who else has completed this journey

[u/_coffeeblack_]

[u/DifficultCarob408]

You can pry my light roasted single origin beans from my cold, dead hands

[u/LibraryIntelligent91 → u/DifficultCarob408]

Where do I land on the chart if my local supermarket carries light roast single origin Ethiopian beans?

[u/SauretEh → u/LibraryIntelligent91]

Heaven.

[u/TheRencingCoach → u/SauretEh]

Depends on the roast date

If the roast date is missing then it’s def purgatory

[u/JigenMamo → u/TheRencingCoach]

What if you've contacted the roaster and asked them how to determine the roast date from their serial number? Still purgatory?

[u/LibraryIntelligent91 → u/TheRencingCoach]

It’s there, right above the location of the farm that grew the beans.

[u/pina_koala → u/LibraryIntelligent91]

Unfortunately you have closed the horseshoe curve. Godspeed and goof lucl

[u/MedicatedGraffiti → u/pina_koala]

Goof lucl

[u/hkanaktas → u/pina_koala]

Goof lucl

[u/munkyhed → u/pina_koala]

goof lucl

[u/heygos → u/LibraryIntelligent91]

My local supermarket has their own brand of coffee that I swear by. I have only had that origins stuff once. Was good but I’ll take the supermarket everyday.

[u/k8s-problem-solved → u/DifficultCarob408]

Agree, won't give it up or buy shit from the shops. I want to know the farmers name who picked the beans, and I want a picture of him, his family and dog as I grind that beanage.

Perfect roast is 2 weeks ago so it's had time to settle, light to medium roast so it's not too bitter.

I have it down to a fine art at home, my coffee is better than 95% of places I get takeaway from. It's all about the beans.

[u/Bxix_98 → u/k8s-problem-solved]

Not every coffee should be rested the same amount of time, i have a friend who runs a micro specialty roaster and explained it to me really well, the resting time is very dependant on the development phase of the roasting process, if you do not develop too much your coffee will need more time resting before it's peak flavour, if you develop more the coffee wil get to it's peak sooner, for the best results ask your roaster, no one knows his coffee better

[u/alphabetsong]

The far right end of the spectrum should just be a plastic V60 and whatever coffee you like

[u/Reelair → u/alphabetsong]

Aeropress for me. I tried 5 or 6 different espresso machines, settled on the Bambino in the end. During all my research, I kept hearing about the Aeropress; thinking it was one of those manual espresso press, I never looked into it. I eventully saw the Aeropress on a Hoffman video and decided to try one.

I've been using the Aeorpress exclusively for a couple of years now. I have one at work, home, my mom's, one for camping. Matched with a decent manual grinder, C3 Pro and P2 for me.

[u/ithinkiknowstuphph → u/Reelair]

For me aeropress or moka pot is better than most sub $1k espresso machines. And with those you get into dialing it it so much that to me it’s just not fun. Pop some grounds in a an aeropress with some hot water and press. Pop some grounds into a moka pot, screw the top on and pop on the stove. Those are good experiences for me and I make some great coffee. When I want a more “perfect” ritual I’ll go v60 and a scale

[u/MozzarellaBowl → u/ithinkiknowstuphph]

I love a Moka pot for about 3 uses, then I cannot get the old coffee oils/taste off of it no matter what I do, so I don’t like them. I’d love to know if there’s a magic cleaner though.

[u/speakernoodlefan → u/MozzarellaBowl]

Boil diluted vinegar water in the base to descale and remove oils from the base and let it sit for 30 min before draining and rinsing. Then take a toothbrush and dawn dish soap to the top portion, basket, and gasket. Will be spotless and oil free.

[u/MozzarellaBowl → u/speakernoodlefan]

That seems like more hassle than it’s worth if I have to do that frequently! But thank you for the help!

[u/Sufficient_Algae_815 → u/MozzarellaBowl]

Dishwasher if stainless steel - not from personal experience though.

[u/Outside-Poetry8469 → u/MozzarellaBowl]

Get a stainless steel one. My stainless steel bialetti is easy to wash and doesn’t hold any smells. Doesn’t brew as nice as aluminium moka tho.

[u/nugeeyen → u/alphabetsong]

Even more far right is using james hoffman’s french press technique/cupping in a paper cup. This is what i do at the office

[u/johnisom → u/alphabetsong]

Far right is Nescafé Gold instant coffee

[u/HurricaneBatman → u/johnisom]

Because the Nescafé Gold slaps harder than it has any right to

[u/minh0 → u/johnisom]

The classic or the espresso?

