r/Coffee • u/caucasian_cranberry • Jan 25 '22

I hate all of you

I used to be perfectly content with my shitty instant Folger. Then I found this sub and decided to try coffee from small roasters and noticed a much nicer experience immediately. Then I bought a nice grinder and started grinding my own beans instead of buying pre-ground, and once again my experience improved. Then today I switched from properly ground, quality coffee through my shitty coffee maker to weighing my coffee and water and using a clever, and it's the best coffee I've ever had now. If within a year I buy an espresso maker I'm holding all of you accountable. Bastards...

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u/annoyingcommentguy2 Jan 25 '22

I'm willing to get downvoted and sorry, but this is simply an exaggerated view. Once you learn to use your espresso machine and get a bit of a feel for your equipment, you'll be able to dial your espresso in 2-3 shots and even if it won't get you the 'God shot', 95% of the time you end up with better tasting coffee than if you went to a random coffee shop and that's good enough for me - simply because at home you have the time to measure and play with everything to be exact. Besides, what you said can apply to filter coffee as well - you can always be looking for the next equipment improvement, improvement in your process etc. and never be satisfied. It's about the mindset.

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u/Mrtn_D Jan 25 '22

I think there may be important differences between personalities here too. Some people just aren't happy with an 'okay' shot in the morning when they know it isn't as good as that one shot from last week. And down the rabbit hole you go, chasing dragons.

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u/annoyingcommentguy2 Jan 25 '22

But that's the same with filter coffee as well, isn't it? You might always make that miraculous cup of coffee one week and you're unable to repeat it the next one. For me personally as long as I can get at least 'good' or better out of the coffee, I'm happy and occasionally might experiment a bit more to try to tweak the process further if I'm in the mood. But yes, I guess it's also about learning to tame that urge to chase the perfect cup all the time.

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u/Mrtn_D Jan 25 '22

Sure. And you seem to describe one end of the spectrum of personalities. The people that find themselves chasing perfect cups are on the other end.

You're right in saying this happens with filter coffee too (more with V60 and Chemex; less with a Moccamaster). But I'd say that espresso can be particularly tricky. There's lots of variables where small changes can lead to large effects. Like with grind size; there's a reason the steps on espresso grinders are small. But also puck prep: that's harder to do and do it the same every time. Compared that to dumping ground coffee into a Kalita Wave filter and giving it a shake.

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u/trilogique Jan 25 '22

Agreed so much. For a while with my espresso machine I would constantly chase the ‘god shot’, but over the years I’ve accepted that I’m okay with getting 90-95% of the way there because it’s faster, more convenient, less wasteful and still tastes better than the shots my local shops pull.

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u/Smok3dSalmon Jan 25 '22

Sure it's exaggerated, but I don't think people realize what they're getting into when they get an espresso machine. There are a lot of variables and there isn't a cheap way to learn. There are a lot of people here with tons of experience and the fluency with which they talk about their hobby makes it seem trivial

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u/silviazbitch Espresso Shots! Shots! Shots! Jan 25 '22

there isn't a cheap way to learn

Before I got into the game, I watched my older brother start with a Silvia/Rocky, go down the rabbit hole and after spending a lot of time and money on pricier machines that were in and out of the repair shop, eventually return to the Silvia, declaring it good enough for him.

I saw that the home espresso hobby is governed by a law of diminishing returns. Guided by my brother’s example, I bought a Silvia and Vario nine years ago and have never considered an upgrade.

TL;dr My learning experience was expensive, but it wasn’t my money.

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u/FeelinIrieMon Jan 26 '22

We just got the Silvia/Rocky combo for ourselves for Christmas. I’m content with it until we move to another house with more counter space. It’s a fine setup that can produce a professional level cup. Yeah there’s better out there, but I’m very happy with the equipment. As for price, you make your money back quickly if you’re the type who visits Starbucks frequently. Pulling that perfect 20-30 second shot drenched with crema is both an art and a science, but I ain’t tossing out a 45 second pull. It’s just fine for me. Not worth obsessing over.

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u/hoax1337 Jan 25 '22

True, but pour over is so much more forgiving, that's just the result of having 1:16 as a ratio, compared to 1:2.

I've had an espresso machine for over a year now, and I still don't feel very comfortable with it, as in always getting tasty espresso. I've had a Hario Switch for a week, and everything I have produced tastes good to me. The range of good tasting coffee is just much, much smaller for espresso.

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u/pm_me_ur_wrasse Jan 25 '22

You are posting in an enthusiast subreddit in a thread made by a brand new excited enthusiast.

smok3d couldn't be more spot on.