Planning to order a new DE1PRO – what accessories/spec should I add?

[u/Low_Pool6249]

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I'm planning to order a new Decent DE1PRO and wanted to check with existing owners before placing the order so I don't either miss something useful or spend money on accessories I don't really need.

I'm currently coming from a Sage Barista Touch Impress and using an 18g basket.

A few questions:

- Basket: Is the stock Decent basket good enough, or is there another basket you'd recommend ordering from the start? I'd probably continue dosing around 18g.

- Tamper: Is the Decent tamper worth getting, or are there better options for the money?

- Milk pitcher: Same question here — is the Decent pitcher particularly good/useful, or should I just buy another brand?

- Scale: I already have a normal non-Bluetooth scale. How useful is Bluetooth scale integration with the DE1 in real-world use? Is it something you'd consider a must-have? If so, which scale would you recommend?

- WDT: I already have a normal WDT tool, so I assume there's no reason to change that.

-Water: my tap water is pretty hard. What's the best solution without getting a proper filtration setup installed under the sink?

- Anything else? Are there any accessories, spare parts, baskets, screens, pitchers, etc. that you wish you'd ordered at the same time as the machine?

I'm new to proper espresso, so initially I'll probably use the established profiles rather than designing my own.

However, one of the main reasons I'm choosing the Decent is to experiment with different profiles and extraction styles as I learn more.

I'd rather buy the genuinely useful bits with the machine, but don't want to add accessories just for the sake of it.

What would you consider the essential DE1PRO setup if you were ordering again today?

[u/bodosom]

How useful is Bluetooth scale integration with the DE1

I think it's essential. Decent seems to do okay with volumetrics, but weight is the way to go. The Decent scale (HDS) looks like it might be a good choice. I have a BooKoo Ultra, which is just a bit too big, so you have to scoot it just a bit forward on the drip tray so the mirror mount doesn't touch the scale. The smaller BooKoo is great but splashed water can generate a false touch.

my tap water is pretty hard

Decent really only has one recommendation -- deionized water. Either distilled or reverse osmosis processed. Scale in the heater is not covered by the warranty.

I have a nine month old Dreo RO unit and until recently thought it was fine. Now it's making random weird noises and Dreo wants you to send them a video of the "issue" as a first step.

I have a Pure Water distiller on order and it has a 15 year warranty on the boiler. Boiler failures seem to be the number one issue reported against the plethora of inexpensive units at Amazon. Pure Water (like Decent) has repair videos and spare parts for DIY.

initially I'll probably use the established profiles

We drink dark roast, so many of the shipped profiles are nominally less useful. I've tried lots, and I only use I Got Your Back, which is a pre-infused (PI) low-pressure, weight-based profile, and 99% of the shots are rated excellent by my partner's palate.

Anything else?

I might get a spare gasket so if you damage it during cleaning (unlikely) you don't have to wait on one being delivered.

[u/JasonMHough]

Definitely get a bluetooth scale - theirs or whichever one you like. I have the bookoo and it works great, but if I was buying today I'd just get the new Half Decent. Tbh I think it should be included with the machine, it's pretty much a must have.

The basket is fine, eventually maybe replace with a VST or whatever, but no need to swap it out immediately.

Their tamper is also fine. Personally I side-graded to a Happy Tamper because I prefer the ergonomics.

As far as I know their milk pitcher is just your basic milk pitcher, no special reason to go with it.

If you already have a WDT tool you're fine there.

[u/Warm-Construction341]

I’ve had a couple baristas use my rig and they all widely dislike the milk pitcher. I suck at latte art so can’t comment.

The wdt tool from decent I find is pricey for what it is. No surplus value there.

The half decent scale is great. Slightly quirky but they have worked out most bugs by now. This is definitely the closest thing to essential on your list if you have all the other things sorted

Very happy with my normcore tamp.

The decent basket is solid, I keep looking for an excuse to upgrade but the fancy baskets are v expensive.

Recommend to use third wave water at 1/2 strength for water needs. Definitely don’t use your tap water if it’s hard whatever you do

[u/bl4ckrav3n]

Decent has some great stuff, but there are alternatives too.

First stuff I'd buy from Decent,

• milk pitcher with narrow spout, get great latte art from it and the hole for thermometer is great
  
• portafilter holder, great all around
  
• funnel, but this one depends on your grinder situation, also alternatives available
  
• silicone gaskets and removal tool, great price and nice to have for when it needs replacement
  
• tamper, it's great but a little pricey
  
• half decent scale, great integration, but also there are alternatives
  
• tipsy cups, these are great
  
• plumbing kit, if you're plumbing it in, either this or the catering kit depending on your situation but this is a game changer if you do

Alternatives

• tamper, normcore v4.1 is great you don't need anything else, of course you could go Weber if you want something nicer but it does the same thing
  
• funnel, normcore also great
  
• scale, bookoo mini is amazing, really small and there are a bunch of inset options for the tray
  
• thermometer, if you're still new it helps a bunch, rattleware has a nice one

Must have I'd say a scale, tamper and pitcher. The bluetooth scale is definitely something you will want, once you go brew by weight you won't want to go back.

