The Best Cheap Espresso Setup (£250 Budget) 

How I went from zero to espresso with only £250 *and decades of award winning barista experience*

I love how James now recognizes that whatever piece of coffee gear he suggest will have a short-term surge in price.

I cannot tell if this man is 36 or 63

I finally found THE rabbit hole of all the rabbit holes. Thank you James and Internet. Truly

James: *takes the top off the machine* Me: Good Lord look how complicated that looks James: "In here you can see the inside of these things is very simple" Me: Yes

Please do more video’s where you buy secondhand. It teaches lots about the machine itself hardware wise.

Hey James! Gaggia (after being acquired by Philips) stopped the production of the solenoid valve in 2015 to lower the power consumption (and save up on production costs) and replaced the boiler with a modified one from other Saeco machines, thus lowering the overall cost of the machine by 100-150. In 2019 after years of outcry and complaints they got back to their old but redesigned system with solenoid valve.

9:32 "this spins too, how exciting" was the cutest thing ever

Possible asmr channel idea: James methodically cleans second-hand coffee equipment

Imagine you’re the guy getting outbid by Hoffmann on a used espresso machine

I love that you're encouraging folks to buy used items. A Gaggia Classic is fully serviceable and can last a lifetime. I wonder how many DeLonghi and Sage machines end up in landfill in that time.

I actually love this video. I started out my coffee journey buying a cheap machine and grinder, servicing them, and fixing them up! What this meant is that by the time I was ready to upgrade, I actually made money from the equipment I was moving on! It meant that over the years, I've been able to more or less self-fund the entire hobby!

I think the real reason James is giving away all the stuff to his patreon supporters is that otherwise his studio would be completely full after a month

My broke ass likes this a lot.

The fact that that’s the cheap end is the main thing keeping me from making espresso

The fact that you kept a straight face and kept going after whatever it was that fell out of the machine at 5:01 is very impressive

This is exactly what I did at the start of lockdown: -gaggia classic (2007 model) £110 -referbed myself and spent ~£50 on parts (shower screen, brass plate silicone gaskets etc) -mr shades PID £95 -bottomless portafilter off ebay ~£12 -VST basket £20 -Smart grinder pro from ebay £60

Good god that was the most British advert ever. The bleak weather, the path in the park, the tree line, the under construction building with the crane towering over it... most Channel 4-like!

This was pretty much my path into espresso. 2nd hand Gaggia classic for cheap, and a new a Breville smart grinder. Lots of cleaning, pressure tweak, new shower head and steam arm, IMS basket and bottomless portafilter, then lots of practice! Whilst I’d love to upgrade my setup one day, there’s plenty of cafes out there making worse espresso than I can produce with this combo!

The way you describe the Gaggia Classic's ubiquity as a plus reminds me a lot of how Singer is such a popular brand for antique sewing machine enthusiasts. While other brands made arguably better sewing machines a century ago, the fact that there are so many surviving original replacement parts and accessories (from the high volume of Singer machines produced) means Singer repair continues to be accessible, even for more beginner-ish sewists.

Welcome back James :D

After this video: gaggia classic demand 📈 Gaggia classic supply on eBay 📉

I’ve always been fascinated how this channel keeps me engaged for three reasons 1. I’m allergic to coffee and can’t drink it 2. I have a sensitivity to pretentiousness (hear me out) and James treads that line in a way that is completely believable and inoffensive. 3. Someone being this AR about anything prima facie as mundane as coffee would normally turn me off but the casual but complete earnestness wins me over every time.

I had absolutely no knowledge or experience and pulled every single component of the Gaggia classic apart. They are so nice to work on compared to anything with a circuitboard. And now I know how it all works. Don't be afraid!

I would love to see a series of videos that have you go through the same process with different budgets: $250, $500, $1,000 etc.

That plastic on the hopper is probably Amber PET, which is meant to provide UV protection for what is inside. I have no clue if that's nessesary for coffee beans, but it's used for medicine and skincare.

