James, Thank you for taking the time to make this impressive, thorough review. It's great to hear you have good words to say about our machine! One small thing - the ideal brew time is between 3 and 6 minutes. Any time in this window is ideal. Not just 6 minutes as you mention. Also - if you're careful, you can grind and tamp your coffee whilst the boiler is warming up. That allows you to get the cycle time to ~4 mins. Will & the 9Barista team

After watching these videos I don’t think I’ve ever had a decent coffee...ever.

I swear for a second I thought this was in my price range...

I'm a recently retired mechanical engineer. My major at University was thermodynamics and compressible fluid flow. Lots of thermodynamics here and the steam certainly qualifies as a compressible fluid. I got on the website and studies the cross-section view. I'm impressed. As always one tends to think "why didn't I think of that?" Kudos.

A steam-driven espresso maker, moderated entirely by a mechanical pressure valve and heat exchanger, in which the coolant is boiling water. The design absolutely stole my heart. What a beautiful piece of engineering.

That's the kind of design you get when you let an engineer make it functional first instead of a marketing team. That's just gorgeous!

"They say 20g of coffee but I prefer 19g" God I love this man.

As a physicist, this is both something I absolutely need and something I cannot afford

3 years later and I'm still in love with this machine. James nailed it when he said the 9barista is for *you*, it's such a personal device.

When a good Moka pot dies, it goes to heaven and becomes one of these.

Had mine since yesterday, and had my perfect espresso with shit loads of crema on around third try. I have to admit that I watched a lot of videos in before on how to operate this thing, so no problem on my side. I just love everything about this little device. It's compact size, the fact it doesn't have any shitty electronics you can't repair yourself, it's sturdiness, and off course the amazing espresso it creates. Certainly not for everybody, but for me personally it fits like a glove. 5/5

I invested in this as my first espresso machine because of this review.. thank you James. The consistency of this machine has allowed me to really understand the variables in grind, coffee, and all the other variables of the magic bean. Without ever getting anywhere near mastery of course. You really are a blessing. To anyone that buys the 9Barista though, watch this review x3 before you pull the trigger and really listen to what Hoffman is saying here. Then, read the instructions x3 before brewing, then follow along on your second or third brew. It's a fantastic machine, that can only do what it's promised to do.

My wife hears me watch a James Hoffman video and ask, “What are you going to buy now?”

Papa Hoffmann has blessed us today

im in absolute awe of how this is engineered. it did exactly what it was designed to do. theres something really cool about "analog" manual brewers. its "low-tech" but in an ingenious way.

After having this for three months now, I have to say I have nothing but love for this thing. It's definitely not for everyone, but for me it's simply perfect. Today I had my safety ring blown after I forgot to put water into it (I am sick and dazzled, didn't get much sleep last night, so forgive me ;) ), and I was able to repair it in like 5 minutes myself. And the rest of the machine looks like you can do most of the repair yourself as well. In these times where stuff breaks never to be repaired again, and then polluting the environment, this is simply amazing. I can see this staying with me the rest of my life.

That thing is one kyber crystal away from being a lightsaber. Elegant.

My impression is that having the water move from bottom-to-top is probably beneficial for evenness of extraction. In my discipline of soil physics we often pass water through small, coffee puck-sized samples of soil as part of measuring their "hydraulic properties", before we do this we always saturate the cores from bottom to top - this allows for an even saturation of the soil sample and reduces the possibility of air entrapment. If there is gas within the sample it will essentially cause channeling. In theory (emphasis on theory!) this method of brewing coffee would allow for air and CO2 to escape more easily from the coffee and allow for a more even extraction through the puck.

Whether intentional or just a consequence of the stovetop design, the size makes this probably the best espresso machine for someone who has to move somewhat often, especially internationally. Pretty cool to see something fit that niche as well as this does.

