![]() ![]() ![]() To start accumulating the considerable amount of knowledge needed to make good home espresso-and to get a better idea of how complex the process is-ideally you’d learn in person. If this does not dissuade you, that’s great. ![]() James Hoffmann, one of my favorite coffee-gear reviewers and coffee experts, said, “We’ve set unrealistic expectations about the effort:reward ratio in coffee, and that’s the point of friction with espresso at home.” Pulling decent shots is a lot harder than making a pour-over or drip coffee. The most important thing to realize before getting into home espresso is that it is a pain in the ass to make. Home espresso is difficult (so get trained) These machines have full-size portafilters (the part that holds the basket that holds the coffee), pumps that won’t choke on large amounts of fine coffee necessary for strong espresso, and heating elements that are consistent, tweakable, and powerful enough to fine-tune extraction and make great coffee repeatedly. In my experience, and according to pros at Clive Coffee (who specialize in gear for home espresso), a setup that can keep up with café-quality drinks is easily going to cost about $1,000 for the machine alone, and a few hundred extra for the grinder. The author’s home setup: a KafaTek Monolith Max grinder (left) and a La Marzocco GS3 MP (right). And if you want a machine you can really grow with, you’ll need to spend more. Even Wirecutter’s recommended espresso machine for beginners, the Breville Bambino Plus, when paired with a good grinder comes close to $700. Making espresso at home is expensive compared with other types of coffee. Here are the lessons I learned the hard way through many mistakes and the guidance of pros. If you want to make truly great home espresso, you’ll need a quality machine and plenty of practice. From the complexity and cost of the machines to the way beans are brewed and dialed in when grinding, it’s the most expensive and difficult method of coffee making. At this point, I feel comfortable making espresso, and I prefer my own drinks to those made in most cafés.Īnd I now agree with Buchanan-I do not think most people should get into making espresso at home without knowing what they are in for. It’s been a few years, and I’ve gathered some decent equipment, some training, and a little experience. Then I got a little obsessed-I was hooked. Initially, I started researching home espresso for a Wirecutter guide. Matt Buchanan, executive editor at Eater, who wrote an early coffee-making gear guide for Wirecutter, and who has written about coffee for The New Yorker, says, “No one should make espresso at home, leave it to the shops it’s a multi-thousand-dollar rabbit hole you might never find your way out of.” Despite not being a regular coffee drinker at the time, I decided to start brewing espresso. Three years ago, when The New York Times took over the company, I needed a new hobby. If you need a short jolt of coffee to get going, try one of the portable espresso makers – you can always lengthen these with hot water to make an Americano.For a long time, my main focus in life was running Wirecutter, which I founded in 2011 with some friends. If you like a long, even cup of coffee, pick a “drip” brewer or a french press (also known as a cafetiere). The kind of coffee maker you need depends on what kind of coffee you like – there are really portable options out there for every style of brew. We also discovered a useful crossover: many of these little coffee-makers are desk-sized and keep your drink warm for hours, meaning you can maintain a steady supply of caffeine when working from home, without having to pop to the kitchen to microwave your mug. We tested these coffee makers on camping trips, day hikes and windswept surf trips. There are plenty of pocket-sized, artisanal coffee makers on the market that you can use to brew from your sleeping bag. Thanks to the recent intersection between the hipster and hiking cultures, you can forget mediocre mugs of instant and cold strolls to the cafe. There’s no better way to welcome a crisp morning at the campsite than with a cup of hot, barista-quality coffee. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |