About Cliff & Pebble · Chicago · Since 2015
We're not the biggest espresso shop. We're the honest one.
We're a small, family-owned dealer. We don't have a film crew or a showroom. What we do have is a habit of telling people the truth about what to buy, even when the answer is the cheaper machine.
What we don't have
A YouTube studioA showroom floorA sales scriptA reason to upsell you
What we have instead
- A person who picks up the phone
- A full year to decide
- Advice we'd give a friend
How we sell
The rules we sell by, and the ones we don't.
Every authorized dealer sells these machines at the same price. So the only thing that should change from one store to the next is the advice. Here's ours.
-
We'll talk you down.
If an entry-level machine covers how you actually drink coffee, that's what we'll recommend. We carry those too, and we'd rather you come back happy in five years than regret a big purchase now.
-
Bigger isn't automatically better.
Most people shop for the biggest burrs or the most boilers they can afford. For plenty of kitchens that's the wrong call, and we'll tell you so before you spend the money.
-
You'll hear the downsides from us first.
Warm-up time, counter space, noise, how fussy it is to dial in. Every machine has trade-offs. Better you hear them on the phone with us than discover them on day three.
-
Our emails are worth opening.
One useful idea at a time: how to dial in, what to add next, what to skip. We rarely run sales, so we have no reason to shout at you.
-
We only sell what we'll stand behind.
We're an authorized dealer for every machine brand we carry, and every warranty claim starts with us. If we wouldn't want to handle it, we don't sell it.
-
Not sure what you need? That's the best time to call.
Tell us what you drink and what you want to spend. You'll get a short list, and what to skip.
Call 800-410-8867
Here's what that looks like
★★★★★“Very happy with the product that I received at an appropriate price and more impressed with the very immediate responsiveness and honesty of the team about questions that I've asked in regards to a grinder and espresso machine that would most fit my needs versus what's more expensive to sell.”
Our reply
Why we're like this
It started with a rubber mallet.
In 2010 I spent a year saving $1,500 for my first real espresso machine. It showed up with the frame bent from shipping. I sent photos and asked the retailer to make it right. Their answer taught me exactly how not to run a store.
So I emailed the manufacturer in Italy instead. They air-freighted a brand-new machine, and the owner of the factory called me himself. That call is why Cliff & Pebble exists. We opened in 2015, and we still try to run it the way that phone call felt.
Go to a hardware store, buy a rubber mallet, and gently bend the frame back into place.
Yes, we're small
Small? Good.
Cliff & Pebble is family-owned and independent. No investors, no parent company. Being small means more of our attention goes to you, every time you need us.
-
A real person picks up the phone.
Call 800-410-8867, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 Central. No phone tree and no ticket number.
-
Every warranty claim starts with one email to us.
Whatever the brand. We deal with the manufacturer, so you're not left chasing a company overseas.
-
The owner makes the call.
When something goes wrong, the person deciding how to fix it owns the company. No escalation chain, no waiting on a manager.
- 365 day in-home trial on machines and grinders
- 1 yr to exchange for a different machine
- $0 sales tax in most states
- 2015 and still owner-run
Authorized dealer for Lelit, Rocket Espresso, Eureka, Turin and Acaia. Full manufacturer warranty, always.
Everything you get with us →From our customers
Don't take our word for it.
A note from me
I'd rather talk you out of a sale than sell you the wrong machine.
11 years in, the job hasn't changed: help you buy the right machine once, and pick up the phone if anything goes wrong. We're never going to be the biggest name in espresso. I'm fine with that.
If you're stuck between two machines, or not sure you need either, call or email. You'll get a straight answer.
Matthew D.Founder, Cliff & Pebble