Calling all espresso fans…

[poorman]

Recently I have dug deep into the rabbit hole of home espresso. My machine hasn’t arrived yet, the good one.  Been practicing with a cheap lever machine. Getting the puck prep and shot pull down. 

Then there’s latte art.

Watched ‘all’ the vids, got prepared, went to a training session today. At the training session - complete disaster. Naturally the others did remarkably well. Improvement on the horizon. Any tips? What equipment do y’all have?

[JDoughty]

Lever machines are actually significantly harder to operate and tend to be fiddly. Push just a bit too much or too fast or too little or too slow, and you've made a pretty serious difference in the output. I had a Ponte Vecchio old school Italian level machine for years before it gave up the ghost. It was not cheap and it was very, very fussy. Some of the lower end lever pull machines have a tendency to explode if you get the parameters wrong, and sometimes even if you don't, so be careful or you could end up wearing a handful of boiling hot espresso grounds. An often missed tip is checking your water composition; that actually matters in espresso. Follow this guy for some excellent tips and videos. https://www.instagram.com/brewedbyjay/?hl=en

[smashed]

4 hours ago, JDoughty said:

Lever machines are actually significantly harder to operate and tend to be fiddly. Push just a bit too much or too fast or too little or too slow, and you've made a pretty serious difference in the output. I had a Ponte Vecchio old school Italian level machine for years before it gave up the ghost. It was not cheap and it was very, very fussy. Some of the lower end lever pull machines have a tendency to explode if you get the parameters wrong, and sometimes even if you don't, so be careful or you could end up wearing a handful of boiling hot espresso grounds. An often missed tip is checking your water composition; that actually matters in espresso. Follow this guy for some excellent tips and videos. https://www.instagram.com/brewedbyjay/?hl=en

Agree 100%. I ordered an Oracle Jet earlier this year and been loving the simplicity while still pulling 80% as good of espresso as a top tier machine. Honestly it's mostly in the grinder/prep for the best shot quality shot anyways.

[JDoughty]

4 hours ago, smashed said:

Agree 100%. I ordered an Oracle Jet earlier this year and been loving the simplicity while still pulling 80% as good of espresso as a top tier machine. Honestly it's mostly in the grinder/prep for the best shot quality shot anyways. 

Truth. I have a Mazzer Mini and like it. It's really too much grinder for my home kitchen, but I inherited it from a barista champion that I helped out with competition prep. I'm fairly involved in the coffee competition circuit, mostly as a sensory judge. It's an unpaid but very tasty role.

[smashed]

4 hours ago, JDoughty said:

Truth. I have a Mazzer Mini and like it. It's really too much grinder for my home kitchen, but I inherited it from a barista champion that I helped out with competition prep. I'm fairly involved in the coffee competition circuit, mostly as a sensory judge. It's an unpaid but very tasty role.

That's a neat little side hobby! I love espresso and there's a lot of different blends from across the world to discover. Really intricate stuff with the whole roasting process, kind of like tobacco in a way.

Re: grinder- I remember at one point I was going to buy a KafaTek Monolith and my wife said she'd divorce me if I spent over $2k on a coffee grinder. I really wanted it though. Hahahah 

Now lets hope she never asks what my cigars actually cost...

[poorman]

17 minutes ago, smashed said:

honestly it's mostly in the grinder/prep for the best shot quality shot anyways.

For sure. Couldn’t get my lever to work until I got a decent grinder. What a difference that makes. 

[JDoughty]

4 hours ago, smashed said:

That's a neat little side hobby! I love espresso and there's a lot of different blends from across the world to discover. Really intricate stuff with the whole roasting process, kind of like tobacco in a way.

Re: grinder- I remember at one point I was going to buy a KafaTek Monolith and my wife said she'd divorce me if I spent over $2k on a coffee grinder. I really wanted it though. Hahahah 

Now lets hope she never asks what my cigars actually cost... 

Fortunately my spouse is supportive and indulgent when it comes to things that delight the palate. One very good source of higher end coffee and chef gear is, sadly, auction houses that are liquidating from places that are closing. Coffee shops will also directly sell their used gear when they upgrade; this kind of thing pops up in the coffee professionals community a lot. Tap into that community and you might be surprised at what you can get for a fraction of the new price. Make sure you also have a local source to get it checked out and repaired if needed. The same community can help you find that as well.