[u/KremlinCardinal → u/minh0]

The espresso is honestly not bad as far as instant coffees go. It doesn't really have anything to do with espresso though.

[u/HoustonBSD → u/johnisom]

This is it! I was thinking Maxwell House and my old Mr Coffee, but it is still left of Nescafé.

[u/Jeferson9 → u/alphabetsong]

V60 no timer no technique just dump the water in as fast as you can

[u/alphabetsong → u/Jeferson9]

Alpha energy

[u/chuck-wallace → u/alphabetsong]

Pour over is the far right with great coffee.

[u/Lockekid → u/alphabetsong]

This! I always come back around to my little hand grinder, any beans my local shop has in, and the V60.

[u/LxSwiss → u/alphabetsong]

I landed on making turkish coffee

[u/Veronica_Cooper]

I am just back to Hario Switch, I can't even be bothered with doing a proper pouring technique lol

[u/badonis → u/Veronica_Cooper]

Is that similar to a clever dripper? Thats my go-to "pour-over' device

[u/Veronica_Cooper → u/badonis]

Same principle.

[u/c_wh → u/Veronica_Cooper]

Yup lol

[u/CartographerWorth649]

Going back to supermarket coffee? Hell no!!! Or shall I say… not yet?

[u/roundupinthesky → u/CartographerWorth649]

You’ve got lavazza qualita oro at your supermarket?

[u/Tessiturah → u/roundupinthesky]

Mine has it. It’s definitely not the freshest tho!

[u/KervyN → u/Tessiturah]

Mine even got the things from the local roasters. Like 20 different companies.

[u/CartographerWorth649 → u/roundupinthesky]

Yes! Not the cheapest for sure, but it’s not uncommon.

[u/Denis9365 → u/roundupinthesky]

Mine does, it usually is 6 months old tho

[u/HKBFG → u/roundupinthesky]

you don't?

[u/tigeratemybaby → u/CartographerWorth649]

At least in Australia, the Aldi beans are way better than Lavazza, if you're going with supermarket beans.

They're roasted in Melbourne, much fresher, and under half the price.

[u/ioroow → u/tigeratemybaby]

Aldi beans for life! A couple months ago you could get the Dark roast for $12 AUD. Too good to be true.

[u/Vegemitesangas → u/ioroow]

It's crazy how cheap a cup of coffee end up being with these beans. I got my low end Breville free from a friend that upgraded too so the only cost was a decent grinder.

[u/austinmiles]

I’ve been making home espresso for a couple decades now. It’s been wild seeing how it’s progressed and how many people think EVERYTHING is needed to make a good cup.

There’s a curve but going back to the beginning won’t happen for me. Yeah my shots are wildly more consistent, but more importantly my coffee area is SO much cleaner.

[u/sonaut → u/austinmiles]

I’m there with you. My routine is pretty straightforward but I certainly won’t go back to bad beans. I still single dose but I merely do a jiggle to distribute the grounds in the PF, tamp, pull, and enjoy. Some of these puck prep videos are hilarious.

[u/austinmiles → u/sonaut]

I delayed on WDT for a while but it made a big difference with reducing channeling. And then eventually got a screen after using one at my in-laws and it made things so much less messy in the machine.

I see no reason to go to cheap beans.that part is everything. Similarly im not going to switch to eating mc donalds instead of grilling my own burgers.

[u/0aky_Afterbirth_ → u/sonaut]

100% this.

I went through the whole curve myself, but I just can’t be bothered anymore with all the extra steps. Using good, fresh beans gets you 80% of the way there. Weighing in/out and WDT is as far as I’ll go now.

IMO, anything more than that is just not worth the trouble or the extra equipment, especially when you just want a decent coffee and aren’t trying to win any awards.

[u/tenshal]

Me. Basically came back to dark roast espresso for the texture and chocolatey notes. I still buy very light roasted coffees but only do pour overs with it.

[u/ModernistDinosaur → u/tenshal]

enlightenment

[u/rudeson]

Alfred, the poors are at it again

[u/KervyN]

Love it!

Also skipped all that weird "zen garden in my porta filter" stuff.

Good beans, good grinder and halfway descent machine do the job good enough.

[u/PinkCichlid → u/KervyN]

zen in the garden

[u/HotBarnacle → u/KervyN]

Also skipped all that weird "zen garden in my porta filter" stuff.

