Robot Barista (w Pressure Gauge)

BIFL; get a manual 1ZPRESSO grinder (J-Ultra or K-Pro) and a full manual level machine like the Flair 58, Rok Presso or Cafelat Robot. These are all machines with no electric parts, everything is replaceable and fixable and made from some kind of durable metals.

I’ve got a Silvia and Robot + Nanofoamer pro and I haven’t used the Silvia in a loooong time. The Robot is just so much better.

I love my Cafelat Robot. If you need foamed milk then you are gonna miss a pump machine. But otherwise the espresso from a lever is just plain better. I don’t miss my Silvia at all.

Right about the time that COVID was rampant in the US, I badly wanted a Cappuccino and they were much harder to come by at the time, with all the COVID restrictions. I also thought about all the money I've spent over the years buying Cappucinos. This is what finally pushed me to learn extraction theory, buy my own equipment, and start enjoying some of the best coffee I've had in my entire life. To answer your questions: >Did the investment into a home setup pay off for you? Absolutely! Here's what I spent on equipment: * $450 USD - A Cafelat Robot Barista model (with the pressure guage) manual espresso machine. * $ 60 USD - Upgraded tamper for the Robot. * $ 50 USD - Mittens for the Robot. * $ 15 USD - A WDT (Weiss Distribution Technique) Tool for puck preparation. * $600 USD - A Niche Zero grinder. * $ 6 USD - An amber glass bottle spritzer for RDT (Ross Droplet Technique) when grinding beans. * $ 70 USD - A good quality goose neck electric kettle. * ========= * $ 1251 USD - Total expenditure on equipment. I was spending anywhere from $5 to $8 a day (including a tip), Monday through Friday, on my way to work. That's 260 days out of a year, with me spending say $7 on average per day, which gave me a yearly expenditure of **$1820**. My equipment paid for itself in under a year. I also started roasting my own coffee (which is a whole other obsessive/black hole hobby you can tackle next!), so I get the best tasting, freshest roasts possible, from every country/continent that produces green coffee beans. Check out [my pantry](https://imgur.com/a/pHoth7E) and you'll see the depths of my coffee depravity, where each can has a 5 pound bag of green beans in it, more 5 pound pastic bags to the right, and 10 sample roast jars across the top, where I like to try a different bean each morning ....

>Did you end up enjoying the hobby part of it? Again, absolutely! I really enjoyed learning extraction theory and the mechanics of pulling a good shot. I dig it today just as much as I did five years ago. You also have the privilege of sharing amazingly good/fresh coffee with family and friends, where there's nothing better than seeing the smile on someone's face when you hand them one of the best cups of coffee they've ever had. >How steep was the learning curve really? I knew little to nothing about extraction theory, until I stumbled across James Hoffman on Youtube. I watched several of his videos on "dialing in" and making good espresso. This gave me enough information so that I had pretty good success off the bat, where the first shot I pulled from my Robot was good enough to give me a sense of pride and that feeling of "money well spent". I taught my 12 year old son how to pull a good shot, make a tasty Cappucino, and it only took two or three walkthroughs with him before he had it down pat. He'll often make his own Cappucino if he wakes up before I do, where he wipes everything down, and puts everything back like he found it. Needless to say, he's really impressed me. :) In nutshell, you need to do 4 things to brew good espresso: 1. Choose a good dose size. Start with 18 grams, and learn to pull good shots. Once you master that, you can experiment with higher/lower dose size until you find your personal sweet spot (where many people are perfectly happy with 18 grams, me included). 2. Choose a good grind size, based on your beans. If they're high density or light roast, grind finer. For darker roasts and lower density beans, grind more coarsely. 3. Ensure your water temperature is right. If doing a light roast, hotter water is better. For darker roasts, a standard 92c is plenty sufficient. 4. Try for a 25 to 30 second shot, where this typically revolves around your grind setting. >Any regrets, or unexpected positives? No regrets whatsoever, except I'm now always disappointed with coffee from Starbucks and most other places that sell coffee. NOTHING beats my home roasted, homemade cappucinos. An unexpected positive was that learning to brew espresso also piqued my interest about roasting my own coffee, which I started doing about a year ago (check out my [Begginer's Roasting Guide](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SCdH5tGDS2EbkSWf2Ty7KkUwEqGnFYxvvQD2DJSlf-k/edit?usp=sharing) if you find yourself "roast curious"). I'm now the coffee roaster of choice for family and friends, and everyone keeps telling me to start selling [my wares](https://imgur.com/a/AjlWvSF) at a farmers market or online.

I'd argue for the Cafelat Robot manual/lever machine. I've had mine about 5 1/2 years now, use it each and every day, and am still enamored with it. No pre-heating for 20 to 30 minutes, no boiler scale/corrosion worries, no electrical faults, no leaks, etc. It's kind of like a good cast iron skillet in that you can pass it down to your kids some day. The only failure point on it is a silicone piston gasket, which are cheap and plentifully available.