Would love to see a video that takes a look at the minimum you can get good espresso, brand new, for. Kind of a beginner’s guide to getting started

Seeing James buy the same scale I have might be my proudest moment

He is serious but at the same time he is witty. I cannot explain it

It's been too long without the Hoff

I bought a 2nd hand Gagg Classic during lockdown 1, to get me out of bed. I’m neither a coffee nerd nor a diy guy, but there is so much content for these machines online, which made it so easy to fix.

Aside from how much hope this gave me for my college student budget; I loved watching and hearing you repair things and go over the whole process of making coffee, from the value of a not perfectly fitting tamper to using a paperclip to break down clumps in the ground coffee ☺️ very helpful!

I've owned a Gaggia Classic for £90. I fixed it, used it for years and just sold it all for £300. Not only is this budget but it's money making if you are willing to take the time to research and fix. Man I miss my Gaggia Classic. My advice is to buy a Gaggia Classic from around 2005, absolute work horse, still reliable, easy to fix

"But what I do have are a very particular set of scales; scales I have acquired over a very long career"

My £147 second hand Gaggia Classic was 3 years old when I bought it. It's now 12 years old and still going strong, with a few mods over the years, best purchase I ever made.

I hope you read this! Your videos SERIOUSLY appeal to me. I appreciate not only your info presented, but the way that you pace the videos as well which allows for deeper understanding. I also appreciate the lack of any background music, the mood of the video is purely YOU. Awesome stuff, thank you so much, you’ve already taught me so much. 🙏

Super curious about the details of your cleaning regimen. How to thoroughly clean without damaging electronics, things to watch out for, things that don't matter as much.

This would be interesting to repeat post-pandemic. I.e. Lots of people bought coffee gear while sitting at home and may want to unload in when they get back to normal. Greater supply lower demand.

Absolutely would love an updated version of this now three years later

Found a Gaggia classic at a garage sale 3 years ago for $40. Has been a simple but extremely effective workhorse of an espresso machine. I've done regular backflushes and cleaning and have not had a single issue. Grabbed a Baratza encore so that I can grind easily for pour over, espresso, and aero. An efficient and very cost effective combo but I recognize the garage sale machine was a special find!

It’s felt like so long! Welcome back, I hope you enjoyed your break.

The best thing about this video is, I learned that the phrase 'portafilter sneeze' is a thing. Day = made.

You made me very happy with my choices. About seven years ago, I decided to get into the espresso game. I bought a used Gaggia Classic, which came with 4 cups and saucers, a tamper; for 179 US. The grinder is a cousin of the one you selected (same internals) for 169 delivered. I am very happy. I did recently upgrade the grinder to a Sette 270. Thank You.

Four people who shouldn’t be allowed to fly on the same plane during bad weather; Chris Baca James Hoffman Tim Wendelboe Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood

I absolutely love the idea of buying someone's used, loved machine and refurbing it. A little coffee project sounds quite fun. Welcome back James.

Imagine being the patreon who gets the Iberital when the next guy along got the Weber EG-1

I'm part way through a used espresso gear journey. I bought a non-functional La Pavoni Professional lever machine back in October. One of the reasons I went with that kind of machine was the availability of replacement parts. Got a "broken" one because I was reasonably sure I could get it running again. Had to replace a number of things, and do a lot of cleaning, but I'm pleased with the results, I feel a sense of satisfaction from doing the work myself, and my shots are getting better and better. Next I need to get a better grinder. The Hario hand cranker isn't really up to the task. Honestly though, I've kind of enjoyed the challenge of working around the limitations to achieve the best espresso I can with the setup I have. Without much adjustment on the Hario I've played around with dose, pre-infusion, lever force, boiler pressure, distribution and tamping techniques, etc. to try and make up for the fact that the grinder is more or less a constant (only one setting seems to be even close to right for espresso). I'm having fun and learning a ton. Thanks for all the insight and inspiration!

James, your videos are amazing, the quality, production and your knowledge and ability to clearly convey information is so great to see. As someone who is looking to get their first espresso setup your videos have been super informative and is helping me a lot to make some tough decisions. Great channel, I look forward to watching more!

