I purchased an ECM Mechanika V Slim espresso machine last July in a bundle with a Baraza Sette 270 grinder from espressoplanet.com. I actually tired to purchase locally first from Espressoworks in Calgary but there were massive supply shortages everywhere for espresso machines and they weren't sure when they would have the machine in stock again.
The Sette was way too loud so I did trade that up for a Niche Zero which was very worth it for a more user friendly grinder, better ground coffee, and very quiet machine.
It's been a fun hobby for the past year and my latte art has gotten pretty decent in that time as well. Espresso is pretty time consuming and can be costly as well so i recommend it only if you're going to enjoy making the coffee, spending 5 minutes on every drink, etc.
For anyone starting out, I would recommend getting a good hand grinder and then just using any pourover or infusion brewer (French Press, Clever, V60, etc.). Also, buy your beans from a local roaster. Every time I've been tempted enough to try a new bag of beans from Costco it has been utterly disappointing.
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