I’m currently brewing in an Aeropress, and considering one of the lower end espresso machines.

But based on a few comments from James Hoffmann about him drinking filter coffee at home, I’m wondering if an espresso machine is something that people end up using every day, or if people are brewing with simpler methods and just making espressos when they’ve got time on the weekend or people over?

What’s your experience, did you buy a machine and it mostly just takes up counter space, or is it a daily source of joy?

  • @OneCardboardBoxEnglish
    3•3 months ago

    Got a secondhand Delonghi Dedica because I had similar concerns over how much I’d use it. Previous owner installed an aftermarket steam wand, which has been a joy.

    Overall, it comes and goes in waves for me. Some weeks I pull shots every afternoon, sometimes it sits unused for a month. I enjoy taking some time to step away from the home office and prep coffee, so espresso is nice for that. I’d probably use it even more if we were more of a milk drinking household. I like my steamed milk drinks, but we don’t reliably keep milk in our fridge.

    I’m also very lazy about dialing in shots. We like to buy a variety of beans for our morning French press, so the coffee available for espresso might vary week-to-week. I’m not willing to waste coffee dialing in on a 16oz bag of beans that’ll be gone in a few days, so the quality of my espresso suffers. Do most people generally keep one kind of bean around specifically for their espresso?