I recently sold a bambino plus and smart grinder pro. Think I was looking too much from entry level espresso machines and grinder, think you need to spend a lot more to get really good espresso (could be my skill level too I admit). Main problem with smart grinder pro is it retains a lot of the ground beans, would need to be cleaning it out after each use, which ain’t practical. Back to aeropress for now with pre ground coffee.
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I had a Barista Express for years, which is pretty comparable to a Bambino Plus and Smart Grinder.
The coffee I got from it was absolutely top notch, with the provisio that I generally drank cortados and flat whites, rather than straight espressos.
Of course you can spend far more on much better equipment, but I think you very quickly hit the point of diminishing returns versus something simple like buying better beans. It’s only the tiny minority that will care about this stuff.
I stopped buying coffee from anywhere but the most artisanal cafes, as my home brews were far better than the vast majority of what I could buy on the high street.
I’ve been eyeing a Nice Zero for years, but I’d wager that the average coffee drinker is completely oblivious to grind retention.
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I got good coffee from my combo of machines but then next day went back to it with same settings and got poor results, as I said I think grinder had lot to do with it. Others have mentioned the temperature being a problem with bambino, as you couldn’t change it, plus maybe wasn’t consistent either.
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From my research it does seem the holy grail for coffee equipment is consistency.
At the moment though I use a bladed coffee grinder gifted to me my a mate and the linked stovetop pots. The brews I get are inconsistent, most likely because the gind size is wildly varied. Most days I’ll get a beautiful cup out of the percolator, then some days it will taste like an over extracted mess, or be very flat and thin in taste.
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Sounds like me, was so annoying some days. Do the exact same thing and get different results.
Blade grinders are the worst. No chance of getting a consistent result out of them at all, not worth being considered a grinder. Upgrading to a burr grinder should see an immediate improvement.
I have a Barista pro, and have recently upgraded my grinder - to the aforementioned Timemore.
I kinda wish I had just bought the Bambino and a better grinder
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Definitely not for everyone, but I was seriously looking into getting one of these manual grinders.
Think you’d be spending 3x the cost to get something as good that’s electric.
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It looks like it would be pretty simple to give that an electric motor if you really didn’t want to manual grind.
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It can’t be that simple or everyone would be doing it.
Tried a little Googling. Found What makes good electric burr grinders so expensive? : Coffee
Personally I have both a manual grinder and an electric grinder, and I use the manual one more often than not. The electric I only use when making bigger brews.
But the grinder already exists. I don’t know the quality of it because I haven’t tried it - I was really just going off Ravis comment that an electric one would be three times more.
I don’t know if that grinder is any good, I can tell you that give me £20 and an afternoon and I can get a simple motor to turn it for you.
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also does anyone else have to manually correct the word grinder because their phone autofills Grindr or is that just me 
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What apps on ya mind hun x
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Not a problem I’ve encountered! 
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Well after my last machine spectacularly bit the dust I thought it was time to replace it.
First impressions, seems quite good. The “tap and go” isn’t quite right, you have to push it down for it to dispense, and I can’t make no latte art (yet) but at least there’s Xmas to practice.
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Where do you guys buy your beans?
I’ve tried a lot of London roasters over the years, Square Mile, Ozone, Climpson & Son, Origin, Dark Arts, Workshop, Assembly, kiss the Hippo, Monmouth, Caravan are those that I can think of off the top of my head…
Of course there are beans from each roaster that I like, and those I like less - and I think working out your personal taste preference is more important than the brand. I now alternate between Assembly, Ozone, and Square Mile - and rarely disappointed by these three.
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Their signature blend, or fudge blend is really good. There are lots of nice blends to try depending on how you like your coffee.
If it matters to you they seem to have a good ethos too. EG: Rave Coffee & 1% For The Planet UK ✌️ – RAVE COFFEE
I only buy 1KG bags, I buy 2 bags in a row before I switch away from a bean.
Previously: 200 Degrees House Blend - Nice, dark, took some getting used to, but loved it!
Currently: Mancoco Espresso Blend - Much lighter (too light) to jump to from the 200 degrees roast.
I really tend to avoid the smaller bags, as you (can) spend quite a bit on dialling I etc.
Not sure what my next bag might be, need to consult my friends and here to find a good roast!
I know exactly what you mean regarding the small packs. I usually find i only get it right when the packet is about to finish, and then onto another one.
As for Rave, maybe I was unlucky, but the couple I tried were some of my least favourite.
They sell 1KG bags on Rave and if you want a strong roast, this one is good 