Do you NEED that espresso machine?

I vividly remember waking up, feeling sick at an aroma that filled the entire house when my Dad would start up his coffee machine. Whatever you think coffee should smell like, that wasn’t it. That brand shall remain unnamed…

Now, it was a cheap machine, quality isn’t expected, so I can’t judge too harshly… however, as the price of these machines start to increase you begin to have an expectation that money equals quality. This unfortunately isn’t always the case. 

We’ll start by discussing the rise of personal espresso machines. These claim to offer an authentic ‘barista like’ experience, but the reality is (in my experience), slightly disappointing. I had a ‘bean to cup’ coffee machine, expecting the built in grinder and steam arm to be a game changer, but what I realised is that the built in grinder was never consistent enough and lacked real control. This ‘bean to cup’ machine had a small dial with nothing on it but an image of a big bean on one side and a small bean on the other, something that (as a novice wading into deep waters) I genuinely believed was alluding to the specific size of the beans you’re using. If you want a good consistent cup of coffee, bin off the idea of bean to cup and invest in a good grinder, you will notice a world of difference.

My next issue with these machines is the steam arm. In general, a low/medium budget coffee machine will not have a steam arm powerful enough to create the wonderful espresso based drinks that we know and love. I spent months over lock-down trying to recreate the flat whites that I got at my favourite coffee shop. I’d ordered the same beans they used, had the equipment to steam the milk, and even got a milk jug recommended by a friend. Yet it never quite worked. For a start the control just wasn’t there, you got an espresso shot that never had the same extraction time, was far too fast, and was uneven between the two spouts which sets you up for failure as the espresso is obviously the heart of these coffees. Then you get to steaming and the blast was so weak I would have to manually swirl the jug around to create a current, leading to both inconsistent results, and either a lukewarm latte at best, or the driest cappuccino you’ve ever seen at worst. 

Now again, this isn’t ALL personal espresso machines, but it is my experience with a mid range machine, as well as the experience of friends that made the same mistake. 

So, with low end and mid range machines being out of the question in my mind, do we just go crazy and buy an actual commercial grade coffee machine? Well it would be nice… but no. The cost vs. amount you’d use it would be ludacris, and if you’re a smart owner you’d end up spending more time on cleaning and maintenance than actually brewing coffees. 

Now I’ve had my little rant on home coffee machines (I really could go on and on), let’s move on to the helpful part, what should you use to brew coffee at home? The way I see it, there are two viable options for the coffee connoisseurs. If you want an espresso based coffee and don’t mind spending upwards of £400 to get it, then in my opinion, ‘The MORNING Machine’ is your best bet. Offering calibration to water temperature, pressure, and coffee to water ratio, all from your phone. Even allowing roasters such as Colonna, to have unique QR codes to scan on the packaging! It really does make the whole process simple and time efficient. However, £400 is a lot of money, and I’ve found joy going back to simpler brewing methods. 

For as cheap as £10 you can buy a basic v60 dripper (this has become my favourite brewing method). There is something almost meditative about the slow pour, drawing your silly little circles, and watching the slow drip through. It becomes something to look forward to, a ritual. This brewing method makes a very delicate cup of coffee, really allowing you to explore the tasting notes of a coffee and see what other flavour based connections you can make. For this reason it has become my go to method of trying and judging new beans. There really is nothing for the coffee to hide behind here, so make sure you have some quality beans lined up (which you can afford now that you haven’t bankrupted yourself buying 14 different coffee machines)! I am determined to start the v60 renaissance if you couldn’t tell, but I will admit that they require time and effort, both to make and more importantly to get the process down to a tee. 

Other manual brewing options do exist and are very valid, for example, the ‘Clever Dripper’ offers a time saving alternative to the v60, however, will never fully recreate the taste as it uses a mix of drip and immersion brewing. I may put up my preferred recipe for them at some point as it takes some experimenting. I am also a big advocate of the ‘Moka Pot’. A sleek stove top way to make a coffee more similar to an espresso as opposed to a filter that the other methods create. A true coffee brewing icon. Finally if you still aren’t feeling the effort required to make a v60 you could always opt for an ‘Aeropress’, an immersion brewing method, that can offer more control of extraction to create different results. Far more flexible than the French press.

The point of all this is to try and help people understand that their money is best invested in quality coffees, and by getting these more basic hand brewing coffee makers, you can afford that. As well as encouraging people to go out there and play with these recipes and methods that allow a more creative approach (cough v60 cough) to coffee making. You wont regret it. 

@acaseforcoffee