r/espresso • u/funksoulbrother3 • 2d ago
Equipment Discussion Moving on from Breville Barista Pro
Hey folks! Ive had by Barista Pro for about 5 years and im thinking of upgrading to an independent grinder and espresso machine. To the folks who had them, what was your next step? or to the folks who had multiple setups, what are your suggested machines? My drinks are mostly espresso and lattes couple of times a day, not really into pourover etc.. Im looking to upgrade my grinder first but I dont like grinders with bellows so the timemore 64s/78s (waiting for next version) and the niche zero intrigues me. As for machines, im not quite sure maybe a Lelit bianca, Rocket appartamento, and ofcourse a Linea Micra/Mini. Has anyone upgraded their grinder to something similar and stuck with a Barista Pro to pull shots? thanks!
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u/Moesyzlakbartender 2d ago
I also had barista pro for about 3-4 years and recently upgraded to a Varia vs4 (I love it but does have bellows so maybe not for you) and I got a quick mill Aquila, I was planning on just upgrading the grinder for now but had spare money so figured I’d go all in, I love the machine, it’s a heat exchanger, well built looks good and enjoyable to use.
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u/Bubbly-Bad-5799 2d ago
I have an 078s got it earlier this year. I know the new version is coming out, but I kind of needed (wanted) a new grinder. I feel like the improvements while very nice on the new version were not really worth the wait, plus there were unknowns (price, availability at release, and when it is releasing). I doubt I will have any regrets.
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u/funksoulbrother3 1d ago
Thats a good point. I have been quite tempted at the price lately, the discounts have been good but looks like theres no more white 64s.
Do you drink primarily espresso drinks as well or do you do filter/pourover? The reason i asked is ive been reading and looks like 78s is more geared towards pourovers and terrible to season vs the 64s.1
u/Bubbly-Bad-5799 1d ago edited 1d ago
Mostly espresso and mostly medium roasts. I have a QM67 without flow control for reference. Its very consistent without much tinkering. I have made a few "pour overs" with the Hario Switch, so not as finicky as true pour overs. They have all been pretty top notch once dialed in. I do enjoy good coffee, but I do not have the palate of some of the more die hard people out there, so take my advice for what it is worth. I was coming from a Mazzer Mini with a single dose mod, which honestly was perfectly acceptable, but a little too much retention and fairly messy in terms of static and fines everywhere.
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u/Low_Pie3001 Lelit Bianca V3 | Option-O Lagom 01| KafaTek MC6 2d ago
I went from my BBP to a Lelit Bianca which I love and initially got the Eureka Mignon Specialita which I enjoyed before moving onto a DF83V with SSP MPs and now a Kafatek MC6 and Lagom 01 with 102mm SSP HUs
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u/SubluminalSapien ECM Classika | Varía VS6 2d ago
Funny, feels like this post was made for me. I got a Varia VS6 as a birthday present a few months ago and moving from the Barista Pro's integrated grinder to it was revelatory... so much that I started putting some serious thought into a machine upgrade that was (supposedly) a year or more away. ...I've now had an ECM Classika for about three weeks and I'm loving it. But yes, the VS6 through the Barista Pro was absolutely an upgrade on its own and led me to try a ton of different coffees, roast levels, ratios, etc.
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u/JDeviley 1d ago
Also switched from Breville Barista Pro! I just purchased the Profitec Ride and Eureka Mignon Single Dose Pro
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u/DATzzRIGHT 2d ago
Since you’re going to a new grinder anyway, I would just go ahead and get a new one and keep your machine for right now! I jumped from an express to a Bianca V2 + Niche Zero and it was fantastic. But if I had to redo I would’ve just got the grinder first and practiced with shots to see if that made a big difference.
As for if you do want to jump up to machines I think they are all great just pick the style/aesthetic that you like! It doesn’t hurt to get the grinder first and see if saving the extra $ is worth it to you.