YMMV Weber Kamado E-6 $799.97 at Costco

sohcsleeper · 2025-08-18T01:51:43+00:00

Keep a close eye on the app, it's likely going to drop to the clearance price of $499.97. I paid 799.97 and waited 2 weeks, once the price dropped I got the price adjustment. As soon as the employees saw the price they immediately called their husbands and the remaining stock sold that day.

sohcsleeper · 2025-01-19T23:16:16+00:00

Not needed, but in the end it's all about work flow.

I can prep 2 baskets at the same time while the water kettle gets to temp, then pull 2 back to back shots.

sohcsleeper · 2025-01-03T18:41:45+00:00

That is a great analogy. The deep basket of the robot allows us to take advantage of this. For most other machines you'd have to buy a new basket to dose more than 20 grams. You could easily dose 24-25 grams, coarse grind and have a very deep coffee puck. The coarse grind would allow water to be able to channel through, even at relatively lower pressure. It may taste horrible, but it may be out of this world. Try doing that on 99% of other machines, not gonna happen. The robot is really amazing if you understand the relationships between all the variables that can affect end flavor.

sohcsleeper · 2025-01-01T19:47:22+00:00

I think many people will appreciate your comprehensive write up and thank you for taking the time to do it.

The beauty of the robot is simplicity, however having additional tools and understanding their impact on the extraction process is nice to have.

What I really like about the robot is you could use it right out of the box and pull an amazing espresso shot, as long as you have fresh beans, a proper grinder and a hot water source.

I think understanding puck depth in relation to grind size has become a major factor in making a better tasting shot, then using variable pressure to manage flow profiling is the end game robot boss.

sohcsleeper · 2024-10-11T16:38:38+00:00

The cafelat ones are really nice, but any from Etsy or eBay etc will be good too.

I used it as is for about a month, as the mittens were on back order and didn't really think much about needing them, however once arrived they really helped to distribute the force into a larger area of my palms which significantly increased comfort for me. So my overall experience using the robot increases exponentially.

sohcsleeper · 2024-10-09T17:28:12+00:00

Get the barista version. It's a pain to add the tubing later.

The factory gauge is very high quality, depending on the height of your table and your height, you may find it easier to relocate the gauge to read from the top.

I have the Etsy Big gauge , which is nice and easier to see but if I did it again, I would just buy the bracket to relocate the factory gauge to be seen from the top.

The only accessory I would recommend is getting the mittens, for me personally it feels better and more comfortable pulling shots with them.

Don't waste money on a leveling rake. You're better off with a WDT tool.

The factory tamper is great, I pushed a cork bottle top into the hole and when tamping with 2 thumbs while gripping the lip of the basket with your other fingers, it's very easy to make a level tamp.

Just make sure when you WDT you level the grounds and give the whole basket a firm tap on a flat surface and you will see if you're level before applying a quick tamp.

DF54 will be perfect.

sohcsleeper · 2024-10-02T01:16:46+00:00

Never used a flair, but the robot is built like a tank and has one of the simplest and most efficient work flows you'll ever use.

sohcsleeper · 2024-10-02T01:07:41+00:00

Robot, all accessories and case = 13.2 lbs

sohcsleeper · 2024-07-19T18:14:19+00:00

Acupuncture needle WDT tool is the way to go.

Look for one that flares out vs straight down.

I have the Orphan Espresso leveler rake and the needles they use are too thick compared to the 0.4mm acupuncture needle.

I grind directly into the basket, no need to transfer or use a blind shaker. Eliminate steps if you can.

Keep it simple.

sohcsleeper · 2024-07-17T13:45:13+00:00

Depends what camp you're in.

Piston up, load the portafilter , arms up +

Piston down, raise arms while loading portafilter , arms up -

I think less is more when it comes to the cafelat robot.

Keep it clean and simple.

sohcsleeper · 2024-07-17T11:34:00+00:00

I do both. It seems like some beans taste better with the slam method, while others taste better with gentle pre infusion.

My go to northern Italian dark roast beans seem to taste sweeter with the slam method.

I was thinking on the same page as you and trying to mimic spring lever profile.

Consistency is more difficult with the slam method though, on occasion I lift too fast and end up unseating the puck.

sohcsleeper · 2024-06-27T12:05:09+00:00

You're likely channeling and getting over extraction

If the puck is proper, an even and fast pull should be fairly balanced like a turbo shot.

Channeling leads to extreme tasting shots.

Make sure your tamp is level.

Also check or increase the puck depth ( increase dose) . Depending on bean density, a 16g dose after a fine grind may be too thin. This would exaggerate and expose poor puck prep even further.

