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> Espresso is the ultimate form of the beverage.

I might have been more apt to at least lean in this direction a few years ago, but now I just disagree. It's like saying that a Ferrari is the ultimate form of an automobile. That's not true if your test is navigating the Rubicon Trail[0].

Very rarely (1 in (maybe) 20) do I have a single origin[1] espresso that isn't disappointing (that's not 1/20 shots, but 1/20 different single origins, from different roasters, from various shops).

Enter the pour over[2]. A Chemex[3], Hario V60 dripper[4] or similar and a good Ethiopian or Kenyan makes absolute candy in my cup. The pourover is what introduced me to what a single-origin bean can be; certainly the espresso machines never did them any favours, and I tried every chance I got.

Edit: formatting

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubicon_Trail

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-origin_coffee

[2] https://bluebottlecoffee.com/preparation-guides/pour-over

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemex_Coffeemaker

[4] http://www.hario.co.uk/coffee/dripper.html

All of those make wonderful coffee, and I admit that espresso being "the ultimate form of coffee" is strictly my opinion.

That said, espresso is a highly desirable form of coffee for many people. Also, any pro barista will tell you that espresso is NOT actually better with "single-source" beans. It practically requires a blend to get the best flavor profile.

Pour-over is probably the best way to taste single-source beans-- if you're interested in distinguishing the "terroir" (to borrow the term from the wine tasters).

> Also, any pro barista will tell you that espresso is NOT actually better with a "single-source"...

As a former barista (incl competing) and commercial roaster, "coffee bon vivant", I agree with you (it's a rare pleasant surprise that a single origin really works out of a commercial espresso machine, IMO), but there are lots of reputable shops/baristas that will beg to differ. The whole universe/culture is big enough though that after my ~20+ years in so far I'm still open to being surprised.

I usually describe espresso coffee (the beans) thusly (crude, but effective(ish)):

  The opposite of scotch - the highly regarded scotches are single
  malts, and you don't want to distract from their quality. Blended
  scotches are concocted to fill voids or weaknesses in in the
  collection of ingredients that won't stand alone. In espresso,
  there is no single bean that will provide the body, acid, flavour
  that makes the best espressos, so you necessarily blend to collect 
  the profiles you want into a single product (the coffee blend
  you'll use). Some even use beans that (in N. America, at least)
  we're advertised-to are inferior (robusta[0]), but even these
  have desirable properties[1], in the right hands.

Re: "terroir" -- I think that's a wholly appropriate term to use. I've got friends that work at Stumptown (and other smaller roasters) and I get to sample various batches through the process of zeroing-in on a final roast profile, and try beans from the same estate, but various lots, year-over-year, etc., etc. and sometimes the changes are jarring. It's a very interesting universe, not unlike wine.

Edit: clarifying words, formatting

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robusta_coffee

[1] http://www.coffeegeek.com/opinions/cafestage/02-01-2006

> The nespresso capsule machines do an OK job

You sound like an expert, but I was very surprised to read this. I bought a Nespresso on Amazon and ended up returning it because the liquid it put out tasted, to me anyway, to be anything but espresso. I tried all the capsules in the sampler pack and disliked all of them quite strongly. I think the biggest turn-off was the fake crema which the machine whipped into existence somehow, but wasn't actually anything like real crema, and ruined the shot in my opinion. There was a front-page post yesterday about the science behind crema, possibly what prompted this post.

I encountered my favorite machine in a house I rented for a couple years which had a built-in/plumbed-in Miele CVA6401, and it consistently produced the best single-touch espresso I've had, with no maintenance except descaling. It didn't compare to a very good coffee shop, but for at home espresso, I'm saving up to get one in my kitchen.

I've got both a Nespresso and a simple manual Gaggia at home. The Nespresso is just accumulating dust. No matter what capsules you buy it doesn't get any closer to the taste of just average coffee (that would be Lavazza Oro) on the Gaggia machine.

I think the capsule machines produce a passable (OK) espresso that is consistent, you might have gotten a dud or perhaps you're more sensitive to the differences.

The biggest problem with those things (if you even like their coffee/crema) is that capsule costs add up quickly. 2 people x 2 shots per day... by the end of the year you might as well have bought a real machine and that only gets more compelling the longer you use it. 2 years of that and you might as well have bought a top-of-line-prosumer-does-everything-even-grind-and-steam machine.

The other issue is the beans. Once roasted, beans really need to be ground and used within 4-6 weeks max (even if they're in a sealed bag). The capsules are sealed (probably in nitrogen), but I don't trust that capsules will ever be at the same starting point as freshly roasted beans ground immediately before extraction.

Capsules are a good solution for offices where a real espresso machine would be nightmare of maintenance.

Espresso is generally made with an espresso roast, which is quite a bit more roasting than typical for drip coffee and will burn off many volatile compounds that add a certain amount of complexity.

Accept that different coffees are different.

Yes, you're right, roasting and bean have a strong influence. Illy and other specialty coffee vendors also blend beans to optimize the espresso outcome.

It sounds like you'd enjoy this Food Biophysics paper on Espresso Crema - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3140933/

Related HN Submission with comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12489523

Here is the thing... https://www.amazon.com/Bialetti-6-Cup-Stovetop-Espresso-Make... According to comments and my own experience, it make a perfect coffee. But tedious to use.

What do coffee shops that sell good espresso use? Why can't you buy one of those?

You can. They can cost a few thousand dollars.

Not necessarily. Having recently moved from Sydney to NYC and being disappointed with the coffee here, I decided to take things into my own hands and bought this beauty here: http://www.brevilleusa.com/the-barista-expresstm.html

$600USD and about 2 months later I don't regret a single cent.