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Comment by tobias3 | Hacker News Reader

I depends. If you have an espresso machine with a pressurized basket it would kind of work even with too coarsly ground coffee. But coffee snobs will tell you that then you don't get proper extraction (i.e. weak taste) and that it would be more consistent but also consistently not optimal.

If you don't have a pressurized basket you really need to dial in the grind setting for each coffee, have a good grinder that doesn't make the machine choke and have a good machine that doesn't "channel", i.e. a lot of effort to make consistent shots.

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Absolutely. Pressurised baskets are great when all you want is acceptable coffee with minimal effort. A lot of popular home "espresso" machines come with one for this reason. Many or most Breville (Sage) machines come with one, even the "pro" machines.

I seriously recommend anyone thinking about a pod machine consider a cheap manual machine instead. I then recommend buying fresh ground beans from a local cafe. Not only are you reducing landfill but also supporting local business.

I guess my thing is that I can never find/settle on a good manual machine plus grinder that I would describe as "cheap". I worked as a barista for a few years back in the day and while not a terribly "snobby" coffee drinker, I do miss being able to pull a decent shot and also make microfoam for latte/flat white type drinks.

The problem is that at a minimum I'd be looking at $1000-1500 for a decent grinder and machine and (at least currently) that's up in the realm of luxury items I might buy someday but can't justify right now. Even the passable all-in-one consumer machines like some of the Brevilles are up in the $800+ range and I hesitate to buy anything that expensive that is not repairable.

So instead I just buy beans roasted within the past couple of weeks, grind when needed with a cheap blade grinder, and make drip coffee with a basic machine. Once in a while I do a moka pot and whip up hot milk in a french press for a fake latte but that's usually not worth the effort. When I want an espresso or a latte I go to the cafe and buy one maybe once or twice a month.

I have never considered buying any sort of pod machine. Way too wasteful and expensive for what you get out of it.

I got a cheap manual burr grinder (JavaPresse) to replace my cheap blade grinder, and it has made an enormous difference in the quality of my daily coffee. Granted, I use a French press, so grind size matters more than with drip. But it was a simple change that improved my daily enjoyment.

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