If I were to spend €2500 on an espresso machine again, it would be for a Decent espresso machine. What is delivered here is a playground for coffee that is second to none. For the ambitious home market, roasteries, and even gastronomic concepts, the Decent espresso machine could be as disruptive as the Ikawa was in turning the sample roaster market on its head.
This article was written after a 4-hour test of the Decent. Patrizio Frigeri visited us at the coffee academy and guided us through the various functions. Patrizio is a two-time Swiss Vice Barista Champion (2012, 2013) and works as an engineer and roaster. He has been pulling his espresso with the Decent for six months.
Appearance, basic equipment, and options
The Decent arrived in its own wheeled suitcase, including all the necessary tools. Anyone who has ever loaded or unloaded a professional home machine like the GS3 from La Marzocco will miss their workout or turn green with envy. The device can be assembled in just a few simple steps.
Included: an Android tablet for control, although the software can also be installed on your own hardware.
Two fired ceramic bowls serve as the water reservoir and drip tray. One might argue that these are less stable than a plastic container. But who hasn't asked themselves with their Dalla Corte Mini how one is supposed to clean the plastic water tank!? The ceramic bowls are open and, naturally, dishwasher-safe.
A handle that is screwed onto the front of the machine solves a problem – it compensates for the machine's light weight. Very often, lighter espresso machines rotate when locking in the portafilter.
Finally, a scale, which is connected via Bluetooth to the tablet and espresso machine. We use this later to calibrate the milk pitchers and control the machine.
The machine is available in different versions. The DE1+ variant is intended for private home use. The Decent Espresso DE1Pro is aimed at offices, home baristas, and restaurants. With additional kits, the machine becomes the DE1XL model, connecting to plumbed water and external boilers, making it ready for more heavy-duty gastronomic applications.
The machine has a width of 22.5 cm, a height of 42.5 cm including the panel, and a depth of 48.3 cm if you include the handles of the stand and portafilter protruding forward. The machine weighs 13 kg and is delivered in a suitable suitcase.
The housing is made entirely of metal and is well-crafted. Unlike many high-end dual-boiler machines in the price range over 2000 euros, the portafilters and baskets are extremely precise and are microscopically inspected. Professional 58.5 mm tampers can be used.
The first espresso – what’s that rattling sound?
Technologically, there is much more to mention to describe the machine in its entirety. But before we get lost in those depths, let's pull our first espresso.
It rattles, stutters, and spits out noises we aren't used to from any espresso machine. What is that? Every vibration pump is loud. But the sounds of the Decent take some getting used to. It sounds the way a specialty espresso tastes when you are accustomed to dark, Italian espressos. But we don't want to win an acoustics prize today; we want to evaluate coffee. By the way, the reason is that the phase-angle control does not put the vibration pump under full load, but rather engages it according to the desired pressure curve.
We are brewing a “classic Italian espresso.” However, we could also mimic the profile of a lever machine or completely leave the beaten path. With the control software, you can build pretty much any pressure profile of any espresso machine.
With just a few steps, you can change or turn off the duration of the pre-infusion. We begin with a rising curve to 4 bar and then continue with a pressure of 9 bar.
As espresso, we are using our filter coffee Alessandro. It is roasted really light and tastes far too sour with this profile. Classically, with a “normal” espresso machine, we would now start adjusting the grind size, changing the brew ratio, or switching the coffee. Not so with the Decent.
Changing profiles instead of changing the grinder
Of course, we can also work classically with the Decent. If we continue with the “filter coffee,” we could, for example, grind coarser and switch from a drink ratio of 1:2.5 (20 grams of coffee in the portafilter, 50 grams of espresso) to 1:3 (20 g in and 60 g out). Tweaking the brewing temperature could also help, provided the espresso machine allows for it.
With the Decent espresso machine, we change the approach. We switch from a pressure profile to a flow profile.
Pressure profile vs. flow profile in an espresso machine
Most espresso machines work with a constant pressure over the duration of the brew, e.g., 8 or 9 bar. Some have a type of pre-infusion due to their design. Pressure profiling machines allow you to control the pressure during the brew. This principle exists in espresso machines for the home market, such as the La Marzocco GS3 MP and, of course, in gastronomic machines.
