r/JamesHoffmann

Bought a femobook A2 to use at work and I just cannot get good coffee out of it. I get very consistently good coffee with fresh lightly roasted beans, my trusty old baratza encore, and an aeropress. Hoffman recipe, Hedrick recipe, doesn’t matter - always tasty. Jumping through hoops with water temp and grind settings and agitation and just keep getting bland and weak tea results. 15g beans, 250g water, 35-50 clicks. 30 second bloom 2 min steep. Anyone want to save me????

Hi.. I am looking to buy an espresso machine that could give me coffee shop quality to have at home. The only thing I’m a snob on in life is coffee. Ha. I have had a few machines and they have not done the job. (I was maybe in denial about what price point was needed). I have been doing some research, but thought I would ask here.

I don’t want to spend more than $1000 (preferably less, but this would be a better investment than buying $7 lattes even though I love my favourite shops in town.. Village, 2% jazz, parsonage… )anyone have the Barista Express Impress?

I have a v60, chemex, aero press, etc., but don't think I'll be able to get the volume I need for 20 people. I can maybe buy a cheap coffee maker at a thrift shop, but I doubt I'll be able to have the control I would like in terms of water temperature and ratio. Not filtered, but I have thought about a French press, but even that only has so much output.

Tried posting in r/coffee yesterday but it is still waiting for approval. Sorry if this isn't exactly appropriate for this sub.

Thanks in advance!

I've watched quite a few James Hoffmann videos over the years, and some of his tips actually changed the way I make coffee. What's the one piece of advice from him that made the biggest difference for you? Or is there a tip you think is overrated?

Maybe they're not 3rd-wave enough, but it would be interesting for James to do a short segment on Displacement brewers. Ironically, I'll bet that by far, the largest number of gallons of coffee brewed per year by type of percolation machine in the US are brewed by displacement brewers. Mostly in restaurants/diners/cafes but a few of us also have them at home such as the Bunn Speedbrew series. I'd like his expert treatment of those.

Edit: I incorrectly referred to displacement as a type of brewer (see below, fixed in the above). But James does segments on all methods of percolation type brewers, even ones with tiny variations in method between them. Seems like this method would interest folks, especially because it is so widely used and so little discussed.

After years of Moka, Aeropress and Pourover. Wife desired an espresso machine so to minimise workflow went for a Sage Barista Express, only to realise workflow still too time consuming and don’t particularly want espresso based drinks all the time given my Pourover go to.
Still desire something to automate coffee making for wife, when friends/family come around, but what options should i consider for similar budget to the Sage:
Philips 5400?
Sage Precision Brewer?
Other ideas?

Saw the results from this year's WCRC come through and it got me thinking. Didn't watch the whole thing — just caught the news and the names — but one question's been nagging at me since. so I'm bringing it here.

https://preview.redd.it/z4h0zs1kc5ah1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=3272a7a0572aa1b37c2a0b39d9ed7ac7e4dc8acb

Seriously impressive stuff — the kind of thing that makes you appreciate how much goes into the beans you're buying.

But here's what I can't square. As someone who just brews and buys — I rely on roasters being consistent. When I find a roaster I like, the whole value is that they can hit that profile batch after batch. So if consistency is the core of good roasting, why does the champion change almost every year? You'd think someone who roasts consistently enough to win would at least land top 6 the next year. But repeats seem rare.

I've got a few half-baked theories and none of them fully hold up:
– the field's just stacked and someone new pops off every year
– comp roasting rewards something novel/creative that has little to do with stable café roasting
– consistency isn't actually the main thing being judged
– or it's something about the judging itself I don't fully understand

Honestly not trying to throw shade at anyone — I respect the craft too much for that. I just can't tell which of these (if any) is right, and it's been bugging me as someone who cares way more about a roaster I can rely on than a flashy one-off.

Anyone who's competed or followed this closely — what am I missing? Or am I overthinking a thing that has a boring explanation?

While using a V60 large size, i have the glass I have the plastic, which I prefer not to use the plastic for health reasons, and now I bought the metal titanium. I keep trying to follow Vincent on tails Coffee recipes. He mostly uses the metal V60, but for some reason I cannot get my recipes that were perfect now Tasting bitter and quite off. It barely has any of unique taste of my coffee. They are really tasting bad. so the question is ☆☆ do any of you find a big difference in the metal brewer compared to ceramic ,plastic, or any other cone brewers in taste ❓️not in timing with the drawdown, this is only about taste. Can the metal or titanium? Make the coffee taste that terrible :/

Best smallish thermal decanter to keep coffee warm. A lot of them cool off too quickly. Maybe an hour or so . The harrio looks nice, but it's metal and metal alone does not keep coffee warm ?

In need of recommendations from coffee experts, this seems the place.

Looking for my first coffee setup now I have moved out.
I like both espresso drinks and filter.

Ideally would like to make both. Filter for those WFH days, espresso for when I want to tinker and experiment.

For a single setup, the only one I can find is the Ninja 701 that does both espresso and filter. Unsure how good this would be, as Ninja not really a coffee specialist.

Other option is buying the Sage Luxe for filter, and a Sage barista for the espresso, of course this is much more expensive and takes up the worktop space.

Any all in one machine recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

I’m thinking about getting a home espresso machine, but I’m realizing this is one of those rabbit holes where the more you read, the more confused you get.

I don’t need a full café setup, but I do want something that can make good espresso and milk drinks without turning every morning into a science project. I mostly drink lattes, cappuccinos, and the occasional straight espresso, so steaming milk matters too.

I’m torn between getting a beginner-friendly machine or spending more upfront on something that I won’t outgrow in six months. I also keep seeing people say the grinder matters as much as the machine, which makes the whole thing even harder to budget for.

For anyone who makes espresso at home, what machine would you actually recommend? Is it worth buying a pricier setup from the start, or should beginners keep it simple until they know what they’re doing?

Hello, another recommend me a machine post.

Shorter version: I was just getting ready to pull the trigger and order an Argos but when I went to put the order in they’d hiked the price (still showing the old price on the one I’d put in my basket, but when I tried to order it updated, sadge). I’m still tempted at the new price, but for this budget are there alternatives I should consider? I’d be ordering from the UK so import duty is also a factor.

Slightly more context: I’m a relative newbie to home espresso, although I’ve pulled a lot of shots working as a barista - never at anywhere with particularly good coffee though, so I‘m far from expert. Used and enjoyed a Flair for a few years, but it was my flatmate’s. Argos appeals because I like the idea of a lever machine, and obviously the reviews seem to be good, but I’m not totally against getting a more conventional machine.

Hi-

I have been looking to get into grinding my own coffee for a while now. My use cases are primarily filter (drip, pour over) and French press. I tend to like darker roasts and full body. From what I have read and watched on YouTube I'd likely benefit from a conical burr vs a flat burr.

However, the Shardor 64mm flat burr grinders and similar seem to have created a great, high-value, "hackable" segment that has great bang-for-your-buck.

Since I am more into filter coffees the videos seem to imply I'd benefit from different burrs if I got a Shardor. Alternatively I could just get a Baratza with a conical burr. Since I want on-demand for a full pot (hopper and timer), the price point for a Bartaza with a timer is $250+. That is a lot more than hacking a Shardor.

Has anyone found a conical burr grinder with the same high-value that Shardor has with their 64mm flat burr grinders?

Note, the OXO is attractive, but I consider it off the list because of its inconsistency in particle distribution. I am looking for Baratza grind quality. While it's true that I might not know the difference, I'd rather take my time and make the right choice up front. Hope that makes sense.

Thanks in advance.