My barista told me my $1,200 grinder is why my espresso tastes worse, and I think she's right

Olivia Morgan · 2026-10-11T14:45:06.502787+00:00

I was complaining to Maya, the head barista at the shop on 5th where I get beans every other Saturday, about how my shots at home taste thin and sour no matter what I do. She asked what grinder I run, I told her the big flat burr one I dropped $1,200 on, and she just laughed and said that thing was built for light roast filter coffee, not the medium-dark espresso I keep feeding it. I argued with her for ten minutes because I paid real money for that thing and the internet told me flat burrs win. Then she pulled two shots on her shop setup with the same beans I buy, one on a $400 conical grinder and one on mine, and the cheap one tasted like actual chocolate while mine tasted like lemon water. I went home, dug my old $90 hand grinder out of a drawer, and pulled the best shot I have made in 8 months on the first try. Now I have a $1,200 paperweight on my counter and a real question: how many of you are running gear that fights your beans instead of matching them?

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My barista told me my $1,200 grinder is why my espresso tastes worse, and I think she's right | Coffee Enthusiasts - Rigidtalk