[BrightonCorgi]

I have a Rancilio Silva/Rocky combo that has been going for almost 30 years. Replaced burrs on the grinder and a couple of small things on the espresso machine. I don't use the machine much. Would like to get a double boiler system.

[JDoughty]

4 hours ago, smashed said:

It's truly not common knowledge at all, and I'm not some connoisseur by any means, just did a lot of research. People will spend 5x more on their machine than their grinder when it should be the EXACT opposite. 

Bad Grinder + Great Machine = poor coffee

Great grinder + even the cheapest machine on the market = good coffee 

Truth. I will add 'good water' to this equation. Using bad water will also = bad coffee. 

[Fuzz AI]

4 hours ago, smashed said:

Agree 100%. I ordered an Oracle Jet earlier this year and been loving the simplicity while still pulling 80% as good of espresso as a top tier machine. Honestly it's mostly in the grinder/prep for the best shot quality shot anyways. 

I have the older Oracle Touch. For an all in one machine, it makes very good coffee, but the grinder is what lets it down. If you make a lot of coffees at once, the grinder tends to wander, making your shots inconsistent. 

[JDoughty]

4 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

I have a Rancilio Silva/Rocky combo that has been going for almost 30 years. Replaced burrs on the grinder and a couple of small things on the espresso machine. I don't use the machine much. Would like to get a double boiler system.

That is a legit machine, especially if you hack a PID into it. The Silvia is very hackable, and that gets you real precision control over all the variables. 

[JDoughty]

For folks wanting some of the flavors and concentration of espresso for a fraction of the cost and not as much need for a high end grinder, I highly recommend the Aeropress. I have one of their prototype first gen models from before they went into full commercial production, and it's still in perfect condition after decades of use. I did retire it and buy a new model just to preserve its historical value. 

[Fuzz AI]

16 minutes ago, JDoughty said:

For folks wanting some of the flavors and concentration of espresso for a fraction of the cost and not as much need for a high end grinder, I highly recommend the Aeropress. I have one of their prototype first gen models from before they went into full commercial production, and it's still in perfect condition after decades of use. I did retire it and buy a new model just to preserve its historical value. 

I remember when the Aeropress first came out 20 years ago. @jay8354 has one and I remember popping over to his place one night when he first got it. I kinda laughed when he told me it was made by the same guys who made the Aerobie (still have a few of those at home). Actually found an Aerobie Orbiter in my backyard a few months ago. No clue where it came from as nobody came to claim it. 

The Wacaco MiniPresso is also a good portable espresso machine, if you need coffee while traveling. 

[JDoughty]

26 minutes ago, Fuzz AI said:

I remember when the Aeropress first came out 20 years ago. @jay8354 has one and I remember popping over to his place one night when he first got it. I kinda laughed when he told me it was made by the same guys who made the Aerobie (still have a few of those at home). Actually found an Aerobie Orbiter in my backyard a few months ago. No clue where it came from as nobody came to claim it. 

The Wacaco MiniPresso is also a good portable espresso machine, if you need coffee while traveling. 

I have the MiniPresso somewhere. Used it a few times, wasn't super thrilled with the output, stashed it away rather than work too hard at tweaking with it when I have other alternatives. 

[yuppie]

I went straight for "The Tesla of Espresso Machines" with the Decent DE1Pro -- It's really nice to be able to adjust a bunch of settings and dial in the beans, having a bluetooth scale that hooks up to the machine makes it super easy to stop the shot at a certain weight (36g) and for the grinder I went with the Option-O P64, love this setup!

[barrygoodvibes]

I’m a huge espresso nerd. I had the Breville for the longest time and upgraded to a legit machine when we moved into our house. This is a Lelit Bianca and a Niche single dose grinder. I drink 2-3 Americanos a day and this machine while having a learning curve has made it so I rarely ever go out for coffee anymore. 

[lpnaz480]

On 10/1/2025 at 12:00 PM, Fuzz AI said:

I have the older Oracle Touch. For an all in one machine, it makes very good coffee, but the grinder is what lets it down. If you make a lot of coffees at once, the grinder tends to wander, making your shots inconsistent. 

Real cool machines. I’m a tad too lazy, especially since my wife will ask me to make coffee in the morning. So we use the Delonghi Eletta Explore. We have had it for a few years and really like it. 

