Good morning from Chicago, and my favorite place to get espresso (The Mothership).
I’m trying to make better espresso from home, so I’m curious as to what methods you all use to make espresso at home that you love.
Howdy fellow Chicagoan. My first foray into home espresso was a Gaggia Classic and a Baratza Encore. That was more than enough to replace my forays into the coffee shops.
A friend of mine uses a cheap breville and preground coffee and is satisfied, so I think it all depends on how picky you are.
Always nice to meet another Chicagoan! Thanks for the recommendations. Will take a look!
Uniterra Nomad. Workflow is a little fussy but it works great. I’ve found that especially on lighter roasts, using lower pressures helps a lot.
Will check it out, thanks.
Doesn’t really answer your question, but I’ve been really happy making "faux latte"s and such with my Moka pot. A little inconvenient to clean, but definitely takes up less space than a mini espresso machine.
I do love my Mokapot and I can make an okay cappuccino using it but really looking for that strong espresso taste. I can’t seem to get that or the acidity with mine.
Beans, grinder, technique. Then machine.
I’ve had a number of machines (decent now) and it isn’t required to make something really good. Learn the basic techniques to get the flow and pressure right with your unit of choice. Dual boiler or switched boiler (either steam or brew via a switch) is my suggestion there, as the heat exchangers are great, but you have to play with them to know how it works.
Learn Wdt.
Thanks! I use beans from our local shop and a hand (manual) grinder. Even measuring water and coffee I can’t quiet make something good with my aeropress or Mokapot. I don’t need any fancy machines or anything as long as I can make something I like.