My "favorite" clients do the exact opposite. They buy 4000€ machine and look for the perfect 7€ coffee. 😂🤷

I think this is one of THE most important videos you've ever done. I was JUST about to purchase a Gaggia Classic off OfferUp.

To me a cheap and astonishingly adequate setup starts with the Flair. Compact, easy to use, solid output. Hard to beat for the price.

Thank You!! I completed everything today: cut opv spring, lamp dimmer switch on right side in front of steam knob, installed manometer on front right, moved Gaggia logo left, setup xmt7100 for 2 relays, pulled a perfect shot, and I now know the pressure is at 8.5 bar. You helped a lot! Update - I thought I was at 8.5 bar, but it was 10 I just didn’t grind fine enough, but the best taste is at a grind that achieves 6 bar!

James going over budget just so he can have something to knock his coffee grounds in rather than just use a bin is peek Hoffmann.

Me and my dad love repairing things together, this seems like a fun project to have together with a really fun result

OMG. This was exactly the same set up I had when I started making espresso at home ten years ago! Bought a second hand Gaggia Classic off eBay, modded it with PID temperature control, and it had been working faithfully for so many years. I brought them back to China with me and they just kept going. Only replaced the Gaggia with a heat exchanger machine about two years ago. And the grinder, has been serving me well still to this day, everyday, after 10 years continuous using without any problem! I'm so surprised to see them together in your video ☺️

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

me getting into coffee and watching every vid in 2 days thinking about good coffee and being a broke student. this video pops up. life is good

I did exactly this over christmas! - Gaggia Classis (2008, so still has solenoid valve), £150 - Rancilio Rocky Dosorless grinder, £130 - tamper, IMS basket, service kit etc. CitricAcid, £50 slightly more, but still fairly reasonable I hope... My newfound passion so happy regardless :)

Thanks for all of your work, James, I do appreciate the commitment and expertise that you offer. We recently bought a country place (nice to be out of the big city in these days) and I wanted to have decent espresso there, but at a budget. I have a Gaggia Classic (2019) that I modded as you did here, and a Gaggia MDF grinder. I ended up with an espresso “appliance,” a Capresso EC100 that features a pressurized basket of less than professional size, and a Breville Smart Grinder Pro grinder. I am quite impressed by the Breville, as it has 2 adapters for different sized baskets (one of which worked well with the Capresso), and with some experimenting with the timing and grind size (and a tip to pause the grind midway through to tap the basket a couple of times and continue), was able to produce a very consistent and very decent pull for $325 overall new and delivered. Thanks again for all that you give to your subscribers!

I took on a second hand La Pavoni refurb last year and loved doing it.... So easy to find one and get parts for it, plus there's a Facebook group full of info on how to do every step of the refurb. I'm probably going to keep adding modifications to try and make it better as i go along, but I've been so happy with it.

I am now imagining James and 2 other coffee content creators based in the UK in a video where they are given an absurdly small amount of money and be told to go out and buy an espresso setup, which will then be subjected to a battery of tests and competitive mocking.

I'm so glad to see this! You'd need to spend more like 5-600 to get a close enough result when buying new. My setup is a Gaggia baby twin - 60€ A few seals and a shower screen - 20€ A Gaggia MD64 grinder - 90€ Tamper, etc - 20€

I thoroughly enjoyed the vlog... I'm impressed in how easy you made it look in tearing down the equipment. Your expertise in the mechanics of the machines was quite obvious. I wonder what a range of *James Hoffman espresso* machines would look like.

Ah the video I've been WISHING for since quarantine started. Soon after I found this channel I went out and bough a "broken" vintage Coffee Gaggia for $50 and after fixing it and modifying it I couldn't be happier.

James, I know you won’t see this but I bought that cup from your website and I loved it, it’s the cutest little cup and you inspired me to get a little more serious about coffee, thank you so much your Channel means a lot to me!

