As someone who really prefers filter coffee and works in STEM, this was the perfect espresso machine for me - good for the occasional shot, can’t stress over too many parameters, and it’s super cool. I’ve enjoyed the shots from it more than a lot of shots I’ve had out. The only thing I really needed that wasn’t in the box was a WDT tool. I think you’re definitely right that the people this is for it will speak to ☕️
As someone who trained as a chemical engineer, this coffee maker really fascinates me. I don't think I'd spend that much money right now, when I could put that money towards my first HX machine (one day soon) but I love the physics of the 9barista.
as a mechanical engineering background guy who is still doing heat transfer and fluid mechanics stuffs, i can tell you i have no regret spending money on it 😁
You my friend hit the nail on the head. I have seen videos of this and was wondering what's what. Cue for you to come in and introduce this. Thanks for that. Awesome Video!
Great review! This is the first time I've heard anyone explain the ins and outs of this gadget. I use Moka Pots, an Aeropress, and a Chemex Ottomatic, but sometimes I just want an espresso shot. This could be just the ticket. I've been looking at it for a long time. Thanks to 9Barrista for providing your loner.
When I first learned about it I thought it was a fascinating machine since I love espresso but I'm really short on space in the kitchen so I thought to try it out, I bought it as an upgrade for my moka pot and I have to say I love it, I use it everyday since.
Personally, while I would never want to fully automatic coffee machine, I do like to autumn mice, a lot of the steps in my espresso routine. For example, I Much prefer an electric grinder overhand grinder, and I would not want to buy a lever machine at least not as a main machine I just like the feeling of having my coffee powder with one click, then doing my WDT which is something I honestly quite enjoy so one of the things I certainly wouldn’t want to itemize and just put it in my machine press on a button and half my espresso that’s just well something I really enjoy so I could not imagine using this machine on a daily basis, but I like this experimental thought behind it. Also just the visual part where the espresso starts flowing out the machine slowly is something I already enjoy when I very rarely make myself a mocha so it’s an experiment. I find it incredibly interesting and I am. Hoping that they are going to be enough people buying it because that was funny. Little experiments are after all making the espresso landscape as rich as it is today.
I used the 9Barista for a few months, and I have to say it made the best espresso I've ever made at home. But sadly, I didn't know much about coffee and water at that time, and the heavily mineralized water from my part of Montreal completely destroyed the machine. I used citric acid to clean, but it was eating away too much metal and the flow was getting inconsistent. So make sure you use the right water, because this lesson cost me a lot to learn. I'd like to know if someone has been able to get consistent results with it.
Am sorry to hear that! I am using Poland Spring spring water (no idea whether it is sold everywhere tho) which has the recommended ph for my ECM semiautomatic machine to prevent scale (and I have had that machine for 4 years with zero issues), and I haven't had any issues with the 9barista as a result I think.
Great review! I have one and love it! It's great at home as well as for travel in my teardrop trailer! It pulls shots as good as my ECM semi-automatic:) I hope they also will develop a milk steamer.
I doubt that tamping off-level like that and pulling a really long shot tastes very good. Can tell visually from owning the 9B since day 1 that the extraction is too slow and your end shot was well below 36g. You need to grind a little coarser. As for the target extraction time, 6 minutes is the maximum, 3 the minimum.
Respectfully, I was getting eaten alive by mosquitos and wasn’t going to go through the 10 minute process of dialing in for another try 🤣 Had lots of great shots on the 9b and yes, this one was a little long. Still very tasty though. Light roast
@@DaddyGotCoffee Fair enough - I'm sure you've mastered it by now. Admire your perseverance in the face of the bitey nature anyway & perhaps the light roast tempered some of the bitterness after all. Though in my experience the 9B tends to perform better with medium-dark roast, possibly because of the fixed 93 celsius thing.
