It’s been some years now since we first wrote about the Baratza Sette 270 grinder, and while we continue to enjoy the grind quality it provides, there’s no denying it’s a LOUD machine. I’m pretty sure that thing can wake the dead, to say nothing of the unfortunate souls in your house trying to sleep in.

Eureka’s Mignon Specialita grinder is way quieter — like, shockingly so — and produces similar or even better grind results, so if you’re an earlier riser than the rest of your family, you can still enjoy your morning espresso without disturbing their slumber.

Grind times are controlled via the high-contrast monochrome backlit touchscreen on the front, while the actual grind setting is tied to a physical knob on top. The machine offers stepless grind adjustment, so you can precisely fine-tune your extraction with every bag of beans.

The thing about the Specialita versus the Sette is that those amazingly fluffy grounds sometimes have a way of sticking to the chute on their way out — often a gram’s worth or so — so there are a number of bellows hoppers on the market designed for those of us who like to single-dose our shots and are quite specific about how much bean weight goes in versus what comes out.

Get the Eureka Mignon Specialita for $769 on Amazon.

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Have your kids watched you making espresso and wanted to join in the fun, but you don’t really want them operating your expensive, delicate equipment? Well, maybe this toy is the answer.

Designed to look just like the De’Longhi La Specialista espresso machine, Casdon’s barista-style coffee machine toy will keep your little ones entertained for hours as they mimic the processes of pulling shots, brewing americanos, and steaming milk for cappuccinos — all while the machine makes realistic coffee brewing sounds.

I personally appreciate that the accessories stash away on the back side of the machine when playtime’s over:

You can get this awesome espresso toy for $34 on Amazon. You’ll need to provide a couple AAA batteries of your own though.

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When it comes to making espresso, there are so many variables you can tinker with, and any one of them can make your shots taste wildly different from one time to the next, so nailing down consistency wherever you can is key.

Normcore’s V4 tamper is one way you can at least make your puck prep more consistent.

Rather than relying on the varying degrees of strength you might employ each time you tamp — you’re only human, after all — it uses a calibrated spring-loaded mechanism to ensure that the pressure applied is always the same. It also has a leveling plate that rests on the portafilter basket edge as you press down, so your pucks are consistently level.

Watch this quick demonstration video to see it in action:

The V4 comes with three interchangeable springs that allow you to adjust the pressure: 15lb, 25lb (installed by default), and 30lb.

You can get the Normcore V4 tamper for $44 on Amazon in a variety of sizes, including the most common ones:

• 51mm — Suitable for the Delonghi Dedica.
• 53.3mm — Suitable for 54mm portafilters used in the Breville Barista Express, Breville Bambino Plus, and Profitec GO.
• 58mm — Suitable for E61 machines such as the Rocket Appartamento and the Slayer Single-Group, as well as prosumer models like the Gaggia Classic Pro and Rancilio Silvia.

There are also various styles of titanium PVD coated models that run for $50–$57 each, including ones with walnut, colorful wood, and anodized bronze handles.

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Some months back, the team at 1Zpresso — which, fun fact, I used to pronounce as “one-zee-presso” but is actually “EEE-zee-presso” due to its Mandarin origins — released the J-Ultra manual espresso grinder, which improves on the JX-Pro model in a few ways:

In short, the J-Ultra is lighter, the 48mm stainless steel conical burr now sports a titanium coating for increased durability and grind distribution, and the catch cup has switched from threading on to attaching magnetically:

Most importantly, the adjustment mechanism has moved from being a small top dial @ 12.5 microns per click to a larger external ring @ 8 microns per click. That is a huge deal for espresso lovers, as it grants you an even higher degree of control over your dialing-in process.

Even if you have a “budget” espresso machine to work with, you’ll find the performance of this hand grinder is so high that, once you’ve got your beans dialed in, your shots come out just as tasty as those from a much more expensive setup. It never ceases to impress.

Take your home and travel espresso game to the next level by picking up the 1Zpresso J-Ultra grinder for $199 on Amazon. ☕️✨

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Although I can’t speak for all home espresso nerds everywhere, I’d be willing to bet most of them exclusively buy ceramic cups like the Acme Evo, the Loveramics Egg, or the notNeutral Lino. And while there’s nothing at all wrong with that, I feel it’s my duty to open people’s eyes to the fact that a whole world of espresso-friendly glassware is out there too.

notNeutral themselves produce a line of specialty glassware known as “Vero”, offering a rather stylish alternative to traditional ceramic cups. The collection is specifically designed with espresso enthusiasts in mind, with an emphasis on enhancing the entire experience of pouring and drinking beverages like cortados, cappuccinos, and lattes.

