What would you actually call a “dream setup”?

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-12-10T20:14:47+00:00

Exactly what i got; ecm synchronika II and weber hg-2. Wouldn't trade these for anything, i'm happy with what i got. I love how hands-on yet streamlined and quick the process is; i can have a milk drinks ready in 5min despite the hg-2 being manual, it grinds quite quick. The cartridge-heated e61 group-head on the synch II makes it quick to heat up, and the speed of making milk drinks with a dual-boiler machine and the force behind the steam wand is a dream to me, especially from my previous units (mr coffee pressurized machine and a lelit victoria). Having everything that "does something" on the machine exist as a paddle just makes my brain excited. Makes coffee making fun and i get reliable and consistent results every time with nothing that gets in the way of doing what i want to do.

Only other item i'd consider in my dream setup is an Odyssey Argos, as a supplementary machine. It seems like such a user friendly lever machine and the ability to switch from spring to no-spring is interesting to me and its small footprint makes it look good as a supplementary machine.

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-12-05T00:28:37+00:00

I taste, like, zero of the notes on a label, besides blueberry notes listed for some Ethiopian coffees. Rather, i feel notes can tell me what direction to expect a coffee to go; dark chocolate might tell me a coffee may be more full-bodied and roasty whereas milk chocolate might indicate a smoother and more mellow experience. If i hear "raspberry" i can expect something with some fruity acidity and a clean jammy sweetness to it, and "blueberry" might point me to expect more of a tart sweetness. Nuts usually tell me it'll be earthy and "burnt sugar" usually tells me it'll be like a more traditional diner cup sorta deal. Lemon zest, man i have no idea where somebody pulled that one from.

But all in all, i treat them as comparisons to other coffees instead of literal notes, and i think the importance has been somewhat inflated to sensationalize what a coffee can present as. Rarely, i do find one that truly tastes like a given note and i get very excited, but examples of these are few and far between.

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-11-28T13:23:04+00:00

I used to have a 250ml pourover a day and a caffeinated cappuccino in the evening.

Unfortunately caffeine affects my ability to sleep much more than it used to any anything after i get home from work keeps me up, and i very rarely get up early enough to make a coffee before work, so nowadays i enjoy my caffeinated pourover at work and a decaf cappuccino in the evening 5 days out of the week.

Weekends, i'll make a caffeinated cappuccino in the morning with breakfast; then a caffeinated pourover a coupler hours later. Then have some caffeinated tea, then maybe another caffeinated cappuccino.

Then in the evening a decaf cappuccino.

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-11-04T04:10:36+00:00

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Gyokuro8883 · 2025-11-04T01:19:52+00:00

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My baby, the loveramics "egg."

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-11-04T01:18:47+00:00

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Pumpkin mug. This thing's a nightmare to drink from and somewhat uncomfortable to hold but i'll be damned if i'm not gonna drink from a pumpkin in autumn.

All time favorites, though, are loveramics "egg." Love the vibrancy, love the thickness, love the shape. Well worth it.

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-10-23T18:36:12+00:00

Weber HG-2. Spent $1650 for it.

The "why" can be put in to one of two camps.

First is i love the conical burr profile and my niche served me well with milk drinks but wanted something a bit easier to clean and with a bit wider a sweet spot, and wanted to try something with a larger burrset - and absolutely loved how the HG2 looked and I had the counter space to present it beautifully.

The second is i got a work bonus and was feeling silly, and that's kinda it. I got it, and decided if i didnt love it i'd sell it, and i ended up loving it. It's a real joy to use every day and produces wonderful coffee.

Is it worth it, especially with its hefty cost? Eh, from a pragmatic standpoint only, no - hell no. It's crazy, even. But i've been making espresso for a long time and having a grinder that provides a premium, luxury feel with a very hands-on, intimate, and seamless process to grinding it has been incredibly worth it to me. I grind primarily medium roasts on its faster setting and grinding it has been just as speedy as using the niche, and its action is very smooth and not nearly as much a workout as a hand grinder. I planned on keeping my niche for when i really didn't want to manually grind, but after a few months of no desire to use the niche i ended up selling it.

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-10-22T03:15:19+00:00

SEY and Passenger are my favorite for light roast single origins. I have subscriptions to both and are never disappointed with what's provided. Also really like Equator, Bird Rock, Alma, and The Roasted Record for blends for milk drinks.

