Your Espresso Machine Doesn’t Have to Be Fancy to Make Good Coffee
This espresso machine shows that you don’t need high-end gear to make great coffee—skill and practice matter more.
The slogan is: “tone is stored in the fingers.” It tells guitar players that their playing matters more than expensive gear. Fancy coffee equipment can take you far, but it won’t help if you don’t know how to use it. The punk music boom of 1977 showed that attitude and effort can go a long way. But it was during the early 1980s that musicians learned that practicing and keeping an open mind can lead to great music, no matter how much money you have.
In the summer of 2008, Peter was unemployed with a communications degree, so he got a job at a coffee shop. He had only drunk 2 cups of coffee in his whole life. After working afternoons for a year, Peter moved to morning shifts and had to learn how to use an espresso machine. This changed everything forever.
He doesn’t remember the machine’s brand, but it was like those you might see at a typical coffee shop with a simple style. At first, dialing in meant adjusting the grinder until it worked. There was no scale, and no one measured temperature or pressure because most drinks were mixed with flavored syrup and milk. Only later, when they had to cut back on sugary drinks, did Peter learn to make better espresso. He spent three years improving until he understood that espresso is the basic building block of coffee.
After working at a café in Ohio, Peter moved to Portland, Oregon, and worked at a bakery-coffee shop. They served serious coffee and used three grinders for different types. Walking to work before sunrise was peaceful, and making small adjustments while tasting shots became a favorite morning ritual. When his coworker arrived and music switched to Electric Wizard, customers started coming in, and everything became busy and exciting.