[smashed]

On 10/2/2025 at 4:28 AM, barrygoodvibes said:

I’m a huge espresso nerd. I had the Breville for the longest time and upgraded to a legit machine when we moved into our house. This is a Lelit Bianca and a Niche single dose grinder. I drink 2-3 Americanos a day and this machine while having a learning curve has made it so I rarely ever go out for coffee anymore. 

This is quite possibly one of the best 'bang for buck' duos on the market, imo. 

[Shakey]

On 10/2/2025 at 4:28 AM, barrygoodvibes said:

I’m a huge espresso nerd. I had the Breville for the longest time and upgraded to a legit machine when we moved into our house. This is a Lelit Bianca and a Niche single dose grinder. I drink 2-3 Americanos a day and this machine while having a learning curve has made it so I rarely ever go out for coffee anymore. 

I had this exact setup for years and it's excellent. The only limiting factors are ingredients and operator skill. I have moved on to a more expensive grinder from Weber and it is prettier, but not noticeably better, than the Niche. 

[LordAnubis]

I have a breville bambino plus with a niche grinder. To me it’s done me well for the 1 coffee a day. I think I could do with a better machine that has atleast a 58mm basket. However the convenience for the 3 second heat up time is great for me. I think my coffee is better than any coffee shop. 

I also have an aeropress (it’s good but in no way close to a decent espresso), a picapreso (I really rate it for travelling. Done me very well), a South Indian filter coffee brewer (they’re like Vietnamese drip coffee machines, nice strong brew, can be a bit bitter, and lacks some of the sweeter flavours) and of course, the French press which I use for overnight cold brew which I quite like. 

I think the best tool for espresso is the needle type wdt tools. Just a simple 3d printed one you can buy cheap or get a mate with a 3d printer to knock it out. 

[poorman]

On 10/1/2025 at 1:49 PM, yuppie said:

I went straight for "The Tesla of Espresso Machines" with the Decent DE1Pro 

This was on my list, opted for analog over digital. That aside. I am, however, curious about the Bengle. 

16 hours ago, LordAnubis said:

Agree. With all the knick knacks out there: shaker, twisty turny leveler thing, expensive wdt turn machines. Settled on wdt and tamp. Seems to work fine for me. 

[BrightonCorgi]

12 hours ago, poorman said:

This was on my list, opted for analog over digital. That aside. I am, however, curious about the Bengle. 

I love the design and execution of Decent, but I too like to keep things on the low-tech analog side at home.

[yuppie]

I'm a big fan of analog devices and aesthetics as well, but it is nice to be able to push a button and walk away, letting the bluetooth scale stop the shot when it hits 36g.

[messymerlion]

I used to work in coffee during the third wave boom for about a decade. I’ve since become a “corporate sell-out”.

Back then, making espresso was a simple art even in the cafe once the coffee was dialed in, we grind, tamp, and pull a shot. These days we have all of these knick knacks and a 10-step ritual to pull a single shot.

My two cents is that convenience and simplicity plays a huge role in enjoyment. I used to have a trusty old Breville single pump boiler that would heat up in no more than a minute (just enough time to empty the tank in the morning). 

Niche Zero grinders were the first line of good single dose grinders and till this day I haven’t seen anything new that can beat it int terms of grind and build quality.

I also freeze all of my coffee in single dose tubes, not only to preserve them, but you’ll be amazed at what it does for grind consistency, which means that you can use the same calibration every single time for that coffee.

With this combo, I get a fuss free, delicious espresso every morning within 5 minutes without fail. 

I’ve drank everything from $1 coffees to $100 coffees (used to work with world coffee champions) and till this day no expensive coffee is worth beating yourself up every time you mess up a shot or if your $10k machine decides it hates you on a Monday morning.

Then again, I saw that Fellow just launched a sleek machine going for $1.3k, which is very enticing.

[FOHgetaboutit]

On 10/2/2025 at 4:28 AM, barrygoodvibes said:

I’m a huge espresso nerd. I had the Breville for the longest time and upgraded to a legit machine when we moved into our house. This is a Lelit Bianca and a Niche single dose grinder. I drink 2-3 Americanos a day and this machine while having a learning curve has made it so I rarely ever go out for coffee anymore. 

This is a thing of beauty! We have a Breville single boiler and we love the thing. This looks like it might be the future.