I want to make high quality espressos at home with a machine like this, but I don't like milk. Therefore, if there is a machine like this without the milk steamer, it would be preferred.
Do you know of any machines like this? Would it be cheaper to just get a machine with the steamer?
The primary reason I would go without the steamer is to minimize price anyway.
I have the Hamilton Beach 40792. It will be hard to find a decent one without the steamer. Mine cost around $100
There are hundreds of espresso machines that do not have a (milk) steaming wand.
While it must cost less to manufacture a machine without a steam wand this isn't always reflected in the retail price and you can find steam wands on some of least expensive models. So don't rule out machines with steam wands - if you find a great deal one that has steam, you can just ignore it. And if you upgrade machines in the future, having steam may boost the value of your old machine.
One coffee enthusiast site that has a lot of user reviews of consumer espresso machines is Coffeegeek. You can also find many reviews on the Amazon site and many people swear by Consumer Reports.
"There are hundreds of espresso machines that do not have a (milk) steaming wand" - that's not true at all.
If we are talking about bean-to-cup espress machines there are really few. I remember only Melitta Caffeo Solo, cheapest modifications of Philips/Saeco Xsmall (HD8648) and Jura Ena Micro 1.
There are a bit more models without a pannarello, only with the tube for hot water/steam. It's harder to froth the milk on the simple tube, however it's still a steamer. Philips Saeco HD8743/11 in the UK is a great example.
However, if you want to spend less on the machine w/o the steamer since you don't need it, than it's useless. All these rare modifications usually costs the same or even more than normal versions of the same machine with the steam wand.
So this is not the sitaution when you ar eiverpaying for the steam wand. Also the wand is useful not only for milk frothing, bit for delievering hot water as well (for tea, for americano).
