Decent DE1PRO vs Barista Express | Is it worth paying so much more?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 เม.ย. 2022
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Barista Express
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Dosing funnel
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Naked portafilter
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Tamper/leveler
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Dosing cup
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Normcore tamper/leveler
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Puck screen
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WDT needles
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Love your content, keep it coming!
Thank you!
Loved watching the video, learned a lot and my confidence in the Barista Express is even stronger now!
Thank you. Barista Express is definitely a great machine.
Great content & positive vibes from start to finish. Look forward to more of your ideas&videos. Maybe Decent profiles comparison plus episode with Decent lever profile vs real La Pavoni shot? could be interesting ;)
Thank you. Definitely we will be discovering the Decent together. There are also few new toys coming soon.
you sir are amazing! great and fun video with awesome information, will definitely be back for more 💗💗
Thank you very much!
Great video! Just discovered your channel and loving the content and how you present so instant subscribe. I was a home barista coffee geek 15-20 years ago before it was a thing and just got back into the scene and can’t believe how much it has changed. The decent looks a amazing machine but (never seen in real like) looks like everything was spent on the software and hardly anything on the machine - more household gadget. Would love to see the difference between higher end £1000 - £1500 ish espresso machine and the decent. Keep up the great work!
Thank you very much! Well I am not an expert and got Decent about month ago but so far I have to say it is very capable machine and it looks more professional in a real life than on the screen. It is not perfect but nothing else is either. I love the fact that it is small and relatively light (below 20kg). I had ,at some point, a big dual boiler and it was so difficult to move it or to find right place for it.
Only time will tell how the longevity of Decent is but from what I heard the customer service is great.
At some point I will compare it with my La Pavoni Esperto.
Totally agree, the more traditional machines are substantially bigger and need much more space but they sure are beautiful looking! Would love to see the La Pavoni comparison.
@@Gareth_Walker_Photographer what I forgot to mention is that, as you know, most of other espresso machines have only one pressure profile. That is ok for medium dark roasted coffee but light roasted are more tricky to extract. Some machines may have way to regulate flow/pressure in a limited way . Decent gives you full control so you can use any profile you like for any coffee.
Some time ago I recorded Barista Express vs La Pavoni- not mine finest video but might be interesting.
th-cam.com/video/IBg6EJ_sjhs/w-d-xo.html
Love the honesty @ the end of video … did I over pay on the Decent 🤨😂😂. Awesome review . Thank you 🙏🏽
Thank you for watching! I still love my Decent though 😁
Great video fun and informative, nicely done. Both beautiful espresso machines, the Decent is very impressive
Thank you for watching!
Damn dude, love the enthusiasm! Really enjoyed watching your video. I have a Decent too and I came from a Lelit Mara X that was my first machine. I also considered the Barista Express. One thing I think that's just huge for Decent is you can just pack it up in the luggage and take it with you on vacation. For me that alone was worth it. Sometimes I'm in the middle of nowhere and it's so nice to wake up to quality espresso.
Thank you. Enthusiasm plus too much caffeine in the body 😆
If you travel by car then definitely you can take Decent with you. And I thought I am crazy taking my v60, scale and hand grinder with me for holidays 😛
@@mycoffeeshow111 guess you're not crazy! My wife always says, "Don't forget the espresso machine".
Hey mate, I have a Lelit Mara (PL62W) and wondering if moving to a decent. would you recommend it?I am not taking mine on vacation haha. I was also looking at the Mazzocco Linea Mini but it's a bit too big for my kitchen.
@@MondayMornings hi, that all depends on how you approach the coffee. You can definitely live a very happy life with coffee from Lelit. If on the other hand you like to experiment Decent is the best machine for that. And is also relatively small so fits nicely in my kitchen. As for La Marzocco, Mini definitely has a look but overall it is a boring machine. If you prefer traditional approach GS3 would be a way to go imo but there is a substantial price difference.
Let me know which one you choose.
I have few possibly interesting videos with different profiles on Decent- maybe that will help you to decide.
@@MondayMornings if you're happy with the Mara X now I don't see the need to make the switch. Like if you had both machines doing 9 bar at the same temp, I don't think one coffee would taste better than the other. But if things like the slow warm up time bother you or you want to try experimenting with profiles, then that's something to think about. My personal dream machine is a smaller Linea Mini that heats up fast and can easily pack up in a box for travel. I really love the Italian design and the simplicity.
Loved the video, Jack! Looking forward to seeing more of your exploration with the Decent! Thanks!
Thank you! Next one will probably be about hand grinders but definitely more about Decent coming soon.
