Cafelat Robot - a manual espresso maker (despite the name "robot", it's not electronic at all, it just uses pressure). It makes awesome shots, it's super easy to clean, and it's just really fun to feel the tactile feedback you can get when you're brewing a shot manually, because you can re-adjust your pressure on the fly to make the shot come out how you want it.
My husband must have watched every James Hoffman video on youtube before picking it out, but it's been an awesome tool for getting into the world of espresso. We've probably been using it every day for the past 6 months, and it's probably the main reason we were able to break our former addiction to sugary, expensive espresso drinks. Turns out that well-made espresso is actually amazing on it's own, with tons of variance between different beans - but a lot of coffee shops ruin it.
It did take a month or two to get consistently good at pouring shots (again James Hoffman videos were a huge help), and having a good grinder and beans is supposedly another a important factor. We used a LIDO hand grinder at first, which was awesome because it was relatively cheap, but it takes a bit to grind - so we did recently invest in a nice electric grinder. Now that we're able to have friends come over again, that makes it a lot easier to pour a bunch of shots back to back. If you're just making one at a time, a manual grinder is not so bad.
We got a Breville Barista Express when the pandemic started, and while the grinder leaves something to be desired, it pours consistent shots that still taste great for beginners.
Couple tips to future owners:
1. You can make the grind size more fine by taking the bean hopper off, and changing the dials on the burr(?) itself. Theres a couple of videos on YouTube that explain it better.
2. Buy a bottomless portafilter. Makes coffee a bit messier if things aren't tamped right, but the actual portafilter is way easier to clean, and it's a lot easier to troubleshoot shots (you can more easily tell if there's channeling or something else going on).
3. Let the machine run once or twice before pulling your shot, get everything warm.
Got I hate my Cafelat Robot. I never use it. I feel like you really have to be a hobbyist coffee drinker to appreciate this thing... Not only did I need to buy a gazillion dollar grinder to get it to work, I almost always spill the water trying to jigger that pot thing into the bottom of it. Each to their own I suppose. :D
> I feel like you really have to be a hobbyist coffee drinker to appreciate this thing...
That's the lesson I've learned years of trying to improve my brewing skills and watching James Hoffman videos. I just want a decent espresso or regular coffee. I do not want another hobby, especially one I'd have to do before my morning coffee.
It took a long time, any many expensive espresso related products, but come to the realization that I can be happy with the kind of coffee I can make with a minimum of fuss, and that feels good.
My parents got a Breville Barista express system and are happy with it. It makes good, consistent shots. All in one. No special plumbing. You just fiddle a bit with the grind settings so that your water pressure remains in red band, and if that happens you get a consistent shot. $700.
Yeah, the hobby is definitely half the fun for us. We haven't had an issue with the water spilling, but maybe we're using a different model or something. The good news is that if you decide it sell it, the used ones seem to hold their value pretty well!
I had a similar experience but went with the Flair (cost and compactness being major factors), been a lot of fun getting into coffee generally over the last year and was something my mother and I bonded over when I had a long visit. I was not previously a coffee person before this, mostly preferring tea but trying to nail that perfect shot of espresso can be the most rewarding and frustrating thing on the planet.
I've been using an aeropress for years now. Not espresso, but makes a good coffee.
I went on a bit of a thing collecting manual brewers. I've got stove top vacuum pots, a french press, a delter press and a couple of coffee siphons (which are awesome because they make you feel like a mad scientist) but for ease of use and cleanup when making a single coffee, the aeropress beats them all.
I own a La Pavoni Europiccola, and it is likely the most cost-effective purchase I ever made.
It's slightly more advanced than the Robot, but only just. Pavoni have been making them for 60 years or so, and they haven't fundamentally changed at all during that time. The thing is built like a tank, too; it'll likely outlive me if taken care of.
I got a Uniterra Nomad—a different take on a manual espresso maker. The website looks like a fake store, but I found enough reviews on blogs to convince me it was legit.
It's really hard to make a bad espresso with this thing. I sometimes hand-grind but mostly have been using pre-ground espresso in cans from Lavazza, Illy, and (latest discovery, cheaper and surprisingly good) Medaglia D'Oro.
My husband must have watched every James Hoffman video on youtube before picking it out, but it's been an awesome tool for getting into the world of espresso. We've probably been using it every day for the past 6 months, and it's probably the main reason we were able to break our former addiction to sugary, expensive espresso drinks. Turns out that well-made espresso is actually amazing on it's own, with tons of variance between different beans - but a lot of coffee shops ruin it.
It did take a month or two to get consistently good at pouring shots (again James Hoffman videos were a huge help), and having a good grinder and beans is supposedly another a important factor. We used a LIDO hand grinder at first, which was awesome because it was relatively cheap, but it takes a bit to grind - so we did recently invest in a nice electric grinder. Now that we're able to have friends come over again, that makes it a lot easier to pour a bunch of shots back to back. If you're just making one at a time, a manual grinder is not so bad.