This article is super strange. It just seems wrong on so many levels.
First off, I’m a coffee nerd who owns a coffee company and I don’t have an espresso machine in my house. I use a chemex and am perfectly happy with it. I don’t even want an espresso machine.
Second, I haven’t seen this mad Covid push to home espresso they speak about. I haven’t seen it in the market at all (and we sell exclusively to homes).
Third, it seems unlikely that large espresso machines are forcing us to redesign kitchens and finally why go on about your big expensive setup only to put some medium roasted cheap ass beans in it. Spend your money on better coffee it’s the easiest and cheapest way to make your coffee better.
I hate these annoying articles about coffee which imply you need to be a rich snob to enjoy it.
I agree with you in that I don't remember anyone I know buying one lately, since the pandemic. All the coffee nerds had gotten one earlier and they all seem to be happy enough.
I completely disagree on what I see as your main point. I'm very far from being a coffee snob or even aficionado, but even to me my morning coffee (with tons of milk) and a decent espresso are so far from each other... saying that it doesn't matter is a bit like "all beers taste the same". I don't drink espresso when I get up and I wouldn't make real cappuccino anyway either, and I drink my espresso usually after lunch. They just happen to both be labeled coffee. (Also for reference, I've been using a Hario for about a year now and I buy beans from local roasters and have no intention to ever roast myself)
I live with the aeropress and chemex and french press combo myself, but I will say my sister loves her espresso machine. It's also a lot faster than even the aeropress.
But I also don't have the space for it and couldn't imagine having to pay that kind of money - like you, I'd rather spend it on beans. :)
> I hate these annoying articles about coffee which imply you need to be a rich snob to enjoy it
Well, it is a WSJ article. I used to be a regular reader of NYT, and this very much reminds me of NYT "lifestyle" reporting. Wealthy New Yorkers, amiright?
It's not so much that you need to be a rich snob, but it's an opportunity for people to show off that they're a rich snob. For some people, that's like catnip.
No, fresh grinding is super important for pour over coffee as well. If what you're getting is pre-ground it's not going to be as good as it could have been if you'd gotten whole bean coffee and grinded it yourself.
A serviceable hand grinder(I used a Hario until I got a motorized grinder) can be bought for the price of a couple bags of good coffee. If you're interested it's not a huge investment.
As for beans, I'd look for a local roaster and talk with them about recommendations. I roast my own coffee and buy from Happy Mug, who also sell roasted beans. You might also look at Stumptown and Intelligentsia.
> Why do we design the most important room in the house around the gear that simply provides our morning cuppa? Because there’s nothing simple about coffee anymore.
Who is we? And on top of this being an absurd rich-journalist problem, you really don't need an espresso machine at all. A pour-over coffee filter and a bag of pre-ground beans is like $10 total and makes totally decent coffee. Espresso should be a treat for occasions like sitting in a cafe, and an espresso machine is like a pasta roller or ice-cream machine. Totally fine for hobbyists, but most people should just leave it to the pros.
Percolators and French presses make excellent coffee too. Both are barely bigger than a cup and cost maybe $10. To me, it looks like people get those espresso machines so they can roleplay working in a coffee shop. I guess people get their kicks in all sorts of different ways.
There are health concerns around unfiltered coffee (which includes percolators and French presses) that make some people not want to use those methods every day (especially if they consume lots of coffee): https://www.thehealthy.com/nutrition/why-french-press-coffee...
I said it should be a hobby. And complaining about your hobby espresso machine taking up too much space in your kitchen is like complaining about your model railway taking up too much space in your basement. No one is forcing you to have a big thousand-dollar espresso machine, and writing a WSJ article about it just oozes some kind of pretentiousness about the way you drink your coffee.
shrug We got a Mr. Coffee Barista which makes espresso/cappuccino/latte when it was on sale about 5 years ago for just over $100. 11" wide and 9" deep. Gets put away between special occasions. Don't need to dedicate 2-3 feet of counter space and buy one of the $400+ machines.
But to each their own, of course!
(The rest of the time, it's grinder + scale + pour-over + electric kettle, and the grinder/kettle do have permanent places on the counter!)
I would. Espresso drinks were a "yuppie" drink before Starbucks (80's early 90's). But Starbucks expanded the market so that people who were drinking Folgers at home now drink espresso based drinks.
> wanting to make your own at home instead of spending $7+ a day on Starbucks isn't unreasonable
So spend $500-$1000 on an espresso machine instead when, as OP points out, there are perfectly fine, affordable options that will for most people be indistinguishable (and are certainly superior to Starbucks, just read anything written by the coffee afficionados)?
