The Best Espresso I Had All Year… Wasn’t From a $6000 Machine

10% Off Cafelat Robot (Use DADDYGOTCOFFEE) - https://geni.us/cafelatrobot (Affiliate Link) The best espresso I had all year… didn’t come from my $6,000 espresso machine. It came from a manual machine with no electronics, no temperature control, and no automation. And honestly? I wasn’t ready for that. After a full year of using the Cafelat Robot alongside my La Marzocco setup, something unexpected happened: I kept reaching for the Robot. Over and over again. Today I’m breaking down why this simple manual espresso maker kept winning—and whether you should actually consider one yourself. Discounts and Affiliate Links: 10% off Brew Gear at Cafune https://geni.us/15rzAE - (use DADDYGOTCOFFEE) 10% off Ascaso Espresso Machines - https://geni.us/Wafje - (use DADDYGOTCOFFEE) 10% Off Third Wave Water (One Time Order) - https://thirdwavewater.com/daddygotco... 20 Bucks Off XBloom - https://geni.us/SnMj (use "Studio-Justin") 10% off Ascaso, Fiorenzato, Pietro and Kalita - https://geni.us/gaaQfU - (use DADDYGOTCOFFEE) 0:00 - The Best Espresso I had All Year 0:39 - One Year Later 1:26 - It Just Works 1:52 - What Is The X-Factor 4:15 - One of Two Issues 6:09 - My Baseline Robot Recipe 7:55 - A Fine Balance 9:06 - What About Preheating? 11:09 - Don’t Trash Your Espresso Machine 13:44 - My Take