I’ve had mine for over a year now, and it is by far the best home coffee equipment investment I’ve made so far. It produces phenomenal espresso shots, beautiful crema, and consistency every time. For those that are hesitant on the cleanup and maintenance, it’s really not all that bad. I literally just enjoy my coffee in the morning while it’s cooling down and then knock out the puck, rinse out the porta-filter/chamber for a few seconds, and use the pressure valve to release the pressure in the bottom boiler-and I’m done. I use it every day and it is truly amazing quality and I’ve had no issues a year and 3 months into it. For the price, you really cannot get better quality unless you’re going to spend in the realm of $1000+ on a new Breville. I don’t even have an espresso grinder (which saves me upwards of $200-$500) I use a Baratza Virtuoso and it works perfectly. Plus, it’s portable and I’ve taken this out camping, weekend getaways, traveling for work, etc. I’m immensely satisfied with it and can’t wait to see what additions they add (hoping for an exposed porta-filter in the near future 🤞)

James' voice and general demeanor makes me think he could convince me to do some truly terrible things because, coming from him, they would sound reasonable. Don't start a cult James.

As an engineer I absolutely love this. I want one just for appreciation of the engineering that’s gone into it even if I never got a good coffee out of it. Is that weird?

Hi James, just ordered my 9barista thanks to your review. Got great inside from you so thank you very much for your work!👍

As a student currently in thermodynamics, I’m absolutely in love with this thing

This is the kind of beautiful, simple, genius engineering that I love and appreciate and clearly was made by someone who gets coffee. What a cool thing, and the materials look nice and sturdy. Definitely something I'll share with my coffee friends to talk about, and maybe one day get and play with. "I might be a little bit rough sometimes." Oh, James... same... Thanks for another great and thorough video!

I have one of these and it has proved a great thing to experiment with. It is a lot of fun for an avid home-brewer and, as you say, requires an iota of patience. However when it goes well, the feeling is wonderful as it does have capacity to deliver some quality home espresso. My dad did the photography for them so we ended up with 2 early units (including unit 0001 - still boxed!) and a slightly later unit too. The later unit (0207) seemed to perform more consistently, however I don't know whether that was partly down to me getting more of a handle on how to use it! I am glad to see this on the channel as Will and the team have done an amazing job and made an immensely beautiful item.

Brilliantly done, superb articulation. Don't stop, James!

Subscribing someone after a very long gap!! Continued watching for the pure clarity and quality of thoughts flowing in English.

The fix for the water bubbling out if the chimney by roughing the inner surface with sand paper is a really lovely fix. It reminds me of how the inside walls of the chambers of the heart are not smooth for this exact same reason. Smooth heart chambers cause increased blood turbulence and hence increased risk of clots as well as poor cardiac output. Beautiful examples of nature’s engineering and human engineering!

James, I think you are missing a second group of people this is for: mechanical engineers who are into coffee (of which I know quite a few). Personally, I have to have this, not because it fits my lifestyle, but because I just love the thermodynamic design so much.

7:21 i have used this sound bite for so many things. it plays in my head when i pull shots now

This device takes care of the fundamentals. Simple, minimalist, great taste. And a good video to boot.

I’ve had my 9barista for a month. I love it. Super short learning curve. Makes great espresso and so elegant in the design!

"I'm at sea level" - James with the most relatable content

It's really pretty, The cast surfaces and machining marks, mix of metals for heatsinks vs pressure pot, the nice brass valve body. Inspiring for a past machinist for sure!

i have an obsession with hand tools and no electricity needed tools and gadgets and this is absolutely genius and right up my ally! it the perfect espresso "Machine" for my cabin in the woods!!! thanks for sharing this!

I have one of these (machine #24) - it is awesome! Probably the best thing I've ever purchased. So consistent and perfect espresso. Couldn't ask for anything more. Yes, it took a few goes to get it perfect but now it is perfectly repeatable and perfectly delicious. Also, you can hugely speed up the process by starting the water heating on the stove in the bottom half whilst you grind and tamp the in the top half - easy. Worth every penny, for sure.