And even if frothed milk is your thing there are better ways to do it than these big machines.
I drink matcha lattes, they make these magic things called "milk frothers" for like $30. In my case I add Oat milk up to the line, add a tablespoon of matcha powder, then push the button. Then it heats and froths the milk and provides a nice little beep when it's ready.
Why should it be a treat for occasions? Why do you think the way you enjoy coffee should be the way everyone does? Why should we leave it to the pros? Should we give up cooking too and eat out every meal? Your opinion on this subject is a little bizarre imo.
I personally don't really like any coffee other than an espresso and for money and time and satisfaction we'd rather make them at home. It's not that hard, there's plenty of info online.
Not necessary. The piece is an excuse for some cutesy first world problem complaining, and dropping some expensive name brands to set the tone. It's not necessarily to sell a specific product, but more to establish the wsj as a magazine with a wealthy, in-the-know readership. Hey, you too, yes you dear reader, might be a sophisticated new yorker with a fancy coffee maker. Any brands out there that care to advertise their expensive lifestyle products here? And even if you're rolling your eyes at this complete drivel, well, you get to feel superior that you, yes, you! most smart and independent reader, are not falling for this stupid informercial. Everybody wins! The most important thing about this is the branding. It's completely disheartening really, that pretty much every content shat out now is ads. If not ads for a particular product, then it's basically an ad for a general disposition or worldview. Unescapable.
I lived in NYC for a long time, where space is at a premium. The idea of giving up significant chunks of my available counter space to a coffee machine was a non-starter for me. My solution was a hand grinder, a french press, and a pot of water.
I'm in the burbs now, with much more space, but I've kept the setup because the other nice benefit is the simplicity of it -- though I am considering buying a coffee machine to keep in storage and bring out for when I have guests and need to make larger amounts of coffee regularly.
I've gone through a few grinders over the years, but currently I am using a grinder from [1]handground, which I've been happy with. Gone through a few french presses as sometimes they break, but they're also easy to buy at home stores or coffee shops -- I currently have one by bodum that's been working well for a few years.
The actual coffee depends on how much I want to splurge. I'm not a huge coffee snob so I can get away with the medium-priced beans, eg Wholefoods store brand rather than, say, Intelligentsia or La Colombe (though I will sometimes splurge on those). I find _freshness_ matters a lot more than brand.
Not a big espresso drinker, but one of my sisters uses those little stovetop espresso makers and has been happy with it.
The author seems to think their problem is everyone's problem. How many people have a 30 pound professional coffee machine and giant grinder setup worth $1000+ taking up half their kitchen? The vast majority of people are making do with a brew pot or Keurig/Nespresso.
> How many people have a 30 pound professional coffee machine and giant grinder setup worth $1000+ taking up half their kitchen?
A friend of mine has that but then... He used to own a restaurant.
For the rest of use a $350 Delonghi full-automatic will do just fine without all the fuss / ceremony. If you've got the means you can't go wrong with a swiss coffee machine from the Jura brand.
I put whole grains in, press a button and the machine does everything.
And I didn't have to built the kitchen around it.
I recommend a $350 full auto coffee machine anytime over a Nespresso for the coffee is simply better and cheaper than with capsules. And you'll make the additional money the full auto costs back in no time.
I'm one of those folks that feeds whole beans into a $30 OXO countertop grinder then into reusable kcups, all this taking a small bit of shelf space on a rack in my kitchen next to the slow cooker, air fryer, etc. I sure as hell don't need a coffee shop level espresso machine in my house taking up half the counter space, wow.
I've always wanted a vintage commercial espresso machine as they're the closest I'd likely get to owning a steam engine, but that's not a great justification in a home appliance. Instead we have a much more reasonable Breville Barista Express which is a machine right at the sweet spot of quality for the price, just before diminishing returns kick in.
Owning a coffee machine to make espresso (and potentially other drinks) is frugal.
My Setup:
Breville Dual Boiler $1000
Baratza Sette Grinder $500
Various accessories $100
20 bags of beans per year (drinking a coffee a day) $300
= $1900 first year
= $2200 cumulative second year
= $2500 cumulative third year
Vs paying $3 for an espresso at a coffee shop:
365*3 = 1460 every year + the time to get to the shop
= $2920 by second year (i.e. $720 more expensive)
= $4380 by third year (i.e. $1880 more expensive)
I for one am fine waking up, drinking great espresso before putting my pants on, all the while saving a bunch of money (after the initial investment).
