The Decent Espresso Machine | Is It Worth Buying?

The Decent Espresso Machine | Is It Worth Buying? | 6 Months Review

Рет қаралды 27,217

Күн бұрын

6 months ago I purchased what was at the time my dream espresso machine, the DE1XL from Decent Espresso. With the possibilities of extraction almost endless, this little machine clamied to do everything a $30K machine could do and MORE, for less than 1/5th of the price.
It's now late July, and I have made a coffee on this machine EVERY morning and have gathered my thoughts on what works GREAT and the things that DON'T.
The real question is, do i regret buying it?
In this video
00:00 What is the Decent Espresso Machine
04:08 Features: The Boiler
06:18 Features: The tablet Display
06:54 Features: The Handles
07:50 Fixing a Problem Before You Even Have One
09:13 Features: The Touch Pad
10:13 Comparing Machines
11:05 Adding in Extras
11:55 Price Tag and First Thoughts
12:51 Home User Experience
14:40 The Best Part of The Decent
15:12 What they can do better
19:45 Final Rating
22:47 A DECENT MONTAGE
Upskill your barista skills: ultimatebaristacourse.com/
Buy Beans here! www.coffeebeansdelivered.com.au
Instagram: @Coffeebeansdelivered @rydjeavons
Facebook: / coffeebeansdelivered
I am super passionate about coffee and educating people on all aspects of this amazing drink. I love bringing the stories back from the other side of the world about how they grow and process the coffee differently in each farm, in each region, in each country. I also love helping baristas around the world make better coffee for themselves, whether they're at home, professional, competitors and or even just venturing out into the wide world of coffee.
About Ryd!
In a world where coffee has become elitist and over-the-top hipster, Ryd is on a mission to make specialty coffee inviting and undiscriminating; creating a community of coffee lovers who want to share their thoughts, ask questions and appreciate that we are all on a journey uncovering the delights of home-brewed coffee.

Пікірлер: 119

@joroboam Жыл бұрын

Just love your videos! I really can enjoy and learn about my fav subject thanks!

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

You're welcome Joro! Thanks for your comment! 🙏💪

@thomascarman1941 2 ай бұрын

Just wanted to point out you can run the machine independent of the screen. Once you set which profile you like all you do is hit the espresso button on the group head. You can remove the screen and that profile will stay until you change it. You can turn it off/on the next day and just use the group head to start the same profile. Also the ‘warm up’ time is typically less than 5 min. Which is significantly less than a double boiler (one of the reasons they went without). By the time I’ve ground and prepped my portafilter it is ready to make coffee.

@orrinbelcher6593 Жыл бұрын

Nice video fun and informative

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Thank you! ♥️🤩

@JusBThankful Жыл бұрын

Drinks a coffee bean with no sugar & "Fell in love with the sugars". I forget too, just goes to show the depth in flavors of a good coffee 👍 Great video, thanks for taking the time!

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

😂 you're welcome! 👌

@JonasWilms Жыл бұрын

Free speciality coffee idea: Soak the roasted coffee in coffee cherry juice

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

😂 I'm not sure this would work but it would make for some great video!

@azezo5177 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video but I had to listen to the background music for 23 minutes... it was super annoying... 🤦‍♂

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Yep I have dropped the song from my future videos now. Sorry! 👌

@InspirationCatalyst Жыл бұрын

Nice presentation. Thnax. I live in Thailand and cannot find them here yet.

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Thank you! 😊 I think you can get them to Thailand but you will need to order them directly from decentespresso.com, I'm not sure how much they are in Baht but USD ~$3800.

@obiwan007 Жыл бұрын

They never will be available - this is only available via direct selling via their online shop... Cutting out local dealsers will keep the cost down. Otherwise - add 1000$ and go to local dealerships (for other brands). But even the well established Italien guys playing now with direct ordering without beeing able to buy at a dealer. Makes sense if the machine is good and well known. No need to "try it out". Not good if the repair takes ages (i.E. sending it to Hongkong).

