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Comment by nmilo | Hacker News Reader

> Why do we design the most important room in the house around the gear that simply provides our morning cuppa? Because there’s nothing simple about coffee anymore.

Who is we? And on top of this being an absurd rich-journalist problem, you really don't need an espresso machine at all. A pour-over coffee filter and a bag of pre-ground beans is like $10 total and makes totally decent coffee. Espresso should be a treat for occasions like sitting in a cafe, and an espresso machine is like a pasta roller or ice-cream machine. Totally fine for hobbyists, but most people should just leave it to the pros.

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Percolators and French presses make excellent coffee too. Both are barely bigger than a cup and cost maybe $10. To me, it looks like people get those espresso machines so they can roleplay working in a coffee shop. I guess people get their kicks in all sorts of different ways.

There are health concerns around unfiltered coffee (which includes percolators and French presses) that make some people not want to use those methods every day (especially if they consume lots of coffee): https://www.thehealthy.com/nutrition/why-french-press-coffee...

I'm sure there's some specialty version out there, but coffee made in a regular espresso machine doesn't count as "filtered" either does it?

That's why I filter the results.

How dare people enjoy espresso-based beverages, why can't they just drink my preferred way of making coffee?

Starbucks got people hooked on lattes and cappuccinos, wanting to make your own at home instead of spending $7+ a day on Starbucks isn't unreasonable.

I said it should be a hobby. And complaining about your hobby espresso machine taking up too much space in your kitchen is like complaining about your model railway taking up too much space in your basement. No one is forcing you to have a big thousand-dollar espresso machine, and writing a WSJ article about it just oozes some kind of pretentiousness about the way you drink your coffee.

shrug We got a Mr. Coffee Barista which makes espresso/cappuccino/latte when it was on sale about 5 years ago for just over $100. 11" wide and 9" deep. Gets put away between special occasions. Don't need to dedicate 2-3 feet of counter space and buy one of the $400+ machines.

But to each their own, of course!

(The rest of the time, it's grinder + scale + pour-over + electric kettle, and the grinder/kettle do have permanent places on the counter!)

I wouldn’t credit Starbucks with that, I was addicted to espresso from coffee stands long before my hometown ever got a Starbucks.

Starbucks maybe gets credit for hooking a segment of population on double caf skinny unicorn frappes.

I hit Starbucks way too much now because food and convenience (w/app + drive thru).

I would. Espresso drinks were a "yuppie" drink before Starbucks (80's early 90's). But Starbucks expanded the market so that people who were drinking Folgers at home now drink espresso based drinks.

yuppies are people too

maybe there's a bit of yuppie in all of us?

> wanting to make your own at home instead of spending $7+ a day on Starbucks isn't unreasonable

So spend $500-$1000 on an espresso machine instead when, as OP points out, there are perfectly fine, affordable options that will for most people be indistinguishable (and are certainly superior to Starbucks, just read anything written by the coffee afficionados)?

And even if frothed milk is your thing there are better ways to do it than these big machines.

I drink matcha lattes, they make these magic things called "milk frothers" for like $30. In my case I add Oat milk up to the line, add a tablespoon of matcha powder, then push the button. Then it heats and froths the milk and provides a nice little beep when it's ready.

Why should it be a treat for occasions? Why do you think the way you enjoy coffee should be the way everyone does? Why should we leave it to the pros? Should we give up cooking too and eat out every meal? Your opinion on this subject is a little bizarre imo.

I personally don't really like any coffee other than an espresso and for money and time and satisfaction we'd rather make them at home. It's not that hard, there's plenty of info online.

>And on top of this being an absurd rich-journalist problem

Journalist is a stretch here. OP is a fiction author, a blogger and columnist at best.

Yeah if "there nothing simple about coffee anymore", either you are a chill, or you belong to the 1%.

Hell, there are instant coffee brands that even coffee snobs could stomach.

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