Decent Espresso Machines (DE1) - Any thoughts?

[>decentespresso]

BDT: Bugs Distribution Technique

Bugs learned how to prepare a coffee puck for espresso from Scott Rao https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJbQuGwNGMM but she has modified her technique to use an angled, rotating portafilter during grinding. In our tests, this is giving us the most even espresso extractions of any technique.

The name BDT is meant to be a tongue-in-cheek homage to John Weiss' popular WDT technique, which Bugs does use as well, after the coffee has been ground.

The combination of Bugs' grinding-into-the-corners approach, followed by WDT, gives us the best espresso shots we've ever seen.

You can use this technique with any grinder (such as the Niche) which does not lock the portafilter into one location.

[>decentespresso]

10 minute challenge #2: latte, 2x DE1 (#2)

This is my first attempt at making lattes as fast as I can, on two Decent DE1XL espresso machines.

TLDR: I made 5 lattes, and spilled one. Scott Rao tells me that my goal should be 8 lattes in 10 minutes per barista, which would almost meet his peak when he ran his Montreal café.

Lessons learned:

• I need to find one workflow, and stick to it.
• When I deviate from my workflow, I make mistakes. Lots of them. I spill drinks, I forget to prep a portafilter. I forget to hit START.
• I made 5 lattes, but would have made 6 if I hadn't spilled one on the floor, and possibly 7 lattes if I'd remembered to hit START sooner on another.
• Ghost (hands-free) steaming works well in all cases, with the new (coming in April) DE1XL steam wand.
• The auto-steam-off timer didn't produce reliable results. In order for it to be reliable, that feature needs the same amount of cool milk each time. If I don't use all the milk in the pitcher for one drink, and leave it in, my steaming time now needs to be shorter. If I don't pay attention to this, I'll overheat the milk.
• So, measuring milk correctly is important, so that I use all of it for each drink.
• I usually make flat white in these cups, for myself, steaming by hand (not hands free). However, ghost steaming creates latte-style foam, which is more voluminous. To compensate, I should have reduced the cold milk volume per drink from 150ml to 120ml. The extra 30ml I hadn't planned on was being used in the next drink. This was the cause of the uneven final temperature results when using timed milk steaming here. Or perhaps I should have thrown away excess milk each each pour (though I really dislike waste).

I spoke to Scott Rao Scott Rao about speed goals for cafes. He told me that, all optimised, his cafe in Montreal could crank out 100 lattes per hour, with two baristas on a La Marzocco pro machine (not sure if it was 2 or 3 group).

Per barista, this works out to 50 lattes per hour.

That works to a bit more than 8 lattes made in ten minutes (8.33, to be exact). That's 48 lattes/hour, per barista. With two baristas at two stations, each with 2 DE1XXL models, would get us to 96 lattes per hour.

So now I know my goal: to move up from 5 lattes/ten-minutes, to 8 in ten minutes.

In future episodes we'll be trying:

• pre-weighed bean doses
• a faster grinder
• not screwing up

-john

[>decentespresso]

A new feature was added today for all DE1 owners.

Each step in an espresso making can now have a water volume limit, expressed in ml. Hitting that limit moves the recipe to the next step.

Why use this?
- you might want to put 2x as much water in as your bean dose, to fully saturate the puck during preinfusion
- you might want to define a step in your espresso making (for example, the last part of a Blooming Shot) in terms of total water volume added into the cup
- other recipe ideas on the DE1 have been theorized, that are now easily possible.

This new feature was made available today in our beta de1app, for free, for all customers.

If you don't have a DE1, you can see the feature in our desktop app (Mac/Windows/Linux) freely downloadable at http://decentespresso.com/downloads

[>decentespresso]

10 minute challenge #3: espresso, 1x DE1XL (#3)

After doing two challenges with two DE1, now I'm doing two challenges with just one DE1XL machine. The idea is to see how the slowest setup performs, and then critically evaluate each speedup independently, to see what optimization yield the biggest improvements.

Lessons learned:

1. Big surprise: I was almost as fast with 1 DE1XL, as I was with two.
2. I made 9 double espressos, instead of 10, in the ten minutes. Just under 1 per minute.
3. If I were using a double spouted portafilter, like many cafes do, I'd be making 108 single espressos per hour.
4. I'm very comfortable with this setup, because it's what I've had in my home for 4 years. Because of that comfort level, my workflow is smooth, unvarying, low stress, and fairly fast.
5. I'm pretty sure that the weighing and grinding process is what's slowing me down the most.
6. The "please add water" pause on this model DE1XL slowed me down twice. This has been addressed in a recent firmware update, so that water refilling happens transparently in the background without making the barista wait.
7. And so, foreshading a bit.... a few days ago I repeated this same challenge (one DE1XL), but with two Niches and preweighed doses in cups. This hugely sped me up, and I managed 17 double espressos in ten minutes. This equates to 102 espressos per hour.
8. The next challenge is making lattes, not hands free on this 1 Niche/1 DE1XL setup.