Nice video, thanks !
Thank you!
Thanks, I really enjoyed that. You do get a significant elevation with the Niche (I was shocked at the difference it actually made), it did make me realise that the express is a capable machine. I've put the dimmer mod on mine though, I'm surprised at the similar times if you used the same grind for both shots. Would have been good to see what was going on with your pressure gauge during the pull.
Thank you. Which dimmer mod did you use? The one where you have to make a hole in the unit?
As for pressure gauge, I don’t really recommend to worry to much about it. But if I remember correctly it was between 1 and 2 o’clock.
That coffee I used was so easy to dial in. Normally I have to pull 2-3 shots b4 I can record something acceptable. Here was my first shot and it was good.
@@mycoffeeshow111 Yeah, I went and bought a light dimmer from B&Q and spliced it into the supply for the pump. Didn't need to make a hole, there was enough room where the power cable comes out for a second wire. The hardest bit has been remembering to turn it all the way up again every time you want to steam the milk 😁
@@potkettle I was thinking about that but it could negatively affect resale value and definitely void the warranty
@@mycoffeeshow111 Yeah, it'll definitely harm the warranty, but I've had the machine for 3 years. Depending on who you're selling to, it could also increase the value - just need to find someone who wants to control some more variables! Plus I've done it in a way that it's undoable, and (other than the tab I cracked taking off the back) you wouldn't know it had been done. I inserted it using spade connectors to the ones that were already there. It has made such a difference. No more channelling.
The other big change I've made recently to my puck prep is I've stopped tamping. I do WDT, then a quick twist with the leveller, and that's it. Use the initial pressure to compress the puck, then immediately turn down the dimmer to almost minimum, and it continues at 9 bars for the rest of the pull. I guess I should do a video of it at some point!
@@potkettle you must be a very clever person. I have seen few mods but not the way you describe.
As for tamping, that is definitely something I will try myself.
Did you change shower screen for IMS btw? Do you use puck screen?
Awesome video! One thing i'm curious on is trying the DF64 with SSP burrs to compare between the Decent and Barista Express since the shots usually has more clarity from the DF64 :)
Thank you. That would be great idea especially for lighter roasted coffee. For the one that I used Niche was I think more suitable. Anyway we won’t know as I sold my BE few days ago.
The coolest thing about the Decent I Think, is the IF/Then type programming you can do with the profiles, so you can say basically if the flow rate is too high (accidentally ground too coarse or channeling badly?) It can slow the flow rate and potentially save the shot. Stuff like that... I Believe it can do that, right? I only briefly played with someone else's machine once.
But tons of cool features besides that, lots of community profiles etc.
SThere are advanced profiles that can use limits and move on to the next step. The community is where the biggest advantage is... instead of saying my shot is bad, you show your actual data from the actual shot. People will look at the graphs and solve your problems on the fly, which grows your knowledge 100x faster and will save you so much coffee when you are still learning what to do. If your a seasoned expert then you can explore the fringes of espresso and beyond. An espresso machine will not save you money or be a more convenient way to make coffee, its a hobby, art, craft. Buy a cup to bean if you want that.
Ben, You can always take control over the shot even during the pull. You do see everything on the screen plus on the mirror. If you think that extraction is too slow you can speed it up and so on. If you end up with perfect shot you can store that as a new profile. I have not tried many of this options yet.
I have a Barista Express but don’t use the built in grinder. I have been making my shots using the “pre-infusion” method. This is where you hold down the shot button the entire time until the desired amount of espresso is extracted. My gauge reads about 9 o’clock during the pull. Have you tried this and if so did you like the results?
Hi, yes I did. Depending on the coffee but usually I got very good results this way but sometimes there was something lacking in the taste comparing with normal shot.
Excellent video. Out of interest, what setting do you use on your Niche?
Thank you. I don’t remember exactly what I used for this video but probably around 12-13
That was a fun video. Very interesting comparison. I think the Niche with the Barista Express helped with making a better shot? Both are thermablocks like you mentioned which means fresh water which I appreciate. I wouldn't mind brewing and steaming separately on the Decent.
Thank you very much. I used Niche to give BE a fair chance and I went for easy coffee as well. What is interesting is that you don’t have to spend that much, to be able to enjoy good espresso at home.
@@mycoffeeshow111 Yes. For sure. In photography we call it GAS, Gear Acquisition Syndrome when people think better and more expensive equipment will make a better photograph, to the point where all they focus on is the camera and lens and forget to go and take photos. Sometimes, what you have right in front of you is very good. Of course, that being said, I can't stop looking at espresso machines, grinders and accessories. It is endless!
