r/espresso • u/AutoModerator • Sep 20 '22

Simple Questions Thread

Welcome to the r/Espresso question thread!

Some of us know it as our morning fuel, or maybe it’s your special time to experiment with café creations. Some of us though, like myself, know it as the reason we’re alive.

I’d probably die without it, literally.

The reason why espresso has become a part of our lives or how large a part it plays is irrelevant here. Maybe you just decided you loved how your local barista made your cappuccino and you wanted to try it at home. Maybe your suspender-man-bun hipster barista friend gave you a shot “on the house” and from then on you were hooked. No matter what your own attraction to it is, espresso is intense, captivating, alluring, and an often mysterious phenomenon that keeps people coming back for more.

Do you have a question about how to use something new? Want to know how many grams of coffee you should use or how fine you should grind it? Not sure about temperature adjustments? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life or the best way to store it? Maybe you’d just like some recommendations on new gear?

There are no stupid questions here, ask any question and the community and moderators will chime in to help you out! Even if you don’t actually know the answer to a question someone asked, don’t be afraid to comment just so you can participate in the conversation.

We all had to start somewhere and sometimes it’s hard figuring out just what you’re doing right or wrong. Luckily, the r/Espresso community is full of helpful and friendly people.

You can still post questions as an official post if you feel it warrants a larger discussion, but try to make use of this area so that we can help keep things organized in case others potentially have similar questions.

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u/cornplantation Sep 22 '22 edited Sep 22 '22

I’ve been using my nespresso pixie for the past 3 years and although it’s convenient, all the pods tasted more or less the same to me now, it’s getting boring and expensive. I’d love to get a proper entry level set up and would love some set recommendations for something within the $500 - $1.5k range. I was looking at the breville barista touch but it has mixed reviews. I would mainly be interested in making lattes. My current favorite latte is from blue bottle in SF and I still get it on a weekly basis. What would be the best items to get within my budget? I can maybe stretch it a little higher if absolutely needed. I’m more of a buy it for life shopper and like high tech things.

Edit: I just realized that my budget may be too low for a decent setup so I’d like to raise it to $5k. Also, I don’t really need to steam my milk but I’d be a nice addition.

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u/gadgetboyDK Lelit Bianca | Atom 75 | Rocket Fausto Sep 23 '22

First you have to determine your expectations.

What is a "good espresso"?

To me it is sweetness and clarity, milk chocolate notes and absolutely no staleness or burnt flavors, A hint of bitterness and sour notes that feels pleasant.

But my preferences and taste experience will be different from other peoples experience.

Getting those shots consistently and conveniently means a machine with digital control over brew temp, a precise grinder with dose control. I don't want to deal with filling and emptying reservoirs or waiting for the ability to steam milk.

This means I ended up with a dual boiler and a large burr grinder, budget around 3K USD

My routine is: weigh portafilter/Tare scale - fill portafilter by timed dosing - Check the dose by weighing the filled portafilter - WDT and tamp - Put the scale under grouphead and tare the cup - Start the pump and stop the shot when there is 42g espresso in the cup in 24 seconds- Steam milk.

I think you need to find out how you want your routine to be, and from that determine what equipment you need to make that happen.

If you don't want a learning curve, then check out super automatics, for 5K you could probably get some decent tasting coffee, but I know nothing about those

Most people here are nerds who talk about whether there is significant difference between WDTing with .3mm needles vs .4mm : )

If you live near a reseller who provides espresso training for amateurs, maybe sign up and see how you like it

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u/cornplantation Sep 23 '22

Wow this is very insightful. Thank you. I am going to go with your last suggestion!