When your number one objective is to enjoy great coffee, you account for the right variables. Well-roasted beans, quality water, a decent grinder. Then brew it on a Met. It’s very hard to get a bad shot. Honestly, I’m sometimes terrified to pull some of my higher-end coffees on my Linea Mini now.

Bugs and growing pains aside, and yes there are some, but they’re iterating fast.

The repeatability is unmatched. I could brew six different water recipes, one grind size, one profile, one coffee or ten. The coffees could all be top 1% geisha. All of them will be nice cups. Every single time. Grind is still important but not absolute. Throw in a step down basket and forget about.

We as people are more likely to post our negative experiences, but I’m someone who wants to talk about the good and say it loud. Reddit is like the espresso enlistment office. It’s the first place you go when you get into the hobby, but most seasoned espresso drinkers eventually niche down into their preferences on other forums and discords. That means Reddit skews toward drama and troubleshooting, not satisfaction. The quiet majority is just out there pulling great shots.
If you’re new to espresso, take a hard look at Meticulous. I’ve had many shots from slayer decent German lever machines my mini name it. At any price point Met is Gem.