From someone who frequently uses a Mokapot (and not for milk drinks, either - the wife and I split the ~ 7 oz it makes and drink straight), this is really interesting. I’m going to keep this in mind. However - I dont have a home espresso setup (currently I’m filter coffee only with V60, Chemex, French press, a Behmor Brazen autodrip, and, of course, Mokapot), and I’m thinking I’m going to ask the wife to get me a Flair 58 for birthday & Christmas (my birthday is within a week of Christmas). But maybe for the future - this thing is really neat! Thanks for the review!
Really this is if you are taking a wider heat source (ie an electric stove) and need to channel the wide heat source into the 9 barista to heat in the proper amount of time. You can still get away without it but if you drag out the heat time a lot longer than the recommended 6.5 min then the actual metal becomes hotter than engineered. It also comes with another plate for use on induction stoves
Realizing that there are completely different processes and workflows involved, how would you say the 9barista stacks up against something like the Flair Pro or Flair 58? Would you say it’s a viable alternative for someone looking to dabble in espresso, before going all in on a machine?
Depends on what you’re looking for. Want a delicious cup right out of the box with no settings to learn about? This is for you. If you’re looking for a learning experience, this won’t teach you how to make a good cup. Same with the flair. With the flair (or the europiccola) you’d learn about pressure from a manual perspective and extraction time, but not much else. Btw, if you’re looking to make milk drinks, I’d go with the La Pavoni. When you feel comfortable expanding your budget over $500, you have a jump between $1-2k machines that so teach you about coffee. The Rocket Apartamento comes to mind with just the right amount of settings for a beginner. Hope this helps!
@@cwcaswell thanks for your reply. Yeah, I was slowly coming to that conclusion the more I was looking into these devices. Thought I could get away less without going bigger at the moment. I do have a Rocket distributor in my area and have been looking at the appartamento, which is more of the direction I want to go.
Be sure to look into adjusting their pressure settings. Until you get well over the $2k mark (more into the 3 & 4k🤮), machines aren’t adjusted at the factory, and I think Rocket has this problem. You’ll need to go over your warranty and find a way to lower the pressure down to 9 bars without making the warranty void (if that matters to you). Check with that rocket distributor about that possibly. Hopefully they’re smart enough to help. Here’s a link to a good list of alternatives in case you’re actively shopping: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-e0kQ5WqjcU8.html
id really like it if you would get rid of the background music. it makes it sound like an informercial and it stresses me out. makes me wanna click off the video after 1 minute because its so unrelaxing
I honestly don't think it is very practical for traveling. As much as I love espresso, I don't want to carry a 1.8 kg 9barista, a hand grinder and a gas stove just to make a double espresso somewhere on a mountain. To me, it is not only a gimmick for outdoor activities that you use next to a big machine but also a viable option as your primary espresso maker at home. I really like the small footprint of the 9Barista and that it'll probably last forever. I think it can be perfect for people who prefer darker roasts, want to drink 1 or 2 good espressos a day but don't feel the need to experiment
Beautiful espresso maker but I don't think it's as practical as flair manual espresso machines. It's expensive than most of the flair machines, more time consuming, no flow control and pressure profile and no control over brew ratio.
It definitely locks you in to certain parameters but I can say that after using it, what it does it does very well. Your points still stand though, I mentioned those too
SORRY , AM NOT A ESPRESSO SPECIALIST, BUT I THINK THIS DESIGNED MACHINE LOCKS OUT " THE CHANGELING PROBLEMS ," AS THE GRIND COFFEE GETTING THE BOILING WATER FROM THE BOTTOM PART , !! ???
Actually, I'm one of the campers who has ultralight everything, toss it all into a backpack with freeze dried food and hike into the wilderness by myself, sometimes I even bring a lightweight tarp in lieu of a tent! I just also happen to really prioritize coffee - so if theres one overweight thing I will happen to bring, it's definitely going to be a coffee thing. Or rye.
One thing I left out because I wasn’t sure anyone would care, but in addition to the pressure release valve designed to vent pressure if it gets too high (you can see ai release this manually after I pull a shot), there is also a solder plug in the bottom Center of the boiler that will melt and vent pressure if it boils dry and gets too hot as an extra failsafe. It was hair raising the first time I used it but no arguing it’s well engineered.
