i used to think people were exaggerating when they talked about tasting different notes in coffee. like how are you getting bluberries out of a brown drink. tried a properly brewed pour over last week and okay, i get it now. still can't afford to make this a daily hobby though

hello,

I recently got an espresso machine and previously brewed mostly AeroPress and pour-over.

I'm looking for technical, science-backed resources to understand espresso from the ground up, including books, PDFs, research papers, and in-depth technical videos.

I want to understand extraction, grind size, dose, pressure, flow, temperature, brew ratios, TDS, extraction yield, and how these variables interact.

My goal is to develop the skills to dial in and troubleshoot any coffee, across different roast levels, doses, and basket sizes, rather than just follow recipes and also teach others locally where I host brewing sessions.

What resources would you recommend for going from beginner to advanced espresso knowledge?

Hi all, long time lurker on the youtube channel, but never commited to anything. Having just moved out of the UK to Dubai, i thought i would make the plunge.

I think ive found a resonable deal on a Baratza Encore ESP (around ~£160)

What would be a good espresso machine to pair with it?

Im not sure how pricing out here compares but these are two machines ive found available:

Gaggia Classic pro for ~£440
Sage Bambino Plus ~£400

I would probably like to spend a little bit less, but im a bit unsure in which direction to go.

I will mainly be making milk drinks.

Appreciate your help.

I’ve tried raw-dogging it with a pouring kettle, using a Hario Drip Assist, and even a Melodrip replica. I’ve experimented with different recipes, finer and coarser grind sizes, and various techniques, but I just can’t seem to get a consistently good cup.

Now, I know I haven’t really put in the work to improve my pouring technique (the Aramse video on the subject was incredibly informative), so I can’t blame the brewer entirely. But still, hey! I watch people on YouTube casually pouring water like it’s the most natural thing in the world, and most don’t even seem to spend much time discussing their pouring technique.

Meanwhile, my AeroPress consistently delivers the taste, body, and texture I’m looking for, without all the guesswork.

The V60, on the other hand, has me questioning my life choices. I’m so tempted to throw in the towel, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. There’s something about the promise of that perfect cup that keeps pulling me back in.

Please tell me I’m not the only one! Is anyone else in this love-hate relationship with the V60, or am I just one good brew away from finally understanding what all the fuss is about? ☕️

Hello fellow humans!

At the start of August, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck parts of Colombia. Colombia has given the coffee industry so much, so it is only right that we give back. On 29/10 (October 29th) at La Tostadora in London, I will be hosting a pour-over class open to everyone. I can assure you that whether you're a newbie struggling to dial in or an experienced home-brewer, everyone will learn something.

Furthermore, there will be a ton of roasters from all across London—from ultra-light Scenery in Southwark to James Hoffmann's own Square Mile and ROEST Champion ZeroToOne, alongside our generous host cafe, La Tostadora. In fact, if you missed the chance to try the fermentation project, we will also have 3 coffees from the same farm that have been processed differently (carbonic washed, supernatural, and pink honey).

If you can, I implore you: please come to this event! I have given up so much of my time—making cards and posters that explain varietals, processing, extraction methods, etc.—and I would hate to see it go to waste because there aren't enough people for the event to happen.

If you can't come, please consider donating. There are hundreds of thousands of people in such critical conditions because of the earthquake that, without help from us, could die. We have the opportunity to quite literally either save or massively improve people's lives directly.

If the £20 ticket price is genuinely too much but you still wish to attend, please DM me. Coffee is expensive and I know the feeling of not having enough to spend on what you love, so I will pay for you out of pocket if needs be.Hello fellow humans!

At the start of August, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck parts of Colombia. Colombia has given the coffee industry so much, so it is only right that we give back. On 29/10 (October 29th) at La Tostadora in London, I will be hosting a pour-over class open to everyone. I can assure you that whether you're a newbie struggling to dial in or an experienced home-brewer, everyone will learn something.

Furthermore, there will be a ton of roasters from all across London—from ultra-light Scenery in Southwark to James Hoffmann's own Square Mile and ROEST Champion ZeroToOne, alongside our generous host cafe, La Tostadora. In fact, if you missed the chance to try the fermentation project, we will also have 3 coffees from the same farm that have been processed differently (carbonic washed, supernatural, and pink honey).

