I know jokes are typically frowned upon, but in this case I think it’s appropriate:
Ash woke up on his first morning on the Nostromo and was rummaging through the refrigerator. Dallas came into the kitchen and asked what he was up to. Ash said, “I can’t find any milk for my coffee.” Dallas replied, “In space, no one can. Here, use cream.”
I've pulled a few thousand cups of long espresso from this guy since we bought it two years ago. Much, much nicer and lower maintenance than a boiler machine. If one wants, you can go deep down the rabbit hole of heat control, etc. but even as a "just boil water and make espresso" machine it works great, with no fuss.
Unfortunately, after buying this thing I can't justify buying other coffee objects that are beautiful but would probably make worse coffee than the robot, e.g., the Moccamaster and other drip machines.
I'm looking for a dual-boiler espresso machine but I'm wondering why they are so expensive. With the cost reduction opportunities of mass production, I don't see why they should cost more than $500.
Maybe material cost? I have a lelit mara machine, it’s pretty heavy. It weighs 18kg, with a plenty of brass and copper pipes. Also the internals don’t look like it can be machine assembled an the fat that it’s made in Italy makes it more expensive in man hours
It's great! But what makes it even more so is that it's not a time capsule, but still updated. There's pages for Alien Romulus, the new Predator movies and more.
Admittedly a beautiful design, but drip coffee isn't my preference. It does fit with the alien aesthetic in a certain weird way, because bauhaus design isn't exactly how either the Nostromo, H.R. Geiger, or the film really vibe.
My dad and I picked out a Braun Espresso maker as a Christmas gift for my mom in the mid-80s. When I grew up and moved out I took it with me, and used it daily up until 2010. When it was finally time to replace it the replacement lasted 6 months and the next one lasted 2 months and then I just stopped using home espresso makers.
6 and 2 months for espresso maker is insanely bad. They are fairly simple devices. I am doing 4 years with Breville which is definitely consumer appliance grade (but semi pro results when paired with a good grinder)
my stovetop coffee maker is, italian, stainless, somewhat customised, but my braun coffee grinder is the mate to the coffee maker in the article, and almost worn out, though I have a nos one stashed.
my mom had all the braun kichen gear, but as it is all plastic, it inevitably fails in some unrepairable fashion
Not a Braun product, but also timeless European design: I have a De'Longhi KG79 which I've bought in 2019, and it doesn't show any signs of wearing out yet. The only maintenamce so far was that I gave it a thorough cleaning last year or so. It does its job flawlessly and is fairly cheap.
[EDIT: Looking at the Braun 4045 mentioned in the article: I used to have the Braun 3045, which broke down at some point. To be fair, it lasted at least 10 years, not sure how long exactly. I remember that the somewhat brittle coffee grounds container broke after only 2 or 3 years, but it could be pieced together with epoxy]
I have a Rancilio Rocky that will outlive the universe. I've had it for twenty years and have never maintained it. It weighs more than any other device I have at home. You can buy new parts for it from the manufacturer. It still grinds coffee like it did on day 1.
Ash woke up on his first morning on the Nostromo and was rummaging through the refrigerator. Dallas came into the kitchen and asked what he was up to. Ash said, “I can’t find any milk for my coffee.” Dallas replied, “In space, no one can. Here, use cream.”
I've pulled a few thousand cups of long espresso from this guy since we bought it two years ago. Much, much nicer and lower maintenance than a boiler machine. If one wants, you can go deep down the rabbit hole of heat control, etc. but even as a "just boil water and make espresso" machine it works great, with no fuss.
Unfortunately, after buying this thing I can't justify buying other coffee objects that are beautiful but would probably make worse coffee than the robot, e.g., the Moccamaster and other drip machines.
Anyway, cheapest option so far, at around $900: https://coffeegeek.com/blog/new-products/lelit-victoria-an-o...
But at that price point, I think I'm going to spend the money on RAM.
I think it's more of a supply and demand thing. People spend a lot on their hobby. And it's not as much mass produced as some other items.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Eg_2EwaSZVI
In summary, nice to admire. Terrible coffee maker. Fools and their money...
So much great design in coffee equipment.
Faema Urania and e-61 are my top choices. Though a stovetop Moka pot in that same orange would be nice.
At this point it will likely outlast me.
[EDIT: Looking at the Braun 4045 mentioned in the article: I used to have the Braun 3045, which broke down at some point. To be fair, it lasted at least 10 years, not sure how long exactly. I remember that the somewhat brittle coffee grounds container broke after only 2 or 3 years, but it could be pieced together with epoxy]
Link to photo fromthe pist: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ned_Flanders.png