Coffee Appreciation

My understanding is that the grinder is usually deemed more important at this end of the budget scale. The two basic things you'll need are a grinder that is sufficiently adjustable to dial in espresso, while also capable of producing good quality fine grounds. The espresso machine needs to be able to deliver 9 bar of pressure. (This is an intentional oversimplification, please don't shoot me espresso enthusiasts).
For those to be met in the most basic/cheapest way, you seem to have to spend more on the grinder than the espresso machine.
So usually when people are looking to buy, they're encouraged to spend more on the grinder than the machine - but for most people this is with a budget of £3-600.
As for Hoffman not being thrilled with any of them, it's worth understanding that he's used to working with commercial machines, and doesn't make espresso at home himself. There's a whole thing about home espresso being a hobby because of the amount of effort it requires, especially when compared to filter.
I would say that it would be a shame to drop a grand on a machine if you don't have a decent grinder.

Edit: as @mmccarthy said, you could always buy the machine you want with a decent hand grinder, and wait until the Niche arrives in Feb. But that's also increasing your budget by quite a big whack. Having a decent hand grinder for traveling with is also super useful.

I like the Niche - if I was buying today I might go for it.
I haven't read enough about the Niche but I like the ubiquity of the Vario which is something.

The Mara X looks nice - you could get that + 2nd hand Vario for £1200

Did @Cornish_Bike get a Lelit or am I imagining?

Everything I read about the Niche seems to be very good. Aesthetically speaking the Niche is likely to please my partner more than the Vario so that's swaying my decision slightly.

I'm leaning towards Silvia + Niche quite heavily now. Niche is likely to give me the best chance of getting the best out of the machine and the machine seems to be a sensible upgrade from what I have now, with quite a few options to mod/upgrade going forward.

That seems like a very sensible decision :)

I did get the Mara X pretty recently, paired it with Eureka Mignon Specialita (popular combo). It was a bit unnecessary considering we're mostly milk drinks (min. 3 a day) plus the occasional americano, but I've been enjoying it very much. Might've gone for the Niche but (having already splurged for the MaraX) the price and stock situation put me off.

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Is one wand for steam and one for just hot water there?

Yes. They're both safe to touch and won't burn your hand unless you try really hard.

When you were looking at what to buy, did you come across the ACS Minima?

I got a Mara about 6 Months ago and have it paired with a Gaggia MDF, grinder is now the weak link but even with the MDF the espresso is a massive upgrade over the Gaggia Classic I did have.

Looking at a Eureka Zenith 60e as a replacement, just trying to work out if I can make it fit.

I bought mind second hand off coffee forums.co.uk

FFS, after all this talk of espresso, I fancied a nice flat white. Being too lazy to hand crank the MC2 to espresso ground, I took the top off and cranked the wheel to something much finer. Went to grind a few beans as a test and I'd obviously set it too fine as it's just stripped the plastic gear inside the mechanism. Hopefully I've not knackered anything else inside.
New gear ordered over the phone. Not a great moment tbh.

I did, but spending almost-1k on the machine was already overbudget, also didn't like the idea of having dual boilers for a maximum of 6-7 coffees per day, barring any guests. IMO the looks isn't great too. The solenoid actuation in the Minima is nice though, because with the lever-actuated E61 machines (like the Mara) you need to take out and regrease the whole lever/cam mechanism every time after you do a chemical backflush (which is done every 2 months or so, to clean out the gunk) as the chemical eats away the grease around the cam and makes the lever no fun to use.

Bonus Sticker brightened my day, ta!

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Everyone loves a sticker!

After reassembly (with old gear filed into kinda the right shape) the motor still turns, so I'm glad I haven't properly knackered it. Hopefully I won't be waiting 6 weeks like I did previously for spare parts.

Same but @StevePeel gutted that these don't line up a la MrMen books.

I have to give another shout out for hand grinders when assessing new espresso setups. The difference between cheap ones and decent ones is huge. Eg, between my Hario slim and my 1Zpresso.

I totally understand the appeal of a Niche but the bang for buck versus a good espresso hand grinder with 48mm burrs just isn’t there for me.

Obviously I’m biased but the 1Zpresso JX Pro is a third of the price of a Niche and the results for me have been absolutely fantastic. 30-40 seconds depending on the coffee to grind 17g. Unbeatable value for money IMO. There’s literally no reason it won’t keep working forever, either.

Mine arrived today as well, pretty chuffed! Also the packing boxes are handy for storing in the cupboard.

cba to crank one out by hand 4/5 times a day

There’s literally no reason it won’t keep working forever, either.

What about in 5 billion years when the Sun becomes a red giant and Earth breaks apart and/or melts and/or falls into the Sun's core?

Yeah, granted, it won't suit everyone, but I think it should still be a consideration for anyone looking at espresso. I'm the only coffee drinker in the house and even if I have 3 espresso's in a day, it's literally not even a thing. Particularly with the Robot.

Boil kettle > grind while kettle boils > prep basket > kettle finishes boiling > add water to basket > make espresso.

Two minutes flat.

You have a faster kettle than I, our little Bonavita Mini takes about 4 minutes.

I am only boiling water for a double, ha, literally pour 100ml in the kettle.

Hm, the Mini limits me to 300ml minimum I think.

Does the robot need coffee ground as fine as a pumped machine? I'm not sure my Sage grinder would be up to it, but it's so appealing...

I'd say likely, but I've never used a pump machine.
Paul (maker) says no different:
https://www.home-barista.com/levers/question-on-grind-size-for-cafelat-robot-t60630.html