The Best Cheap Espresso Setup (£250 Budget)

I think a great option for a budget grinder can be an old commercial grinder with a doser. like a mazzer super jolly or mini manuale. Those can be very cheap because the dosers are annoying but you can use them for single dosing. Especially with a bellows. My first grinder was a mazzer mini and i paid 150€ for it.

i would go for a Delonghi dedica Style (179.99 on currys) the MELITTA Molino Electric coffee grinder ( on currys for 42.99) for 10.99 on amazon I found this Milk Pitcher, Dailyart 600ml/20fl.oz. Stainless Steel Milk Cup Milk Frothing Pitcher Milk Jug, and on amazon I found this Piymnys Coffee Tamper 51mm and Wdt Tool in a bundle for 10.99. All for 244.16 GBP.

Only grinder I could think of would maybe be a used eureka Filtro with espresso burrs. I'm positive it would put you over budget, but you'd end up with a very repairable flat burr grinder

Delonghi Dedica Arte, Conqueco manual grinder and a set of scales for a touch over £250. Makes lovely espresso

deloghi stilosa with an unpressurised filter, a better tamper and manual grinder. 200$ setup

2024 update: Gaggia Classics now go for $350+

I have had two Gaggia Classics since 2000. The clear advantage of the Gaggia is their build quality and simplicity. Virtually every component that will wear out is replaceable. I am on my umpteenth gasket and second pump in the latest machine and the replacement cost was negligible. Moreover, if you really have an issue with these machines, they are so easy to strip down and thoroughly clean. I have more than once had to pull part the boiler because of very hard water scaling, but these machines allow you to do that. When you are dealing with brass and stainless steel components, they are going to last and can be repaired if necessary. At their price point, there is nothing that comes close to durability and the ability to keep them going.

My budget setup was/is Amazon grinder about 180$ and then the Flair Neo flex for 90$ and then a 45$ distributor/tamper made by crema.

i bought a kenwood (delongi) used machine for less than 30usd and it just works, no fixing required at all. Maybe it's not a good machine, very simple, what i actually like, but it seems to make fine coffee. 250 pounds with this much fixing... There had to have been a better option.

Get this man on the Beeb

Just wondering... Won't it be easier and cheaper to get the moka Express (bialetti and co) to make espresso instead of the coffee machine?

I spent £300 on a Sage Barista Express second hand. I thinks it's great but is the grinder and coffee maker set up better?

Love your content

two years later and the used gaggia on ebay still lists for over $250

I just sleep enough, dont need caffeine

Spend a few more pounds and get a Breville Barista Express NEW

Gaggia classics are so expensive now. 🥲 I have yet to find one under $300 USD.

I'm not handy, I don't have any tools and I don't know anything about it. So I don't have much of a chance to save money and also avoid polluting. However, I am looking for an espresso machine and a grinder for a good price and good after-sales service, it seems that it is not a luxury.

Just went through the same thing.
Used Items:
Machine: Gaggia Classic 2012 with milk jug & tamper fully functional new gasket and steam wand upgrade - 170€
Grinder: Sage dose control 100€
Bottomless Portafilter (wood) ): 26€


New Items:
Sage Knock Box and Airscape 1kg: 30+50=80€
IMS Big Bang Basket (22g): 26€

Upgraded Shower Holder, Shower Screen and Screws since the old aluminium was corroded: 42€
Spring: 6€
Total: 450€
Could have saved on airscape and portafilter bringing things down to a clean 400€

Could‘ve bought Lelit Anita for the price it would be new, better, with decent grinder and there even is version with PID control.

Conclusion: work a bit harder and buy new setup

Hi James, I'm wondering if you recommend PID in this machine or is OK without it please?

Why am I here? I don't even drink coffee...lol

I went with a Solis Perfetta for $180 and 1zpresso JSX Pro S for $120. Ebay is amazing.

James, i love how humble you are when taking us on these journeys, thank you ❤️

Why not use a hand grinder to save on cost?

When you already spent your money on a brand new Jaguar and need some cheap espresso set

❤❤James，thank you for your experience with this，learned a lot.😊

James, I’ve just recently stumbled onto your channel (or shall I say into the rabbit hole) and found a kindred spirit in a weird coffee person.

I have used all types and levels of espresso makers (from the humble mocha, the manual maker to super auto) and appreciate all approaches (drip, french, pour over) to converting the coffee bean into the luscious, complex drink we call coffee.

I most recently purchased a used/broken Jura EN8 for about half of what it lists for new. I had to tinker with it for a day, replace the water tank and prime the water pump, but other than that it was in almost unused condition and makes a passable espresso, or my favorite ristretto at a touch.

Thanks for the educational and entertaining videos.

This is exactly what I did. Went on gumtree and bought a breville barista express with a broken grinder haggled down to around £80, took the thing apart and found the stepdown gear tooth absolutely stripped away, bought a replacement for £25 and some missing accessories for £42, so now I have a decent setup for less than £150 (all values translated form AUD).

How do you get such good voice recording and I can’t see the mic? Where is the mic?!

About 10 years ago I bought a Saeco/Starbucks barrista.
It needed a bit of work; the grinder was missing a part and the part had to be found, the grouphead gasket leaked and had to be replaced. But that was about it.
Over time I did replace the manual pressurized portafilter with an automatic one. That was for convenience.
And it worked FINE, and I was happy with it, for MANY years.