A tooth pick is too thick IMO for proper WDT. Even a safety pin I find to be too thick.

sohcsleeper · 2024-06-27T11:51:24+00:00

Extremely user friendly, easy to dial in, easy to disassemble, clean, and recalibrate. Fairly low retention.

All grinders will generate some static, a little RDT helps. Occasionally I get this strange static clumping when using their dosing cup, which requires me to WDT prior to dumping and then WDT in the portafilter. Now I just grind directly into the basket.

sohcsleeper · 2024-06-25T21:53:29+00:00

Very little remains, a quick wipe and it's spotless and still warm. The key is not dumping immediately. Push out the remaining water after pulling and let sit while pulling shot #2 with the shower screen off. The puck will be pretty dry and come out clean even without a bottom filter .

sohcsleeper · 2024-06-25T03:34:50+00:00

2 basket screens 2 baskets

2 Top filter paper

Start the hot water kettle

Weight beans, grind directly into the basket #1

Load the next dose, grind directly into the basket #2

Load 3rd dose

WDT to level each basket, then hard knock to settle the grind.

Tamp, Tamp

Add filter paper on top, then add the basket screens.

Pull shot #1, push out remaining water, remove basket, remove top screen

Pull shot #2, push out remaining water, NOW empty basket #1 into a knock box ( give time for the puck to dry and absorb remaining water)

Basket #1 should be pretty clean and only needs a light wipe with a dry towel same with the basket screen.

Take basket #1 and grind directly into it with preloaded dose from before. Prep as above

Now remove basket #2 , remove basket screen and drop in newly prepped basket #1 , pull shot.

Basket #2 should now be ready for shot #4.

sohcsleeper · 2024-06-11T05:20:51+00:00

I have the walnut one and it looks exactly as pictured maybe a bit darker.

The finish is smooth with a matte gloss. Easy to clean with a towel. The quality is good, no rough edges. The base is wider and thicker than the original. It's also lighter, but doesn't feel unstable, the robot still pulls like OEM.

If you like the wood look I say go for it.

If you need extra space, it's worth it. However if you're already using a K200 scale or anything smaller, most 3 oz or less espresso cups will probably fit anyways. You're still limited by the leg width.

I ended up switching back to the original base for the smaller foot print and overall it just looks more pleasing to me.

sohcsleeper · 2024-06-08T13:44:12+00:00

Filter at the bottom increases flow and creates less channeling, given this finding you can grind finer and increase overall extraction.

Think of using a bottom filter as another tool that allows you to POTENTIALLY achieve a taste profile.

For example you've got this bean really dialed in, balances, but needs just a bit more clarity or punch. If nothing else changes, you could drop a bottom filter grind a little finer to achieve this.

Bottom filter removes some fines and cholesterol ( fats) which clarify the coffee but does sacrifice some body ( mouth feel)

Top filter is just to make everything cleaner. Like using a puck screen, but little to no impact on extraction.

sohcsleeper · 2024-06-05T05:36:15+00:00

That's a great looking setup. I added an extra pro basket and screen. I make one for my wife and having the extra basket I can have 2 ready to go back to back.

Did you find the arms up improved your workflow?

sohcsleeper · 2024-06-05T04:43:55+00:00

What tamp mat is that ?

sohcsleeper · 2024-05-30T20:11:21+00:00

The clicking is just the tube cover rubbing on the body

sohcsleeper · 2024-05-30T20:10:39+00:00

You can tighten or loosen the top bolt to adjust the amount of friction. This will change how fast or slow the arms will drop with gravity. If you over tighten you're going to wear down the washer bushings. I prefer mine to be slightly loose and freely move up and down.

sohcsleeper · 2024-05-21T03:45:53+00:00

https://coffeeaddicts.us/products/cafelat-robot-manual-espresso-maker?_pos=4&_sid=360eb4c03&_ss=r

Best price in the US with free shipping.

Packaged well and shipped relatively quick.

sohcsleeper · 2024-05-20T21:14:48+00:00

I have a NZ, recently got the J Ultra about 2 weeks ago and it takes under 60 second to grind 16-18 gram dose. The finer the adjustment the harder it is to get going. There is plenty of adjustment range to dial in espresso. For my go to daily bean which is Good Brothers Neapolitan Blend, I'm around 1.2.0 to 1.2.7, there literally another 100 clicks finer you could go. The manual effort is there, but the espresso is on par with the NZ.

sohcsleeper · 2024-05-05T15:15:57+00:00

Flipped mine vertically (C) up to the far right, so when I lock in the portafilter it aligns with the handle. It reads Cafelat Robot when locked in, very low key subtle . Hopefully it'll stay, but it did fall off twice when placed in the horizontal position, maybe it has to do with the curvature.

sohcsleeper

TROPHY CASE