So, this must be home espresso in its final form. Anyone want to hazard a guess as to the cost of the equipment?
Well, I just got myself a Lelit Bianca and a DF64 Grinder. I’m probably not going to be sleeping much for the next few days 
Grats! That’s a beautiful machine. What made you choose that in the end?
I’m really glad I didn’t chime in to suggest my $300 Breville Cafe Roma machine and Braun grinder as the epitome of coffee extravagance. Yikes! The video and the links are…impressive.
I had been looking at a Rocket Apartmento because it would have been a color match for my kitchen. However, the Lelit is a better quality machine with a bit more control out of the box.
Right. I do know a couple of people who are super obsessed with fiddling with the temperature, pressure, grind, roast, etc. to get that ultimate cup of coffee; if you are like that then you obviously need everything to be manual.
Beautiful!
Reminds me of our ECM Tecnika IV, which is the older version of the Technika V. We chose ours for the double boiler and it had the best foam texture.
Did they offer you a course for how to get the best performance out of your new toys?
I was given a brief demo. Right now I’ve been watching videos. I do know that there is a place near me that does offer a course on espresso in general.
At the very least, I plan on reading the manual twice before plugging it in.
I received an espresso machine for Christmas and have been enjoying it, how’s it going for you so far, @Ike_Witt? What sorts of coffees are you buying, and what sorts of espresso drinks are you making?
Mine is a lower-end model, the Casabrews CM5418…I’m not even sure I could tell the difference (yet).
It has been a bigger challenge than I expected to get consistent results. I think a small part of the issue is the machine and a large part of the issue is user error.
I get beans from a local roaster. I get this Heritage blend. I am considering trying different roasts to see if I can get more reliable consistency.
I generally make cappuccinos or lattes.
You need to make sure your coffee roast is not older than 5 or 6 weeks.
What kind of coffee grinder do you have and how fast does the espresso brew? .
My grinder is a DF64 gen 2. Brew times is usually between 26 and 30 seconds and I sometimes have soggy pucks.
I usually get the coffee 2 days after it was roasted and it is usually done between 2 and 3 weeks depending on how much I am drinking. Having an Airscape container also helps.
If you get a lot of variance, double check your puck preparation… Are you using a WRT tool?
Are you happy with the taste or do you get sour/bitter espresso.?
I do use a WRT however I am not sure if I am tamping with too much pressure. Also, despite my best efforts the puck is not always even.
Sometimes the coffee is a little bitter and sometimes it is a bit sour. I have only had one cup that I considered undrinkable.
I was told you can’t really use too much pressure. You are trying to eliminate voids in the puck, but unless you are using a hydraulic press it’s not like you can crush the grounds further by hand.