James, have you considered doing a video about the Sage/Breville machines with the 54mm portafilters and developing a dose on them in particular? They're immensely popular, and as far as things like dose are concerned (and the length of the path through the coffee at a given dose) there must be differences since the 10% smaller diameter means that the bed depth has to be 21% greater at a given dose. It'd be interesting to hear someone with your experience level discuss the differences in flavor between a 54 and 58mm filters and how that affects grind size, pressure, dose weight, etc.

Thank you, James! Your videos are very engaging and informative. Humorous as well! The deadpan nature of your delivery was only broken once, that I have so far noticed. When you tasted that dehydrated espresso crust…I laughed right along with you. I also would like to thank you for the inspiration to pick up a used 1 year old Gaggia Classic Pro and Erueka Mignon Manuale for the decent price of $575. Never did I imagine I would spend that kind of money on an espresso maker, until I saw you buy a vintage machine in Italy. This video was truly my inspiration. Thank you!

At the recommendation of coffee forums about 6 years ago I bought a secondhand Gaggia Classic (older Pre-2015 Model) as well as a Rancilio Rocky. I use it here and there, got some OK espresso, nothing I considered life changing, but as of late I haven't touched it much. I fell down the rabbit hole of Jame's youtube channel (currently stuck at home with Covid), and as of yesterday decided to show the machine a little love and ordered up a new silicon gasket, shower-head & brass mounting plate, a IMS competition basket and a bottomless portafilter. I've also looked up how to dial back the pressure on my specific version. Long story short - cheers on your videos for running the gamut between good stuff for home use, whacky coffee gadgets, techniques and all that goodness all the way up into high end $$$ machines. Cheers from over the pond.

For a used grinder the Baratza line is fantastic. Baratza has an incredible grinder repair program. As a company, they seem to be dedicated to keeping their product working, not just pushing replacements. I bought a used AS-IS Vario for $150, a full service is $85 with new burrs it's only $40 more. Ended up with a basically new $500 grinder for under $250. The repairs are significantly cheaper for their entry-level grinders too. Most importantly, I know that if something goes wrong in the future they'll be there to help.

"Look, this spins too. How exciting!"

Nothing makes me happier than seeing James disassemble and repair every piece of a machine. If you're going to own something, figure out exactly how it works and take care of it!

As someone that got a WICKED deal on two Gaggia Baby machines, it really does take patience! You can get some amazing coffee out of the second hand machines. And it's important to remember, the early Gaggia machines are MACHINES. All the parts can be replaced, cleaned, fixed. Customized. There is no finicky computer chips in it. Just relays, temp sensors, and power. I love my Baby, whom I got for $20 and about $30 worth of cleaning supplies. I spent more on a coffee tamper than the entire machine.

HE’S BACK!!!!! THIS IS A GLORIOUS DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For those that don’t know, the pre 2015 classic or the newer Classic Pro is the way to go if you have the option. (These models have the OPV) Plus as James mentioned, Adrian at shades coffee (AKA Mr Shades) will sort you out with a an OPV kit and even a PID kit to give you more control of the temperature. Top bloke and well regarded in the coffee game for his Gaggia Knowledge.

Mr Hoffman I am a recent discoverer of your videos and I am loving them so much. Thank you for making them sir 💐

I've done very similar to begin my hobby. A 2007 GC rebuilt extensively before my purchase, and upgraded to a rancilio wand and 9bar output. I bought an MC2 grinder from Scott at Happy Donkey along with tamper, shot glasses and cleaning gubbins, and very happy indeed. I've also bought a bottomless pf, milk jugs and thermometer; scales and vst basket next on the list. Turns out this new endeavour is fast becoming an obsession!

