The Tips & Techniques forum is filled with new and experienced home baristas alike asking questions about dosing, tamping, and grind adjustments. Posters asking for help with diagnosing espresso extraction problems come up frequently, too; often the recommendations include...
Once upon a time, I thought you made a shot of espresso by putting coffee in a basket, the basket in an espresso machine, and turning it on. That was before I owned an espresso machine. Then I learned about all the variables I had to...
The Cafelat Robot manual lever espresso machine has been eagerly anticipated since Paul Pratt began to reveal it in April of 2016. By then he had been working on it for a year. Anyone who knows about Paul would have high expectations because of his reputation as a premier...
The Flair Signature PRO is a new model based on the company's highly successful Flair Classic Espresso Maker and its functionally equivalent Flair Signature Espresso Maker.* Like the original Flair, the PRO can consistently brew fine-tuned espresso at a...
After the first week of using the Lelit Bianca (PL162T), the show tune 'anything you can do, I can do easier; I can do everything easier than you' comes to mind. Since the Lelit Bianca has been reviewed on other sites, we'll focus on its performance, comparing it to lever and...
In this review, I will cover the BPlus Apollo Hand grinder. But first, I'd like to address a question I commonly see when discussing grinder purchases: Why use a hand grinder at all? With a veritable plethora of electric grinders of all shapes and prices, what reasons could one...
Ten years ago, when we did the Titan Grinder Project , several of the commercial conical grinders, those by Macap, Fiorenzato, and Compak, cost around $800. They were low volume items, used by very few cafes. Once their virtues for high end espresso became obvious (we at HB may...
The Decent Espresso DE1 model is an espresso machine like none other. The small form factor belies the remarkable capabilities of this machine. Significant technological innovations include rapid temperature adjustment, brew pressure control, flow rate specification, real-time...