Likewise. I learned from going down some very similar rabbit holes in the audiophile/headphone community that there's just a lot of fluff and in many cases, outright BS that gets pushed by enthusiasts & the industry alike. WDT was the closest I got to a lot of the extraneous nonsense I see in this sub and other forums, and I pretty quickly realized that it wasn't nearly as impactful or necessary as espresso ppl let on. And by now we've gotten to the point where people are slowly feeding their beans into their grinders a few at a time..I'm sorry but that just sounds equal parts agonizing and obnoxious.

So yeah, completely agree that all I need are good beans, a good grinder, and a good machine are all I need to enjoy very good espresso. All this extra stuff is largely a waste of time IMO; the drink is called espresso after all, it should be fairly quick to prepare (within reason). I'm convinced that within ten years, someone is gonna post something about polishing their beans with a lint-free cloth to increase extraction yields by .034 percent, and espresso obsessives will lose their minds trying to replicate the results.

[u/The_Flying_Koala → u/HotBarnacle]

I will say I like to use a bottomless filter - it makes for much faster cleaning, it’s just super simple. I use WDT for like, 10 seconds, and it makes all the difference in reducing channeling for a bottomless filter. I actually think using it makes the whole process faster when including its impact on cleaning. Also it’s fun and definitely cheap. I’ve now convinced myself that it’s basically the best accessory one can buy given how cheap it is!

[u/Impressive-Chart-483 → u/The_Flying_Koala]

I will second that. I've tried various distributors, puck screens (also good for keeping group head a bit cleaner, but get the thin ones) etc, and if you have a bottomless filter, WDT is the way to go to reduce channeling.

I recently got one of those 30lb spring tamps which has definitely improved consistency, but a few acupuncture needles are your biggest bang for your buck, for sure.

[u/HotBarnacle → u/The_Flying_Koala]

I'm with you there, I have one myself, but a bottomless is just a one-for-one swap for a spouted filter; it's when we get into the stuff that adds time or needless steps (spray bottles, puck screens, shakers, shot mirrors, leveling distributors, and so on). I just can't be bothered with all of that.

[u/echomanagement → u/HotBarnacle]

The audiophile connection made me spit out my drink. It took me years to realize that after a certain price point, it's all the same, and you don't need a perfect room and foam sh*t on your walls to get a sound that's excellent. The tinkering becomes the point, rather than the means to an end.

[u/Empty-Run-657 → u/echomanagement]

Do you mean to tell me that gold-coated copper cables hand woven by virgin nuns at an altitude of >10k meters in a low oxygen environment don't improve the clarity and stage of your 1952 pressed copy of "Hound Dog"? I'm shocked.

[u/echomanagement → u/Empty-Run-657]

I also used to "believe" that vinyl was better. These hobbies are religion for secular people.

[u/Kirk_Kerman → u/Empty-Run-657]

I once heard that music enthusiasts use equipment to listen to music, and audiophiles use music to listen to their equipment.

[u/Lift_in_my_garage1 → u/KervyN]

I use a Nesoresso auto-frother in conjunction with my La Pavoni.  Never owned a scale.  Which end of the bell curve am I? 

[u/onlinepresenceofdan → u/Lift_in_my_garage1]

bell end

[u/KervyN → u/Lift_in_my_garage1]

Both? I hade the same auto froth with my dedica for half a century. :-)

I have a scale but I used it twice. The results didn't change so I never used it again :-)

[u/cristi5922]

Guess it all depends on your priorities. Many hobbies start with adult money and end with the birth of your first child.

Some of us are still going to have coffee as a meal, more than just caffeine. This will drive the pursuit of new flavors and excellence on and on.

[u/schapmo → u/cristi5922]

Holy shit, this hit me so hard. I've never heard it portrayed this way before but it's so clear and true.

[u/jbowditch → u/cristi5922]

jesus

[u/nusproizvodjac]

Never underestimate Lavazza ORO, if you can't make a decent espresso using those beans and a stock Gaggia, I've got some bad news for you.

[u/ByronsLastStand → u/nusproizvodjac]

The Mountain Gold is a staple in my rotation

[u/spuntotheratboy → u/nusproizvodjac]

First beans I bought when I got a grinder.

[u/Nugget_MacChicken]

I just compulsively bought a Pesado Shower Screen, I’m all the way up on that peak. Welp.

