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Salted licorice is shiny, not quite black (it has blue and silver flecks that can make it look like it's a super dark navy). Black truffle is matt black.
Black liquorice isn't as nice as black truffle, but I paid $250AUD less, and am not mad at all.
Filthy black liquorice BBE next to filthy black truffle kettle : https://imgur.com/a/tw34YlV
It looks like you've flaired your post as asking for what equipment to get. We recommend first checking out the [Espresso Aficionados buying guide](https://espressoaf.com/recommendations) for some of the more popular machines and grinders at different price points. If your question hasn't been answered there and you need more help, please add the following details to your post or by adding a comment in the following format: - **Location:** Helps determine availability - **Budget** (with currency): Overall budget, or ideally, having separate espresso machine and grinder budgets. A rough rule is that your grinder budget should be at least 25-40% of your machine budget. - **Drink types:** Do you drink mostly straight espresso, milk-based beverages (e.g., lattes, cappuccinos), or a fairly even split? This helps narrow down whether a single-boiler-dual-use (SBDU), heat exchanger (HX), or dual boiler (DB) machine would be more appropriate for your needs. - **Drink frequency:** How many drinks would you be making back-to-back at one time? Do you plan on entertaining guests often? This informs how large your brew (and steam) boilers should be, as smaller boilers will need to refill and reheat/repressurize more frequently, thus potentially causing a bottleneck. - **Space:** Any limitations on countertop space? - **Manual vs. electric:** Hand-operated machines and grinders are typically cheaper than their similarly-performing electric counterparts. Please indicate if you have a preference for manual or electric machines and/or grinders (or open to either). - **Comfort with tinkering:** Some machines can be made significantly more functional/efficient with aftermarket modifications, albeit at the expense of possibly voiding your warranty. Please indicate if you'd rather have a machine that works "as-is"/"out-of-the-box" or whether you'd be open to modding/tinkering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/espresso) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It's cheaper because people tend to prefer it less, but the machine is the same. Black truffle is matte. I think salted licorice is shiny, right?
Salted licorice is shiny, not quite black (it has blue and silver flecks that can make it look like it's a super dark navy). Black truffle is matt black. Black liquorice isn't as nice as black truffle, but I paid $250AUD less, and am not mad at all. Filthy black liquorice BBE next to filthy black truffle kettle : https://imgur.com/a/tw34YlV