@jrw1952 Жыл бұрын

I would like to hear more about your wife's opinion of this machine and how she uses it. I mean can you use all the shot analysis stuff to set up a profile for your current coffee, grind fineness and amount in the portafilter, and than for the rest of the week just grind, tamp and press a button?

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Great question! My wife loves it because she isn't into coffee as much as me and while I make the majority of her coffees, she occasionally has to make her own and so I set up her profiles and she just has to press and go. My next phase is to pre dose out her coffees so she doesn't even need to weigh it. 🙌🤘

@sanjaya718 2 ай бұрын

Great Vid! Agree w others that background music annoying and not needed

@Rydecoffeecoach 2 ай бұрын

Yeh I understand. I wish I could go back and edit it. I'll do an updated video with no music!

@OneIdeaTooMany Жыл бұрын

The main reason you can't steam at the same time is because making coffee takes almost 10 amps of power. Steaming at the same time would use too much power especially for our American friends with 110v AC and John said they aren't allowed to add an extra power cord due to UL compliance. Fascinating stuff.

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Interesting! So they can't figure out a way to do both? Other dual boilers have, so I guess they would have to sacrifice too much in order to achieve that.

@bbbo85 Жыл бұрын

@@Rydecoffeecoach Dual boiler machines do that by having already heated water that you don't heat on demand, hence why they mention boiler size, which is not what decent was going for. They were after compact, efficient, "accurate" home machine with 10 amp constraint which I think they delivered. It just had different end goal from other machines. They did toy with the idea of commercial machine with separate water paths, until they made up their mind and told people to get two Decent machines, one for steam and other for coffee lol

@bisem433 Жыл бұрын

Thumbs up! I like your shirt.

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Thanks! 👌 Years ago I worried people would troll me for these shirts, so it's nice to hear your comment. 🙌

@antoniokozmas9916 Жыл бұрын

Ryd amazing video it’s making me feel the regrets of having a LMLM 😅

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Nah man, the LMs are still the OG. 💪👌 I reckon the Linea Mini and the GS3 are the best looking units out there. However, if the Decent can be serviceable for 15 years then it definitely makes the case for best espresso machine.

@jsfotografie Жыл бұрын

Nice Review mate :) i got my DE1Pro no for a week and LOVEEEEEEE it :) just got yesterday my new Grinder an G-Iota 64 with SSP High Uniformity burs and im in heaven hahah :D also roasting my own beans with the Kaffelogic Nano 7 and that closes the loop :D cheers Janosch

@markmaterum Жыл бұрын

Closing the loop would mean buying a few coffee trees first :P

@mohelu Жыл бұрын

Very well put together review. You forgot the soupy puck … this irritates me! And no one seems to touch on maintenance… I would suggest you consider making a dedicated video as I am sure lots of people would be interested in that aspect of the machine, be it potential buyers or current owners.

@williamarmitige9938 Жыл бұрын

What soupy pucks? Haven't had one yet! Maintenance is a breeze too.

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Thanks! Yeh I could go into maintenance and part replacement. I'll do another in-depth review. 👍 Yeh the soupy pucks are funny, I get them on the heavy preinfusion profiles. They recommend you using a puck screen to get rid of it.

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

I definitely get them, mostly on long extraction with heaps of preinfusion or long ramp downs. I think if you have a puck screen this eliminates it.

@rymegkasri Жыл бұрын

@@williamarmitige9938 you must have a different machine lol.

@timbrakefield8313 Жыл бұрын

I know this is a super old comment, but I agree with the soupy puck issue, I hated knocking wet pucks out, and it was a pain to clean baskets between shots. However there are mods you can do to reduce the headspace and get nice dry easily knocked out pucks. Sometimes Workflow > Taste

@knottymatt 11 ай бұрын

I'd love to see a review of Decent vs the new You.

@Rydecoffeecoach 11 ай бұрын

I'm on it!

