If espresso is Italian for fast, why does it take me so long to pull a perfect shot? Checkmate coffee
-Turning point Hoffman
I’m talking end-to-end from “Hmm, maybe it’s time for an espresso” to when your beverage is ready to drink. All setup/pull/milk steaming time included.
I have a basic machine with no boiler, so heat up time is negligible. I’d say it’s about 5 minutes for me to unpack my equipment, prep a puck, and pull a shot. Add maybe 2 minutes for each additional shot that’s pulled consecutively. I don’t tend to make milk drinks, so there’s no extra time spent.
This assumes that I’ve already dialed in the grind.
This was a deciding factor for me choosing to get Thermoblock rather than a boiler. I keep it on the counter ready, so there’s no unpack time.
By the time I’ve ground the coffee the machine is warm and ready to go, and I use a distributor rather than a tamper because it’s less fuss and I don’t notice a difference.
Espresso takes around 30-40 seconds including grinding, steaming milk another 70 seconds but this can be done at the same time. So maybe 90 seconds plus clean up.