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reswright
3850
Jan 25, 2020
I'd have to see a lot of very positive user testimonials before I'd plunk down the money for a one-off espresso machine made for a hard use clothing company by a third party. Espresso makers are finicky, they break easily if they aren't well made, and tiny little issues make an unfortunately large difference in the resulting espresso, which is why truly good espresso machines cost several thousand dollars and are expected to serve for decades. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a pair of Carhartt overalls, but what TF do they know about pulling shots -- that being very different from making clothing? Just seems like a stretch to me.
JoshuaGilbert
27
Feb 1, 2020
reswrightRocket Espresso is a tried an true small business / home barista alternative to La Marcozzo's nearly $5k Linea Mini series. I've seen several medium-volume coffeeshops using it. It uses a commercial grouphead and can be easily customized. Carharrt WIP only provided their name and a special colour. At a prosumer level, this is a legit machine. https://www.seattlecoffeegear.com/shop-by-brand/rocket-espresso

https://rocket-espresso.com Your rant did remind me of Kayne exploding when Lady Gaga became the creative director of Polaroid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwj7jBTbmIc
reswright
3850
Feb 1, 2020
JoshuaGilbertThat really wasn't a rant. I've ripped off one or two of them in my time at Drop; they're much longer. This was more of a dismissal. If you really do want a rant and you keep pouring marketing hand-shandies like 'prosumer' as you share your desire for Drop to sell this particular product, I can probably oblige you... but that's not why I got out of bed this AM. It's like this: I'm more interested in machines that are marketed and sold wholly on their performance, not necessarily their label or their appeal to collectors of schwag... and I'm one of those weird guys who isn't interested in taking halfway steps, nor do they ever feel satisfying to me once I do take one. I don't want a Maserati kit car, because the entire time I was driving it I wouldn't be going 'hey, this is somewhat as good as an actual Maserati for a lot less money'. I'd want it to be an actual Maserati and would be disappointed that it wasn't. So until I reach a point where I can buy the Maserati, I will stick to the car I have, and not feel like I ripped myself off. The same is true for world class espresso machines. If I don't have the cash and the space (just as big a commodity in today's housing market) for a gold standard rig? I'll stick with a French press, and focus my spending someplace else that will likely have a bigger impact on my enjoyment of life. And if I do decide based on market research that there's a sweet spot in the entry level machines that'll give me what I'm looking for, I'm probably not going to go for a promotional item with a name on it from a completely different industry. Sorry if that's upsetting. And yeah, I'll be waiting for a LOT of testimonials from actual consumers, because that is definitely how I roll when it comes to people claiming to have an innovative and improved product these days, sight unseen. I know far too much about how ad copy gets written to take any of it at face value, and these days you can't just go based off of a few glowing comments because they're frequently bought and paid for by the same people who make the machines, or else they are doing their own marketing pretending to be psyched up consumers. :)
JoshuaGilbert
27
Feb 1, 2020
reswrightYour skepticism is scientific to say the least. I respect that.
reswright
3850
Feb 2, 2020
JoshuaGilbertI find Diogenes to be personally a bit more compelling than Montaigne, but I believe I know what you may mean. coffee preparation amongst North American professional techs is our modern equivalent of a samurai’s tea ceremony. Much respect for the joe. Everyone wants the best for a long list of reasons, of which the coffee itself is but one, and the remainder being driven by the nature of the individual. Everyone wants to be able to listen to someone brag on their coffee gear and then say “cool story bro but wait until you hear about MY setup” and then explain their $10k machine that premixes ice cold and boiling hot water to get the right temp to three decimal places, calculated by the weight of coffee in the pod and air pressure and humidity and how years of octionic mathematics went into shaping the steam head and how it produces a uniquely smooth crema. When I was younger I had a simple Braun steam press and loved what it made but it wasn’t until years later that I ever had my first properly pulled shot, and after that I realized I was going to still make my own coffee, but go hit up a real coffee shop or Italian resto whenever I wanted a proper doppio. Get one pulled by someone with ten thousand hours of experience and muscle memory under their belt. And that I was only ever going to commit to a high end in home machine and try to get that good myself, once I could afford the gold standard. Best of luck to you!
(Edited)
JoshuaGilbert
27
Feb 2, 2020
reswright...*whispers* I’m a barista too all the love brother
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