Color pictured: Smoke

The transparent nature of glassware allows it to showcase the rich colors and layers of your beverage, from the beautiful crema on top to the creamy texture of the steamed milk below. With the Vero line in particular, you have access to some absolutely gorgeous color accents that contrast strikingly with the contents inside.

Color pictured: Ocean

“For the VERO Cortado line, we did not look at coffeeware for precedents. Instead we took inspiration from the clarity and sharpness of glass as a material. We wanted to experiment with different ways of manipulating glass, creating hard edges and facets in order to catch light and play with refraction and reflection.”

—Rios Clementi Hale Studios

They didn’t skimp on the quality of the glass either. Made in partnership with a family-run company in Ohio that’s been hand-pressing glass since 1971, these satisfyingly hefty cups have exaggerated beveled edges that make them fit comfortably in the palm of your hand, wide mouths for easy drinking, and a curved interior that is both conducive to pouring latte art and makes your beverage seem as though it’s being displayed on a pedestal.

Color pictured: Clear

The thermal mass is also nothing to scoff at. You can pour straight-up boiling water in there and it will only feel lukewarm when holding the base. As you’d expect from this heavy thickness, the glasses are perfectly dishwasher- and microwave-safe.

Color pictured: Amber

With their sleek design, durable construction, and thoughtful features, the Vero glassware collection will delight any coffee lovers who appreciate both form and function. They come in four sizes — espresso (3 oz), cortado (4.25 oz), cappuccino (6 oz), and latte (12 oz) — and in five different colors:

• Clear — Espresso | Cortado | Cappuccino | Latte
• Smoke — Espresso | Cortado | Cappuccino | Latte
• Ocean — Espresso | Cortado | Cappuccino | Latte
• Amber — Espresso | Cortado | Cappuccino | Latte
• Emerald — Espresso | Cortado | Cappuccino | Latte

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Before we get to the product in question, let’s dive down a rabbit hole together, shall we?

As home espresso has become more of a mainstream hobby in recent years, there’ve been a number of methods and tools that have come and gone, with consumers looking for gizmos that will up their game in any possible way and companies looking to take advantage of that fact.

Among the most popular fads are these spinning ‘wedge’ distribution tools that, in theory, help you evenly distribute espresso grounds in your portafilter before tamping. But really they just smooth out the top surface and don’t affect the underlayers much at all, so you can still end up with clumps and channeling and bad extraction.

However, in December 2005 an espresso enthusiast (and retired computer scientist with a PhD in biochemistry, as it happens) named John Weiss took to the Home-Barista forums with a cheap and simple idea for solving the common issue of uneven distribution: stirring the grounds with a thin needle to break up the clumps.

I have not been able to achieve a consistent dose and distribution by sweeping grounds around in the filter basket with my fingers and hand. Perhaps if I worked in a coffee house and pulled hundreds of shots a day… but I don’t. So one day I tried stirring the grounds around with a needle to break up clumps and even the distribution. I know it sounds odd, but it makes perfect sense to me. Not only does stirring declump the grounds, but the needle evens the distribution vertically, all the way down to the bottom of the basket. I simply cannot get this effect with my fingers.

Thus was born the Weiss Distribution Technique (WDT).

If you want an entertaining dive into this whole thing, Lance Hedrick — an accomplished competitive barista and latte artist — put together a video on the history and evolution of WDT, with loads of resource links in the description if you click over to YouTube:

Aaaaaanyway… fast forward to today and you’ll find an entire market of available WDT tools (because of course) that are typically comprised of a handle with several acupuncture-style needles sticking down, which you stir your espresso grounds with, bottom to top.

Typically you want an appropriately sized dosing funnel on your portafilter to keep the grounds contained while you stir. A lot of people enjoy using a magnetic funnel because it’s super easy to get on and off, but it’s not a necessity.

