Now that Orphan Espresso is importing the Bacchi in the U.S., I hope we'll be hearing more about this delightful little macchina. I've had mine for about a month -- long enough to realize that espresso-making has taken a radical, unexpected turn: with the Bacchi, it's ridiculously easy to get gobsmacking good shots. So easy that I would not hesitate to recommend the Bacchi to beginners, provided they don't mind the lack of steam or the time interval between shots.

To paraphrase OE's commentary, the reduction of variables contributes to consistently good results. However I would not agree that grind is the only remaining variable. The dose is still variable and will affect the shot duration and quality. My initial challenge in adapting to the Bacchi was figuring out how to dose correctly while keeping my grinder setting the same as for my PV Lusso (which I still use daily for cappuccinos).

Keeping things as simple as possible, I do not weigh my coffee doses. Instead of thumping down the full basket to settle the grounds, I just fluff & de-clump with my WDT tool, level off with a stick, and press on the upper cover. The cover's protruding filter disc provides all the compaction necessary, like a built-in tamper. For the Bacchi, updosing is unnecessary, IMHO; it leads to very slow-dripping ristrettos (if that's what you seek, this is one easy way to achieve it). By contrast, on the PV Lusso, the same grind setting with updosing produces ristrettos that take less time to drip out, and that's with 2 pulls per shot.

As for the heat setting, so far I've had no need to fuss with my gas stove to make it in the 6-minute window. I set the flame just big enough to cover the whole base, barely licking the edges. BTW, with heat conducting through the whole machine, the cup shelves pre-heat my cups perfectly -- hotter than they get from sitting on my Lusso for an hour.

Where things get nebulous (offering espresso geeks a perfect opportunity to overthink the process!) is when it's time to open the valve to let the espresso pour out the nozzles. The cues are auditory -- one could get out the stopwatch and start timing from the moment the hiss turns to a high-pitched whistle. However, the transition is gradual and subject to interpretation. Is it better to wait longer? If so, how much longer? Does waiting longer mean a higher brew temperature when you do open the valve? If one opens the valve just a tiny bit at first, does that count as pre-infusion? (I suspect it does.)

For the moment, I live in blissful ignorance, pulling shots with a casualness that until now I've only ever seen Italians get away with. Rich, crema-laden shots that leave a nice ring round the cup. This is as close to commercial quality as I've ever had at home. Quite, quite remarkable.

Happy Brewing,
Wayne