The Robot comes with a packet of 111 Molykote food-safe silicone for lubricating the piston gasket. Out of ignorance, I ignored it, never lubed the gasket, and it lasted for 4 and 1/2 years. So it's like there's almost no maintenance whatsoever in upkeeping a Robot. As for milk, I microwave the milk for about 40 seconds, to get it up to 60c. Then hit it with a [foaming wand](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L7215D1) and it's good to go.

I've used/loved my Cafelat Robot for over 4+ years now. No worries about boiler descaling/corrosion, electrical faults, leaks, pre-heating, etc. If you got water just off the boil and finely ground coffee, you've got excellent espresso!

I’m going to suggest something a little different. Cafelat Robot Barista + Fellow Skagg EKG Pro electric kettle. It’s so simple to use, very forgiving, has an enjoyable workflow, and the espresso is amazing. I can easily pull 3 double shots in like 5 minutes total - all consistently good. It’s also a machine that you can travel with if that’s important to you. I started with a Breville Bambino Plus that I now only use for the milk steamer. Since that’s not a concern for you, I highly recommend looking into the Robot. https://preview.redd.it/uur5vvzkplpg1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8d7d445de279e27428938303da192d7c3d4aeb9f

Man, I’m rooting for you and I hope you enjoy it. However, this really makes me appreciate my Cafelat Robot. No firmware, no milk modes, my kettle is on a schedule so it’s hot and ready the moment I wake up. I’m usually in the “more is better” camp, but I’m not sure what would be worth the upgrade at this point.

Thanks - I’m just trying to be honest and non-elitist haha. I’m a major rabbit hole kind of guy and started looking for a good deal on a la marzocco or Lelit pretty much the day after I got my bambino plus. I saw a robot pop up for sale locally, did a quick search, and picked it up - for only $250!. I haven’t looked for another machine since. The workflow is simple and the whole process is enjoyable. Even my “bad” pulls are good. It’s easy to dial in and I can pull back to back shots with consistency. I make a double for my wife and a quad for myself, every morning. Gone are the days she gets a good coffee and I get crap lol. I now only use the BBP for the steamed milk.

Electric kettle + nice grinder + Cafelat Robot! You can keep your current machine and use it just for milk. With the robot, you literally get the hands on experience pulling shots and the only limiting factor is how quickly your kettle can get to temp after you’ve gone through it. I absolutely love mine. You get an espresso that tastes as good as the really expensive machines for a fraction of the cost.

Do yourself a favor and get the Robot! The workflow is so simple compared to the Flair and the espresso is fantastic. I only use my BBP for milk now and don’t even feel bad about it haha. I also have no desire for any upgrades at this point - and I’m a “more is better” kinda guy. If you do go the manual route, I recommend pairing with the Fellows Skagg EKG Pro. The water is holding at temp when I wake up, then I grind, WDT, tamp, and pull a shot. The feedback when pulling a shot is enough for me to not even use a scale anymore. Happy to answer any questions if you have any. Team Robot 10/10.

Thanks for calling this out! I may be making this comment off a previous Flair model where the piston was a separate part that you would need to load in with each shot - with it being quite hot afterwards. I just looked up the F58+2 and it does look like a pretty similar workflow to the Robot. The robot has the integrated piston and you put the grinds, filter/shower screen and water all into a single portafilter basket. Pull your shot and then you purge the excess, pull off the shower screen, dump and reload. I also like how deep the portafilter is, and plan to experiment pulling a 25g triple soon! It seems the main differences are there’s no electronic group head pre-heating and the overall footprint of the Robot is smaller. I have cabinets overhead and I feel like the Flair lever could be an issue. I also feel like I’d prefer the ergonomics of the levers from the Robot over the Flair. It’s built like a tank and hasn’t needed any major design changes since it was first released. I don’t personally have experience with the Flair, so I’d like your perspective to help inform any future advice I have! I just know what I know and shouldn’t simply regurgitate what I hear!

Don't know what your currency is, and starting with just a machine, and not pricing grinders etc into the amount If Australian dollar, just get a piccopresso and a couple of baskets. Also consider Hugh leverpresso or flair neoflex They will make a very good coffee, and you will learn a shit ton more than buying something where you are pretty well limited to pressing a button. If USD, get the barista model robot.

Agree. I honestly have no interest in upgrading from my robot. The other machines have a cool look and feel, but nothing beats the simplicity and quality combination of the robot.

Cafelat Robot - mostly making coffee for myself - mainly drink iced lattes - I can "save" and shots, so less bean waste - No back flush or descaling necessary Lagom Casa - minimal static, retention, and mess