DiyPresso: DIY Espresso Machine

Honestly, it looks really great. Definitely more polished than what I was expecting from open-source/hacker setup.

I've been dailying a Breville dual boiler since 2019, and I've tried a few other machines at coworking spaces and friends' places over the years. For me, as long as I can hit 9 bars with a decent puck extraction, the machine itself doesn’t make a huge difference in flavor. The challenge is finding the right beans, and the fine-tuning through the grinder and puck prep.

It's not that my machine struggles to push water through consistently, it's that I struggle to nail the grind size, achieve even particle distribution, and tamp evenly. Mornings especially—I just don’t have steady hands right after waking up. Funny enough, my best shots are usually in the afternoon. Sadly I try to avoid drinking coffee past noon, so it’s often for someone else, and I just take a tax with a tasting spoon.

The way I see it, upgrading the machine helps with drinks per hour throughput, not single shot quality. I think that's also why the at-home coffee community is more into things like the niche grinder and blind shaker.

I would recommend to look for a manual lever - either Flair or Cafelat Robot, or models with a boiler like La Pavoni or Olympia Cremina if milk is required.

It is easier to adjust flow and pressure in many cases than grind size. Also you will notice that a flat pressure profile is not that good - you will see and feel when puck start to degrade and you have to go down with pressure. People tend to make science out of everything these days, but you can perfectly go by feel if you have immediate feedback. As a plus, all these machines are incredibly simple, robust and serviceable. The Cremina I've got is from 96 and has all chances to outlive me.

The only thing I really would pay attention to is ratio - is can shift the taste a lot between sour and bitter.