This $99 lever pulls legitimately cafe-quality shots with budget hand grinders once you dial in, and the 2024 steel brewhead finally eliminates preheating for medium-dark roasts. The workflow becomes punishing at scale: one shot is meditative, two shots is a chore, and three shots sends people shopping for electric machines. Disassembly and cleaning between pulls takes longer than the extraction itself, and the puck screen traps grounds in tiny holes every single time. Buy this if you're the only coffee drinker and genuinely enjoy the ritual, or if you need something portable for travel. Skip it if you're making back-to-back drinks for guests or thinking this will replace a real espresso machine for volume.
This is what you buy when you're done with starter machines and want something that'll still be pulling shots in a decade. Three-year, four-year, five-year ownership reports tell the same story: rock-solid reliability, commercial-grade steam power that makes budget machines feel like toys, and shot consistency that justifies the $3,000 ask. The E61 group needs regular cleaning and lubrication to stay happy, descaling is complex enough that Profitec recommends dealer service, and a handful of owners have dealt with screen or pump electronics going wonky after extended use. If you make multiple milk drinks daily and want a machine you maintain rather than replace, this is the one.