Following Newbie Introduction to Espresso - Taste Appreciation, Phillip and I reviewed the basic mechanics of making espresso at home. One of the goals of this "newbie introduction" series is demystification of espresso, that is, the message I hope to convey: It just isn't that hard.

Great job on the new video series, I'm am enjoying them immensely. As my older brother recently has begun making home espresso I've been passing these along to him.

Its great to finally see this point of view shared in the home espresso Internet community. I've long held the same opinion that good home espresso, given a handful of key things, isn't a magic act or myth to produce. I've long since felt that it has been time for the specialty coffee community to embrace new comers and demystify the beverage we all love so much.

Clearly there is a place for the deep scientific debates and theory debunking, but frankly it has long been time for us to just celebrate and share espresso. Understanding our espresso is important, but so is the pleasure of sharing it.

You're right, its not that hard.

Thanks for the video! I think I've been getting too OCD while I am learning. I can't wait to see the diagnostics and taste tests, as they basically where I am at right now!

Well, with all due respect, it isn't that hard when someone like Dan, dials in your grinder and is an on-demand coffee encyclopaedia. Don't get me wrong, it's a great video, I like that you get him to taste the 'bad' shot so he can possibly tell a difference later when he pulls his shot. I'm glad to see instructional videos like this and hope that these will demystify the art of espresso while at the same time conveying the message that, while it's not impossible to pull a great shot of espresso you still need to adhere to some fundamental principles. How many times has this board helped a newbie who outlines his/her whole meticulous process to achieve optimal extraction while using stale grocery store beans?

Spitz.me wrote:it isn't that hard when someone like Dan, dials in your grinder and is an on-demand coffee encyclopaedia

Speaking as a Newbie, the hardest part is learning to dial in a shot. And since Phillip (ie the n00b) has Dan and a Vario (and that fancy machine) to learn this--he is already way ahead of the curve. So, glad you brought up that point Spitz, since it makes me very jealous.

Spitz.me wrote:How many times has this board helped a newbie who outlines his/her whole meticulous process to achieve optimal extraction while using stale grocery store beans

Lulz. Even though I never use 1) grocery store beans and 2) stale beans, there is way to it than 'use fresh coffee' I roast small amounts of quality stuff at home, so have plenty of fresh coffee (<14 days) when I bought an espresso machine. But, learning to pull shots with single origin coffee was tough sailing. So, I gave up and will be learning technique with local roasted espresso blends before I try to make my own espresso blends.

Having said all that, I think the spirit of these videos is not to get too technical too fast. Pretty sure the tech-y side is coming in forthcoming videos, but as an intro these videos are still cool.

Would it be possible to put all of these "Newbie introduction to espresso" videos in one place so we can be sure that we haven't missed any? These videos are very informative and enjoyable to watch.

Spitz.me wrote:...to pull a great shot of espresso you still need to adhere to some fundamental principles. How many times has this board helped a newbie who outlines his/her whole meticulous process to achieve optimal extraction while using stale grocery store beans?

Thanks for the reminder, we will include stale coffee among the common errors to cover in the diagnostic videos. For the next session, I would like to interleave close-up views like the one below with the regular full-frame view. That hopefully will drive the point home.
Nice lens, eh?

BTD1986 wrote:Would it be possible to put all of these "Newbie introduction to espresso" videos in one place so we can be sure that we haven't missed any?

Good idea! I created a section Instructional Videos in the FAQs and Favorites. You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/homebarista.

Dan, nice view from a nice lens. I have to say though, the evenness of your distribution looks to be of 'godly' skill. Do you get it like that always?!

HB wrote:Nice lens, eh?

Nice lens.
Now you need a nice microphone
Or at least better mic placement (for your spoken bits)

Spitz.me wrote:I have to say though, the evenness of your distribution looks to be of 'godly' skill. Do you get it like that always?!

I don't know if you're joking, but yes, the evenness depicted in the video is nothing special.

allon wrote:Nice lens. Now you need a nice microphone...

Sorry about that. It's the on-camera mic, which an videophile friend warned me was iffy.