@amitarunkumar Жыл бұрын

Nice review :) Kind of disagree about the steam being an after thought comment. It seems like a design decision - add a steam boiler - make the machine larger..I personally liked the steaming on this machine (for a single milk drink) better than my LMLM.

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

I might have said it wrong but I didn't mean it was an afterthought, I meant that they wanted you to focus on the extraction solely before moving onto milk. It definitely delivers some great milk, it's slow but that's fine for one or two coffees.

@Val_Smith Жыл бұрын

As far as I know the steam is more powerful a dry than on a LM lm

@markpalmos Жыл бұрын

@@Rydecoffeecoach 35 seconds is slow?

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

I mean slow as in having to extract, steam, extract, steam. 😊

@obiwan007 Жыл бұрын

@@Rydecoffeecoach If you earn your money with the machine, that might be a loss of 35sec...

@Stu_B Жыл бұрын

Hi Ryd Thanks for the full independent, thorough and unbiased review on the "Decent" coffee machine You may recall I posted on you DiFluid review .... I left an additional mssg there but I can't seem to find it ? Anyways, I've been at the last 2 Coffee Commune events (sadly you didn't take out the out the Roasters Jam / Maleny Challenge) however I haven't had the opportunity to introduce myself ... I see you are located in Arana Hills and hope there is a chance I could meet up with you to discuss the Decent machine and it's operations etc Please reach out to me here or DM and let me know what's the best way to organise Cheers Stu 🙏

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Sure thing Stu! DM me on Instagram and we can catch up at the cafe one day and discuss the Decent more. I'm away in Melbourne this week but back later next week.

@Stu_B Жыл бұрын

@@Rydecoffeecoach cheers Ryd, mssg sent 📤

@ThomasLongva1 Жыл бұрын

Are u using the Grinder Pro with this machine ? I consider the Decent but dont have a budget for a new grinder also

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Temporarily, yes. It seems sacrilegious, I know! 😂 But it actually works surprisingly well, but you definitely need puck preparation and high quality coffee. Because the Decent is so amazing it really can fix most issues the grinder creates.

@littlebit8901 11 күн бұрын

I disagree with this machine only being for experienced baristas. You can buy this machine even if you have never owned an espresso machine. Can set it to a default profile (for medium roast for example) and just hit the button. You don't even need to look at the graphs. How is that harder than say a Lelit Bianca? If you HAD to make up your own profile, then yes I would agree with you. Then you can start experimenting with it after you have "gotten the hang" of the machine and gained more experience.

@peterengland2892 Жыл бұрын

GREAT REVIEW RYD .WOULD YOU CONSIDER IMPORTING THEM ?

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Yeh absolutely! They are a great machine.♥️👌

@JusBThankful 8 ай бұрын

Ryde, do you get a gurgling noise and some steam from the bottom of the machine into the water reservoir after pulling a shot?

@Rydecoffeecoach 8 ай бұрын

There is a release valve under the machine that if you don't have the drip tray all the way in, will leak on your floor. I've never noticed it gurgling or steaming into the reservoir though. Definitely get it checked out within the community as most issues can be resolved there.

@JusBThankful 8 ай бұрын

@@Rydecoffeecoach thank you once again!

@fubardad8892 Жыл бұрын

@RYD Curious on how much you would stand by on the statement of "Not for Newbies?" Mainly considering that it may be a great machine for doing multiple profiles but doesnt the "normal user" of any espresso machine want consistency? If I can reliably get the same shot after shot... I find that as extremely favorable to a newbie! albiet with the steep learning-curve.

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Good question! I think a newbie could actually use this device because it comes with many profiles already downloaded so you could simply choose one and press go. However, be prepared to be overwhelmed at first. You said you'd be up for a steep learning curve and this would be a big one but I love this machine. 👌👌

@fubardad8892 Жыл бұрын

@@Rydecoffeecoach TYVM for the reply. I feel the learning curve can be conquered within an extended time. Speaking from a novice perspective, once I find my "this is good for now" settings... I can consistently get those same settings/profile every time. But when I want to experiment... I can expand the learning with modifying/creating new profiles in which takes care of that curve. Yes, there will be a learning curve on proper puck prep but I think that is an easier thing to pick up than how to understand the different variables of quality espresso making.

