I've been down at my mom's house for the last week handling some family business and I decided to bring my Cafelat Robot espresso machine, my old Orphan Espresso Lido 2 hand grinder, and my camping pouring kettle with me, but like a bonehead I forgot to bring all the parts of the Robot with me, forgetting the portafilter, basket, and screen in the dish drying rack and only remembering after several hours on the road. My mom has a single-serve Cuisinart coffee maker that I gave her years ago, works great, instead of using capsules she fills the barista filter with a paper filter and coffee and can make a cup anytime she wants, since my dad passed eight years ago, and my sister doesn't drink coffee, she wasn't interested in making pots anymore. It's very convenient, has worked great all these years, but makes a weak cup of coffee that my mom and Wife enjoy but I usually bring a travel press with me to make stronger coffee.
So, anyway, I post up on Home-Barista asking for a loaner portafilter and basket (forgetting to ask for the screen) and by the next day pick them up from a kind member in Orange County, roughly cut filters in circles to put over the puck, and I've been happily pulling shots every day since then. The Robot makes amazing espresso and my first roast of the Brazil Jag Summer I piked up in a split with another member on Home-Barista is tasting great, the Lido 2 is harder to grind at espresso settings than I remember, but it's almost like it's hard to get a bad shot on this equipment. It's probably the years that I've spent pulling lever shots and probably because I don't get hung up on striving for perfection, rather enjoying the great shots that I get the first time. The shot on the first day ran a bit fast after I guessed the espresso setting I would use, 8 from burr lock from memory from when I last used this grinder years ago, but still a good shot and I tightened the grinder the next time and it's been set ever since.
The grinder had been on loan with my daughter along with my Gaggia Factory lever, she returned it before moving to Japan, apparently getting good at making milk drinks. The drinks I see in her photos from Japan hardly resemble coffee as I know it, more like deserts and the food photos make me wish I was able to make the trip to Japan when she went over there, she's eating good, which isn't hard to do in Japan.
So here's a couple of shots, the first from last week which looks great, right after I got the loaner equipment and then one from this morning where the crema doesn't look as great as I took a sip and took it out to the patio to enjoy with a cigar, but still tasted great and really enhanced the flavor of the cigar.
Ave Maria Excalibur with some Brazil Jag Summer straight espresso to start the day. I see more espresso and cigar pairings in the future.
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Interesting thread on Home-Barista about how just smelling--and not drinking--a throw-away dark roast sharpens and opens up the senses allowing you to better enjoy a light roast coffee. I haven't tried this myself yet, I don't often roast screamingly light roasts, but it sounds like it has merit. I was reminded of this thread this morning after drinking my medium roast Brazil Jag Summer espresso before enjoying an Excalibur and how much the espresso opened up and enhanced the flavor from the cigar.
Coffee prices in the US have surged more than 20% in the last year, as duties on some of the world’s biggest producers take effect. While American consumers have in general been shielded from the impact of tariffs, coffee drinkers are feeling the pinch as steep duties on imports from Brazil and Vietnam force sellers to pass on some of the cost. The levies compound the pain for US coffee retailers, who already faced higher costs after droughts dented global production. One New York City cafe owner who recently had to hike the price of a cup of drip coffee by 50% said: “We have held off on making this change for as long as possible, but… this adjustment is necessary.”
--Semaphor
Summary
Irrigation crucial for Brazil's coffee amid climate change
Coffee prices rise due to supply shortfall, drought impacts
Concerns over water use in Bahia's agricultural expansion
I truly feel bad for the people who have to make a living by roasting/selling coffee, and am grateful for my lot in life, where I can observe, w/o the pain inflicted by all the vagaries of coffee prices.
@Olekingcole that's an interesting question. When I signed up for the Kickstarter for the Cafelat Robot I didn't intend to use the Robot as a daily driver, but rather to add to my collection in place of a Faema Faemina Baby which is the inspiration for the Robot and a machine that I had considered collecting but worried about problems with the old gaskets on these machines. I already have a Faema Faemina and so I had this itch to scratch as a collector of vintage lever espresso machines. I didn't go for the Barista version with the pressure gauge because it would deviate from the Faemina Baby's classic looks.
However, when I received my Robot, I quickly discovered that it works great to make a straight shot of espresso without much prep time. The Robot fills a particular niche for people who want straight espresso, a lever, don't mind having to provide boiling water, and it's relatively easy to use and works well.
I haven't tried the Flair levers so it's hard to compare. As a lever enthusiast for many years it's also hard for me to accurately comment on how easy it is to use, since I see posts from people who encounter difficulties for many different lever machines.
I would buy another Robot now without question, both from a design aesthetic and performance perspective.
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Join Alessandra Cagliari as she takes you on a fascinating journey through the Museum of Coffee Machines by Caffè Cagliari in Modena. This unique museum showcases over 100 original espresso machines, some still fully functional, spanning from the early steam-powered models to iconic designs by renowned Italian designers like Gio Ponti and Bruno Munari. Alessandra shares the rich history and culture behind these machines, highlighting how Caffè Cagliari preserves the art and tradition of Italian coffee.
I suggest you go into the YouTube settings for the video and switch the Audio track from English to "German (DE) Original." They're actually speaking English in the original track. 28:53 long. I would also suggest watching at 1.25x or 1.5x. You need to watch on YouTube to change the settings.
Comments
Did you take your Robot to mom's?