Hi James, I followed this route a while back. You must buy a pre Phillips Gaggia Classic. Easy to see by the font on the front. I found changing the shower block to a solid brass one made a huge difference to the stability and flavour (over the furred up lightweight aluminium one in the machine). The steam wand changes to a Ranchillio Silvia one and. The OPV only needs a screwdriver to adjust. My machine had been kicking out 13 bar! 9 made a world of difference. All cheap and easy modifications. I only paid £50, the upgrades added another £50 including ‘competition’ shower screen and basket. I then found a Mazzer mini (manual version) for £100 which I took the hopper off and cleaned and I single dose with it. I removed a little anti static grill on the exit of the machine so I can remove most retention easily with a tea spoon handle. More mods planned. The quality was great, and I started roasting. Eventually I sold the machine and bought a Second hand Rocket with E61 and rotary pump.....no PID...keeping the skill element hah. I’d love to scale up and go commercial. Oh, also bought your book which is great. Hope this helps people!

Jame's last video: Lets spend $5000 on grinder This video:

That was fun and informative. I had a Gaggia for 6 months and I made excellent espresso. I like that you can pull this off for so little.

Been watching the channel for a long time but this is my favorite video so far!! doing this kind of research and mods can also be a fun adventure. I also think the espresso taste better when you put up some work on your kit. Thanks and Cheers!

15:20 There's various 3d printed low profile drip trays available online btw

Funnily enough this was exactly my first setup and I'm still using Classic (albeit an older model with a solenoid and now every imaginable mod). Iberital was great for those forst few years (although it's so damn loud and hard to clean) but after upgrading to Niche I realised why grinders can cost so much. Respect for this video 👍🏼

I will have my own setup someday! I love your enthusiasm for coffee 🙌

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.

Without my morning espresso, i get depresso

"Oh this spins too! How exciting” Brilliant 😅

Thank you James for a great video! I am in the middle of doing the same, with a little more budget to avoid the DIY activities. New Iberital MC-2 ordered, currently using a hand grinder (the one that came out bottom in your review!) plus ROK GC manual espresso machine. I wanted to do everything manually although grinding even 16g in a manual grinder is too much. Press the button! Results so far are encouraging: I'd say 75% as good as my local indy coffee shop. Big flavour nearly sweet, technique needs work. Thank you for the inspiration!

This video persuaded me to buy a vst basket for my gaggia classic. Turn the pressure down inside the machine and buy some proper fresh coffee... best espresso I’ve made so far. However I’ve realised my grinder doesn’t go fine enough for non pressurised baskets... so now I need to replace it as well🙃 Thank you JH for continued teaching

5 years ago: Gaggia Classic (2006) + Gaggia MDF grinder OPV adjustment to 9 bar Rancilio steam wand Mr shades PID Very good coffee

Nice , i just started my Espresso journey using second hand gear that was partially broken. Rancilio silvia for 200euro with a broken steam wand with a 50euro handgrinder! took me about a week to get it working :D. Thanks for the insight for how you would do it!

Often I find that the time and effort put into hunting for a good deal on online marketplaces could also be used on working extra hours, and just getting the real deal. Equally as time-intensive, but way less frustrating (and eliminates the risk of dealing with meh products).

Passion, intelligence, experience - this guy has it all! A great video, two thumbs up. 👍👍

I think that on a tight budget one of the best deals for second hand espresso machine and a good grinder is the classic duo - Rancilio Silvia and a Eureka Mignon. Both of them are very robust and same as the Gaggia the Silvia is build as a tank, dead easy to use and basically can outlive us if you take good care of it. I decided to go for PID as well and invested a bit more money in that but I think it's definitely worth the money.

The way he says “chewbe” makes my heart soar

I love this budget exercise.

Just bought s second hand Sage duo temp on eBay and love it. I also got an oxo grinder, works great too. Love the videos they are descriptive. And keep everyone informed.

Great video James - and wonderful to see you using the 6.5bar spring to get some great tasting espresso from the Classic 2015. I frequently tell people that the Classic produces great espresso at 6.5bar though many just continue to use the "industry standard" 9 bar and don't even try 6.5. Perhaps they will after hearing it from you rather then me! -- MrShades

This was so informative. I'd love to see some more content on the "guts" of an espresso machine.

My first machine was a second hand PID-kitted Silvia and it was great!

Love your videos James I'm new to the whole espresso machine thing as I had a Nespresso pod machine for years you are so informative 😊😊😊