[Wisey]

Welcome. Espresso is quite a rabbit hole to fall down!

I had a Gaggia Classic as my first machine and it served me very well. As far as getting a better grinder than the machine I would say -

1. The Classic can produce GREAT coffee you can add a PID to improve temp stability and play with different temperatures to extend it's 'life'.

2. If you go for a good grinder now it could easily serve you if you did decide to upgrade to say a nice HX machine in the future and doing it like that would be a lot cheaper in the long run.

The Niche is a great grinder from what I read. Another grinder at a more reasonable price point to consider is the Eureka Mignon Specilita, it is a very popular choice due to its quality and performance. I can do you one for £355 if you are interested.

I'm completely new to this so please bear with -

what does PID mean?

im about to buy my first machine, looking at either sage barista express or the pro. Any advice?

The gagia classic seems to be very popular. I wouldn't be able to afford one of these plus a niche.....& a second hand machine, I'm not really technical so not sure I'd be able to take it apart...I have no idea what shower screens are etc!

 

[Kannan]

what does PID mean

PID is a more reliable way of keeping temperatures stable by predicting fluctuations (if you know anything about maths, it stands for Proportional, Integral and Derivative)... Basically if you switch a heated element on or off you can control temperature, however that doesn't take into account how long something stays hot for, how quickly it might heat up or what the fluctuation might be once you reach the target temp due to internal or external factors... In simple terms a PID controller helps to keep (in this case the temperature of the water) at the set temp taking into account all other variables, which is one of the most important factors for brewing good espresso.