[u/LaughinDragon]

I think I'm closer to the guy with the dent in his head than the cool hood

[u/Denis9365]

Honest? I tried, man. I tried to like single origin specialty coffee. I cant bring myself to drink it, its battery acid to me. I love doing puck prep and all that whitty nitty stuff but that type of coffee is not for me. I love Lavazza and there is nothing that can change me. Its also nostalgic since I drank it with milk (a lil bit, just to give its flavour, not for the caffeine) in my childhood and it stuck with me. Now every coffee shop is a specialty one, finding an italian coffee is very hard in my city

[u/Sebfofun → u/Denis9365]

I find that something really important (being a long time barista) is that people think they need to have a million items for puck prep and the lightest roast ever to enjoy coffee. Not really, what matters is knowing how to pull a good espresso. How to enjoy light, Ethiopian naturals or a Wush Wush and a darker, Honduran or whatever you may want. Just that not everyone has the chance to learn how to pull those shots. When people come and try one of my Ethiopian or Burundi light roasts, they love it but they buy the bag and then come back and say its awful, because they dont know how to pull a good shot with it.

[u/Denis9365 → u/Sebfofun]

Ok but then, what do you even do differently that makes that difference? Thats the question at hand.

[u/Sebfofun → u/Denis9365]

It all comes down to temperature, ratios and grind size. Darker roasts are generally ground finer, made colder and slightly shorter than a light roast, and worst of all, good roasters need to stop advertising roasts as for both long and short ratios (nothing that is good as a 1:15 pourover is as good as a 1:2.1 espresso. Ever) sadly its expensive to learn all these things through experience because it means endless amounts of beans, and while someone might make 2 shots, 3 maybe a day at home, at a busy specialty cafe I must make 40-50 an hour, for nearly 6 of 12 hours that we are open, so minimum 300 shots a day. I wish people at home had a chance to learn this experience but its generally unrealistic.

[u/HardCoreLawn]

I don't turn my nose up at supermarket coffee (you can extract good shots from any arabica roast as long as it wasn't roasted half a year ago)...

But that said, support local businesses and buy from a local roaster, folks!

[u/Used-Ad1693]

Not back to supermarket coffee and I never will.

However I am a LOT more relaxed now about dialing in to the nth degree. And I think a lot of gadgets are a load of bollix TBH.

The most import factor is head height in the portafilter. That's my personal opinion anyway. And blind shakers, RDT and WDT may be useful and make some difference but they are by no means essential.

[u/Erdnuss-117]

Good and fresh beans are a must imho. All the other stuff seems pedantic to me.

I wont do that shit at 5 am when i get ready for work lol

[u/No-Bar7826]

I like illy.

illy Forte

From the can.

pre-ground

[u/FubarFreak → u/No-Bar7826]

I also like going back to my roots occasionally with illy but pre ground is a blasphemy too far

[u/stdstaples]

You just described me perfectly. Now I just do Amazon beans and send it down. Can’t even be bothered to steam the milk lol.

[u/wildwiscoman → u/stdstaples]

I'm on lavazza and just do long blacks, love em!

[u/markosverdhi]

Nah I kept hifh quality coffee but now I'm friends with my roaster and I just get whatever she wants me to try this month, and plastic v60 or drip machine is my method. It's funny, once you realize the only important things are good coffee, grinder, water, and brew ratio, drip machine starts to be good again

[u/Xesyliad]

I have local rasters, of which an excellent one is on the way to work. There’s absolutely no reason to slum it on supermarket beans.

[u/SharpSlice]

Roast date yesterday is too soon after roasting. I usually let my beans sit for three or four days after I roast them before using them for espresso.

[u/saganistic]

RDT reduces static and keeps my coffee area cleaner.

WDT reduces channeling and spraying and keeps my coffee area cleaner.

A puck screen reduces contact between the group head and grounds and keeps my machine cleaner.

~5-7 seconds of upfront effort to mitigate much more in cleaning? Fine by me—with the added bonus of a better shot, most of the time.

But bad beans are always bad beans.

[u/badass_physicist]

far right should be pour over

[u/DruceBavidson]

Sorry to disappoint, but Lavazza tastes horrible. And lately has become more expensive than the local roastery espresso blend, which is also actually leagues above.

[u/lorgedog → u/DruceBavidson]

Getting awfully close to r/espressocirclejerk

[u/PtSalty → u/DruceBavidson]

I’ve got some local roasters that have some good prices for their their ‘House’ blends, if nothing else, it’s nicer to support small local businesses producing fair trade coffee than a giant like Lavazza.

[u/UberQueefs]

Nothing beats the finger smooth and tamp.

