UNPOPULAR OPINION
Home espresso doesn’t scale. Without multiple avid drinkers under one roof, consumption can’t keep up with the beans. By the time you’re dialed in, which is a moving target anyways, it’s time for a new bag!
Pour-over is a perfectly respectable and much more forgiving Zen-like alternative to the finicky clattering steampunk monster. There are no catastrophic failure modes that a new $10 funnel can’t fix. The biggest disaster is running out of filters.
In the WAF department, she tends to be generally positive about the idea of getting a new gooseneck kettle with the sculptural artsy trimmings. She tends to be less positive about the squat chrome box that hogs counter space and always has a grimy bit of espresso powder underneath.
Speaking of dirt: at a cafe, someone is paid to perform the rituals the espresso machine demands: back flush, cleaning powder, brushing, steam wand maintenance, descaling, gasket replacement, grinder cleaning… but at home, you’re doing all that yourself. If you didn’t plumb in, you’re constantly refilling the water, and even if you did, you might still have to worry about growing a Scoby in the tank.
This is why the Italians compromise with a Moka pot at home: all the mess and scalding risk of a portafilter, plus stovetop incompatibility with induction, what’s not to love?