-john

[>decentespresso]

10m challenge #4: latte, 1x DE1

In this Ten Minute Challenge I makes lattes on a coffee cart with one DE1XL machine, and one Niche grinder. Result: 5 latte drinks in ten minutes.

The big surprise is that I was as fast with one espresso machine, as I was with two espresso machines. With two machines I didn't make any more, and I was more likely to make errors, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJPTzfaP-W0 for me with two machines, making lattes.

The main lesson I learned in this video is that I should start the next espresso brewing before I pour the milk to make the latte art. I only realized this at the last step, and you can see that it'd save a lot of time.

However, in order to start the next espresso then, I'd need to have the next portafilter ready. I'm not sure if I have enough time to do that, with just one Niche grinder. It might be that I need two Niches, in order to have that next portafilter ready to go, after the milk was steamed. But maybe there is enough time... I'll have to try that workflow in the future.

Nonetheless, without rushing or stressing, I was able to make 5 lattes, from double-espressos, poured into 200ml cups, in that ten minutes. That's faster than many cafes I go to.

-john

[>decentespresso]

10m challenge #5: 17 espressos=102 per hour !

In this Ten Minute Challenge John makes espressos on a coffee cart with one DE1XL machine, two Niche grinders, and pre-weighed bean doses in paper cups. Result: 17 espressos in ten minutes, which is equal to 102 espressos per hour (17x6=102).

Lessons learned:

1. for the first few minutes I'm work with both Niche grinders in parallel, preparing two portafilters at a time. This was a big speedup, but I lost that work-flow after a few minutes, and reverted back to one-Niche running at a time. Since I had plenty of spare portafilters, I should have been able to continue with two-at-a-time.
2. 17 espressos were made in 10 minutes, which averages out to 35 seconds per espresso, or 102 espressos per hour. Given that the Londinum shots run for about 30 seconds normally, it's not likely I can go much faster. Average delay between shots was thus about 5 seconds.
3. I had dialed in the grind in the black Niche, and set the white Niches to the same grind setting, thinking it would be the same. It wasn't: it was coarser, and so my white-Niche shots ran fast for 2 shots until I corrected this. I should independently dial in each grinder so they have the same end-shot time, and not rely on the Niche grind setting number.
4. Pre-weighed doses was a massive speedup, with only 5 seconds of "idle time" between each espresso shot. It's unlikely I'll be able to go any faster, since espresso takes ~30 seconds per shot, unless I bring in another espresso machine.
5. What about lattes? Our next challenge will be with another barista joining me, and she'll be dedicated to steaming and pouring milk. I don't know that she'll be able to keep up with the speed at which I'm putting out espressos (every 35 seconds!).

My speed goal with the DE1 is:

1. 100 espressos/hour with one barista, and one DE1XL. Done!
2. 100 lattes/hour with two baristas, with one DE1XL (for espresso) and one DE1XXL (for milk). Still to be proven.

-john

[>decentespresso]

DE1+ discontinued, DE1PRO delay, DE1XL/DE1XXL new focus

Here at Decent HQ, we've been working 6 day weeks, with double-pay on Saturdays, to try to make enough espresso machines to keep up with orders, and to try to keep our wait time reasonable. We're not succeeding.

We can currently make about 250 espresso machines per month, if we're working 6 days a week. Historically we've managed 200 machines a month. Working saturdays, my staff will burn out in a few months, so I can't ask them to do this permanently.

Last month's DE1 sales (February 2021) were surprisingly strong (248 machines). This was 20% better than the previous best (November 2020) of 207 machines. I thought we might be able to keep up, with our 6 day working week.

Toward the end of February, and now into March, our machine sales are exploding, way beyond what we can fulfill.

The DE1XXL model was released last month, and combined with strong demand for all our models, sales this month are forecast to grow another 46% over last month's record month.

There's absolutely no way we can increase our machine production this fast. Even if we could, we'd run out of parts, because it takes about 5 months these days for us to get a new run from our suppliers.

Here's what our monthly espresso machine sales look like:



Unless we do something to dampen demand, we're going to be taking money for machines that we can't deliver for an ever increasing longer time. That's not the kind of company I want to run.

And so, effectively immediately:

• we are temporarily discontinuing the DE1+ model
• the DE1PRO model is still available, and we promise to deliver your order within 6 months
• we will focus on DE1XL/DE1XXL production, and guarantee delivery of those orders within 4 weeks.
• If you have already placed an order for a DE1+ or DE1PRO, we will honor the delivery date we stated when you paid.

I'm really sorry to have to drop the DE1+ and delay the DE1PRO, but we have to do something drastic, or otherwise we're going to trash our reputation, by taking money and not delivering as promised.

Here's a chart summarizing all this:

[>decentespresso]

New steam wand tools

When you buy our XL steam wand upgrade kit, we include two wrenches, to help people change between the standard steam wand and the XL one. We also routinely send the wrenches out for free to any owner who indicates that they could use them.

