this post was submitted on 19 May 2024
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👍 thanks a ton! I've been reading up a bunch on espresso machines and from what I've researched you need a metal grinder thingy which increases the cost well over 100$ and the cheap ones all have plastic ones which means more micro plastics in your drink and uneven grind/crush leading to a variable flavor. This is the only reason holding me back. Is there any good premade Expresso that I could just measure out for my drinks? Might start that way first and if it gets crazy expensive will put money and time aside to get an all metal Expresso machine.
I wouldn’t bother getting a grinder, honestly, until you know it’s something you really want to do. Because to get a burr grinder that does espresso consistently you have to pay quite a bit.
Instead, just get your coffee from a shop and ask them to grind it for espresso for you. I’ve never found a shop that won’t grind it for free if you’re buying the beans from them. Even at Starbucks, you can bring a bag of the whole bean version of their espresso blend to the counter and ask them to grind it fine for espresso, and they will (though honestly, at Starbucks I ask for Turkish grind because I’ve had mixed results with their espresso grind).
(I actually mostly use Starbucks coffee, but that’s because they’re the only shop within reasonable walking distance of my house. And it’s fine.)
Obviously this will result in some loss of flavor, since you aren’t grinding it when you use it, but if you’re putting syrup and oatmilk in it I don’t think it makes much difference.
Putting the grounds in a sealed mason jar in the fridge will keep flavor for over a year, tested it lol. So what what kind of Expresso machine am I looking for if it doesn't have a burr built in? Do those exist?
There are plenty of cheap machines that don’t have the grinder. My current one is a De’Longhi. It’s a pain in the ass to get the grounds out of the portafilter, but it works. Had a Gevi that worked pretty well but I destroyed it on accident (long story). Anything around the $100 mark if you don’t want to spend a lot. And like I said, these cheaper machines are good for beginners because many have pressurized portafilters that produce crema regardless of how well tamped or ground the coffee is.
At some point I will probably upgrade to something better, but honestly the cheap ones work fine for what I need them to do.
What's a good bar amount? Should I buy a hydraulic press to get that 1k bar? I should message that channel to see if they can make some really good Expresso using their press
😂 I don’t really know, so I googled it.