Me: KZfaq what’s the best $50 electric moka pot. KZfaq Algos: here’s a beautiful, amazingly complex, way to brew espresso for $400. Me: sold

I’m super happy with 9Barista, excellent coffee, impressive build quality

Excellent, entertaining, honest review..as always. For folks who enjoy having a wee bit of fun hitting their mark, a wonderfully engineered device.

As an architect and product designer, it’s nice to see thoughtful design and esthetics combined so well !

I love my 9barista. Had a few issues like you mentioned with the boiling water and gaskets. Great brewing, I use it every morning, I find the process quite satisfying and relaxing. I own a number of coffee shops so I can grab espresso any time, but I still enjoy using this daily.

I got mine for making espresso while camping at festivals, but I draw a shot every morning at home as it produces far better espresso than my beans to cup machine. It helps to be an engineering geek - it's a fantastic piece of casting and finishing.

A lovely, yet pricy, piece of hardware! Thank you for a great demonstration.

I think you're spot-on for those, like me, who love the process of using a Bialetti stovetop this is an exciting idea as a step up.

I keep coming back to this video because of just how beautifully designed the product is, and James’ elegant description and review of it. It’s not something that would fit in with my lifestyle, but definitely a product worth admiring

Just got an ad from these guys and knew you would have a video reviewing it

I own one of those beautiful coffee machines, it is the best thing ever. I cannot imagine going back to having coffee done any other way. It is so worth the price!

8:50 talking about the pressure declining towards the end of the shot. Having worked on steam boilers on steam locomotives, I would suggest experimenting with turning the heat up to high, possibly waiting until you actually start seeing coffee pool up into the top of the device. If you're using steam faster than your "boiler" is producing it, simply add more heat to keep your steam production and usage more in line with each other.

Personally I don't appreciate it for coffee purposes but engineering that goes into the whole thing and the thought behind it is beautiful

James, I'd like to see you revisit this three years later. The price has come down remarkably since this video and I'm wondering have they made the tweaks; they and you spoke about. I'm also curious why they haven't scaled this up to a double shot of 240mils.

Had mine for a couple of weeks now. Took 4-5 brews to dial in and now it’s a quick easy process to get top quality double shots time after time. Very happy with it, and although expensive for me, worth the £s for the results. 11 clicks on the Commandante with 16g dark roast beans is the sweet spot for me. Since JH’s review, they must have sorted the nucleation issue, as mine does not spit water from the chimney.

This is my kind of coffee purchase. Something beautiful that makes decent coffee. Support good engineering!

Omg it is amazing. Hats off to the engineers that dreamt this up. I truly can appreciate the complexity of what they have done in a very simple and elegant mechanical design.

Thank you James, I got one such, after watching your video! It’s wonderful!! Prepare Ethiopian Espresso

Thank you for all your videos

Loving the innovations engineers & product designers are bringing to grinders, brewers etc at the moment.

I have a 9barista and I absolutely love it. We use it every day, at least twice a day. The coffee is consistently delicious - and the brewing process is fun! I no longer use any of my other espresso machines. I highly recommend!

James, first time I've seen one of your reviews. VERY nicely done. After 40 years of making home espresso (much of it badly), I recently parted ways with a beautiful double boiler and upscale also beautiful grinder (they did go to a good home) - and, I'm ready for the hate mail, a little pod machine. We ran into the pods by accident, and the ease and convenience outweighed the decline in taste compared to the half hour warmup and prep and pulling and steaming and cleanup. The 9Barista looks to be near genius, but yes, lotsa work for a double shot. Anyway, so glad I found your work. looking forward to seeing what else you've done.

Interesting concept and device. I am tempted and I will watch with interest to see what people think of it but thank you for the video it is most helpful.

I can't afford it. I have no use for it. If I had one it would not get used. I want one, where do I get it?