We designed the wrenches ourselves, because our stuff ships air mail, and sending two very heavy, cast-steel wrenches by plane isn't smart. We needed them to be lighter. Our first design (bottom right of the photo) was primitive, and still quite heavy.

We're revising this tool to be both lighter and multipurpose. You can now:

1. change the steam wand (needs two different wrenches)
2. tighten the ball joint on the steam wand (in case it loosens and leaks)
3. remove the steam wand tip (for thorough cleaning, for example)
4. with holes for mounting the tools on a wall.
5. and it's quite a bit lighter, as its being made from stronger metal, which allowed us to go thinner.

When these newly revised tools come in, we'll continue to send it along to customers who might be able to use it. I think we'll have them in about 8 weeks.

-john

[>decentespresso]

Reporting back on sales since I announced the big changes:
- DE1+ discontinued
- DE1PRO no longer promising fast delivery
- DE1XL delivers under 4 weeks.

Before the change:
- 11.4 machines sold per day (342/month)
- 27% DE1XL/DE1XXL

After the change:
- 11 machines sold per day (330/month)
- 73% DE1XL/DE1XXL

However, we did sell 15 machines on the first day, and then 9/day afterwards, which skews the 3 day average. Our average going forward might be 9/day.

9/day would be great, actually, as I think a realistic maximum number of machines that we can manufacture each month is 300 machines/month. So... I'm trying to get sales volume into that range. Selling 9/day on average would allow us to send machines out to buyers on a timely basis, with little waiting, which is my goal.

Obviously, I have no idea how these numbers will look in a few months. We managed to ship 161 machines in February, so a goal of 9 machines shipped per day (270/month) is already very ambitious, and I don't dare aim for more than that.

-john

[>decentespresso]

A few weeks ago I read Dennis Hew's ebook https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08V1X75JG/ on latte art, and really enjoyed it.

However, I do think it's mis-titled, because the first 150 pages don't discuss milk at all, and are instead an excellent beginner's guide to espresso making.

I particularly liked the ample illustrations, because I was able to flip through, not reading the text, and only looking at the illustrations, to decide if I wanted to read that section. Very reader-friendly.

I contacted Dennis and he & I have worked out a deal, where he's helping us make a Decent-specific version of his book. We're adding new chapters and illustrations, and I have two staff members here in HK working on it with him. We're hoping to get it done within 2 months. Fairly fast, yes, as we'd already gotten started on our own beginner's book.

This ebook will be available for free from our web site, and also available as a print-on-demand or Kindle from Amazon.

As more and more new-to-espresso people are buying Decents, I felt we really needed to improve what we did for them, so that they can go from zero espresso knowledge to making something they're happy with. Dennis' book is almost ready-to-go, and with his illustrations, is better than what we would have cooked up on our own.

And now...please help me pick a better book title. "Be Decent at Espresso" was only meant as a placeholder, and is pretty weak. If you have any suggestions for the title of this beginner-book, please make then below. Thank you!

-john

[level3ninja]

decentespresso how about "From Daunting to Decent - A beginner's guide to espresso and the DE1"

[tompoland]

The Making Of A Decidedly Decent Espresso

[JMcCee]

Smart Coffee 101.

Or Smart Coffee for idiots.

[>decentespresso]

Decent Espresso CAD files

Ben today updated the CAD files for our espresso models, which are freely available on our web site.

I thought I'd make a little video about this, and show you some of the uses the CAD files are put (thanks Sheldon!).

And also to remind you that you can find the CAD files here https://decentespresso.com/overview

The OnShape versions of the drawings are particularly useful, as their no cost, web-based CAD software is very nicely done.

[>decentespresso]

Help me choose a Decent book title, take this survey:
https://www.survey-maker.com/QLH27Y4BI

[>decentespresso]

New coffee cart designs

Today we've added two new coffee cart designs. There's a more roomy 1 DE1XL/XXL top, and the exact opposite goa: a 3 DE1XL/DE1XXL top for high volume. https://decentespresso.com/coffeecart



In the video I made showing my coffee cart:

you can see printed foam panels cover the tubing and other ugly-but-necessary stuff inside the cart. To mount those, you need longer bolts, and we sourced nice flat ones, black, of the right length.





The goal is to provide you with everything you need to put together a Decent cart using IKEA cheap-but-fantastic BROR system.

We're also in the process of revamping the way we present our espresso machines. Instead of priotizing the model name, we're focussing on how they're going to sit and look in your space. That's actually the main difference between the models, except for the DE1XXL being faster at steaming. https://decentespresso.com/compare

Here's what the new home page looks like now, introducing the machines:




Again, the goal is to simplify and clarify.

There's still lots of work to do, especially about how to reorganize the huge amount of information and videos we have, to make things easier for you when you visit our site.

-john