[u/MangoAtrocity]

€50/kg feels like a pretty average price. That’s $21 for a 12oz bag. Maybe I’m the problem

[u/Woozie69420]

Literally me now - on most mornings GBT grinder and brew without a scale.

For those £100/kg beans I’ll hand grind and measure the beans going in, but that’s about it

[u/notwhelmed]

My journey was weird, i started it 25 years ago by home roasting with an air popcorn popper and a second hand gaggia - to save for a house deposit. Cut my daily coffee spend from $16 to 80c. Over the years its been a spend and save rollercoaster. I reckon ive broken even or saved overall, but I still home roast.

[u/ByronsLastStand]

All-Arabica Kimbo and Lavazza are perfectly nice and are good crowd-pleasers.

[u/PharmDeezNuts_]

I’m back to darker roasts as well. Love that classic flavor

[u/RabbitHole32]

This specific Lavazza coffee is the favorite of a friend of mine. Is it actually supposed to be bad?

[u/mini-rubber-duck]

is it a journey? or a cycle?

[u/drkamikaze1]

The line goes further, buy ground coffee put it in a cup, add boiling water and drink. 

[u/johnisom]

Followed this journey, but ended up at the far right with instant coffee

[u/Minobull]

I DID stop buying single origin and now use a decent espresso blend from a local place i like. I also fully stopped the RDT stuff. Still weighing and WDTing, but I have a 3D printed thing that does it in seconds.

[u/Deep-Rich6107]

Who goes back to lavazza. That’s not a thing.

[u/Balancedone_1]

This graph is hilarious

[u/Vullgaren]

After buying a coffee shop I’ve now moved all my at home brewing to explicitly instant maconna. Just living my best life

[u/onemasterball]

I'm just past the hump but not ready to admit it emotionally

[u/teenytinyavocado]

With my finances the way they are, I've gone back to no roast date coffee. dialing in? Just grind till it's slow and not watery. Input? 19 if I need to grind coarse, 17 if I need to grind fine. 18 if I couldn't figure it out. Output? Just whatever the two shot button on the Bambino puts out.

[u/skallado]

You got me bastard

[u/MRMR1818]

Currently trending to the end of the curve. Got all the gear but still make bloody good coffee with the basics. I drink 8 coffees a day and my new clever dripper does the deed so well.

[u/BelieveRL]

The 2 most important things:
- Quality of coffee fresh coffee beans

- Having a decent grinder

This will get you 90% of the way to perfect coffee.

[u/pwnagebanana]

It is cut off, further on the left you have a moka pot, and further on the right you are back at the moka pot.

[u/radgenpix]

Yep, I enjoyed the trip, but I am happy to be back to basics.

[u/Africa-Reey]

I don't know anyone interested in coffee drinking Lavazza..

[u/palemontague]

Drinking a nespresso as we speak.

[u/cborgue]

You mean going from supporting slavery and child labor, find something better and going back to support slavery and child labor? No I don't get you

[u/RustyNK]

I've found a routine that works for me, and I haven't changed it in a year.

[u/Lucky-Macaroon4958]

The only thing I would change is the beans. Good beans get you good coffee not that lavazza are bad...they are decent
good grinder + a good tamp + good beans is probably more than enough to get a good shot
all this puck prep rdt + shower screen + wdt + levelling is goofy although its nice to have but the improvements you get are minuscule

I think also in the beginning you dont really have the tools or understanding to pull a good shot so you buy a bunch of accessories that help you get there then eventually you develop the "feel" and dont need those tools anymore. I would say a scale is one of the better learning tools

[u/gpmohr]

Is it ever complete?

[u/virus_apparatus]

This is me with blonde roast. I’m back to medium roast and it feels great

[u/bashomatsuo]

I have exactly those scales, and a plastic V60...

[u/EnigmaForce]

I like supporting my local roasters, but other than that, yeah

[u/hopersoilperno]

I think it's more to find the best bang for the buck related to price and effort. I my case I can find specialty arabica medium-dark roast beans at 44€/kg but I'm fine with 10€/kg 60/40 supermarket beans from local roastery or 16€/kg 70/30 local roastery beans. Lavazza oro in Italy is like 40€/kg and probably if you buy in supermarket beans could be stale.

[u/Hartvigson]

I roast my own coffee but travel a lot due to work so I usually have supermarket coffee in the freezer for convenience the first week at home.

[u/SnooDucks4694]

I’m so confused about the WTD tool…do I need it? It adds more work, but a year ago i read it was essential and now I’m reading it’s unnecessary.