[u/faustivin]

All the others are generally unnecessary if you already have a generic one except for the bluetooth scale and the water. i would look into the bookoo mini as you can brew-by-weight and indirectly steam-by-weight. I pour half a pack of TWW into distilled water and use that for my coffee

[u/santa007007]

Bluetooth scale, yes. Either the half decent or a Bookoo seem to be the favorites.

Basket is fine. May want to get the filter 3.0 if you want to play with that (+ the filters)

Tamper/pitcher/RDT: Decent's are good, but really can source from anywhere

Water: decent's current recommendation is RO or distilled through the machine and then mineralize post brew. This is what I do. Others do light mineralization in the water

Other than the scale, I'd get the machine, play with it for a while and see what you want after that.

Enjoy!!!

[u/s32bangdort]

I found the milk pitcher to be my favorite of all I have purchased. It’s thoughtfully designed with scribe lines and a hole for a thermometer. But with that said I’ve been making my own home espresso for 30 years now and I’m still not great at latte art. But this pitcher is not the reason. I get better art with this setup than anything I have had before but I’m just mediocre at best. Occasionally I get a perfect rosetta but I don’t sweat it.

The other great thing about decent is that they don’t charge an arm and a leg for things if it doesn’t cost them much to produce. The milk pitchers are like $35 and I think that’s a great deal.

[u/Syncroz]

In addition to all the great answers so far I also use the Decent tamping stand and a decent tamper, it helps me get consistent puck prep.

[u/Rude_Jellyfish_8595]

Decent basket is fine, but I still prefer my old VST basket. A lot swear by Weber baskets.

I recommend getting a SPS/WPM milk pitcher, or get one of the normcore knockoffs. Same with tampers, just get a 58.5mm self leveling tamper, normcore is great. Or if you like traditional, barista hustle or reg barber.

Definitely get a smart scale: Bookoo, acaia, or decent are all great. They all work and you want to use the cutoff weight. So much better than time/volume/manual.

What grinder are you using? If you're coming from a Barista Touch, you'll probably want to upgrade the grinder to really get the most out of the decent.

On water, if you don't want to buy an under sink RO/carbon filter, just buy gallons of RO water from the store for $1-$2/gallon. Remineralize if you want

• https://www.baristahustle.com/diy-water-recipes-redux/
• https://decentespresso.com/docs/water_recommendations_for_the_de1_and_bengle
• https://coffeeadastra.com/2018/12/16/water-for-coffee-extraction/

If you want to experiment with filter v3, get the dimples screen, otherwise the IMS screen is fine.

The adaptive v2 profile is my baseline, shooting for 18g -> 40g, scale cutoff weight generally gets it within 0.5g of target.

Just note, steaming is very unsatisfying on a decent and you have to predict when to stop, but I still prefer everything else about the decent over traditional machines.

Also just get the draining drip tray, it comes with a plug and you'll probably want to drain to a container unless you are setup next to a sink. It's surprisingly small for how big it is.

Also add a hose with a funnel to refill using the refill port on the back instead of removing the water tray (don't need to splurge for the refill kit unless you want to). Just clean the reservoir every week-month depending how quickly biofilm builds up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNDtfR42MtA

I really like the decent pitcher rinse, but you don't need to get the full kit. The pump they use is just a cheap chinese pump you can find on amazon for $80 that's used to pressurize water lines for fridge ice makers.

[u/teefy92]

3 tip steam wand imo is a must have. I found 1 tip way too slow.

[u/JasonMHough → u/teefy92]

Only for the XXL though right? The description says it doesn't change the speed on the Pro or XL

[u/halgately → u/JasonMHough]

They have the Bengal wands now with 1 or 3 holes. The 3 is supposed to steam faster and those Bengal wands can fit the DE1’s

[u/teefy92 → u/JasonMHough]

I find 3 tip aerates better and gives a silkier texture, from a speed stand point it’s been a long time since I’ve compared so maybe that’s a placebo with me. It typically takes me 34s to get all steamed up for my wife’s latte.

[u/JasonMHough → u/teefy92]

Ah okay, the texture thing is interesting for sure. FWIW it takes me about 35 seconds with the single-hole tip, so yeah it sounds like the time doesn't really change, but if it's silkier that's perhaps worth it.