Encore

Can’t answer your question but I would strongly suggest you getting a Breville bambino and something like a Baratza encore ESP for the grinder. All in one machines , and especially Ninja ones, are not the best (Ninjas known to fail quite a lot). Bambino $299 and Baratza $199. If you get an all in on

Bambino + baratza encore ESP is better for sure

Also have Baratza Encore, I have never found it to be an acceptable grinder, I have switched to an Eurkia grinder, stepless, much better results. I know some Baratza fans will down vote this, however Baratza Encore was never an espresso grinder. I still use my Baratza for my chemex setup, which work

I use a Baratza Encore. Nothing wrong with that. It grinds enough to make a good shot. What more do you need?

That's absolutely not true, you can get a used baratza encore esp for like 100. Even the regular encore can grind fine enough for espresso, the increments are just too big. I had the same machine as OP, i just pulled the plastic insert out of the stock portafilter and put a non pressurised basket in

You can run it with pre ground coffee using a pressurised basket but it kind of defeats the point of having a manual espresso machine. I'd put your budget into a decent grinder capable of espresso (e.g. Baratza Encore Esp) and slowly upgrade elsewhere. A self levelling tamper is very helpful and als

Just sharing the upgrade path i took. I got a bambino plus, and a non-esp baratza encore, both new. I got rid of the encore, and bought a well-recommended grinder from aliexpress for around 220 usd (starseeker e55 pro). I feel like i can dial in any bean (havent tried any light roast) which gave me

Check out the Baratza Encore ESP Pro - under $300. Good grinder. Don't just buy any cheap grinder. Buy a grinder that has fine grind settings for espresso.

As others have said no need for a bottomless portafilter. Just buy a unpressurised basket to put in your portafilter that came with the machine You can even use the pressurised (one hole at bottom) basket with a coarse grind but better to use unpressurised (lots of holes bottom), and an espresso cap

Switching out M2 burr is not difficult, and Baratza has instructions online. I have Encore that I modded several years ago with M2 burr, and I have Breville Barista Express. The combination works perfectly. The Encore is quite capable. I generally find the sweet spot with fresh espresso roasts to be