this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2023

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What would you say is THE BEST home machine? (lemmy.world)

submitted 2 years ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I'm thinking the Strada EP1 would be the best you can get today?

Electronic pressure profiling, with a saturated head and all the high quality you'd expect from a LM machine.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 years ago (1 children)

How do you define a home machine? The Strada EP 1 is, from what I can find, priced from €10.000, which I find a bit crazy for a home machine, but then again I'm not at all familiar with espresso machines.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Haha I've seen them for slightly cheaper and it's way out of my budget still, but if I could afford it, it seems to tick all of the "ultimate, do-everything espresso machine" boxes.

I measured, and it's so deep that it doesn't even fit on my kitchen counter unfortunately 😂 I'd need to build a dedicated espresso bar.

The GS3 I suppose would be the closest, cheaper, sane home equivalent, but would sacrifice the electronic paddle in exchange for a manual one or AV.

[–] thepianistfroggollum 11 points 2 years ago (2 children)

My stove top kettle and French press make better coffee than any machine I've ever used.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 years ago (1 children)

That's awesome, if immersion brewing is your favourite tasting coffee, then it's pretty easy to get good results on a budget (except the grinder!)

Unfortunately I'm drawn to espressos and cortados so things get a little more technical and expensive.

Have you tried different filter methods? The kalita/v60/chemex/aeropress etc.

[–] thepianistfroggollum 5 points 2 years ago

The aeropress is actually what got me away from drip brewers, but I drink way too much coffee for it to be my main method. It was nice to use when I was working out of the office, though.

I'm about to do an experiment on which immersion brewing method is best. My plan is to 5 different brews in 8oz mason jars: boiling water and short steep (normal), boiling water and 24h steep, sun coffee (just letting it sit in the sun all day), room temperature 24h steep, and fridge 24h steep. I'm betting option 2 is the worst.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago

The other way a french press is best is because on one operation you can make an arbitrarily large amount of coffee

You want coffee for five? Easy. More? The machines are cheap, you can parallel them

The downside - you can't make any of the drinks made of espresso

Cold brew would probably beat the french press, if it didn't need forethought

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Best at what? Best filter? Best looking? Most efficient use of space? Best at steaming? Best workflow? Most convenient?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Well, it's open ended for a reason, what do you think would be your ultimate machine if money was no limit, and what is your reasoning?

I'm not so much asking for recommendations as I am prompting for a conversation!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

OK. Decent + EG1 because I like turbos and sprovers.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

I have the EG-1 and it's fantastic! I'm super jealous they started releasing new versions and I can't upgrade though! 😭

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

Most flexible? Best turbo-shot? Best traditional espresso? Best light roast espresso?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

My 8+ year old Keurig classic (K50?) that occasinally makes panicked struggling noises when the water tank is near full but still usually manages to squeeze out the coffee.

It was free, so obviously that makes it the best.

/backs into the bushes

/would this actually this count as trolling for mod reasons? ;)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Easiest and fastest way for an amazing single cup of coffee is probably the clever dripper. It's utterly fool proof, and combined with good beans and a good grinder makes top shelf coffee. Also it costs almost nothing.

If you are looking for a batch brewer that will last the rest of your life go for Technivorm Moccamaster. I've had mine for 10 years and wouldn't want to live without it! Good grinder and beans needed of course!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

I am a big fan of the Clever Dripper. I use one daily at the office.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Two brew heads? That's not a home machine.
What's your definition of 'best?'

[+] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

This suggests it's two or three. But there's an image with only one. Rather confusing.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Yeah the Strada EP1 is a single group head but pretty rare and pretty pricey. (And huge, designed for commercial use really)

"Best", well that's open ended, what would you have if money wasn't a limit?

I'm looking at the Strada because it seems to be the only machine with everything modern high end espresso machines can offer in one package.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

And huge, designed for commercial use really

That's what I was getting at.

"Best", well that's open ended, what would you have if money wasn't a limit?

Depends on what you want from your coffee making and consumption experiences.
For example, I'm looking to get a Decent Espresso DE1 because seems to be a fairly open, community oriented product that allows me to gather, visualize and act upon the relevant data, allowing me to tailor my coffee quite exactly to my liking. It also seems to be user-repairable, which I also appreciate.

So if you're interested in tinkering with your coffee and machine it may be something for you, as well.
On the other hand, if you want to rely on the vendor more heavily and maybe tweak premade profiles a little and certainly not repair the machine yourself, the Strada be more interesting. I say this, having taken only a cursory glance at the product website, so adjust with salt to taste.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I've toyed with the idea of a decent many times but I can't bring myself to give up the rotary pump and boilers. The interface is quite janky looking too, even with its limited customisability.

I feel like I'd prefer the mechanical options that will perhaps stand the test of time better. I have a Lelit Bianca currently so I'm no stranger to pressure profiling, but would like something with automation (like the decent or Strada) with a reliable extraction temp, really good quality dry steam and hot water on demand.

I wish I could borrow a decent for a week to try it out day-to-day and see if it beats out what I'd get in a similarly priced GS3 in the cup.

It's kind of frustrating you need to plumb the machine in with an extra kit sold separately, I don't think I'd have room the way my kitchen is laid out!

(If I had strada money, I'd make my kitchen fit the machine!)

[+] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Why would a Strada be worse for dialling in than a Decent? Surely that's a grinder issue, not a machine issue?

[+] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

So it's not about dialling it, it's about whether you're happy with a less than perfect shot and a machine that covers it up 😅

I'm currently on a E61 machine with a EG-1, so no stranger to dialling in and getting the perfect shot. The GS3 is likely the next real step up, but the Strada offers the consistent electronic profiling that other machines lack (so surely you could have the same profiles that the decent offers?)

The decent is an odd beast without it's boilers and with it's strange noisy pump, and it's old school UI that'll only age more with time. I'm super curious about using one, and the nerd in me loves the sound of all that data and graphing, but it just seems like a toy compared to a big sturdy boiler machine. Id be interested to try one for a week, but I don't even know if it would make a better cup than my E61.

Ideally I'd want everything that a GS3 offers, combined with the decent nerdiness... And there's not many of those around. The Sanremo YOU, or the Synesso ES-1 look like interesting contenders.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago (2 children)

How about the Decent?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago

I hear it makes a decent cup.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Personally, I'm not a fan of the no-boiler, no-rotary-pump setup, with no hot water on demand, and I've heard some negative things about the UI and the founder.

However, it's extremely intriguing as it would tickle that data/analytics part of my brain to be able to control my shots completely. I'd love to borrow one for a week and compare it to my current E61 machine.