@DevReaper Жыл бұрын

@@fubardad8892 This was actually my first machine, it's quite easy to work with and the fact it tells you what went wrong and what you can improve on in ways other than just Pressure and time like normal machines. I also like that my wife can use it and I can check it remotely and tell her if anything is obviously wrong. I also ordered a UK machine to the US and took it with me to avoid the UK import fees using the suitcase it came with to check it through. It was perfectly unharmed and obviously save a bit of cash.

@fubardad8892 Жыл бұрын

@@DevReaper Your summary/reply is exactl what Im hoping for... minus the going to UK to bring it through customs. lol.

@nicholashongkong Жыл бұрын

It is sad to have the water tank broken and not be able to get back a white one. Also, the machine will work even without the tablet they said, just it will run on the same profile.

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Oh that's good to learn! Thank you for clarifying. Maybe they updated the firmware to allow that because I'm sure the first video told me to always have the tablet charged otherwise it won't work. But that's great to know.

@markpalmos Жыл бұрын

@@Rydecoffeecoach I *think* it was with the change to the group head with buttons on it... which was at least 2 years ago.

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Oh 😋 they need to change the instruction video then, because I am sure I watched the video that said it couldn't run without the tablet.

@adamn480 Жыл бұрын

Not ipad

@bicomt4875 Жыл бұрын

The problem with the Bluetooth connection between the scale and the Decent app is that the tablet has low Bluetooth and Wi-Fi performance. If you change your tablet to a different model (for example, a product from Samsung or Lenovo), you rarely have this problem. Installing apps on tablets from other companies is not that difficult.

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Good advice! Yeh I sometimes get a terrible graph when the scale drops in and out. That's good to know.

@bicomt4875 Жыл бұрын

@@Rydecoffeecoach To give you a tip if you want to replace your tablet, if you refer to the description on the Descent website and the KZfaq video, there is no problem installing it, but there is one thing missing. When installing the andorwish app right away, the explanation is missing that you need to check all of the Android permission settings to recognize the machine. If you keep this in mind, there is no problem with the app's installation, and additional replacement with a Samsung tablet may cause keyboard problems. This is a problem caused by Samsung's warning message output for full screen use, so if you run KZfaq to run any video or full screen, and press the confirmation button on the warning message that appears, you can use it without any problems after that. I hope this article helps you a little and I hope you have a happy coffee life.

@checkwhatsleft4565 Жыл бұрын

Decent doesn't just measure this temperature flow rate etc, you can set flow and temperature and pressure you want as a profile for your shots, that's the thing that no other machines can do on the planet of earth, no others, and it's the only semi espresso machine out there that tells you these measurements at the puck, the only one, no not GS3 and whatsoever.

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Yep correct, I maybe didn't explain that properly.

@titanplaya29 Жыл бұрын

The longevity is my biggest concern. I want to try this machine to compare with my LMLM. I met a LM tech that does mostly commercial espresso but he said the biggest advantage is they have techs all over that basically anywhere you live they can find someone to service your machine.

@TheWoeggil Жыл бұрын

The decent is serviceable by the user. They sell parts and help you put them in which is quite unique.

@titanplaya29 Жыл бұрын

@@TheWoeggil does that mean essentially any and all things that could go wrong with it are repairable by the user? That just seems unlikely unless the parts are completely different then most modern espresso machines. If I mess it up doing the work are they going to reimburse me for parts and damage? I’m not being rude I’m genuinely curious. I’ve had my LM serviced and there are just some things I wouldn’t do myself.

@TheWoeggil Жыл бұрын

@@titanplaya29 I just double checked their website. Under warranty they state that they will sell parts and help you remotely when out of warranty. Within warranty they ship them for free. They also state that most problems can be repaired by the user. The biggest "advantage" repairwise over the lm is in my opinion that there is no pressurized boiler involved.

