After you've had some time to get used to it, could you give us another update and tell us how you like it?
I've been eyeballing hand grinders lately. I want something that is physically easy to turn (I work with my hands a lot), able to produce a decent amount, and capable of producing espresso grade grinds for my mocha pot (though I will be using it for my aeropress mostly).
I received the 1Z Q Air today so here are some comments:
The steel inside mechanisms are very attractive to fine particles due to statics, and the manual says it cannot be washed. So I had to use a rocket blower to clean it up afterwards, but given the trouble I probably won't cleaning it a lot -- maybe once a week. Next time I will try to spray some water on the coffee beans to reduce static. https://imgur.com/wkk5fAA
The upper chamber hold exactly 15g of my coffee beans -- these are ordinary sized beans around 1cm wide. So maybe I'll use the scale less if I wanted to cook exactly one serving. But I can foresee this become a bit tedious if more servings for 2-3 people are needed. The lower chamber is about 2/3 full after grinding the 15 grams of coffee.
It is very compact compared to my old grinder. Construction of the unit is solid. Cranking the handle is very smooth. The (online) manual is very detailed on instructions of how to adjust the granularity. The adjust button is stepped and has dials on the side so one can be very informed about current settings. https://imgur.com/6I68kAq
Acidity might have its place in an Americano or dairy drink, where it's diluted down. But in an espresso shot, or worse yet, a ristretto? Hard pass. If I want to put something in my mouth that shrivels my intestines and makes my butthole pucker up, I might as well munch on a lemon. Fully on board with @CodingCarpenter here.
Same, all of those third wave specialty hypetrain shops serve unpalatable crap. It's acceptable in a dairy drink as they mellow down the flavors, but that's not what I think "special" should imply.
You know where you get a decent espresso? Some Italian ice cream parlor. And they didn't inflate the prices as much either, since it's not their core product.
I haven't read every single reply but the vast majority say probably not.
My experience is basically the opposite of everyone here. I bought a refurbished gaggia classic for $275 in like 2012 or so. I use it daily. It's not hard to use, and in fact my 5 year old can pull a shot all by himself.
There is a comment that for the same prep home espresso won't be as good as commercial because the machine quality is lower.
I'm sorry but IMO this is 100% wrong.
As long as there's nothing wrong with your machine, water, or beans, there's no difference. The goal of an espresso machine is to supply 9 bars of pressure. The coffee doesn't care if the machine cost $400, $4000, or even $12,000.
The reason commercial machines are so expensive is really twofold. Mainly they are built to be able to pull shot after shot all day every day for decades. The second thing is that commercial machines are pretty much universally multi group dual boiler setups where you can steam and pull 3 shots at the same time. So not only do commercial machines require the highest quality stuff, but they need 3, 4 or more copies of everything.
But again the goal of the machine is to supply heated water at 9 bars of pressure. The results will be the same in any machine that can accomplish this goal, the cost difference basically boils down to how nice the machine is to use, and what extra features it has.
The grinder on the other hand makes a huge difference. But, you don't have to spend a ton to match cafe quality. A baratza encore will do the job but not well. Step up to the sette and you will be able to get close.
Lastly is the beans. Now this is an area that you will have to research, but I found a local roaster that mainly sells to local cafes and hotels, but is also is open to the public. His coffee is fresh and I really enjoy it.
The last thing is that tricky statement "for the same amount of prep."
Cafes pretty much do the very minimum. Press a button on the grinder, get a volumetric dose that should be within 1.5g or so, quickly tamp, pull a shot, and move on to the next customer. I've even started seeing mechanical automatic tampers being used.
You on the other hand will (likely) be weighing beans with sub gram accuracy, checking the machine temperature, carefully distributing the grounds, carefully tamping or maybe using a calibrated tamper... Etc.
You will be putting in more prep just simply because you have to. You don't have the equipment that cafes do that will make the process as easy as pushing 2-3 buttons. But that's okay. If you enjoy espresso you will enjoy the process and it'll become a hobby more than anything.
But that last part is the key. Are you willing or ready for espresso to become a new hobby? Yes? Buy a machine. No? Keep using aero press. Or do some else. Only you know what you want.
Aeropress! I actually just bought my brother one because he saw me making coffee one morning and gave me the 🤨 look. I told him to taste it and he exclaimed "damn, that is excellent coffee!" since he's used to pre-made stuff and Keurig pods.
It's likely designed for safety (in a cheap way) so that the thing isn't left on and running for too long. It probably can't properly get rid of the heat it generates fast enough to run continuously. My (higher end, but still made of plastic) burr grinder insists on only running for about 30 seconds at a time because I can't afford an all metal behemoth like at the local coffee shop that can chew through several pounds of beans in one go. The machine needs time to cool between so that it doesn't wear out prematurely.
Also, for devices in homes that have the potential to chew up an entire head of hair or suck in a loose bit of clothing like a tie in an instant, it is good to have their operation tied to a dead man's switch.
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