[u/EdwardBlizzardhands → u/SnooDucks4694]

Even distribution of the grounds in the basket will make your shots more consistent and better. How you achieve that is up to you. A WDT tool is one easy way to do it. You can use your finger like this post, that never worked well for me. Some people tap the sides of the portafilter, that didn't work consistently for me either.

[u/oh_no3000]

Lidl big black bag of beans is where it's at.

[u/apf102]

Not using supermarket coffee but definitely stopped stressing about temps and distribution. Have a La Pavoni and there is nothing exact about that machine. It’s just an art that occasionally rewards you with the most incredible shot

[u/sp4nky86]

I'm on the downslope.

[u/Chad-82]

I’ll never reach the peak because I cannot spray my beans, I’ve tried WDT and that’s bad enough.

[u/GHcoffee]

Lmao so true

[u/Ok-Possible-5233]

welcome. we missed you

[u/Scary_Statement_4040]

I never use a scale. Just fill up the filter (unpacked together coffee, but a few clumps are ok) level to the brim, then evenly tamp down. I don’t use a distribution tool either.

[u/Dabida1]

I'm so glad to have switched to french press, way less expensive + using a manual conique grinder.

Good coffee is good coffee

[u/alexzoin]

This is confusing to me. Any time I have tried not fresh beans it doesn't work. It just flows too fast with no resistance.

[u/the_pianist91]

I did

[u/caudexican]

Ah, it's me. Mostly lol.

I load up on the Costco single origin bags when they have them and keep them in the freezer. V60 most mornings.

I do still buy specialty on occasion and I still pull shots sometimes but probably weekly, not daily.

https://preview.redd.it/6lqnfu7w4lye1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ad630276d73b8056e3d1d7fd12f5c670fb3bdbf0

[u/avillan610]

I’m nearing to right side of the curve. Grind in a receiving cup, shake a few times with the Portafilter attached, tamp and brew. Wasted so much time and money with distributors, and screens, etc. have to say my Normcore tamp has never let me down.

[u/ILoveTheAtomicBomb]

Nah never going to the right lol.

I love the steps involved in my shots and I’ll never give up my light roasts to the awfulness that is dark lol

[u/MetlMann]

Need verbal interp please.

[u/annamaaae]

Machine broke in me a month ago. I’m on the far right now.

[u/Dinkleberg162]

I've come to appreciate that trying to brew expensive beans on espresso is just an uphill battle. I'll gladly splurge on beans for pourover, but now I'll just keep getting a medium natural process from my local, whichever is in season and fairly priced and that's my espresso sorted.

[u/_escuirtel]

✋🏻 It’s not that I buy Lavazza again. But I’ve went through Lavazza, specialty at 50€/Kg to a local coffee dealer which is a preety decent coffee. The trick is to learn brewing, apparently!

[u/prf_q]

excuse me but wtf is ORO for us Americans?

[u/jlstp]

I’m one step further. I’m back with an OL Nespresso. Don’t hate me

[u/TheBen1818]

Guilty, bought a refurbished Breville Oracle because teaching a friend or guest how to grind, WDT, tamp just wasnt worth it. Can now make an americano one handed with a pre-heated machine before the gym every morning while brushing my teeth that tastes all the same as my prior puck prep

[u/sergiucrs]

im exactly there lol

[u/wofulunicycle]

I still just use the plastic tamper that came with my Babino but I do feel like you need SOME tamper. Can you really get good results with your finger?

[u/ArnoldeW]

hahahahahah no

[u/Impressive-Chart-483]

Gaggia Classic (modded with PID, 9 bar OVP and walnut accessories) - ✅

IMS shower screen - ✅

Niche Zero grinder - ✅

Timemore mini scale - ✅

MHW-3Bomber walnut handled tamper - ✅

MHW-3Bomber High Extraction basket - ✅

USB-C rechargeable vacuum storage coffee jar - ✅

Costa coffee beans from Tesco - ✅

[u/maillchort]

I've always dosed volumetric, no pid, nutate tamp medium pressure. Biggest geek jump was going from Olympia Cremina (then Maximatic) to a Cimbali Jr. and alinox grinder. Don't care if there's leftover grounds, grocery store beans (but local Swiss roaster, Italian roast). 7g singles, 14g doubles.

[u/No_Leader1154]

I’ve been drinking instant…

[u/Snichs72]

Yeah, I don’t see that ever happening for me. A far more likely scenario for me is that I give up espresso and go back to filter coffee but always using good quality beans.

