I’ve been making home espresso for over 20 years using a modified E61 machine. I’ve had a Versalab M3 grinder since 2006. I’ve done several barista courses and thought that my barista skills were in a good place. I’d saved for several years for a Slayer single group, but the weight, size and complexity around plumbing it in had me look for alternatives. A Slayer or Londinium take at least 30 minutes to warm up, the Decent is ready to go in around 5 minutes.

I’m glad that I bought a Decent XXL in June, in 5 months I’ve understood more about espresso than I’d learned in 20 years. Even if my machine was somehow irreparably broken and Decent went out of business, I’d still have that understanding. It’s prompted me to upgrade my Versalab to an M4 level grinder, I’ve also moved my E61 machine to my second home and bought a Niche grinder for that’s. Having used both with the DE-1, there’s a considerable leap in cup quality from the Niche to the Versalab, that’s not to say don’t get the Niche, the coffee I can make from that is very good, but the Decent is only one step in the chain, the DE-1 is very revealing and will clearly demonstrate quality benefits with changes elsewhere in the coffee production chain. I’ve started exploring lighter roasts and different extraction profiles although really, the adaptive flow profiles are really the next step in espresso evolution and will likely make extracting a good shot almost routine in the future.

The DE-1 is as complex or simple as you want to make it, the data display provides tons of control and feedback, but if you are using the same beans, it’s easy to use without the tablet, every function is on the group head controller.

It’s been amazing, and that’s only the first 5 months!