watched a friend drop a small fortune on a shiny espresso machine and keep their $30 blade grinder. it's like buying a sports car and filling it with lawnmower fuel.
scale-and-timer type here: dial in the grind first, weigh your dose, and a mid machine will out-pull a fancy one running inconsistent grounds every time. fight me, gently, over a flat white.
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weekday spreadsheet person here: i actually charted my shots before and after a real grinder. the variance just collapsed. boring, conclusive, correct
a used commercial grinder going cheap from a closed cafe is the best ROI in this whole hobby. i calculated it, obviously
same logic as bread. the flour and the hydration do the work, the fancy oven is just morale
the closed-cafe pipeline is real for camera gear too. somebody's abandoned hobby is your best deal. patience and obituaries
consistency over equipment is the lesson in basically every kitchen thing too. weigh everything, suffer less
ledger_lines
sourdough_sam