Classic Espresso Series

I started making espresso at home in 2008. Sixteen years now. I've made probably 25,000 shots in that time. The classics are all I drink. Espresso. Cappuccino. Americano. Macchiato. Nothing with syrup. Nothing with oat milk.

It took me about four years to make a decent cappuccino. Another two years to make a good one.

Espresso

The base of everything. I spent the first two years thinking espresso was just strong coffee. It's not. It's a different extraction method, different grind, different pressure, different result.

The perfect extraction — 25 to 30 seconds of transformation

My first machine was a Krups. $89 from Target. 2008. The espresso it made was bitter, thin, had no crema. I thought I was doing something wrong. I was. The machine was also just bad.

In 2010 I bought a Rancilio Silvia. $685. Used it for six years. The espresso improved immediately. Not because I got better overnight. The machine just actually worked.

I bought my first scale in 2011. $25. The day I started weighing my shots was the day I started understanding espresso.

The Grinder Problem

Nobody tells you the grinder matters more than the machine. I learned this the expensive way.

I used a blade grinder for the first year. Blade grinders chop beans into random sizes. You get powder mixed with chunks. Extraction is uneven. The shot tastes both sour and bitter at the same time.

The grinder matters more than the machine

In 2009 I bought a Baratza Encore. $129. Burr grinder. Better. Not good enough for espresso though. The Encore is a filter coffee grinder. The steps between settings are too big. One click is under-extracted, next click is over-extracted.

2012 I bought a Baratza Vario. $479. Finally could dial in espresso properly. Used that grinder for eight years.

The grinder I have now is a Niche Zero. $729. Bought it in 2021. Single-dose, no retention, stepless adjustment. The best grinder I've owned.

That's not counting the hand grinder phase in 2015 when I thought manual grinding would improve my technique. It didn't. It just made my wrist hurt. The Comandante cost $249 and I used it for three months.

Cappuccino

The cappuccino destroyed me for years.

Espresso plus steamed milk plus foam. Simple. Except steaming milk properly is a skill that takes hundreds of hours to develop.

The cappuccino — years of practice in every pour

The Rancilio Silvia has a single-hole steam tip. One hole. The steam comes out in a single jet. You have to position the pitcher exactly right or you get big bubbles, uneven texture, milk that separates in the cup.

I watched YouTube videos. Read forums. Asked baristas to show me. Still couldn't do it.

In 2013 I bought a $12 thermometer that clips to the pitcher. Helped a little. I was overheating the milk. 180 degrees, 190 degrees. Proper temperature is 140 to 150. Above 160 the milk proteins break down and you get a flat, lifeless texture.

Americano

The americano is espresso plus hot water. Ratio varies. I do 1:3. One part espresso, three parts water.

The order matters. Espresso first, then water. If you do water first, the crema rises to the top intact. If you do espresso first, the water disperses the crema throughout the drink.

The americano — simplicity refined

I prefer espresso first. Some people don't. Doesn't matter. The drink tastes the same either way. It's just appearance.

For years I made americanos with water from the espresso machine's hot water tap. Mistake. That water sits in a tank inside the machine. It picks up metallic tastes. It's also usually not hot enough.

Now I use a separate kettle. $89 Fellow Stagg. 200 degree water. The americano tastes cleaner.

Macchiato

A real macchiato is espresso with a small dollop of foam. Not the Starbucks thing. A Starbucks macchiato is a vanilla latte with caramel on top.

I order a macchiato at coffee shops maybe once a year. Half the time they ask if I mean the Starbucks kind. I say no, traditional, just espresso and a spot of foam. They look confused.

The traditional macchiato — espresso marked with foam

At home the macchiato is easy. Pull a shot, spoon a bit of foam on top. Ten seconds of work. No milk pitcher to clean. No latte art to worry about.

My wife drinks macchiatos. I make her one every morning. She started asking for them in 2016. That's about 2,900 macchiatos at this point.

What I Actually Drink

Espresso in the morning. Double shot. Around 7am.

Cappuccino mid-morning if I want one. Maybe three times a week.

That's it. Two drinks. I own a $2,200 espresso machine, a $729 grinder, $400 in accessories. For two drinks.

The machine is a Decent DE1Pro. Bought it in 2022. Before that I had a Profitec Pro 600, $2,800, used it for four years. Before that the Rancilio Silvia.

Total equipment spending since 2008: somewhere around $9,000. That's machines, grinders, tampers, pitchers, scales, distribution tools, cleaning supplies, water filters.

A cappuccino at a coffee shop costs $5. I've made maybe 8,000 cappuccinos at home. The equipment has paid for itself. Barely.

The Beans

I spend $22 to $28 per 12-ounce bag. Go through about two bags a month. Call it $600 per year on beans.

Fresh roasted beans — the foundation of everything

I've tried cheaper beans. $12, $14 bags from the grocery store. The espresso is noticeably worse. Stale. Flat. No complexity.

Fresh roasted beans from a local roaster. That's the minimum for good espresso. The roast date should be less than three weeks ago. Most grocery store beans don't have roast dates at all.

I've also tried expensive beans. $40, $50 bags. Competition lots. Geisha varieties. The espresso is better. Not twice as good though. The $24 bag from my regular roaster gets me 85% of the way there. The $50 bag gets me to 90%. Not worth it for daily drinking.

The Point

The classic espresso drinks are not complicated. Four ingredients total across all of them. Coffee, water, milk, foam.

Getting them right is hard. Getting them consistent is harder.

The daily ritual — sixteen years and counting

I know people who bought a Nespresso machine and are perfectly happy. $200 machine, $1 pods, press a button, done. The coffee is fine. Not good. Fine.

I can't do that. I tried a Nespresso at a friend's house in 2019. Tasted like hot brown water to me. My standards are ruined.

I've wasted hundreds of hours dialing in new coffees, fixing machines, watching tutorials, reading forums.