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Permalink Reply by Jen Hurd on December 21, 2015 at 4:59pm

Hi!  I think it's going to be tough to find a good two group machine at that price, but not impossible.  My big piece of advice would be to make sure you get service records for any used espresso machine.  Find out if the water has been properly filtered, and if you can, have an espresso service company check out the machine before you buy it.  It may run you a couple hundred dollars, but it could save you from a money pit!  Good luck!!

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Permalink Reply by Linh Nguyen on December 21, 2015 at 5:42pm

Thanks for the reply and advice, Jen. I agree that a two-group machine will probably run closer to 3-4k, but I wouldn't be opposed to a good single group head either. Any suggestion for models I should look for?

We're not really looking to do high volume, just want to put out some good espresso-based drinks alongside the filtered coffee.
Jen Hurd said:

Hi!  I think it's going to be tough to find a good two group machine at that price, but not impossible.  My big piece of advice would be to make sure you get service records for any used espresso machine.  Find out if the water has been properly filtered, and if you can, have an espresso service company check out the machine before you buy it.  It may run you a couple hundred dollars, but it could save you from a money pit!  Good luck!!

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Permalink Reply by Jen Hurd on December 22, 2015 at 8:50am

Synesso makes a single group Hydra, and La Marzocco makes a single group in the Linea and the GS3, but they're probably still going to be expensive.  You could look for a Nuova Simonelli Appia in a single group.  Even though you may not be high volume, doing catering and events means lots of coffee all at once, so I'd make sure the specs of whatever you're looking at can keep up with your production needs.  

Linh Nguyen said:

Thanks for the reply and advice, Jen. I agree that a two-group machine will probably run closer to 3-4k, but I wouldn't be opposed to a good single group head either. Any suggestion for models I should look for?

We're not really looking to do high volume, just want to put out some good espresso-based drinks alongside the filtered coffee.
Jen Hurd said:

Hi!  I think it's going to be tough to find a good two group machine at that price, but not impossible.  My big piece of advice would be to make sure you get service records for any used espresso machine.  Find out if the water has been properly filtered, and if you can, have an espresso service company check out the machine before you buy it.  It may run you a couple hundred dollars, but it could save you from a money pit!  Good luck!!

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