I don’t know that there’s always a ton of difference between one WDT tool and the next, but I do know this one from MiiCoffee is a trusted option for many. It has just the right number of pins (9) installed in a wide shape for maximum coverage, and it comes with a backup set of extra-thin needles in case you feel like swapping out for that.

The real nice thing though is the way it magnetically attaches to the included base stand when you’re done:

Get the MiiCoffee magnetic WDT tool for $18 on Amazon.

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While there hasn’t been any point in the past few years where I’ve stopped using my personal home espresso setup, I haven’t exactly been making a lot of changes to it lately either. I found what works for me and the routine has stayed pretty much the same — you know how it goes.

However, a good friend of mine recently started getting into the espresso hobby as well after all the times I’ve talked it up — he opted for the Gaggia Classic Evo Pro machine — and naturally we talk about it a lot, sharing tips and whatnot. Now I find myself getting new cups, he’s been 3D printing nifty accessories for both of us to use, and I’ve dived right back into researching upgrades I can make to my setup, however small.

Which has brought me right back around to one of the most essential pieces of kit: the weight scale. What I’ve settled on this time around is the Timemore Black Mirror Basic 2, which offers some improvements over the Basic Plus model I wrote about in 2021, as explained by Prima Coffee Equipment (all bold emphasis mine):

First, the Basic 2 includes an On/Off switch that prevents the scale from accidentally being turned on when weight is detected. Second, a new internal structure brings more reliable measurements and faster responsiveness. Most importantly, the Basic 2 adds flow rate tracking per second, as well as an ounces mode. Tired of having to look around for the power and time buttons? The Basic 2 now has texturized buttons, ensuring accurate presses regardless of orientation. Lastly, the Basic Plus includes an auto timer function that automatically begins timing when weight is detected.

Like the B+, the B2 has an auto-timer mode that automatically starts when it detects a change in weight, so you don’t have to worry about the extra step of starting a timer once you start pulling a shot. It seems like a small thing, but for the way my brain works, not having to divert my attention back and forth is super helpful.

The Basic 2 contains a 1,600mAh rechargeable lithium battery that charges via USB-C, and you won’t even have to do that as often as you might think, because it can last a full 24 hours of constant use. Since you’ll only be actively using it for maybe a few minutes at a time, those 24 hours can stretch out to weeks or even months between charges!

Get the Timemore Black Mirror Basic 2 scale for $69 on Amazon.

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If you loved those dazzling wooden kitchen utensils I recently wrote about and you have a home espresso machine in need of an accessories upgrade, then you’ve gotta check out these rainbow-colored portafilters from IKAPE.

The handles are machined from 100% natural mahogany wood that has bright, almost oil-slick-like splashes of color running the entire length of it. They make any machine feel more magical to use, and the grain pattern is different for each one so you can be assured yours is totally unique to you.

They offer it in various sizes, such as a 51mm three-ear variant designed for the De’Longhi Dedica and similar machines, a 54mm three-eared one for the Breville Barista Express and its siblings, and a 58mm two-eared model for dreamy high-end E61 machines from the likes of Rocket, Slayer, etc. Be sure to check the machine compatibility listings before purchasing!

Get the rainbow portafilter for around $60 on Amazon. If the colorful look isn’t quite your thing, they also offer a ‘tuxedo’-esque model and one that I would call a darker ‘mocha’ style.

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The hallmark of a true espresso aficionado is an ever-growing collection of espresso cups, with all sorts of shapes, colors, and materials represented across the bunch. I’ve actually been going down a rabbit hole of espresso cup research lately, and while it’s a deep hole I haven’t found the bottom of yet, one brand name that comes up over and over is Loveramics.

Their ‘Egg’ collection in particular has been the official competition cup of the World Latte Art Championships since 2015, and it’s easy to see why. They have thick walls to maintain beverage temperature and a gently sloped shape that feels great in the hand, and they come in a bunch of great colors to warmly accent the style of any kitchen or café.

While the colors of the standard collection are great on their own, my preference goes to the Potters Colors series, which bring some more intriguing patterns to the table.

In a 2021 blog post, they explain how these colors are achieved:

Potters Colours are basically made out of 2 types of glazes together, or in ceramics terms, we call them reactive glaze. They react in our kiln at 1300c vigorously, forming different types of crystals, glaze runs, and vary a lot from the original colours.