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Yeh that's how I understood it too. It seems set up for longevity and easy servicing. 🤞🤞

@TheWoeggil Жыл бұрын

@@Rydecoffeecoach I think so too. Buckman seems to be quite an open source diy friendly guy. He named some reasons for it i an interview.

@progenitor_amborella Жыл бұрын

The other huge reason they called it “decent” is because the CEO hates when companies say “we have THE BEST xyz!” You can find his specific response somewhere online. As someone who despises that type of marketing, I wholeheartedly agree with it. I definitely felt your point on it and the cable, however! The dev’s perspective on open source development is great! I do think it’s important to point out that even though you should never buy something based on future software promises (not the case here), these machines are constantly improving in both software and hardware, and the devs are very transparent and excited with their changelogs!

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Yeh I remember that too, I totally agree with the whole "best" there's so many great artists how can you ever call one of them the best (might be different if there tangible results that clearly defined the best like Donald Bradmans 99runs/game compared with the next best of like half that). But coffee is subjective. I just think it's definitely better than a Decent coffee. Waaaaay better! 😂😂

@Albatros2901 6 ай бұрын

I think, the Decent is the best machine for beginners. Every shot is perfect.

@scrumptious9673 Жыл бұрын

Great video, love your down to Earth review. Some of these coffee nerds are a bit pretentious.

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Cheers mate! Really appreciate it 😊

@mliebman5 Жыл бұрын

Where can I buy it

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

You can only buy it through Decent Espresso directly. I'll put the link in the description but it's here too decentespresso.com/

@american1911 Жыл бұрын

Are the espressos better or just different?

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

At the end of the day your Espresso is only ever going to be as good as the beans you use. The Decent allows you to experiment with extractions and mimic other machines to find new flavours. If you want to explore down the rabbit hole then the decent is for you. But if you just want a great coffee, any clean machine can do that if you have exceptional coffee beans. 👌

@lm3718 5 ай бұрын

Interesting machine - the plumbing is too primitive for me though.

@Rydecoffeecoach 5 ай бұрын

What do you mean by the plumbing? You mean how it plumbs into the mainline?

@redbullwiseman4805 Жыл бұрын

Would this be better then the official Starbucks thermoplan meastro 2 espresso machine?

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

I can't tell if your comment is serious or not. 😅 It serves a pretty different need. The Mastrena is designed to pump out mass coffees quickly with little room for the barista to mess up. The Decent is almost the exact opposite, the Barista has a football stadium to express themselves and experiment with extractions and it takes much much longer to make a single coffee. But if Starbucks used 85+ quality score coffee in the Mastrena they would make some amazing coffees. 👌

@redbullwiseman4805 Жыл бұрын

@@Rydecoffeecoach I’m looking to buy a high end espresso maker for my house . First I saw one from the hotel I stayed at for 13k but it wasn’t the official one Starbucks used so I found a used thermoplan mastrena 2 for 4K but the decent is 4300 $$ . If I’m gonna spend thousands . Decent looks futuristic and my house isn’t a cafe so no need for a lot of output . On the other hand . I have a wall of Starbucks mugs and Starbucks neon sign. So it would be a discussion piece to have the mastrena. Should I risk getting a used mastrena 2? Or pay 300 more for the decent. This coffee thing is a hobby and I drink coffee in the am

@v1Broadcaster Жыл бұрын

i'm not op but i feel like you would be happier with the starbucks one personally.

@redbullwiseman4805 Жыл бұрын

@@v1Broadcaster my wife agrees with you

@yskwong Жыл бұрын

For commercial use, I'd suggest you to just buy a different steamer/frother.

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Yeh, I think thats the best way to go. But if you had 3 of these side by side + a perfect moose would be great.

