I used a flair for a long time and loved it. Find a bean that’s got a lot of body and richness at a very light roast, and then grind it as fiiiiine as you can get it. Then you can crank the absolute heck out of it and overcome any heat or extraction issues with some huge pressure. Gauge add-on is highly recommended, but as far as other solid cups from budget machines, Breville makes great user-friendly machines at around/under $500, my rec being the Infuser/BES840XL
Happy to help! Everyone deserves great coffee at home!
Mostly I use a stove top bialetti these days. And would really love to have a decent espresso device.
Flair anyone? https://flairespresso.com/
https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-espresso-machines
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/appliances/coffee-maker-reviews/g29069348/best-espresso-machines/
I use a flair 58. I love it. Pull any pressure pattern. I don’t use milk though, and it is more work than the popular machines
More work, lower cost, fewer parts to break / replace. I’m talking myself into a Flair.
More work just because you’re the pressure source. But that also means you can use the pressure however you like
You need a really expensive machine to have that kind of control automatically
I used a flair for a long time and loved it. Find a bean that’s got a lot of body and richness at a very light roast, and then grind it as fiiiiine as you can get it. Then you can crank the absolute heck out of it and overcome any heat or extraction issues with some huge pressure. Gauge add-on is highly recommended, but as far as other solid cups from budget machines, Breville makes great user-friendly machines at around/under $500, my rec being the Infuser/BES840XL
The 58 that comes with a dial has a damage warning above 12 bar