This is a long-time coming. There’s a lot of coffee-talk on this blog and way back in October of 2011, I bought an espresso machine. The DeLonghi EC702 15-Bar-Pump Espresso Maker lasted until November of 2012 before it crapped itself just a month after the warranty was up. It never really made a good shot of espresso but Elizabeth liked lattes so I used it to make them for her. The extraction was weak and if you were going to drink a single-shot, it was sort of terrible. With lots of frothed milk, it was decent.
When it stopped working, I pretty much just went back to the old way of making coffee primarily with my Chemex. That’s actually the majority of my coffee drinking even today. I usually make a pot every day and have gone from Blue Bottle coffee to various other roasters and just recently, I’ve switched to Four Barrel roasters for my beans since they roast their beans the day you order and ship the order 2-day airmail with less than Blue Bottle charges.
Anyway, I’m getting a bit off track. Since Christmas, I’ve been on Craigslist looking for a used espresso machine. I wanted it to have a heat exchanger so I could make espresso and steam at the same time, it had to have a water tank and had to be a professional model (most pro models need special volage and be plumbed in to a water source / drain).
I finally found one. It is an Rancilio Epoca S Tank 1 Espresso Machine that retails for $2500 that I got for $1200 and I picked up a Mazzer Mini Espresso Grinder that was also used and got a great deal. With the accessories, tap pad, cups and such I spent about $2,000 on the entire setup.
Obviously, it’s the largest investment in coffee apparatus I’ve ever made far higher than the $300 I spent on that first espresso machine but the effort was calculated and done very carefully.
Lately, I’ve been drinking less coffee and when out, I order a dopio espresso shot. I like sipping them and the flavor is so concentrated and delicious that I’ve been wanting to recreate this at home. Since I spend so much time at home and there is no local coffee roaster or cafe that pulls good shots, I decided to recreate that experience.
I actually picked up all of this equipment 5 weeks ago. It’s taken time to dial everything in, do repairs on the used equipment and perfect the shot. Bean freshness, grind size, timing, dosage, espresso heat, pressure and operation are all crucial in making great espresso and every variable is another storm of problems. Just switching to a different bean can affect how you make the espresso. So, I delayed writing about things until I was confident that what I was getting was great or else I was just going to sell all of this stuff and go back to making pour-over coffee.
Last night, my Friendo Blendo Espresso from Four Barrel arrived, I made a double shot and the creamy chocolate cake taste that I experienced while at their cafe in San Francisco returned and it was amazing. There are some tips on this thread about that blend that I’ll be trying over the coming days. It’s a blend I’m going to stick with for espresso pulls.
For the first time ever, I’ve had the best espresso of my life entirely by hand without having to travel to another country, find some hole in the wall place and spend a lot of money per shot for the privilege. However, on that subject, my price per shot is incredibly high right now. This equipment will need to last me at least 5 years before I get my money’s worth and I really hope it does.
Now for some photos of the setup.
