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I got my first taste of manually-pulled espresso at Bright Coffee in Monterey. It was fantastic, but I could never be sure if it was induced by watching the bar

I got my first taste of manually-pulled espresso at Bright Coffee in Monterey. It was fantastic, but I could never be sure if it was induced by watching the barista pull the shot, or if the flavor was in fact better. I've had my mind made up to get a manual pull since then, and found a hand-made brand that looks promising. I'll be saving for a while: https://www.pullespressomachines.com/about.html https://www.pullespressomachines.com/about.html

sjwright 7y ago
The quality of grind tends to be the weakest link in most home barista situations. It's easy for most people to justify buying the expensive espresso machine, or buy a kilo of beans from the last cafe they got a great coffee from, but the grinder is often neglected. For the nerds on HN, the difference between a good grinder and junk is the consistency of particle size. There's an optimum particle size that will result in the greatest amount of desirable flavours being extracted; most cheaper grinders will spit out a wide gamut of particle size. One of the most important jobs of a barista is to manage the grind fineness to optimise for the beans. The reason that perfect espresso isn't made by a robot—the reason why the process is so variable—is because the source material (the beans) are volatile. They're constantly changing, each batch is slightly different, their properties change as they off-gas every day from when they're roasted, and they're greatly affected by storage and ambient humidity. Some of these variances can be compensated for by adjusting the grind.
- davnicwil 7y ago
  Thanks for this - sounds like you're pretty knowledgeable on the topic - don't suppose you have any recommendations for books or other sources for further reading?
  - ereyes01 7y ago
    I really enjoyed Home Coffee Roasting by Kenneth Davids: https://www.amazon.com/Home-Coffee-Roasting-Revised-Updated/dp/0312312199 https://www.amazon.com/Home-Coffee-Roasting-Revised-Updated/... It's not about grinders but it spends a few chapters on how coffee is produced and how different factors/regions can affect its flavor. It's an excellent primer on coffee in general, and of course on roasting at home (though the chapter on machines at the end is a little outdated).
    - davnicwil 7y ago
      Thanks!
TylerE 7y ago
That’s marketing to rich hipsters. “Handcrafted” machines aren’t better. They’re crap. You want a precision assembly line that makes consistent, replaceable parts.
- ereyes01 7y ago
  Maybe you're right, I don't know much about this particular machine, but espresso machines (especially levers) are simple machines that are frequently hand-built, yet very serviceable and high quality. See for example the Londinium R, which has a lot of fans and is basically designed and built by 1 guy AFAICT: https://londiniumespresso.com/store/londinium-r https://londiniumespresso.com/store/londinium-r In contrast, consider the Breville espresso machines. They make great coffee reportedly, but I understand they're next to impossible to service or fix yourself. I heard that a technician is required to merely clean it, much less repair it (maybe a machine owner can chime in). So I guess you gain some and lose some with economies of scale and espresso machines.

sjwright 7y ago

The quality of grind tends to be the weakest link in most home barista situations. It's easy for most people to justify buying the expensive espresso machine, or buy a kilo of beans from the last cafe they got a great coffee from, but the grinder is often neglected. For the nerds on HN, the difference between a good grinder and junk is the consistency of particle size. There's an optimum particle size that will result in the greatest amount of desirable flavours being extracted; most cheaper grinders will spit out a wide gamut of particle size. One of the most important jobs of a barista is to manage the grind fineness to optimise for the beans. The reason that perfect espresso isn't made by a robot—the reason why the process is so variable—is because the source material (the beans) are volatile. They're constantly changing, each batch is slightly different, their properties change as they off-gas every day from when they're roasted, and they're greatly affected by storage and ambient humidity. Some of these variances can be compensated for by adjusting the grind.

davnicwil 7y ago
Thanks for this - sounds like you're pretty knowledgeable on the topic - don't suppose you have any recommendations for books or other sources for further reading?
- ereyes01 7y ago
  I really enjoyed Home Coffee Roasting by Kenneth Davids: https://www.amazon.com/Home-Coffee-Roasting-Revised-Updated/dp/0312312199 https://www.amazon.com/Home-Coffee-Roasting-Revised-Updated/... It's not about grinders but it spends a few chapters on how coffee is produced and how different factors/regions can affect its flavor. It's an excellent primer on coffee in general, and of course on roasting at home (though the chapter on machines at the end is a little outdated).
  - davnicwil 7y ago
    Thanks!

TylerE 7y ago

That’s marketing to rich hipsters. “Handcrafted” machines aren’t better. They’re crap. You want a precision assembly line that makes consistent, replaceable parts.

ereyes01 7y ago
Maybe you're right, I don't know much about this particular machine, but espresso machines (especially levers) are simple machines that are frequently hand-built, yet very serviceable and high quality. See for example the Londinium R, which has a lot of fans and is basically designed and built by 1 guy AFAICT: https://londiniumespresso.com/store/londinium-r https://londiniumespresso.com/store/londinium-r In contrast, consider the Breville espresso machines. They make great coffee reportedly, but I understand they're next to impossible to service or fix yourself. I heard that a technician is required to merely clean it, much less repair it (maybe a machine owner can chime in). So I guess you gain some and lose some with economies of scale and espresso machines.