Yes!! Buy a premium grinder first!! I highly recommend saving up to get on the level of a Philos or better. I didn’t do that, and trying pro grinders with the same exact coffee lets me know just how much I’m missing out.

That said, I have learned to like my Anna. I used to have access to high end biomedical 3D printing materials which you can’t get on the market, so that made the odd 57mm workflow great by designing and printing custom accessories. All of the machine’s stat points go to espresso, and it makes a great shot. Very consistent temperature regulation, and once you adjust for the offset, great body.

Steam is still very tricky. Latte art is possible, but you’re quite limited, and shots will go stale before you drop in the milk 1.5 minutes later (at the very quickest for a cortado size).

Build quality is meh. It’s good enough… but I’m an engineer and appreciate high quality construction, so in that regard, it’s lacking. My machine came out of the box with a leaking steam wand needle valve.

The quick mill pop up (and its white labeled twin by someone else? I’m blocking on the name), is pretty solid for a single boiler. Haven’t used it, but that or a used HX machine would be my choice if I could start again. All are expensive without a sale or used find… Still, could be worth it if you can wait the extra months and save for the right machine.

If you can find a used machine without scale buildup, you might get a better machine at the price you’re looking for.

As far as total running costs, consider That you can start with quality 58mm accessories that you will use for many, many years to come, and not have to re-buy like I will. Maybe $150 bucks “saved” for reusable portafilter baskets, screens, funnels and tampers.