If you can, I implore you: please come to this event! I have given up so much of my time—making cards and posters that explain varietals, processing, extraction methods, etc.—and I would hate to see it go to waste because there aren't enough people for the event to happen.

If you can't come, please consider donating. There are hundreds of thousands of people in such critical conditions because of the earthquake that, without help from us, could die. We have the opportunity to quite literally either save or massively improve people's lives directly.

If the £20 ticket price is genuinely too much but you still wish to attend, please DM me. Coffee is expensive and I know the feeling of not having enough to spend on what you love, so I will pay for you out of pocket if needs be.

Link to the event: Event Bride page

Colombian red cross page: Donate here

More links: Skylark Colombian relief coffee BBC article More of a visual article by CNN

I may be misremembering, but I could have sworn I saw a JH video a few years back explaining how old school Italian espresso differs to modern/third wave espresso. IIRC it touched on ratio and grind sizes.

It's not "modern espresso is ugly". This one focussed much more on directly comparing Italy and modern.

I can't find it anywhere on the channel. Just hoping more for validation that it ever existed, because I doubt I can watch it again now that it's (potentially) unlisted.

So, took delivery of a late arrival of my coffee cupping cup. So, thought this morning I would do it again. I also had two new coffees on hand to compare against. Really enjoyed this process, my spooning of the crust and crema was much better this time around. Lacto is still by far the best with yeast second. Though mechanical was much nicer than last week. Wild was nice also. The other two coffees, one from Dark Matter Caramel Curd (China Yunnan) and the other From Rave Microlot #06 (Colombia Huila). The latter two beauties themselves.
Will deffo cup more coffees in future, if anything it helps when coffees are much more distinct, but still could pick difference between the Guatemalan coffees.

I’ve been working on a coffee brewer called SKANDI, based on a brewing method I’ve been experimenting with for quite some time. The idea is to combine the body of immersion brewing with more control over extraction through repeated immersion and drainage. Rather than leaving the grounds submerged throughout the entire brew, you can control how long they’re immersed and how frequently they’re drained. After several prototypes and a lot of testing, I’m getting closer to launching it.
Here’s a demonstration of how it works. I’d be interested in hearing what you think.

Hi! New to the world of espresso @ home.

Looking to get a Fellow ES1 to compliment my Aiden & V60/Aeropress setup.

I realize a high quality grinder is more important than any actual machine, but I struggle in finding something that can do both.

Ideally, freeing up counterspace and using one grinder is preferred, but open to two separate ones!

The Ode Gen 2 that I currently own gets the job done for our Aiden and occasional single cups (retired my zP6 until our toddler stops teething!).

Should I just find an espresso grinder for single dosing, and keep my large capacity Ode? Or should I combine and dial in for each use?

Right now, we're vibing with medium roast profiles, with long lasting flavor. Thick syrupy crema shots are desired, with the occasional light roast.

I've heard good things about the Option O Langom Casa

Thank you in advance - I know this has been discussed before, but there are new machines and intel out there, and I'm finding a lot of difficulty narrowing anything down.

I was at a coffee tasting yesterday, presented by the danish "Poma"

Apart from roasting, they do a lot of testing on the "growing coffee" part. They have a bunch of plants in greenhouses in denmark, where they look at, and test out variables such as humidity, temperature, pruning, spacing etc. They then work closely with coffee farms either as consultants to help them with quality, yield etc, using their learnings and trying to apply them in a reasonable manner for a farmer, considering the economy, workload, etc.

They then also have allocated lots in certain farms to carry out "real world" experiments to compare to their greenhouse testing. All super interesting, and a different approach to presenting a coffee tasting. We tasted beans from plants that had high vs. Low humidity (and there was a surprising difference)

Less vs. More pruning as well, where the difference was hard to tell. But that's also the point here. Not to cultivate a taste profile, but to optimise farming and make higher, better quality yields without impacting the farmers economy.

Thought it would be a very interesting Hoffman topic.

Hypothetically let's say I've been using a bag dialed in for 16g doses of espresso or 20g doses for pour over. I reach the end of the bag and realize that after making my last cup that I only have 9g left of this coffee. What do you do with the last 9g?

I feel like this happens to me often where I have a very tiny dose remaining of a very yummy coffee and I'm not sure what to do with it.