I’ve been into coffee a long time. But the start of COVID made me really get stuck in to espresso, as I was spending all my time working from home. I started with a Sage but it failed after a few weeks and John Lewis refunded me. So I bought a Crem One and a Eureka. Then the damned Crem One failed as well. The supplier was great about it, and I upgraded to a Rocket Mozzafiato R which is a really nice piece of kit.
In the way things go in my life, I got even a bit more obsessive about doing it “right” - forgetting that my coffee was beyond next level now. I bought a Niche and that helped me start to experiment with different beans more freely. Then for some absurd reason I put my name on the list for the Weber Workshops Key and got mine last month. Tremendous grinder. I sold the Niche for a fraction less than I bought it, so good deal.
As well as the core kit I have surrounded myself with gadgets - Bravo Distributor, Bravo Tamper and now a Duomo The Eight WTD tool. To be honest, the last buy is truly absurd and I’m selling it after a week. The Key Magic Tumbler does WTD. So grind with WTD, distribute, WTD, tamp is a bit over the top and I’m not sure what part works and doesn’t work.
I also bought a Stagg EKG and pour over kit. Lord, I have tried. But I can’t get a coffee that remotely gets near all those tasting notes on the coffee bag … I just a decent but unremarkable black coffee.
Next up is a Decent Espresso, if I can get my backside into gear and sell the Rocket. Fortunately my coffee space is limited, so I can’t expand into having more than one grinder and machine.
I gave up drinking a few years ago, so my coffee bean exploration is my new version of the wine collection. And moving to central London saw the sale of my fast car, and I rationalise spending on the kit that way. I also try this line of argument with my wife, but not sure I’m winning.
It’s been a fascinating journey, and I still consider myself a novice with a lot to learn.