Assuming I plan to get either a 1zpresso JX-Pro or JE-Plus or ACE48cs, what would be a good starter espresso model for a 1.5k budget (machine only). Hoping to have both espresso and milk drinks.

a) Gemilai CRM3605 with necessary mods: RM800-1000
b) Flair Classic/Pro2 + Manual stovetop milk steamer: RM950-1200 + Rm300
c) Others?

To be honest I only bought it to use the ceramic dripper more than the mesh filter. Not a fan of non-paper filters because of how much fines get into the final brew. But maybe one day I'll try it out

Some observations from it though :
- the mesh filter is soft and probably made of plastic. Reminds me of those mosquito nettings you use, but finer. Most probably won't affect the taste, but will definitely affect longevity
- looks like they are finer than metal filters, but not 100% sure on this. If true, the it'll be cleaner than metal filters
- the flat bottom dripper won't automatically make it able to brew Kalita filters unfortunately due to it being pretty shallow
- the ceramic dripper is massive. Bigger than a 02. So heating it up is a lot harder
- the shape of the dipper is interesting to me because like Origami, the paper lies on the lines and doesn't touch the wall, but unlike the Origami, it's like a spiral. The curvy shape of it actually means the lines inside to be higher than standard V60. Could be used to experiment in if water flow affects rate of extraction or drawdown time

The only thing that prevents me from using it is my grinder, which is the Kinu. It's a damn great grinder, but as many as said online, the fines can be quite a bit, which I do not want to have in my final brew. If I had a EK43 or even a Comandante or a machine with SSP Unimodal, then I'd be more confident in trying it out

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the W60. Based on that, I'll skip it for now. Don't really think I need another brew device. Anyway, regarding the Kinu, I'd have thought that a Kinu would produce less fines than your typical run of the mill hand grinder. Which model do you have, the Classic?

Personally, I would go with the Flair route, despite more work. Here's why:
1. it's good for learning espresso, I learnt a lot using my first gen Flair signature.
2. there's no components that will spoil easily, only the gaskets/o-rings which is the same for any machine. For the Gemilai, it is hard to predict how long the components will last, as it's a budget machine
3. If you decide to upgrade to a prosumer grade machine in the future, the flair is still a good complement, and it can still fetch a decent second hand price. Not so sure about Gemilai.
4. No need to worry about scaling problem or cleaning of the machine, until you're ready for it - must do diligently for prosumer machines

But of course you will need to steam milk separately and it doesn't feel like a typical "pulling a shot" with portafilter.

c) wait for a few more months & top up a bit for the flair 58/flair 58X
,my guess RM1k/RM500 more than the pro2 but for the ease of cleaning, much easier to pull multiple shots, 58mm accessories compatibility, 

Thanks for your suggestion =D.
Flair definitely has an edge in maintenance. Do you have both? Is the quality of shots from the Flair comparable with Gemilai's? And is that applicable to both the Pro 2 and Signature/Classic or only the Pro 2?
The flair 58 is RM2.2k >.<. RM900 more than Flair Pro2 which perhaps for my use may be too expensive, esp since I'm only beginning in the hobby.

Thanks for your suggestion =D.
Flair definitely has an edge in maintenance. Do you have both? Is the quality of shots from the Flair comparable with Gemilai's? And is that applicable to both the Pro 2 and Signature/Classic or only the Pro 2?
The flair 58 is RM2.2k >.<. RM900 more than Flair Pro2 which perhaps for my use may be too expensive, esp since I'm only beginning in the hobby.

in my noob opinion, if you are really going to make lattes, flair + stovetop milk steamer is not a good workflow time wise. If you think about it, your coffee routine will gonna take at the very least half an hour. Imagine doing that every morning coupled with learning to control both the stove heat and steam wand. gemilai is a better bet although the build is somewhat cheap.

The type of bean affects the bitterness as well.
Robusta will be more bitter.
Arabica will be smoother.
Dark roasts will be more bitter.
Medium roast is more balanced.
Grind coarser.

temperature affects extraction more than pressure

also if your grinder is quite new and burrs not set...you get more fines

your machine and grinder should give acceptable espresso... machine using pressurized portafilter or you modded it?

btw... the timing and weights are just rough guidelines... you can adjust to your taste

darker roast is actually sweeter compared to medium roast... it develops the sugar more... but not too dark like black French roast

it's also much easier to grind because it's more brittle... and doesn't wear/seat your burrs as well... 2 months home use is actually not a lot even for medium roast... after 20-30 kilo then your burrs gets better

so yeah can try medium roasts first and see how that goes

I think it's a bit early to start looking for upgrades...but obviously a better machine will give better output

one test you can do is grind coarser n use the pressurized portafilter for taste comparison... this just to check if it's grinder/beans or temperature problem

just to add... darker roast the beans expansion is more, and thus more porous... so it's easier on extractions, including the bitter compounds... to control/limit this, coarser grind, lower temp and don't over extract wrt time/blonding is key.

Hi Everyone
Currently, my espresso set up is Delonghi Dedica espresso machine and Eureka Mignon Manuale. Cannot seems to get the taste of espresso right even thought I can get 14 grams ground coffee and 30-32 grams espresso output in 30-35 sec. Coffee always seems to taste a bit bitter and need a bit of sugar in my latte. Suspecting bitterness due to over extraction due to 15 bar brewing pressure specified for the Dedica.

Contemplating upgrading to one of the following:-
1) WPM KD-210S2 and mod to add an OPV to set the brewing pressure to 10 bars

2) Milesto EM19M3. Conflicting information; J Coffee, the local supplier, says machine is spec at 15 bars but brochures in alot of Chinese web site says 9 bars. A Singaporean wrote in Reddit to says his dealer confirm pump is spec at 15 bars, however the OPV was adjusted to 9 bars

3) WPM KD-310 and mod to add OPV to set brewing pressure to 10 bars

WPM is a rebadge of Sunbeam (EM6910 and Torino, respectively) in Australia and in their forum those who had added an OPV to their espresso machine reported thicker, creamier and sweet espresso coffee extracted. Tikietic have you mod your KD-210 ? Where did you get it done ?

However, regarding Milesto I am not able to obtain much information from the internet.

Which upgrade root should I take ? Opinions from Kopi Sifu highly appreciated.

Thanks for your suggestion =D.
Flair definitely has an edge in maintenance. Do you have both? Is the quality of shots from the Flair comparable with Gemilai's? And is that applicable to both the Pro 2 and Signature/Classic or only the Pro 2?
The flair 58 is RM2.2k >.<. RM900 more than Flair Pro2 which perhaps for my use may be too expensive, esp since I'm only beginning in the hobby.

Milesto is the best price to performance machine among them

Where can you get dual boiler machine below rm2k?

A DB breville will cost at least rm5k already

Don’t fret too much about the pressure bar

I did some research

Almost all coffee machine come with standard 15 bar pressure right now

Unless u go higher end or mod the machine with opv to achieve the consistent 9 bar for espresso