Buy a portafilter machine with grinder? Why we advise against it
Don't buy a portafilter machine with a built-in grinder. At least not without reading this article first.
We call these devices compact machines at our place. More accurately: compromise machines. And why that's the case, we've analyzed over years of testing and machine comparisons. Time and again when a portafilter machine with integrated grinder sits on our test bench, it turns out that either the espresso machine or the grinder is a compromise in terms of quality.
What is a portafilter machine with grinder?
The idea sounds good: espresso grinder and portafilter machine in one device. Beans on top, espresso out the bottom, little space on the countertop. Manufacturers like Sage, DeLonghi, Breville, or Lelit offer such combo devices, often for 500 to 1,000 euros.
The problem: Building a grinder and building an espresso machine are two completely different engineering tasks. The manufacturers of portafilter machines have their expertise in brewing groups, boilers, and temperature control. Designing a grinder that grinds uniformly and finely enough for espresso is a completely different story. And even if manufacturers have the expertise, there's still the price constraint. When the device is supposed to get to market as cheaply as possible, cuts are often made somewhere.
The quality compromise: grinder or temperature
In our tests, a pattern has emerged that appears in every one of these machines: Either the temperature is good — that is, constant at a specified brewing temperature — or the grinder is good. We haven't found both together in any compact machine.
Most often the grinder suffers. Sometimes the grinder and the temperature. Even when reputable manufacturers have installed a supplier grinder, as with the Meraki Espresso: The integration into a compact housing brings its own problems.
Why the grinder is almost always the victim
This has a historical reason. The coffee industry has said for decades: The machine is what's important. Grinders were systematically neglected, there was less research, less development. That has changed in recent years. Today there are excellent grinders from 250 euros. But this progress often isn't found in compact machines.
There's also a physical problem: A grinder has completely different requirements for humidity and heat than a brewing group. When the grinder sits directly next to or above the brewing group — and it must in a compact device — it works under conditions that harm the coffee. Heat and humidity in the grinding mechanism are the last thing you want for consistent espresso.
The repair problem
Compactness has its price, and it shows up at the latest after three to five years. In a portafilter machine with grinder, the grinder, brewing group, heating element, and lines are crammed into the tightest space. Access to individual components is limited. If the grinder breaks down, often the entire machine goes in for repair because the two are connected.
With a classical E61 brewing group, you can get to every screw. With a compact machine, screws are glued on from the top, lines are jumbled, components are stacked inside each other. Even if a technician can repair it, the hourly rate is often higher than the residual value of the device.
That's why compact machines are not 15-year devices. They last three to five, maybe eight years. A solid classical portafilter machine with replaceable components lasts significantly longer.
The workflow argument doesn't hold up
We often hear: "But the workflow is simpler, everything in one device!" Is that true?
Not really. You still need a grinder, a portafilter, and a brewing group. The path from ground coffee into the portafilter and from there into the brewing group is the same whether the grinder sits in the machine or next to it. You still have to distribute the coffee, tamp, and lock it in.
And the cleaning effort? Not any less. The mess is just in one place instead of two. But then you have moisture and ground coffee as shared dirt, which will clog the drip tray faster.
The price argument has become outdated
500 to 800 euros for a compact machine sounds cheap at first — machine and grinder in one. But the market has changed. Today you can get very solid single-dosing grinders from 250 euros. Plus a good single boiler or thermoblock for 300 to 500 euros. The individual components cost about the same together and each component is better than its counterpart in the compact machine.
A concrete example: A DeLonghi Dedica or a Gaggia Classic as the machine, plus a DF54 or a Varia VS3 as the grinder, together they take up hardly more space than a Sage Barista Pro.
When a compact machine makes sense anyway
We wouldn't be the coffee makers if we didn't also examine the other side.
An honest argument: If you're not yet sure whether portafilter espresso is your path, a compact machine can be a starting point. To try it out, with the option of switching back to a fully automatic machine later. But even then we'd say: Buy a budget machine and a good grinder. If portafilter isn't for you, at least you have a grinder that works for moka, filter coffee, or other brewing methods.
The only argument we can't refute: pure compactness. If you have exactly 30 centimeters of counter space and not one millimeter more, an all-in-one device might be your only option. Though a DeLonghi Dedica plus hand grinder isn't any wider either.
Our advice
Individual tests: Compact machines
- Test Sage Barista Pro
- Test Sage Barista Touch
- Test Sage Barista Express Impress
- Test Sage Oracle Dual Boiler
- Test Sage Dual Boiler
- Guide Sage Barista: Tips & Questions
- Test Meraki