@@jakevan1969 I don’t know about photography but coffee making is definitely a rabbit hole.
@@mycoffeeshow111 Keep up the great work. Your videos are great.
@@jakevan1969 That is the plan 😛 Thank you for your kind words!
Have Barista Express for more than a year and still love it. Probably sometimes soon will upgrade to Dual boiler.
BBE definitely one of the best machine to start your coffee journey.
100% agree. That new BDB with flow control might be an interesting option
@@mycoffeeshow111 Hi, are you talking about the new Lance Hedrick special? th-cam.com/video/DQdqmIfzZdQ/w-d-xo.html
Is there a decent without the tablet? And BYO tablet? Kind of stupid to have to buy another tablet when I could just connect the one I already have
Well you can use your own tablet as long as it is Android. Decent tablet fits nicely to the stand and takes you through the installation process and is not expensive. When you buy espresso machine for so much, that £100 less without tablet wouldn’t make much difference. Last thing is the duty tax. Buying decent you only pay the tax for first £500 and they claim that the rest is the value of software which you download later. Without included tablet that possibly wouldn’t work.
Perhaps installing dimmer mod in breville would put it closer to decent. Saw one test and it has excellent temp stability
Barista Express is definitely great, especially in this price range. You are right, it can be modified for even better pressure/flow profiling. I haven’t done it as I wasn’t sure how would it affect the resale value.
Jack, we need to see your c40 against all your other grinders for espresso. This would be an amazing video to see.
Hi, yes I will definitely do that. I usually like to compare 2 at the time as after few shots everything tastes similar
@@mycoffeeshow111 That makes complete sense. Looking forward to the reviews!
I have heard many people say the Barista Express takes a long time to heat up. I have a small pot, I heat up water in the kettle and pour it into the cup to heat it up, once I am ready for it I pour it into the pot, then I can preheat the portafilter remove and place the filter in and put the grounds in ready for pouring, it means I don't have to wait for the machine to heat up.
The Express feature where you press the cup button for pre-infuse it will keep pouring until you stop it.
I bought my Express because a barista told me too.
Very clever trick with preheating. Thank you.
With pressure profiling I mentioned, once you release the button the pressure will go up to the max as with any other shot.
Enjoy your coffee!
I'm more and more inclined to think that the supposed requirement for heat up time with the express is because of thermal drift of the grinder. I noticed that if the machine is cold, the built in grinder grinds a little bit coarser. Leaving it on for half an hour before hand allows the burrs to reach equilibrium and so you get more consistent results.
@@potkettle when I thought I know everything about BE you tell me that. I am not smart enough to know the answer but it sounds plausible
I thought Decent has a ton of steam power, you can customize the temperature and pressure?
Good point about steaming and brewing at the same time, with a more automated machine it makes more sense to be able to brew and steam at the same time, I've had 3 more manual machines in the last 15 years or so, where I COULD steam and brew at the same time and probably have only done it like 3-5x because I'm usually watching the shot making sure it's going good and getting ready to stop it (or now on my current machine, adjust flow control if necessary).
Many people may still believe the thing about leaving a shot sitting out makes it go bad, it is not the case (you just taste it better as it cools, and if you did a bad job, you'll notice it more), you're better off brewing the shot and then steaming milk, because if you like micro-foam latte art capable milk, it is going to separate and have a thicker foam settle towards the top if you steamed milk first.
There is Decent XXL that has more steam power. On any of them you can regulate power and temperature even during steaming (steam profiling) but I haven’t tried it- I like it the way it is. I would love if they invented the way for machine to detect temperature of the milk and stop at the desired point. I use to steam while brewing on my Crem One where you could set up pressure profiles but the machine controlled the shot by volume of water not weight so it wasn’t that precise.
Do I understand you could program a certain time for auto steaming? If that is the case you could find out ideal steam time for a given amount of milk? Have to hand it to my BBT with the temp sensor next to drip tray for milk temp! Really amazing value of BBT. Still going to buy the Decent though 😁
If you taste espresso back to back, first shot is always going to taste like it's more cleaner and clearer. Only way to taste fairly is blind test at least 3 times.
Agree, blind tasting is the way but can’t do this myself. I always wash my mouth with water b4 each shot.
Tasting coffee is obviously very subjective. I also noticed that different times of the day the same espresso can taste a bit different. One thing was surprising - both of those shots were of similar quality.
I did not realize that Decent uses thermoblock for milk duties. I don't know how important milk drinks are in your household but I have experience with two thermoblock machines and boiler based steamers are much better IMHO. They produce significantly better quality wet foam in compare to thermoblock.
