> and dialing in my process a bit, I'm able to consistently pull as-good or better shots than the premium coffee places around me (LAX).
Man, that's sad. There are a lot of bad cafes out there - but there are many good ones around me, and I live in a midsized city.
> This whole experience has taught me that a multi-thousand dollar HE machine is truly only as good as the person behind the portafilter.
The consistency is what matters - a bad barista makes bad coffee no matter the machine. But expensive machines and grinders make more consistent coffee, period, and offer much more chance for variation with PIDs, pressure change, temperature change, etc.
Look, for us espresso afficionados, it may seem easy. But I remember my first machine - it took me a year to pull consistently good espresso shots. Perhaps our expectations are simply different.
This simply hasn't been born out by my experience making espresso at home. By spending about $7-800 on a Rancilio Silvia and a Baratza Vario, and dialing in my process a bit, I'm able to consistently pull as-good or better shots than the premium coffee places around me (LAX). Granted, you have to be detail oriented to be consistently good, but once you've figured out the variables, it's just process.
This whole experience has taught me that a multi-thousand dollar HE machine is truly only as good as the person behind the portafilter.