And yeah, I've tried other variations like aeropress, pour over, french press, etc. A proper espresso made well beats them all
I worked with a guy who had a fancy big one on his desk, In an open plan office. He requested that facilities provide a dedicated 15 amp circuit to his desk just for it. He ended up always having a desk on a wall bit away from the crowd because of it, smart move imo.
Eh, I can kind-of see that. I came into a dual group commercial unit a while back. I do put it in the kitchen. When you add the grinder and knock box, it can be a bit much at over three feet wide... and 150 lbs of boiling water, stainless and copper is not something to "hide" on the counter top. However, with the fact that I save so much money on espresso-based drinks, its a conversation piece (mostly me and it when I make coffee :), and it looks good, I do not see the downside.
my setup is pretty simple: hand grinder, scale, electric kettle, v60 pour over or aeropress. only the kettle really requires countertop space, but of course I leave all of this stuff out on the counter anyway.
On one hand, sometimes I want to throw 8 scoops of Dunks from the big container we get from Costco into the drip coffee maker. Usually in the morning when everybody is rushing out the door.
On the other hand, sometimes in the afternoon I will break out the scale, grinder, kettle, Chemex, locally roasted coffee, and take a few minutes.
Neither setup is expensive, just different takes on the same thing.
Damn, just use a moka pot. It can be stored on your least-used stove burner!
I personally got tired of the moka pot cleanup and the fact that it uses a lot of coffee beans to make enough coffee for my liking. Now, I make pour over. Not as strong, but the quickest and easiest cleanup of any method I've tried.
A pour-over kit I got for the Christmas before the pandemic was my gateway drug to fussying over coffee ratios and grind size. It's great, I'm thinking of even corrupting some other members of my family by gifting a kit like that too
After 8 years of home espresso machines (a super automatic Saeco, Astra Pro Heat exchanger, Crossland CC1 - the last two with a Baratza Vario) while also doing lots of pour over, chemex, aero press, etc… I obsessed a bit and purchased a Lelit Elizabeth six months ago.
I have used it most every day since then, and even made my wife a coffee lover.
It was pricy, but I think for the form factor (it is really just marginally bigger than the Crossland), capability, and price - it was everything I could have wanted out of a machine. It takes up some space - maybe 20” with grinder, but because the machine is shallow compared to most, you don’t lose as much space as you think.
I think the Breville Dual Boiler is probably closest in spirit, though usually not much cheaper (and a bit bigger)
The breville bambino is popular partially because of the size.
The future will be smaller machines with smaller boilers and more electronics - I just think that the lelit gets it all right.
I have the Lelit Elizabeth and I agree it is an awesome compact machine. It was an investment, but I looked at it three ways.
First I got it on sale. Second I opened a new credit card so I could take advantage of the cashback offer, further "lowering" the price. Third every latte I make is a medium starbucks latte I didn't have to pay for, further making this machine more worth it.
I've owned it for a year and made latte's for me, my wife and mother-in-law everyday. I estimate the coffee machine has saved me more than I paid for it. At this rate I'm considering upgrading my grinder so I can get that much more flavor out of the variety of coffee beans I'm buying.
It was an investment but I had actually accumulated all of the previous mentioned equipment I had - and sold it for what I had paid. That softened the blow quite a bit (I raised $1200)
I am still using a Baratza Vario - I usually weigh out 15.5g and basically single dose with it. Maybe someday I will upgrade but I don’t fill the burning need.
My setup: AeroPress, hand grinder, scale and electric kettle. Although, I've been thinking of picking up a Chemex for when I need to brew more than a single mug.
Yes! I don't mean to start a flamewar, but I've actually found the Aeropress to consistently make the best cup of coffee. I was a pourover guy for years and still love the ritual. But the aeropress process is more repeatable.
I can't, however, claim to be a minimalist about this since I am also one of those rubes with an espresso maker taking up space on his kitchen counter--and a whole cabinet still devoted to the coffee apparatus that has fallen out of my rotation.
I'm an aeropress fan, but that hasn't stopped me from pairing it with a grinder and a milk frother. Still a lot more space-compact than a full-blown espresso machine though.
I was toying with my own espresso set up but I think of it as a large upfront platform commitment with high switching costs and costly subscription fee (beans). On top of that I have little control over the various subscription fees. And if ever I decide that I want to no longer drink coffee (unlikely) I will have this investment to re-consider.
All I need is a jar of instant decaf coffee, and an electric water kettle. I also have a jar of Pero instant imitation coffee (made from roasted barley, chicory, and rye) for some variety.
I hate these annoying articles about coffee which imply you need to be a rich snob to enjoy it.