In 2020, I posted a review of the Cremina espresso machine after just a few months of ownership. It was a glowing review, full of praise for the machine, it’s beautiful design, and the magical drink that it delivers. But now that the Cremina and I have seen each other every morning, trudged through months of frustrating zoom calls, celebrated dinner parties, changed jobs, argued, fought, and made-up, do we still get along as well as we did in those first months? Is the espresso still as good and still as easy? That, dear reader, is what I want to tell you about.
The Honeymoon
Anyone who read my first review (linked HERE) knows that I wrote it during the honeymoon phase of ownership, those giddy days that are familiar to any bona fide espresso nerd who gets a new piece of equipment in the house. The Cremina could do no wrong and I was having too much fun to notice if it did.
My grinder was a Niche Zero at the time and I was using mostly medium to dark roasted espresso beans. In the 2020 pandemic lockdown, I was making coffee for just myself, twice per day. My routine was identical every day, and therefore the machine delivered very repeatable, and very good, results. I had nothing to complain about and nothing to push me to learn more or do more.
