By David Buehrer a.k.a. Greenway Barista

Source: http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/06/home-brewing-coffee-tools-barista-equipment.html

As a professional barista, I’ve thought about how non-baristas can get the most out of that simple, beautiful bag of beans. Personally, I achieve sensory overload every time I see those fateful commercials of espresso-making at home.

The truth is, making espresso at home to replicate a commercial environment is near impossible, even for the serious home baristas. The water filtration is incredibly different, the home brewing machines are not designed similarly (for the most part) to commercial espresso machines, professional coffee grinders are a breed of their own, and—let’s face it—the home barista just plain doesn’t have eight hours a day to perfect that great technique, let alone get paid to do it.

So what’s the big idea? How do we get that great shot of espresso, or that award-winning cappuccino, at home? Well folks, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it takes some serious cash. Don’t worry however—there’s light at the end of this tunnel.

Why Skip Professional Equipment?

A serious espresso machine can cost upwards of $5,000 to recreate similar brewing parameters and temperature stability as those big hunks of precious metal sitting on your favorite cafe’s counter. Settle for less? Sure, you could, but if we’re talking about brewing perfect espresso at home, what’s the point of spending a few hundred on a machine that won’t make the same product you receive at your favorite coffeehouse?

As for a grinder, that big hunk of blades, plastic, and iron looks sexy with all those barstools and open ceiling around it, but wait until that monster gets home—it can reduce your livable space significantly, especially next to a 70-pound espresso machine. All this insanity and electricity for the perfect espresso and cappuccino at home?

Let’s say that you do get to the point where you can finally sit back and experience the ultimate in quality and detail from the comfort of your favorite couch. But wait—the electricity bill just jumped up, and the house is getting warmer! Realistically, high volume environments are the only feasible espresso-making locations. So what’s the passionate home barista to do?

5 Ways to Hand-Craft Your Coffee At Home

Handmade coffee. Some would say that making a delicious cup at home can be therapeutic, almost a daily ritual. Variables are easily controlled and equipment is incredibly affordable, even for professional quality. Here’s a list of five great home-brewing methods and equipment for making that perfect cup every morning:

1. Thermometer: Needed for double checking water temperature precision. You can get a waterproof pocket digital thermometer from LatteMaestro for $15.
2. Water Kettle: Thompson Owens from Sweet Maria’s suggest the $69.95 PINO Temperature Stable Water Kettle. Hot water is important—this guy won’t you down.
3. Coffee Grinder: LelitPLO43
4. Food Grade Gram Scale: Much needed for measuring exact amounts of coffee per cup made. This saves you money in the long run and you can guarantee repeatable results when measuring all aspects of your cup: coffee beans, water, and brewed coffee. Get a Electronic Scale from LatteMaestro for $35.
5. Brewer: This is where the fun comes in. I suggest starting with a Chemex brewer and checking out different brewing styles for later entertainment. A 6-cup maker is available from Espresso Parts for $33.90.

There’s a wealth of information out there on each brew method and I imagine once hooked, you’ll be excited to try them all. It may seem like a large investment, but once you have all the tools to hand-craft coffee at home, the amazing coffee makes it all worth it.

Q. What’s the difference between the old PL041 and the new model ?

A. The only substantial changes are the steam wand and the OPV. The OPV on the new one is adjustable but Lelit recommends not to fiddle with it. Lelit just did the right thing and adjusted it down to 9bar in the new version which should help make already great shots even better. What they really needed to do was make a significant improvement to the steam wand. The new one is the same length (which is just a little bit short) as the previous one. Regardless, with practice and proper technique as described elsewhere on CG, it’ll steam with the best machines in the class.

When I launched my online business last year, I felt that  it was very important
to have a “Frequently Asked Questions” section . Seems like a no brainer, unless one considers that I hadn’t come across customers yet  who would supply me with with  questions.
What I did with the section, was anticipate customer questions. I drew from my own experience with the products. Looking back, I thought I did a good job with the FAQ  section, but I think  one area I  may have  overlooked  was product differentiation.  One question that I received every day was:

” What’s the difference between Lelit PL51 and the PL41 models ?”

With all  the options that manufacturers present to customers nowadays, it should be no surprise that I was getting this question. Well, I’m going to answer it now.

There are actually  very few differences between the two models.

Lelit PL51 is  just the newest model out in the market. It’s widely available in the United States.
Lelit PL41 is an older but extremely popular model. Due to that popularity and the fact that it’s a discontinued model, it’s available at few vendors in the United States.

Lelit PL51

Lelit PL0 41

Similarity:

# Polished stainless steel body throughout

# Heavy-duty, chromed brass filter holder with covered two spouts

# The brass boiler

# Removable, large 2 liter (68 oz.) water reservoir

# Pump pressure rating at 15 bar

# 3 thermostats

# Dedicated hot water switch

# Holding guide on steam wand prevents finger burning when moving steam wand.

# Large cup warmer fits up to 6 espresso/demitasse cups.

# Easy-pull, large ABS plastic drip tray with metal drip tray grate.

Differences:

1. Chromed buttons                              PL51 yes                    PL041 no
2. Operated with coffee Pods                  PL51 yes                    PL041 no
3. The 3-way solenoid valve                   PL51 no                     PL041 yes
5. Tamper                                PL51 include in accessories       PL041 build in
6. Steam wand                                      differentiate in design

If you any  have further questions that  would like to ask, please feel free to ask That’s why I’m here.

Thank you for your support.