@yskwong Жыл бұрын

@@Rydecoffeecoach The Perfect Moose is a nice equipment, but $8k? Cheapest DE1 now is the DE1PRO, which costs $3.6k USD, and v1.44 is already on the way, which I suspect, price would be in the $4k region, and about $4.5k shipped with tax all paid for. Add just the steamer and machines, you're looking at paying around $22k USD. You have to question yourself if it's worth it? For that amount of money, there are many other better options out there IMHO. Oh, don't forget, 3x DE1 also means you need 3x smart scales, and also 3x tablets (because the original tablet really suck donkey balls). I'd personally, perhaps, get a WEGA Polaris (or Pegaso), and perhaps, get just one DE1PRO to compliment it. With the money you save, get another extra set of grinder to help with workflow. With the PUQpress, you'll have endless stream of espresso running.

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Yeh it was the first thing that popped into my head, my Synesso MVP Hydra cost $30k so even with the Moose it's still cheaper, but I just wouldn't touch an Uber milk because they go so rank with off milk seeping into areas inside the casing. The Wega Polaris is an awesome workhorse but not on the same level.

@yskwong Жыл бұрын

@@Rydecoffeecoach Well, of course, if you have the budget, then it's totally different. So, do you think the DE1 makes better Espresso than your MVP Hydra?

@jesseddy69 Жыл бұрын

you can plumb the machine by buying a 500 plumbing kit

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Yeh but that's hard if you don't want to cut into your kitchen bench. Great for little roasters though! 🙌

@obiwan007 Жыл бұрын

@@Rydecoffeecoach As far as I know that plumbing kit has nothing to do with the kitchen insertion kit. Sinking it into the kitchen plate is another thing I guess...

@luvmypuppy9087 Жыл бұрын

Nice video but I had to keep stopping it due to the annoying & repetitive background sound (I wouldn't actually call it music).

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Yes I know, this is an older video but I've stopped the annoying music now. You think I should just make them again without the music though? I'm not sure what to do about it but I get that comment a lot.

@luvmypuppy9087 Жыл бұрын

Too bad there isn't a way to edit out the "music".

@peterpan69 Жыл бұрын

u took 0.5 pt out of 10 because of the name?!?

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Well, I was joking but in all seriousness, they need to rename it. From a marketing perspective, people don't just want a "decent" espresso anymore, they want an astonishingly great espresso.

@peterpan69 Жыл бұрын

@@Rydecoffeecoach Actually a lot of people who don't know how to make good espresso will be able to use this machine to make decent espresso. It does save a lot of bad coffee....

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

@@peterpan69 my wife is in branding and she's almost didn't let me but this machine because of the name 😅😅. It's a great machine and I love it but I wouldn't recommend it to a novice barista; there's little point in handing a learner driver the keys to a F1 even if AI fixes their driving. 🫣

@timbrakefield8313 Жыл бұрын

@@Rydecoffeecoach Its funny you made this connection... I just think of Decent as a brand name like not the word at all. DEcent is how I pronounce it in my head

@TwoToneAus Ай бұрын

“Single boiler machine”? “De1XXL more guts so you can pull more shots and steam milk without running out of steam”? Lol

@dejedejsson Ай бұрын

You run out off steam when you run out off water in the tank!

@littlestar5737 3 ай бұрын

I don't think this company will last long time. I see there is no plan for new product. That's not a good sign.

@Rydecoffeecoach 3 ай бұрын

No they definitely have plans to bring out new models, they have one on the Horizon which is called the Bengle 1 which looks amazing. I think they'll be around for a long time.

@Shakespeare1623 Жыл бұрын

It is NOT am IPAD …Decent will not accept or promote anything that is an Apple product.

@Rydecoffeecoach Жыл бұрын

Yeh, you're totally right. I knew that even when I kept calling it an iPad 😜. It's just that thing of saying "Google it" or "Hoover it". The brand is strong! 😅

@Henji96 2 ай бұрын

Several annoyances and misinformation in the first 1 minute: background music is annoying. The tablet is very clearly not built in anywhere. Its very definitely not an ipad, but an android tablet. You claim its known as "The tesla of coffee machines", a quick google tells me its not. Do more research before making such an ill informed review. I definetly won't be watching any other video you've made in the future.