I pull single shots, and I could not figure out to put a single shot basket into the Saeco pressurized portafilter, and make it work. So I just put a single dose into the double dose basket.
As it turned out, like you said in one of your videos, the extra space between the top of the single dose of coffee and the shower screen caused the puck to swell, and the puck was wet and soupy. It turns out, it was an easy fix. I just put a puck screen on the coffee, and that held down the coffee, no more soupy puck. But, finding the CORRECT size puck screen was another mater. It took me three tries to get the right size. hint, the metal puck screen expands when HOT water goes through it. So you have to get a size smaller than the basket size.
Note the puck screen can ONLY be used for SINGLE doses of coffee. With a double dose, the coffee level is high enough that the coffee touches the shower screen, and there is NO ROOM for a puck screen. If you do put a puck screen on a double dose, it will be damaged by the head of the screw for the shower screen.

After many years, I did have to do a few maintenance surgeries.
- The steam wand started leaking. Not bad, but eventually it got irritating. I decided to do the repair while I could still get the parts. Followed the YT instructions, and done.
- The mushroom valve on the group head leaked and had to be replaced. PROBLEM, the screw holding the valve was JAMMED, so I put this task off as long as I could. I finally decided to FIX it, and got the screw out, and replaced the valve. I should have done it a LONG time ago, and every couple years thereafter, so the coffee would not build up and jam the screw, like it did.
- A spring on the grinder broke, preventing the grinder from stopping when a single dose had been ground. Now THIS was a PROBLEM, because the spring was not an easily found replacement item. I could NOT find the spring, so I used a short bit of brass wire to connect the long half of the broken spring to the mating hole on the grinder. Done, and it works. If I kept the Saeco, I would be LOOKING for the correct spring.
Unfortunately, Saeco discontinued the machine and spare parts have become harder to find.

Stuff that I would have done different:
- Replace the mushroom valve earlier, and every year or so. So the screw would not be so hard to remove.
- Get a puck screen much earlier.
- Replace the shower screen with a better shower screen. Although there is some question in my mind, if that is necessary with a puck screen.
- Get the non-pressurized portafilter, when it was available.
- Buy spare parts and tools when they were still available.

I've since moved on to a Solis, but there are times when I wish I had my old Saeco.

This video has me now thinking of looking for a Gagia Classic.

I couldn’t find any gaggia classic from ebay now. All i can find is gavgia classic pro which is over $300..

Have you ever reviewed or used "La Piccola" or "Faber" machines? They work with ESE pods and they both are consistently good pull after pull.

Why not a manual grinder instead of a used motored machine?

I run a dedica with the setup you recommended and a comandante, and I invested a total of 370 swiss francs, over half of which was the grinder. Only the dedica upgrades were new. The whole thing is amazing and works perfectly

I kind of disagree, i think you made the budget. You could fore go the basket and even the knock box and bob could still be your uncle.

When i first started i was just knocking puck into a cutting board or into the sink, hell i've even knocked it right in to the trash (its not as gross you some of you are thinking) and i used the stock rancillio basket. I get that the arguments of what is "necessity" can be made, but that argument is more in the realm of "hobbyist" then someone trying to keep it simple/"cost conscious" and have access to true, albeit bare minimum espresso.

You know you’ve made it when your recommendations cause a spike in the market.

I had this exact setup and found the MC2 incredibly noisy.

Lois Rossman would be proud of this video. Right to repair!

tell that to my grandma's moka that has been making coffe since the end of WWII and today would cost around 20EUR.

Just getting into giving my coffee game a little more attention so this video is pure gold to me! 👌🏻😁 If you're ever up for a 2023/24 edition I definitely would not mind 😉😉

I bought a Gastroback for 60€ one year ago, it's quite similar to this one you bought and what shall I say I had nothing to fix, just cleaning, change the basket and I get nice espresso every morning. My girlfriend says I make better espresso than all the cafe's in Amsterdam she knows. What an honor. (maybe it's her reason to already stay with me 🤷🏼‍♂️) For a grinder I already searching. At first I had an old coffee grinder from the 90s. After some modifications it was fine enough for espresso but only a few months. At the moment I grind with a hand grinder from the 1930s I love it and my neighbors are happy that I doesn't grind with that loud monster anymore. 😅

Oh by the way, the pressure kit is definitely a good idea. I'll check if I can get it for my machine also.

I recently bought an Oxo burr grinder. It's very affordable (under $100 new and even less used) and analog, but it produces great results. Highly recommended!

I am sure someone like James could find some fault with it since it is an inexpensive grinder after all, but I am quite pleased. My DeLonghi BCO430 espresso / drip coffee combo machine is the weak point in my setup now, and I am trying to find a great deal on a Gaggia Classic or Rancilio Silvia.

what about a used flair neo and a half decent hand grinder.

James Hoffman is the Jacob Rees-Mogg of coffee ☕️

Which machine makes a great cup of espresso not a good one.

I wish we had this kind of used market for espresso gear here in Japan. The used market is kind of weird, you get a million and one super intro machines from delonghi, then a bunch of full auto stuff, also from delonghi, then there's a huge gap where the real machines should be, and suddenly you have actual coffee shop gear for half a year's salary.
You'll occasionally see a Gaggia Classic or Racilio Silvia (neither pro) for maybe £500, but even that's not common.
Anyone have any leads for used gear in Japan please feel free to drop a hint here. I check Mercari and Yahoo Auctions relatively often.

Not that I don't like his recent stuff, but I do miss the odd video along these lines from James.