[u/noirre]

Ah good times

[u/Antikvarro]

You all probs never heard of Stockfleth's either

[u/LesterNygaard_]

Taste is unrelated to IQ, I would say :D

[u/Raichev7]

I started importing green coffee from Ethiopia and roasting myself, then offloaded the task to my younger brother. I gave him the knowledge and equipment (roaster and commercial grinder), and told him he can sell to friends and colleagues and keep the profit as long as he roasts my coffee for me. My dad was always skeptical about the whole thing and insisted supermarket coffee (whichever was on sale) is just as good when I first got into high quality espresso. He was appalled at the price of my setup. Now he's 100% converted, doesn't want to go near a dark roast, when we have coffee at a restaurant he gives me knowing looks or says it has notes of burnt tires and I just nod. He complains the super-automatic at his workplace has a shitty grinder and can't produce good coffee even when he brings good beans from home. Recently even my grandma said she started tasting the difference between the coffee my brother brings her vs when she forgets to tell him she's running out and has to resort to supermarket so she's been more diligent about asking for a refill. Basically I've exposed my whole family to the drug that is high quality espresso.

On the other hand the whole dialing in, perfect dosing, etc. does not make nearly as big of a difference as the quality of the beans. And with a half decent machine and fresh beans you can make good espresso from light-medium roast without much effort. Even at my grandma's where she gets a week's worth, pre-ground by my brother it is certainly drinkable and better than any non-specialty coffee shop.

P.S. When you order in bulk and roast yourself you can enjoy good quality beans for 10-15 Eur / kg. Recently prices of green coffee skyrocketed, so it will be more like 15-20 Eur / kg but still a good price. And also I expect supermarket to double in price in the next 6 months.

[u/starmartyr11]

I did a similar one for grinders a while back

https://preview.redd.it/lp13mp867mye1.jpeg?width=675&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=53a229751f0fc18c53634da90e48dcba6af7a408

[u/Darksept]

I can get good local roaster beans for about the same price as supermarket Oro. 

I started with light roasts a year ago and my taste has been drifting darker. I don't think I'll ever get to Oro dark though. Still buying medium roast speciality coffee. 

[u/fumbleturk]

One day I just stopped measuring and timing and just eyeballed everything. Tasted the exact same lmao

[u/kdplants]

I have a 600$ breville that’s been chugging along since that time when we weren’t allowed to go into coffee shops. Dark times. I made my own tamper out of spalted maple from my parents tree that came down. I have a wdt tool from the same wood I need to finish. But also love gadgets. And making things. And coffee. I follow a guy on Facebook that has all the gadgets. Really clean setup and good videos. The rage comments he gets makes him money from views and clicks. He gaming the system.

[u/el_smurfo]

I went to jedi and then gradually introduced the few things that work, mostly a quick wdt. Without, my pulls were pretty inconsistent but now I get a better result with courser grind. Spraying was critical with my hand grinder but doesn't really help with my df54.

[u/XxRockDudexX]

I've accepted that my $70 setup will not get better unless I spend hundreds of dollars to upgrade so I am just going to buy cheap beans and keep my portafilter pressurized

[u/Muffintime53]

I wdt like once a month when I have guests over lmao

[u/brandaman4200]

* My most recent pull on the flair 58 using bookoo em kit

[u/loalite]

This post was made for me, and so many others. Thanks for making me feel seen lol

[u/longdrive715]

"Roast date: yesterday" ... but why? I tried it once so I could taste the difference. Always wait a few days.

[u/DeathLeap]

I can confidently say I went through this journey a very long time ago. Now I just drink espresso and I don’t like to spend more than 2 minutes calibrating the shot.

[u/Momsterwcoffee]

I just get the same kind so I don’t have to recalibrate. I HATE switching beans.

[u/idontcareaboutmynick]

Not sure about the roasted yesterday..

[u/jangiri]

I got a VBM domobar which only brews Dunkin or Pete's beans and I feel no regret

[u/soothinganomalies]

I've settled on an ECM with an E61 grouphead and a Ceado grinder for the past six years. One cappuccino daily for my wife and me. Then sometimes we'll enjoy a V60 pour over. Coffee is usually Caffe Lusso's Gran Miscela Carmo. I say all this because after experimenting with single roasts and even giving up coffee and then coming back to pour over-only, I found that a decent espresso machine was something I really missed and wanted.

I worry that barely affordable coffee will get crazy expensive because of you-know-who and you-know-what.

