Mignon Notte

The jump from Nespresso to semi-auto is bigger than most people expect - not trying to put you off, just worth knowing upfront. The machine is actually the easy part; it's the grinder and the learning curve that catch people out. For lattes specifically, you want something with a decent steam wand.

Probably the best budget setup you can buy. If you were going to increase the budget a bit I would highly recommend the Eureka Mignon Notte grinder at $300.

Don't go for the Opus, just don't. Grab the Timemore Sculpture deal or look at the Eureka Mignon Notte.

Eureka Mignon Notte $299>Turin DF54 $260>Shardor 64mm Flat Burr $169 - Personally I’d go for either Eureka or Turin - good luck 👍

Eureka Mignon Notte since you don’t want “generic”. DF grinders aren’t generic, they’re popular for a reason

I just got an open box eureka mignon Notte from SCG for $260. It’s fantastic for a grinder at this price point

I more care about reliability ... Not a hand grinder please In spite of what you said, you should seriously consider a hand grinder such as 1ZPresso J-Ultra. You won't get any more reliable than that. Any electric grinder at your budget is going to be an entry level grinder, with many manufacturing

i feel you on the fellow disappointment - same thing happened to my first kettle. the ode's mess and retention drove me nuts too. for compact electric grinders look at the df64 or the eureka mignon notte, both have way less static mess. if you want something smaller the 1zpresso jx-pro hand grinder

A really safe option is a Breville Bambino and a Eureka Mignon Notte or Zero grinder. Then get some accessories (tamper, mat, scale).

Switching a grinder between espresso and pourover grind sizes isn't going to work well on any grinder at your budget. Keep your Encore for pourovers, and get a Eureka Mignon Notte or Manuale for espresso-only (it's not good for multiple brew methods).