Hey guys!

I am really excited to share my project with y'all as I would not be in the position I am in now if it wasn't for the incredible people of this forum. All of the moderators and people I have interacted with over the years has inspired me to move forward in the coffee industry and I believe we are creating something that is unique to the commercial coffee shop scene.

For those of you who don't know me, I am Eric. I started LeverCraft (http://www.levercraft.com) a number of years ago when I discovered lever espresso machines and have been hoarding them ever since. I restore and sell them, and do my best to help others with theirs as well. I even made a few awesome friends locally because of it (Thanks David!). I was roasting a bit before I started the LLC, but got into wholesaling coffee to my office that I worked at and immediately fell in love with that with the purchase of a Huky. I spent a year roasting 20-30 lbs on my Huky every week and when I couldn't do that any longer, I upgraded to a 2kg roaster and quit my day job.

Since then, I have been working hard on bringing our skills as home baristas to a larger market and had an opportunity to open a coffee shop on some commercial property that my girlfriend had recently purchased in Austin, TX. I created the space with the intention of bring the home barista to the commercial scene. I have heard too often that it is not possible to prep our coffee in a fast paced environment like we do at home and I am trying to prove y'all wrong .

I purchased 2 Decent Espresso Machines and the best commercial grinder on the market, the Mythos II, with the intention of having the best espresso in town, as well as creating an environment that encourages experimentation. I have a Niche in the shop as well to use for our pour over, and it can be quickly modified to accept any sample coffees for espresso that I have sitting around. So far, we have been able to turn around about 20 drinks per hour during the weekends. Some of that does include cold brew, which doesn't come from the espresso bar, but the Decent machines are holding their own pretty well. The biggest hold up that I have had so far is when steaming a large volume of milk for a chai latte. It takes around 50 seconds of steaming to heat that much milk, but on the plus side, it is very controllable and I have yet to have any milk steaming get away from me when I am moving quickly.

I grind (the Mythos is gravametric so it is weighed), WDT, polish, and tamp every single shot. Because the Decent is also volumetric, and stops by weight, I don't have to pay attention to that as the shot is pouring, and I can prep the next shot without interruption. When the first shot on the first machine stops, I can start steaming on that machine as I pull the next shot, and it rotates. It is certainly a bit slower than a standard machine, but being able to be incredibly accurate wins over speed in my opinion. I think on a shot by shot basis, we are probably doing more consistent espresso than anyone in town...and probably in the country. I won't claim that it is the best, but that is where our sights are at.

I thought y'all might be interested in how the Decent holds up in a commercial setting which is part of the reason for this post, but I am really more excited to share the project that I undertook this year, and where it has landed us on the coffee scene.

Again, my life has pointed me towards coffee since I became interested, and everyone I have interacted with through coffee has influenced my decisions in the past few years. I am so grateful for all of the people in my life and very thankful that this forum exists.

Here is a link to the shop that I built, with the help of some friends, and even some strangers who were gracious enough to come help me, all in the name of sharing good coffee. I'm tearing up a bit as I write this because I feel so lucky to have the opportunities that I have and I want nothing more than to give back to those that have been here to help.

https://imgur.com/gallery/xH2VmCD

The post is long, but I think a lot of you folks will enjoy the read, and I would love for any and all of you to come by for a coffee on me. I have big plans for the company and am always looking to up our coffee game. I would also just love the chance to geek out about our equipment, the space, and would like the opportunity to serve y'all in the space I am most comfortable in.

Thank you for all you have done for me.

Eric