LMSC If I were you, I’d invest in a good grinder (if you don’t already have one), get some quality beans, and stick to filter coffee
I was about to suggest similar.
Controversial take but to me an Americano is often just a sub-par, watered down version of a good filter coffee…
A long black is a different story but yeah, I don’t think the suggestion for filter coffee is actually a bad one.
Espresso is such a labour of love. Don’t get me wrong I really enjoy my machine but we drink espresso, and often flat whites, probably 30 or so a week combined and I still don’t really enjoy the ‘upkeep’. The novelty of the weekly clean and the annual service has definitely long worn off.
Again, not a huge effort by any standards but I only do it because the reward is decent espresso/flat whites.
Also, maybe it’s me but I’m increasingly disappointed in the beans I’m buying for espresso (for the first time in 20 years of making it at home) whereas I’m still finding plenty of fantastic filter brews. Combined with the added faff of dialing in those tricky, light roasts, the occasional channeling and endless accessories we all try (and often bin) on the never ending route to perfect espresso.
I said it in the other thread but the fact you can get genuinely world class coffee with a good grinder, kettle and a V60 often has me considering selling up the espresso gear, reclaiming a sizeable portion of my Kitchen counter, and the half an hour on a Sunday evening I’m usually cleaning up my espresso machine/area.
And for the even less inclined, a Moccamaster is an inexpensive route to practically a lifetime of consistently great, simple to brew coffee.
Food for thought, at the very least.