

[icebraining]

Same here; I bought a used DeLonghi (10€!) and it's on par with a random espresso from a coffeeshop. It also doesn't take anything close to 20m to warm up, though I suppose that may be easier in Europe vs the US.

[jrace]

Machines will take a short time to get to proper brew temp, but the rest of the machine takes longer (the group head is most important)

Ideally you want everything the coffee touches to be at the proper temp - included th portafilter and cups.

[mattferderer]

I think it takes 2-3 minutes to warm up. It's ready before I have my espresso packed. I know the instructions say to run the water a bit before brewing to clean the pipes of any colder water.

Great point on cup temp! That makes a huge difference if you want your coffee to stay warm.

[jrace]

Your grinder will make the most impact.

get freshly roasted beans (within 2wks) grind with a high quality burr grinder before each run.

That will get you the best quality shot with your machine.