for emergencies I like Pete.
They have the date of roasting… which is better than what Starbucks do. So maybe find a medium roast you like and just know that in case you need to buy…
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You’re welcome! I think you will enjoy this machine. Provides pretty good espresso and IMO is a good stepping stone to see if this is something you want to take more seriously. Like I said, I am still using mine after 4.5 years and I am happy with it.
As for the coffee, yes I am using a medium roast from a local roasting company which owns and operates a few coffee shops while being a small batch roaster. Local to me and a number of coffee shops carry their brand. They also offer online orders and shipping which is nice as I can usually get a fresh bag within a day of being roasted and never have to leave home. I am sure you could find something very similar where you’re located. I’ve tried Lavazza and Starbucks, but find them to be oily or difficult to get good consistency out of them.
agree with @Joelrivera , avoid the supermarket beans especially with this machine. I would also agree that the dark or very dark roasts are too oily and I have never had good success with this type of beans while using the Barista Express.
Took me a while to find what I liked and what works well. I still try other blends or brands of coffee, but I also go back to my original. Once you find something you like and works well, I can get really good consistency which is ultimately my goal.
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Yeah I watched some videos and understand the need to tweak grind size based on the beans. Guessing we are going to try a bunch of different local roasters and then settle on one we like. My favorite right now is Nespresso Palermo original, a longo shot even though it’s sold as espresso shot, and Aerrocino foam/milk using 2% (we also use half and half).
You are about to learn that nespresso is garbage compare to a real machine.
Once you dial your setup, you will be making coffee that should be much better.
I would strongly suggest you get a precision basket… Worth every cent.
The bottomless porta filter will let you use a bigger basket and for bigger shots.
A distributor is a great tool to speed the process.
A dosing cup
and finally a scale
The process as I would do it…
weight the coffee you put in (20g for example)
Grind and make sure you get same amount out. You would grind to the cup and not the filter.
Put coffee on the filter
distribute
tamp
brew
i also weight the brew.
I use a 1:2.5 ratio. So for 20g of grounds I expect 50g of espresso in about 30-35s.
I read a while ago some machines use lower than expected water temperature and that probably need to be adjusted. I think you want something in the 90-96°C (195-205°F) range. Not sure about you machine. This is just an FYI and might not be a problem
good luck…
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Thanks for the list. I’m not that discerning over the taste of my coffee. If it’s good, it all tastes pretty similar to my palate. I’ve been to a lot of high end coffee shops while traveling on business, and only one stood out (Portola Coffee Roasters off the 405 in Costa Mesa CA). I primarily drink Americanos. And in Europe whatever the locals are drinking at the walk up after lunch coffee bars.
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Looks like a very fancy coffee shop.
The beans make a huge difference. Places like this one probably employee very capable baristas who know what are they doing.
Unlike Starbucks who love to serve the lattes with milk that seems to have been heated by Satan himself.
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Well now you know where to go if you ever fly into SNA / Orange County / John Wayne airport…
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Thanks, that plus the list of items is actually very helpful.
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Anyone using a manual Espresso machine? I’ve been looking at the Flair devices but just haven’t pulled the trigger yet. I do have a lower end Breville but it doesn’t have many options so it’s been hard to dial in (although I’ll admit a better grinder could help here).
On the other end of the spectrum, anyone tried Cometeer coffee? I decided to give it a try a while back as a replacement of k-cups the quick caffeine needs in between meetings when I don’t have time for pour over/aeropress/espresso. They’re just as easy and taste a TON better, honestly on par with a decent pour over. If anyone is interested in giving it a try I do have referrals that give you a $25 discount, just shoot me a PM and I can send it along. Was going to link it above but didn’t want it to seem like I was just shilling for them. 
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I have been curious about it.
James Hoffman worked (works?) with them on something.
He went to their facilities a while ago to do some grind testing (they have a ginormous industrial grinder).
here is another video on how this works.
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I have used my cafelat robot for 1.5 years + and love it. Paired with a forte bg and also have a bellman. I also do v60 pourover and Comandante with redclix for travel.
Thought about a decent or even a bianca but honestly love the experience and no maintenance.
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Also happily using a Robot. There’s a lot of back-and-forth between Robot and Flair, best to make up your mind by watching/reading many of the comparisons.
Only downside for me is that it works best with 15g of coffee or more, which is above my caffeine sweet spot of 8-10g per shot. (I either take the big hit or mix with good decaf beans from a local roaster).
Love the simplicity of it all, though - I’m only measuring bean weight, everything else is by feel.
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Having lurked on this thread for a long time a local offer prompts me to ask for opinions. There’s a Conti CC100 Compact plus a Caedo grinder, ex pop up cafe use, available locally for around £1200 ($1600). Seems like a legit sale following COVID business closure. Any guidance or 2c opinions? I’m hesitant…
It all depends.
Buying used equipment is a gamble.
Are you good with fixing potential issues?
If you are good with tools and general knowledge of how this machines work and are willing to maybe have to clean/fix things, then this might be a great deal.
Do you know how many groups on the machine?
Do you know the model of the grinder?
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Ceado E37J grinder. The Conti is 2 gang. I’m handy enough with tools and still have 10 fingers and have electrocuted myself only once. The problem I find is diagnosing the problem in anything electrical without experience or training on a product. The fix is usually the simple step. I’m thinking an ex-commercial machine might be a naive purchase.
IDK.
This MIGHT be too much for a home usage. This will be a massive machine almost 2 feet all around. Weight close to 100 pounds. Probably needs to be hooked directly to a water source. Its a commercial machine after all.
The grinder it self is $1000 new. So maybe get it and flip the machine and get something smaller?
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Found a roaster that moved from Bay Area, I can walk to his warehouse space. Bought a bag of his Dolce espresso blend. Will try the Forte blend next.
Got a smell tour of the beans, this was my fav:
His family has been growing coffee for 5 generations in El Salvador. Interesting guy.
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Awesome man! Now you have probably found a life supplier of coffee
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you can probably get a machine and grinder better suit for home for that price…
grinder i would go niche
good luck!
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