In this site I teach you how you can make great espresso drinks at home. I recommend specific espresso machines and grinders and show you how to use them. I also explain how to choose coffees that work well for espresso and recommend specific espresso blends available online. Getting into the world of home espresso can be daunting, but armed with the right information, you can avoid a lot of wasted time and money and get to enjoying great espresso at home every day. This is the goal of this site.
Many of the recommendations on this site apply specifically to the United States (equipment and coffee recommendations), but general information on espresso making should be helpful to anyone.
Why get into home espresso?
Home espresso is worthwhile if:
- You enjoy espressos/capuccinos/lattes at local cafes
- You order them often (at $3 to $6 per drink)
- You would love to get espresso without getting out of the house
- You are willing to spend at least $1,500 on home espresso equipment
- You are willing to buy coffee often or roast your own (for freshness)
- You enjoy learning a new skill
For a lot of people, home espresso is not worth the expense and the learning curve. They do not enjoy these coffee drinks enough to justify buying equipment and learning how to use it and maintain it. But for some other people, maybe like yourself if you are reading this far, home espresso makes a lot of sense. It can bring a lot of enjoyment and convenience, and in some cases save significant amounts of money.
Do I need to become an espresso expert?
No. That’s the goal of this site. By learning from the content here, I hope to save you many wasted hours of web browsing coffee websites and espresso forums, many wasted hours (and beans!) making bad espresso, and many wasted dollars on the wrong equipment. My goal is to give you the exact information you need to get to making good espresso quickly and consistently. You may continue exploring the world of espresso and maybe turn it into a hobby, or you may just rejoice in your newfound ability to create great espresso drinks at home with ease (and impress your guests too!).
What do you mean by espresso at home?
I teach you a very opinionated way of making espresso. The upside of this constrained view is that once you have the equipment and this knowledge, you can make an espresso in under a minute or a milk drink in under two minutes. You buy equipment that can perform, but you do not overspend on equipment. You do not have to think much about it. It does not need to be a hobby. No wasted coffee. No endless experimentation. Every drink tastes great.
How long until I can make good drinks?
It should only take a few hours after you learn the information on this site and get the right equipment for you to make good espresso. Steaming milk well may take a bit longer; maybe a few days of experimentation. It is not difficult if you are heading in the right direction.
How do you support this site?
Many equipment and coffee recommendations are affiliate links, where I earn a very small commission if you buy using those links to maintain this site. I only recommend something if I have bought it, used it, and liked it enough to recommend it to others.
Who are you?
My name is Ricardo. I am originally from Spain and I am an espresso aficionado. While I have never worked as a barista, I have been making espresso at home for over five years. It took me a long time to figure out how to make good espresso and my motivation is to get other people to do the same, but for them to have a much simpler journey than I did. I would like for more people to enjoy espresso as much as I do, as often as possible, at home.
Great Espresso at Home 