Because glazes have different properties, such as flow rate, melting temperature and colours, mixing 2 of them would create unexpected results, and bring extra excitement to the ceramics. 

Since all of our products are hand dipped, they are all slightly varied. From every crystal growth, speckling spots, layering and flow separation, we are proud of the artisanal look we offer. These are effects we highly prized.

Man, that Night Sky variant is something else

The Berry is also lovely:

Depending on what size you’re after, you can get a single cup + saucer combo for $15–$17 a pop. They also offer sets of 6 cups (without saucers) for $29–$51.

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Let’s say you’ve been thinking about getting into making espresso at home but you find the idea of futzing with all that specialized equipment a little too daunting. Instead, you want a machine that does most of the work for you so you can have a drink you enjoy each morning and get on with your life.

If that sounds like you, then you need to have a look at the Breville Barista Touch Impress, released earlier this year. This espresso machine with a touchscreen display is designed to automatically produce barista-quality lattes, from coffee dosing/grinding to assisted tamping to steaming microfoam milk that’s ready for pouring latte art.

As I often enjoy adding to these posts, watch their cheesy promo video to get an idea of what the workflow looks like:

It’s not so hands-free as to be considered a superautomatic machine, but for a lot of people it’s close enough. And it does feel good to still be a part of the process, y’know?

For me personally, these are some of the machine’s best features:

• You can select different types of drinks to prepare, including lattes, flat whites, cappuccinos, americanos, straight-up espressos, and even tea.
• If your espresso shots pull too quickly or slowly, the machine will tell you so, offering suggestions on adjusting the grind.
• The “ThermoJet” water heating system is incredibly fast, capable of reaching optimum extraction temperature in three to five seconds. Obviously this doesn’t account for the additional time you might spend preheating your cup, the portafilter, and/or the steam wand (and I do recommend doing those for best results) but man that’s impressive.
• There are settings for alternative milks (almond, oat, and soy) that the machine can use to calibrate the temperature and air injection time as needed. It works really well too.

Anyway, this is a sweet introductory espresso machine and it can be yours for $1,500 on Amazon in your choice of Brushed Stainless Steel, Black Truffle, or Damson Blue.

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You know that RV inverter issue I wrote about recently? One thing I didn’t mention in that post is that when our power system went down, it took our Baratza Sette 270 grinder with it Fried the motor or board, I’m still not sure which yet. Still need to work with Baratza Support on that when we finally reach a point where we’re not traveling every day.

In the meantime, I’ve been reminded why having a manual coffee grinder as a backup solution is so important. Don’t get me wrong, I’d much rather have my electric countertop one (that I paid a few hundred bucks for) working again, but at least I’m not dead in the water when it comes to my daily coffee consumption.

If you’re in the market for a hand grinder yourself, the Timemore Chestnut C2 is the “new” hotness — at least relative to our old recommendation, the oft-mimicked Porlex JP-30. As much as I still love the JP-30, the C2 makes that thing feel almost like a toy. It grinds faster and more efficiently, the crank handle feels smoother and sturdier to use, and the catch container screws into place rather than being held on with friction, so you don’t have to spend effort holding the pieces together as you grind.

The one “downgrade” is that the C2 uses stainless steel conical burrs instead of ceramic ones, so although you can grind fine enough for espresso purposes with it, you may find that its burrs heat up a bit too much or wear down sooner. However, if you’re mainly going to do press coffee or pour-over brews, you really can’t beat the C2 in terms of performance for the price. It’s awesome.

Get the Timemore Chestnut C2 for $69 on Amazon.

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The Baratza Encore has long been one of our most recommended coffee grinders and is an essential starting point for anyone getting into the world of better coffee. We still consider it one of the best entry-level conical burr grinders today.

But that doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement. If the Encore had one fault, it was that its 40 macro-adjustment grind settings (with no micro steps in between) made it unreliable for use with espresso machines. You just couldn’t fine-tune your grind enough to consistently pull a perfect shot.

Well that should no longer be an issue, because Baratza has announced their upcoming Encore ESP grinder, which in their own words has been “re-engineered for espresso from the inside out.”

While the design seems quite reminiscent of the original model, the Encore ESP has taken those 40 macro grind steps and introduced a metal adjustment mechanism that splits those steps into two ranges: 20 macro and 20 micro, the latter of which are specifically dedicated for espresso.