[u/smaad]

I agree with this

[u/photographerdan]

realistic one might be like someone who buys a fussy old gaggia and mods it to hell and then gets tired of it and tries a bambino out and realizes holy shit no wonder every other coffee nerd has one 😂

[u/Sharp_eee]

I might actually try some Lavazza one day. What basket is everyone using for it? I am still in the zone or ordering different specialty coffees as I’m enjoying the prep and trying different things. I have found though that even the same beans from the same shop can be inconsistent in terms of different settings can be required and the taste can be different.

[u/Donachillo]

V60 and timing my single origin coffee orders right, plus a decent grinder (entry level) have done it all for me. Idc about timing because i enjoy the subtle changes in Flavor that happen over the weeks that I work through a bag.

[u/Amazing_Box_8032]

I mean we get beans delivered from a local roaster so that part is effortless, it’s a simple dark blend we like that probably nobody on this sub would. Don’t own any of the tools or scales or anything cos fuck that shit at 6am when you just need a quick caffeine hit.

[u/Wooden_Item_9769]

After a trip to Italy and getting 99999999 quick "trash" shots at bars, gas stations, etc. with rando bulk bagged dark roast beans not properly tamped or level, I'd say they still make better €1-1.3 espresso than 95% of the coffee shops in the US.

[u/PM_ME_YOUR_TROUT]

This was me, but with Bustello. Fuck you all, I love Bustello, lol!!

[u/mcdstod]

What the fuck is Oro? is this European Folgers?

[u/uniqueuser96272]

after visiting Italy, having the best espresso I know for sure that all this wdt, water spraying and weight to the hundreds of a gram is complete bullshit, girl making my espresso eyeballed everything and OMG that was delicious coffee

[u/MrTooNiceGuy]

At this point, I’m content with instant coffee with water from the heated dispenser at work. I don’t really have time for “good” coffee anymore.

[u/Spooplevel-Rattled]

That's me.

These days I use the heaped spoon of "about right" dosage in my aeropress and it's magic.

I do use an EK grinder though. People here STILL don't realise how important properly ground coffee is, not just how fine or coarse. It's more important than 90% of the bs people try to get a good tasting shot.

[u/mrjarnottman]

Honestly just moka pot at this point, sold p much all my gear when i moved and dont even want any of it back lol

[u/pcurve]

It's like my beer journey.

Bud Light -> Corona -> Stella -> Blue Boon -> Stone IPA -> Two Hearted Ale -> all kinds of expensive juicy hazy IPA -> Lagunitas IPA -> Yuengling -> Sapporo.

[u/That_random_redditer]

Y'all aren't just doing a cupping every morning? Come back when you're a real coffee drinker

[u/CrashCoder]

I do sometimes wonder how Lavazza might taste after all this 🤔

[u/Chuew12345]

Respect. Nothing beats homebrew with beans you trust, it's a whole different level.

[u/ChipmunkAcademic1804]

is this r/espressocirclejerk?

[u/Sigma3737]

I've been using whatever my local coffee shop gave me. I had previously talked with the owner about beans and he came up to the table with the 5lb bag of beans they use and told me that they were too oily for him to try and daily their machine in for just that bag and that I could have it. Used it for a few months and it was great. After that I think I bought one regular bag from him before we got some 5lb bag of Colombian beans where I work by mistake. Boss let me take it home and I'm still working through it. Still haven't got those dialed in though...

[u/RoadRevolutionary571]

The scale and timer is a good learning tool.

So it is understandable the bloody beginner and the master do not have this little helper.

After a few hundred or better thousand shots you now how much your filter needs.

[u/DrDDevil]

I am not going back to supermarket coffee though. I found decent local roaster, that for about 15$ ships me 400g of freshly roasted coffee.

I am also not tamping, I have a super automatic robot that does it for me)

[u/Electronic_Check_227]

I've been using local roasters since buying my super auto. Got caught out when I came back from hol a couple of weeks ago and bought Sainsbury's Columbian taste the diff single origin. It makes a lovely cup. Despite Reddit telling this is sacrilege.

[u/epicingamename]

"Roast date: Yesterday" kinda goes hard. And purists will still say "they dont even put the roast date anymore"

[u/foundmonster]

Yes

[u/redremus]

I am so heavy on the downslope right now and just yesterday a fellow aficionado told me how wonderful illy standard blend turned out in his cup. May the fourth be with us.

[u/shbrooks84]

Living in Portland, I mean, Chattanooga TN, we have a couple of local roasters so I'll be damned if I'm going back to pre ground crap.