I love James’ attention to scientific accuracy: “boiling water at [slight pause] 100 degrees Celsius, or wherever you are, here at sea level, water boils at 100c”

As a machinist, when you consider the number of components, the cost of the materials, and the skilled labor involved in manufacturing and assembling them, it's not really surprising that it retails for $385. Especially considering what was very likely a low volume on the initial production run. The hardest part about starting a new company is getting consumers to justify the price of the initial units. The less educated ones will assume that greed is the motivating factor without recognizing that 80% of the asking price went into making the thing.

Excellent review. Thanks.

What a wonderful celebration of the fundamentals of engineering and physics.

Every brewer that use thermodynamics is a mechanical-engineer coffee-gear must have. Edit: After so many comments, let's change thermodynamics to thermal-expansion.

James is a very fair and level headed reviewer. He always tries to put reason in everything he says and reasons for things he is not too knowledgeable about. I like James.

Great videos James

This machine needs to have a double sized sibling. If I brag to friends about it, I want to be able to make them coffee!

dammit. I'm the dude that wishes his moka pot could do espresso. i'm also the dude who wishes he had €350 to spend on this wonderful contraption : )

Thanks to James, frying my coffee has now become habitual. Every time I get a new bean, I have to brew it 1000 different ways and then move on to another. HEY JAMES!!!! HOW ABOUT EGG NOG IN YOUR COFFEE?!

I own one of the first units that came out and am still in love with it years later. Primarily it's used with a Comandante as part of a camping setup. On a gas camp stove starting with cold water it will produce espresso in ~2 minutes (pre-heat the included heat distribution plate while you're grinding the coffee). I dose 18-19g and grind about the same as I would for my Linea Mini home machine. With bare minimum puck prep, I do not observe any evidence of channeling. James may be onto something with pressure dropping at the end of the shot; I have found anything that comes out after the first 1.5 - 2oz to be watery and under extracted, so I just transfer to a demitasse when I see the flow rate increase and toss the final portion of the shot. The end result is a very satisfying, uniquely full bodied and balanced espresso better than what you'll find in most coffee shops (at least to my taste). Cleanup takes about 15 seconds once it's cooled down enough to touch. Customer support has been awesome; I melted down my machine pretty good once (do to not screwing the base onto the body, so all the water evaporated) and they helped me get replacement parts to my doorstep in 2 days. Beautiful machine and a pleasure to use!

This is for me. I currently use a single Bialetti making two runs of 8 1/2 grams ea. With this I can get my 17 grams in one go. Price might seem high but not when you look at the engineering and build, and compared to the espresso makers I was looking at, it’s downright cheap. Thanks for the review.

I’d buy it just because of the engineering. Great review James.

Hi Bought mine recently, great build and excellent people to deal with. Cheers Steve

Loved this video very well presented

I’m interested in coffee yet have never looked anything up for it, got this recommended and it was pretty fun. Good job James

I own one of these. I’m a patent attorney and was so excited by the idea/ingenuity of the thing when it came up on my LinkedIn (of all places) that I just ordered one. In fact, it kickstarted my love of coffee and espresso, and sent me down the rabbit hole of good hand grinders (got a C40 shortly afterwards), and even your channel!! I agree with just about everything you’ve said: niche, takes practice, but incredibly designed, almost a work of art, and makes amazing coffee.

Such an awesome review 👏

Pairs pretty well with the Bellman Stovetop Steamer. Wish there was a higher end steamer option. I've been able to dial in very good espresso with 17-18g, heating it as fast as possible. Great for camping, I'm very happy with it.