I had dual boiler at some point and Decent can steam the milk as good as anything else but possibly a bit slower. Texture is good as well. You can always play with settings if you want wetter steam.
If you want to get more out of the BBE, I would add a Stainless Steel plate above the screen to help disperse the water in the group head as the back water inlet washes out about 1/3 of the puck in the back and has far less extraction in the rest of the puck. Next is controlling the flow, a dimmer mode will be an option, just not sure of the best way to do this. The Sage circuit is much cleaner then a simple noisy dimmer mod. Not sure it's much of a deal if off warranty.
Thank you. Dimmer mod I heard about but steel plate - that I think is a new one. Are you taking about replacing that bit underneath the shower screen ?
@@mycoffeeshow111 Yes a thin Stainless Steel plate between the group head and the shower screen. If you look at the group head with the screen off you will see the one water inlet hole and all the pressure comes in from that inlet and washes the puck out in the back right corner. I use an IMS screen and noticed it drilling holes in the puck so I wanted to fix it. The plate I made is much like the BDB dispersion plate, only as thin as possible and still keep its shape. I did not drill holes close to the water inlet so I don't re-create the issue. I put dimples in the plate going toward the screen to keep it from sitting flush on the screen and causing flow issues. I also put a few slits using tin snips on the out side of the thin plate allowing water flow around the outside of the plate as well. It also keeps it from moving. Back flushes still work this way. You can find videos on youtube about people using a tinfoil strip inside the group head over the inlet on other cheaper espresso machines but it will collapse and block the hole on flushes. My crude first attempt works so well I have not tried to make a better one. I only remove it to clean under it during cleaning cycles and it's been very clean under it from just using the cleaning solution but want to clean under it any way. The puck is very evenly extracted now. Very pleased with the results!
This video will show you the tin foil mod, th-cam.com/video/jbrNDtJnZVw/w-d-xo.html Now I took it one step further using a thin stainless steel plate on the Breville so I would not have any flow issues.
@@harrydog6795 you are a very clever man indeed. It sounds doable but too complicated for me. Anyway I sold my BE few days ago but lots of viewers have it and they might want to try your trick.
Thank you for sharing!
@@mycoffeeshow111 Well I think the Decent is an excellent machine, I don't like the water tray (The bug, hair & skin collector) and would plumb in a tank. I think the middle unit was $6500 in my country, shipping is extra. So maybe the BDB, I wonder if they are going to release the Lance model and what the cost might be?
U can change the pressurebof the steam on the De1 if u want extra time
Thank you. The way it is works well. I heard about some people change the pressure during steaming- steam profiling.
@@mycoffeeshow111 yeah there is a setting to increase or decrease but for increase i think u need 240v so not good in US with the 110
@@djembeboyzach luckily I am in UK 😁
@@mycoffeeshow111 i noticed that in one of your videos. Me too. We are lucky, faster steaming is def a good thing as I heard a few folk complaining in the US about the time it takes
I have Sage bambino 9 bar machine very happy with good grinder like df64 grinder .
I feel that the sage bambino is much faster than Barista express it take 3 seconde to heat up .
I didn’t know that Bambino is 9 bar. As for heating up, you still need to wait for the group head and portafilter to warm up as well I assume.
@@mycoffeeshow111 I don't need to wait for group head to warm up,is 3 seconde to warm up or to have the steam .it is designed like this ,very fast and economic, operates and heats on demand when push the button and there is a pressure otherwise it is on standby. This is new thermojet technology I think like the barista pro .
Just for the portfilter I put in and flush it 1 or 2 times and sometimes I use the hot water outlet to heat it and stabilize the temperature.
I saw many people use thermometer and try to mesure the water temperature in front of the shower screens and said that is not hot enough,like I said the machine needs the pressure to operate , when the pressure is high, the thermojet and the PID activates and regulate to 93°.
@@tarekh1377 thank you for explanation. Yes if it is thermojet you just pull few dummy shots and ready to go. Sounds like a great machine for the price.
I have Bambino Plus and its bad. Puts like 11-13bar which makes extraction difficult and usually starts way too hot for extraction (its basically steam coming out in the first seconds). Out of the 100 shots or so I pulled only one was good, all the others tasted harsh with a burnt aftertaste. At least its only a few months until I get a Decent, in the meantime I just only drink Cappucino which masks some of the defects in the shots.
@@lpnew3 can you lower the temperature? Maybe b4 you pull a shot flush the group head to remove the water that is too hot? One thing is certain, you will enjoy the Decent when you get it.