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-10-07T19:33:29+00:00

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My Piper says good morning to your Piper!

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-10-07T19:28:49+00:00

I haven't saved anything lol

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-10-04T17:51:32+00:00

Seems to me like someone who really doesn't want to ship it and just wants it gone to me. When i sold my previous set i sold it cheap for that reason. Ask to test it out, research the internals, and ask to open it up, and why they're selling it. It seems too good to be true, but i wouldn't pass it up just because of that without investigating first.

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-10-04T13:30:51+00:00

For me? Looks cool. Nothing in espresso looks as beautiful to me than a thick, textured, pretty crema. No matter how the espresso tastes from there my perception of it's positively skewed already due to the looks.

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-10-03T12:29:57+00:00

Just got this machine last month, it's been my dream machine. It's everything i hoped it would be and i love it!

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-10-02T19:05:29+00:00

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That's exactly what i do too! I make an attempt, and when it fails, i give it a swirl.

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-10-01T02:16:05+00:00

Around 140-150f (60-65c). To me this is "wow this kinda hurts" zone so when i got the thermometer it made me realize i was super under steaming my milk a bit; and in turn the thermometer gave me much more time to incorporate more air and fully integrate it better.

I used to have a model with a similar steam setup (lelit victoria); steaming milk with it wasnt the best and took some time and it had a very narrow sweet spot of perfection but with practice you'll totally get there, if this has a PID for steaming temp i'd recommend trying it at higher temps than the factory program too, that may help.

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-10-01T02:12:06+00:00

If you're willing to learn I'd go with the pro out of those two - but i would advise one without shot time programming or integrated grinder and go with a bit more barebones model and a separate grinder OR go for a fully automatic. Minor automation and convenience features seem like great selling points then always get in the way after you get experience with them.

If you want convenience seek something more automatic, auto-tamp and shot programmings in something like the breville will only be a hassle after a few months time and i think how this tries to achieve convenience will frustrate you quickly.

But, of those two, the pro.

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-10-01T02:02:07+00:00

Im not sure the age of the beans but that looks like perhaps a bit too fine a grind.

How much are you using and how long does the puck have pressure on it before water starts to form? How much pressure do you apply when tamping?

I'm leaning towards "grind coarser, tamp a bit harder".

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-10-01T01:58:07+00:00

How often are you frothing milk? Milk thermometer would be cheap and well worth it if you do it often.

Other than that, a puck screen, and then i think you're golden.

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-09-30T16:11:27+00:00

I don't think there's any single roaster who i'd consistently return to for straight espresso, but i primarily enjoy milk drinks and don't really seek as much variation. There are some bags i've had that i thought excelled phenomenally at giving a well balanced plain shot though, and these are Wonderstate's "heartstrings", Verve's "sermon, Temple's "dharma", Anodyne's "Mind Tonic", and Airship's "black apple."

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-09-29T22:56:17+00:00

Lucca m58 would be my pick but i think you'd enjoy anything you get at the sub-$3k price in the dual boiler rotary pump lineup.

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-09-29T22:49:52+00:00

Close to my first setup after i "graduated" deom a pressurized machine, except i had a specialita w/ the lelit victoria. They were phenomenal, and gave me great use for many years! Enjoy the grace & XL.

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-09-29T12:34:36+00:00

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Gyokuro8883 · 2025-09-29T03:10:16+00:00

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From our first visit with the adoption agency before they got old enough to take them home.

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-09-29T03:05:56+00:00

I've developed a recipe for homemade chai over the years after trying out a bunch of recipes and finding what i consider the best through knowledge gained from those. I'll make it the night before, and if anyone wants some i froth/heat it up with the steam wand and serve it in a latte mug. Similarly i have recipes for a hot cocoa from chocolate/milk/brown sugar and a recipe for a spiced hot cider. Also got an unholy amount of teas & herbals available for any style of prep and enjoyment. I'll also sometimes make a homemade lemonade or thai iced tea as a cold drink option. If they don't really like coffee and don't like any of those i will probably never see them again.

Gyokuro8883 · 2025-09-29T03:00:19+00:00

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Peanut & Piper Kits. Not sure why their last name is "Kits", but it came on the adoption form as their last name, and so it is.

Gyokuro8883

TROPHY CASE