Spot on review, it's a cool machine! I've been making a bunch of espresso the last weeks with mine. It is VERY consistent, particularly in temperature and I have been able to consistently get consistent tasty espresso with a range of lighter roast to dark roast. So tasty!!! But as you say, it doesn't have the most power, it struggles with finer grind settings, even though it might have made theoretically tasty shots. Still, that being said there's a lot that can be changed with dose and it is a lot of fun. I am exactly in the market you mentioned, someone with a Mokka pot wishing they could pull a real shot on the stove-top, or maybe camping, and not a lot of space so you nailed that market review lol. I think the price is valid for the build quality and consistency and I enjoy supporting clever startups. I disagree with the slippage of the portafilter, and this you notice for darker roasts and a higher dose around 20g. There, the fit is tighter with the silicone basket cap. If you grind while it's heating up the turnaround can be quite fast. I've pulled 2 doubles within 15 min, which is possible by grinding and tamping while the lower portion is heating up. I would probably keep the 9barista for pure espresso joy and use a brikka pot when making milk drinks for friends. For dialing in, I would probably recommend finding a good flow rate with the grind size (too low and it will most certainly choke) then finding the tasty point with the dose and enjoy! For making milk drinks, my stove is full of pressure boilers though, which looks very funny. At the moment the 9barista to make the espresso and the bellman to steam the milk. Makes all of my friends (and me) very very happy (: I would be curious your thoughts and experience, whether you think something like this would be more consistent than say a la pavoni leverarm or a sage barista pro? Thanks for your delicious coffee content!

This is one of the most beautiful pieces of engineering I have laid eyes on. It is absolutely gorgeous. Well done, Will & his team. Unfortunately it is way out of my price rage at this point.

Speechless! A true machine for a coffee lover with total perfection 👌👌💯💯

Thank you for reviewing; it is a beautiful machine

It's 6:05am here in California. I'm sipping my coffee and starting my day with some James. Not a bad way to start.

That lack of control actually sounds like a plus for me! I was gifted a moka pot and a V60 and I like making coffee with them even if it's with shop bought ground coffee (I don't own a grinder). Just looking at this thing makes me want to buy one!

I’ve had a 9Barista for a couple of months now and am really enjoying both the process and the end results - I’m getting great shots. It’s perfect for me because I make only one or two drinks a day. I use a Kinu hand grinder, which makes it easy to dial in the proper grind. I also use a Ninja hand-pump milk frother for making cappuccinos.

I absolutely love the design of using thermodynamics to mechanically engineer a system to create a repeatable brew like this without any electronics. Absolutely beautiful.

I have one of these beautiful machines. It has become an integral part of our morning routine - I just love seeing the rich coffee crema ooze out to fill the cup- so special! It is always on display in the kitchen, and talked about whenever we have guests. The coffee is consistently delicious, and pre-heating the water whilst prepping the coffee means it usually only takes around four minutes to make a shot. Highly recommend!

Holy shirt pockets!! This thing looks absolutely amazing!! Props to the engineers on this!! *diverting funds of my coffee gadgets account*

Two years after this posting the price is $470…

I work on F-15 aircraft, and looking at the 9barista I can see the aerospace influence. The orange o-rings remind me of the heat/ oil resistant gaskets, the sand marks on the nickel plated brass filter housing, the laser etching for water... it makes me happy. I NEED IT. Thanks, James ☕

I’m literally the person you described as someone who needs this machine... I’m getting one

I've literally put all my other brewers away. I've had this for over 2 months now and it has become my daily driver. I use it on a Samsung induction stove with the metal plate and it has been making consistent brews for me. So happy with my purchase. Had a few hick ups in the beginning with grind, setup and having to change one of the gaskets but now it makes great shots. I'd definitely purchase it again and look forward to what the company develops next

I just saw this coffee pot pop-up on an ad and I thought it’d be great to see a review from Hoffman and lo and behold haha

The way you talk is just so perfect! I feel like a dumb "twit" after listening to you talk. Quite amazing.

James, I love how the Niche and its dosing cup makes an appearance in almost video. Been noticing that for many months now which has to be a great endorsement of the product!

I'm like two minutes in and I absolutely need this in my life, this thing is a masterpiece

This has my interest for my morning brew while at fire camp. The idea of having a real espresso while out on assignments sounds wonderful.

This is exactly what I have been waiting for. I’m probably going to make my purchase sometime around Christmas hopefully by then they will get all the bugs worked out. I am a mocha pot only coffee drinker, and this will take my game up to the next level.