My Coffee Journey

In my last few posts, I feel like they've been rather heavy - or at least "serious"? Or too preachy? I made this website to post about my random hobbies too, so that's what this post is. I go all in on everything I get interested in, and I figured I could share a recent example.

Background

I don't know when, but I started enjoying coffee in late high school. I started with frappuccinos, but I graduated to less and less sugary drinks. Even though I liked coffee, I was never an avid coffee drinker (or energy drinks or any source of caffeine for that matter).

Once I got married, I realized that I could technically do whatever I want - I was finally a free adult and could buy whatever I wanted. I had a realization that I wanted a way to drink coffee. Thus I began research.

I honestly don't know how, but I settled on making espresso. I figured it's fun, versatile, fancy, and all the other things (I literally don't know why I didn't just get a basic coffee maker or a pour over or French Press or any other option). For Christmas in 2023, I asked for a "Flair Neo Flex". And what do you know, I received a Flair Neo Flex! I also got a wonderful little grinder from my brother Kristopher.

Before I talk about how it works, let me talk a little bit about espresso

What is espresso, really?

FYI, I'm not the most knowledgeable, so this is espresso explained in my own words: Basically, you have a really small amount of finely ground coffee, and you squeeze water at a specific pressure through those fine grounds for about 30 seconds. The resulting drink is really strong and "creamy" almost. You can drink it on its own, put it in milk (latte), dilute it in water (americano) and all sorts of other things.

Good espresso depends mainly on the quality of your coffee grinder. If you have a grinder that doesn't have small enough increments (or can't get small enough at all) you can't dial in the size just right (fyi, each kind of coffee beans you buy needs to be ground differently). This is why I got a hand grinder. You can get an extremely high-quality grinder for a fraction of the price of an electric one (since all the money goes towards the grinder itself, instead of the motor, and whatever other random features they have). The 1Zspresso J Ultra can adjust at increments of 8 microns 😏.

If you're curious, I normally make an americano and add a splash of milk. It tastes a lot "creamier" than standard filter coffee (from the espresso). That's how I'd describe it.

The Flair

The Flair Neo Flex (pictured below) is a ~$100 manual espresso machine. There are no electric parts at all. You need to heat up water separately, pour it into the brew head, and pull the lever to press the water through the grounds to create your espresso shot. It's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun. It's really satisfying to make a coffee.

It specifically comes with some beginner-friendly parts, so you can test if you really want to start making espresso. With my trusty little grinder, I started making myself some coffees. I found that I really enjoyed it!

After much delay, I decided it was worth it to me to spend a bit more to upgrade my coffee setup. I bought a 1Zspresso J Ultra hand grinder, (it's very nice) a little mini whisk to distribute the grounds evenly, a "tamper" for packing the coffee grounds, a pressure gauge to make sure I'm pressing the lever with the perfect amount of force, and I was ready to go.

How to use the Flair:

Preheat water (in a kettle)
Prepare your shot (just like any other espresso workflow)
1. Grind the coffee
2. Put it in your portafilter
3. Distribute it (get rid of clumps with the mini whisk)
4. Tamp it
Once the water is ready, pour water into the brew head to heat it up
Once the brew head is hot, pour the water out
Put the portafilter on the Flair
Put the brew head on the portafilter
Pour your hot water in the brew head
Attach the pressure gauge
Pull your shot

How it's been

I have been using the above setup to make a coffee almost every morning for about a year. I love it. I love the smell of fresh espresso rising as I'm pulling my shot. I love sitting down and taking that first sip - thinking (and sometimes saying) to myself, "wow, this is so good". I'd pick making a coffee at home over going to a coffee shop any day - and I'm talking bougie coffee shop, not just Starbucks. It's just that good. Maybe I'm extra connected to it because it takes a lot of effort to make a coffee, but hey, I'm still extra connected to it 😉.

The only problem with the setup is that it takes a long time to make a coffee. Because of how the flair is designed, especially with all of the upgrades, it takes me around 12-15 minutes to make a single coffee each morning. Most of the time spent "making the coffee" is setting it up and cleaning it all up afterwards. There are 6 different pieces to wash off and set to dry each time! If you want to make 2 espressos, good luck...

La Pavoni

Recently, I decided I was tired of how long it took to make a coffee, and I was ready for a real upgrade (since I was still just using the $100 Flair but upgraded).

Just days after coming to this realization, I did all the research, picked the machine I want, and bought it. I am now the proud owner of a La Pavoni Europiccola (pictured below).

This coffee machine is everything I've wanted. It's still manual, so you're connected to the brew process, but it has a built-in water system that heats it up for you. Instead of 6 parts to wash, there is 1 part. If I want to make two espressos, the water is ready to go, I can prepare my shot and pull it right away.

Also, it just looks so cool. It's crafted with excellent quality. It has all brass/chrome parts, (instead of plastic like my Flair - no hate though), and it's nice and hefty. I love the steampunk vibe it adds to the kitchen; it brings me much joy to use it each morning.

How to use the La Pavoni:

Turn it on
Prepare your shot (just like any other espresso workflow)
The light turns off when the water is ready
Attach the portafilter
Pull your shot

^ sooooo much easier than the Flair, you have no idea.

Why manual? Why care?

You might be thinking, why are you using a lever at all? Well, a manual lever is not required, but being in control of the brew process of espresso makes it a lot more fun and ensures a lot higher quality of espresso. I could've bought a cheap machine that uses a pump to push water through, but the machine can't handle the fact that the pressure required changes throughout the pull of your shot (really expensive machines can, but I'm not going to buy one if I can get the same thing by doing it myself).

You also might be thinking, who cares about coffee bro? Just buy the cheapest thing and drink it. Well, for my own sake, I can't bear just doing the bare minimum of something I enjoy. I can't shake the feeling that I'm missing out. It's something where ignorance is bliss, but there's no way I could live in ignorance. But in general, if you're going to drink coffee every day, why not make it great? Why not want to figure it out and make something you truly love rather than something you just accept? I really notice the difference between the espresso I drink at home and all the other coffees I drink. And I really prefer it!

Anyways

These are just my random musings about my coffee setup, so thanks for reading.