This way, you have much more precision when dialing in your espresso grind.

On the company’s Instagram page, one user asked the pressing question about the difference between the Encore and Encore ESP’s grind adjustments:

Commenter: Does this sacrifice resolution on the non-espresso range? And does 1 and 40 on the ESP correspond to the same 1 and 40 on original Encore? If so, how has the stepping changed? Like what is the 20 on ESP map to on the regular Encore?

Baratza: Hi there, great questions! The overall range is the same, but the steps from 1–20 on the ESP are much smaller than each step on the classic Encore, while steps 21–40 on the ESP are only slightly larger than each step on the Encore. So, overall range isn’t compromised, but resolution differs between the two. We’ll have some charts available on the product page to help map dialing in differences between our grinders.

So basically, the ESP can function as both an espresso grinder and a drip/press grinder. I’m thinking of it as the step between the original Encore and the Sette 270.

By the way, that comparison chart they mentioned has indeed been updated to include the ESP:

As of this writing (February 9th, 2023) the Encore ESP product page lists no particular shipping date, although I’ve read that units are already being delivered to the company’s retail partners, so I expect shipping to officially begin very soon — possibly by the end of the month.

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The Gaggia Classic Pro is often touted as the starter machine for budding espresso enthusiasts, and it’s hard to disagree. Gaggia first introduced the original Classic model in 1991, and over 30 years later, its successor holds up that reputation as a reliable workhorse.

However, I feel that this beginner-friendly reputation does the Classic Pro a bit of a disservice, because it also has the definite capability of being an “endgame” machine.

The GCP + the Baratza Sette 270 grinder: A match made in espresso heaven

Not only is the GCP capable of pulling so-called “god shots” of espresso once you’ve learned its quirks and the necessary techniques to use, there are also lots of ways to trick out the machine and further enhance what it can do, if you’re willing to take on those kinds of projects.

Examples include:

• Installing a PID controller for monitoring and manually adjusting the machine’s water temperature.
• Replacing the 12-bar OPV spring with a 9-bar one for more appropriate espresso-extraction pressure.

YouTube will be your friend on any and all fronts, but remember that any modding is done at your own risk! And fair warning, there are some truly deep rabbit holes you can go down here.

Get the Gaggia Classic Pro for $425–$460 on Amazon depending on color (or the lack thereof).

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While it’s technically modeled and named after the feathered caps of Italy’s specialist mountain infantry — the oldest of its kind in the world — I tend to think of Bialetti’s “Alpina” Moka Express as the “Robin Hood” moka pot. (My wife says “Peter Pan” ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

This unique-looking stovetop coffee maker acts as a unique display piece in your kitchen, but is 100% functional for brewing coffee, albeit in small quantities. Whereas the original Moka Express can come in all kinds of sizes, the Alpina comes only in “3-cup” size, which really equates to only about 4 ounces of brew. I’m thinking they mean something akin to espresso glasses, not coffee mugs.

If you’re okay with the small quantity of coffee you can make at a given time, I’m sure you’ll be perfectly pleased to have this little bundle of personality keeping its vigilant watch over your stove.

Get the Alpina moka pot for $46 on Amazon. As one reviewer notes, those with glass-topped stove may want to also pick up a diffuser plate to keep the green color looking pristine.

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One thing I’ve learned during my espresso-making adventures is that when it comes to pouring latte art, the size and shape of the cup you use makes a huge difference in the end result. It’s taken me a whole lot of ‘Ah, I almost had it!’ pours to figure out that it’s not just my technique that matters, but the drinking vessel itself.

notNeutral’s LINO small latte mugs are what countless cafés and professional baristas around the world use for their lattes. In fact, they were designed in collaboration with award-winning baristas to create a perfect blend of form and function that actually makes latte art easier thanks to the interior curvature — not to mention the increased thermal insulation that also comes as a result.

Each mug is beautifully made and feels good in the hand, with a handle that sits flush with the rim for better comfort and control, whether you’re pouring or drinking. You’ll almost swear it makes your lattes taste better, which obviously I can’t scientifically prove but it feels true to me anyway.

Get a single latte cup + saucer for $25 on Amazon in your choice of white, black, or light gray. You can also get a set of 6 for $100, although only in white. You can also buy a beautiful indigo-colored edition from notNeutral’s own site.

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