Better Espresso Starts Here: Invest in the Grinder, Not Just the Machine

[@EricPetersen2922]

Grinder is by far the most important piece of kit

[@clivecoffee]

This is the way.

[@PharmakeiaFilms]

Plot twist for for the staff member that preferred the ESP shot, he no longer works at Clive haha Love these videos, great stuff you guys!

[@clivecoffee]

We had to take them out back...never to be seen again. 👀

[@simonmonty7171]

Nicely done. Now it would be super interesting to see recommendations for various price points for which the point of diminishing return has been reached in order to not go overboard. Of course that would imply not having customers waste part of their budget in things they don't need and would show somewhat of a rarely seen integrity from a store.

[@abcde11557]

I have Rancilio and EurekaSpecialita, what upgrade do you suggest? I'm bothered by looking for the temperature. I'm thinking about changing to Lelit Bianca or Silvia X Pro, will Eureka Specialita keep up with the new coffee machine? If not, what grinder would be a good option? If I change, I'm thinking about single dose

[@clivecoffee]

Sounds like you should reach out to our team so we can have a deeper conversation: clivecoffee.com/pages/contact

[@DigitalicaEG]

I have a 53mm thermojet Breville machine that’s working well but very bare bones (it does have PID temperature control but that’s pretty much it when it comes to control, no preinfusion no pressure profiles, no flow control, nothing). I’m considering upgrading to a 58mm ascaso steel duo (don’t want to deal with boilers). I already upgraded my grinder to a pretty decent one (Timemore 078S). Do you think it’s worth the upgrade? Will I taste any difference?

[@clivecoffee]

Taste difference has more to do with the grinder, coffee, and technique you bring to the fore. If you want to upgrade the espresso machine, you should consider the features you want!

[@aarjayemm]

Thanks for validating my choice of spend distribution with my choice of the Key and EG-1 paired with a Bianca instead of the Linea Mini R and a cheaper set of conical / flat grinders 😅

[@clivecoffee]

You made a very smart choice! Happy brewing. How are you enjoying the Key?

[@aarjayemm]

@ the Key is great! I ended up using only the Key for espresso and leaving the ULFs in the EG-1 for exclusive pour over duty. While sometimes I wish it gave a more syrupy shot, it’s a real good balance of clarity and body. It’s very consistent and dialing in is super easy. It’s the perfect single dosing grinder for switching between light roast for straight espresso and medium roast for milk drinks.

[@rayselM]

Wow. I knew all this intellectually, but the fact that almost every person preferred the coffee from the affordable machine and high quality grinder was unexpected. I now will decrease my budget for the machine and focus on the grinder. This one seems quite nice!

[@clivecoffee]

Cheers! Let us know if you need any help deciding.

[@MarkPharaoh]

Feel like the budget espresso machine should have been a bambino or a Dedica. Good video regardless.

[@clivecoffee]

Fair point. We just don't carry those machines, so we're not going to overview products we do not carry.

[@PositivelyNice]

I actually wanna see a Weber Key with De’longhi Dedica. Hahaha.

[@clivecoffee]

That would be a fun one if we could get our hands on a Dedica!

[@karlproksch1350]

Should run a swap, good grinder and good machine and compare, then cheaper machine and cheaper grinder, compare. That way it would tell me cheap + cheap grinder = poor flavour, cheap espresso machine + expensive grinder = better flavour. You didnt really answer the question. I didnt see the reading for both on the refratometer.

[@clivecoffee]

When the refractometer was first shown on screen, it was displaying a higher number, which was the result from one of the shots from the ESP.

[@karlproksch1350]

​​​@@clivecoffeeah okay, i missed that. Interesting video and it hit my science nerd side. I have the cheap sage grinder pro paired with a gaggia evo pro. I cant get a consistent shot and the grinder off 1.

[@simonmonty7171]

"When the profit margins are higher on grinders." Just joking 😂

[@vivavibes]

Sorry but the Rancilio barely qualifies as a budget or cheap machine for a lot people. Both of those sets of machinery equal a used car or a few months rent or mortgage to many. But.. maybe I'm just a budget queen wishing I could throw away that much money?

[@clivecoffee]

This is true. Will qualify that it's the best-built machine on the lower end.

[@reactionsok]

The gaggia classic would be a fine budget option would it not?

[@clivecoffee]

@ it is one of them, yes!