I did, but I forgot the portafilter and basket in my dish drying rack so I met up with a fellow coffee nerd in Fullerton to borrow his.
I've been down at my mom's house for the last week handling some family business and I decided to bring my Cafelat Robot espresso machine, my old Orphan Espresso Lido 2 hand grinder, and my camping pouring kettle with me, but like a bonehead I forgot to bring all the parts of the Robot with me, forgetting the portafilter, basket, and screen in the dish drying rack and only remembering after several hours on the road. My mom has a single-serve Cuisinart coffee maker that I gave her years ago, works great, instead of using capsules she fills the barista filter with a paper filter and coffee and can make a cup anytime she wants, since my dad passed eight years ago, and my sister doesn't drink coffee, she wasn't interested in making pots anymore. It's very convenient, has worked great all these years, but makes a weak cup of coffee that my mom and Wife enjoy but I usually bring a travel press with me to make stronger coffee.
So, anyway, I post up on Home-Barista asking for a loaner portafilter and basket (forgetting to ask for the screen) and by the next day pick them up from a kind member in Orange County, roughly cut filters in circles to put over the puck, and I've been happily pulling shots every day since then. The Robot makes amazing espresso and my first roast of the Brazil Jag Summer I piked up in a split with another member on Home-Barista is tasting great, the Lido 2 is harder to grind at espresso settings than I remember, but it's almost like it's hard to get a bad shot on this equipment. It's probably the years that I've spent pulling lever shots and probably because I don't get hung up on striving for perfection, rather enjoying the great shots that I get the first time. The shot on the first day ran a bit fast after I guessed the espresso setting I would use, 8 from burr lock from memory from when I last used this grinder years ago, but still a good shot and I tightened the grinder the next time and it's been set ever since.
The grinder had been on loan with my daughter along with my Gaggia Factory lever, she returned it before moving to Japan, apparently getting good at making milk drinks. The drinks I see in her photos from Japan hardly resemble coffee as I know it, more like deserts and the food photos make me wish I was able to make the trip to Japan when she went over there, she's eating good, which isn't hard to do in Japan.
So here's a couple of shots, the first from last week which looks great, right after I got the loaner equipment and then one from this morning where the crema doesn't look as great as I took a sip and took it out to the patio to enjoy with a cigar, but still tasted great and really enhanced the flavor of the cigar.
Ave Maria Excalibur with some Brazil Jag Summer straight espresso to start the day. I see more espresso and cigar pairings in the future.
Interesting thread on Home-Barista about how just smelling--and not drinking--a throw-away dark roast sharpens and opens up the senses allowing you to better enjoy a light roast coffee. I haven't tried this myself yet, I don't often roast screamingly light roasts, but it sounds like it has merit. I was reminded of this thread this morning after drinking my medium roast Brazil Jag Summer espresso before enjoying an Excalibur and how much the espresso opened up and enhanced the flavor from the cigar.
https://www.home-barista.com/brewing/mind-blowing-just-smell-dark-roast-brew-transforms-light-roast-brew-t100862.html
Coffee prices in the US have surged more than 20% in the last year, as duties on some of the world’s biggest producers take effect. While American consumers have in general been shielded from the impact of tariffs, coffee drinkers are feeling the pinch as steep duties on imports from Brazil and Vietnam force sellers to pass on some of the cost. The levies compound the pain for US coffee retailers, who already faced higher costs after droughts dented global production. One New York City cafe owner who recently had to hike the price of a cup of drip coffee by 50% said: “We have held off on making this change for as long as possible, but… this adjustment is necessary.”
--Semaphor
Summary
Irrigation crucial for Brazil's coffee amid climate change
Coffee prices rise due to supply shortfall, drought impacts
Concerns over water use in Bahia's agricultural expansion
https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/brazils-coffee-farmers-turn-costly-irrigation-quench-global-demand-brew-2025-03-31/
I truly feel bad for the people who have to make a living by roasting/selling coffee, and am grateful for my lot in life, where I can observe, w/o the pain inflicted by all the vagaries of coffee prices.
@Yakster if you were in the market today would you buy your robot again or would you grab something different?
I don't have problems, just more work to do.
@Olekingcole that's an interesting question. When I signed up for the Kickstarter for the Cafelat Robot I didn't intend to use the Robot as a daily driver, but rather to add to my collection in place of a Faema Faemina Baby which is the inspiration for the Robot and a machine that I had considered collecting but worried about problems with the old gaskets on these machines. I already have a Faema Faemina and so I had this itch to scratch as a collector of vintage lever espresso machines. I didn't go for the Barista version with the pressure gauge because it would deviate from the Faemina Baby's classic looks.
However, when I received my Robot, I quickly discovered that it works great to make a straight shot of espresso without much prep time. The Robot fills a particular niche for people who want straight espresso, a lever, don't mind having to provide boiling water, and it's relatively easy to use and works well.
I haven't tried the Flair levers so it's hard to compare. As a lever enthusiast for many years it's also hard for me to accurately comment on how easy it is to use, since I see posts from people who encounter difficulties for many different lever machines.
I would buy another Robot now without question, both from a design aesthetic and performance perspective.
I suggest you go into the YouTube settings for the video and switch the Audio track from English to "German (DE) Original." They're actually speaking English in the original track. 28:53 long. I would also suggest watching at 1.25x or 1.5x. You need to watch on YouTube to change the settings.