I would not say, that everybody who does not like the decent actually wants one. For me it would not be my first choice since my wilfe drinks a lot of tea and so we need a lot of hot water, and there are better machines for that purpose. Also why would I want more possibilities to produce shots, that I might not enjoy. There are already too many variables in making a shot that I like anyway... If I want to be 100% sure to produce a cup, I will enjoy I use my Aeropress (I know, it does not make you a cup of espresso, but it will make you a cup of really good coffee, even if you are not 100% on top of your game). Though I fully understand the idea of a machine like that, but should it not be in some coffee laboratory together with people that are inventing roast profiles? I guess that most people will be completely overwhelmed by the complexity of this coffeecomputer :-)
I see your point and kind of agree. Not everyone will like Decent, that is why I make videos about it, so people can see my struggle with it and decide if that is the machine for them. I had it for about 4 months now, and still love it. Having said that, some profiles are more frustrating to dial in properly. Overall I think it made me a better home barista.
Btw- there are profiles for making tea as well.
@@mycoffeeshow111 My wife is Japanese and I doubt seriously that she would ever make her green tea with a coffee machine even if there is a profile for it. Making tea is more like a meditation thing for her, like our making coffee, I guess. I really enjoy watching your "struggle" with all the possibilities of this machine, and it must be fun. But it is also fun to watch, so I will better stick with what works at the moment... Not bored enough yet to make coffee life more complicated than necessary :-) Thank you very much for your channel! Always a pleasure to watch!
@@raitro thank you for watching!
Can you do another video showing why Decent is better than this machine please. So take a difficult bean and show how you can manipulate temp, pressure, flow and repeatability. How to fix an espresso by taste. I would live to see that
I would also love to see the difference between the De1 and your lapavoni. I think that would be a closer match since you have way more control over La Pavoni plus I think I wanna buy the Esperto as a second machine or one for travels.
Also I am curious. The main thing I want is a nice thick syrupy espresso like in Naples with a dark roast. Am I right in thinking that the Esperto can give that over the De1. I can get all the flavours and a thicish espresso but not like medicine I had in Italy.
I have experimented with profiles and robust mix and roasting myself at all different levels. Just never got as thick as I want where it coats your tongue for hours
@@djembeboyzach I haven’t tried all the profiles on Decent, one of them being classic italian so can’t say for sure if you can get it on Decent. What you describe sounds more like ristretto style shots where you lower the ratio to let’s say 1:1 or 1:1.5. You can try it on any machine but La Pavoni would be perfect for that. If you get medical taste it almost always indicate that the temperature is too high.
@@djembeboyzach there will definitely be a video about that. I am also contemplating getting Flair Pro 2 but not sure yet.
@@mycoffeeshow111 yeah I mean restretto shot. The De1 is know for having lack of body and I was thinking to get a LaPavoni to try and get a thicker shot.
I meant the thickness of some medicines where it coats your tongue not the flavour :)
I’ve learned in several fields that buying those “beginner all-in-one” things always make you spend the money on separate devices in the end. (Well I guess I didn’t really learn anything because I keep making the same mistake lol.) This happened to me with guitar + amp set, AVR + speaker set, record player, and something else I forgot
I know many people who bought Barista Express and kept as their one and only machine. Investing £500 in new hobby is easier than buying top of the range equipment. You can always sell your first machine when you are ready to upgrade.
I think the value of the decent is for enthusiassts who want to dial in settings and experiment scientifically
100% agree. If you just want a good cap of coffee every day there are other very capable machines for much less. The beauty of Decent is that it will never become boring.
@@mycoffeeshow111 do you recommend the barista express for someone's first espresso machine? When I'm done studying and have a full time job I really want to get a machine but I want something that's good value. I feel the built in grinder might be unnecessary, what do you think?
@@wile123456 Barista Express is one of the most popular espresso machines. I have seen it in soo many houses. It is capable of making great espressos and with a bit of patience lattes as well.
Should you buy it? Well it all depends on your needs and budget. If I could only recommend 1 machine it would be dual boiler from Breville/Sage and some good grinder.
You may also consider Gaggia Pro but I don’t have any personal experience with it.
@@mycoffeeshow111 you mention the express doesn't get high enough pressure at the standard 9 bar, do the dual boiler models do that?
@@wile123456 well it is actually well above 9bar pressure for Barista Express, all the way up to 14bars. There is a way to use prolonged pre infusion to extract under lower pressure or you can modify the machine (possibly loosing the warranty).
Dual boiler, I think it goes to 10-11bar pressure and you can also modify it.