The Decent allows for a different type of control, namely flow control or flow rate control on the output. Instead of controlling the pressure, it is adjusted to the effective output speed. If the water slides through the coffee puck too quickly because the grind isn't fine enough or channeling occurs, the machine reduces the pressure. As a result, the extraction is less aggressive, and the probability increases that the espresso will be more drinkable than it would have been at a “normal” pressure profile.
The machine, to a certain extent, repairs an imperfect grind or improper leveling and tamping. Of course, it can only do this partially, and proper preparation of the coffee remains an essential requirement here for producing truly good coffee.
Mixed water and temperature on the Decent
The Decent controls the water temperature directly above the shower screen. A built-in temperature sensor constantly communicates with the software and adjusts the mix of hot and cold water to the desired temperature. Only in this way does the Decent principle work: control and anticipation of the targets. Other espresso machines build the control shortly after the boiler or thermo-unit and program based on a standard deviation due to the expected heat loss up to the water outlet.
The Decent has two thermoblocks installed, one for the brew water and one for frothing milk. By the way, this cannot happen simultaneously because the pump used is fully utilized in both cases. The thermoblock principle has advantages and disadvantages. Among the advantages is that no large boiler needs to be heated, making them more energy-efficient and faster to get ready (approx. 5 minutes on the Decent until the first espresso). The disadvantage is often temperature consistency. However, this is less about the thermoblock itself and more about the fact that they are often installed in cheaper machines where manufacturers skimp on temperature control units and probes.
Decent follows an approach similar to Sage here and demonstrates what is possible when you don't leave a thermoblock to heat on its own but flank it with sensible tools. Used in this way, there is much to suggest that the thermoblock and related systems (thick-film heaters) will displace boiler systems as the supposed pinnacle of creation in the realm of home espresso machines.
Play with me – Setting and saving profiles
There are virtually no limits to the setting options of the machine. We brewed an espresso with a brew time of 50 seconds. It was really delicious. Scott Rao, a virtuoso in matters of extraction, writes in his blog about extensive brew pauses that he inserts in the middle of an espresso extraction. This is reminiscent of brewing filter coffee, where you also insert a degassing or bloom pause.
The possibilities with the Decent in terms of flow, pressure, and temperature are so enormous that you can certainly get lost. Fortunately, you can on one hand fall back on the pre-programmed profiles and, on the other hand, ask the community, about which I write further below.
By the way, the Bluetooth scale also plays an important role in the control, as it communicates with the software and weighs and inputs the effective amount of espresso in the cup. The scale is robust and part of the machine package. The scale functions similarly to an Acaia, but looks more like a coarser tool. I accidentally dropped it on the floor, which didn't cause any lasting damage. Volumetric control is possible through the scale. For example, if there are 40 grams of espresso in the cup, the scale sends the stop command to the espresso machine.
You can froth milk, too
Anyone who has just spent many weeks developing a new brewing profile might be less interested in the milk frothing capability of the Decent Espresso. But the machine cuts a good figure here too. Thanks to its own heater, you can froth immediately after brewing (not in parallel due to the pump load).
The Bluetooth scale comes into play here as well. The pitcher size for different pitchers can be programmed. Afterwards, you add the milk quantity on the scale. Based on your own preferences, a frothing duration can be programmed. Optionally, a temperature sensor can be used, which also communicates with the software.
In our case, we simply positioned the pitcher once and inserted the steam wand into the milk. The machine then frothed the milk into a silky, latte-art-capable foam. It was slightly too voluminous for Philipp's liking, though we hadn't made any fine adjustments.
Community and Decent diaspora
A highlight of the Decent is certainly the community that gathers on a Basecamp platform. Many users, as well as the founder John Buckmann, provide direct feedback to users and help with problems and challenges. Some users, such as Damian Brakel or Scott Rao, contribute to the sharing of knowledge, profiles, and further developments. The software has open programming interfaces, so many mods and skins are available that provide individual views and functions for the machine.
Errors and improvement possibilities are also collected on the platform. One result is that Decent has since developed further builds and hardware updates itself, such as a grinder stand that weighs the ground coffee and inputs the weight into the software.
Sharing profiles is reminiscent of the Ikawa principle or even Artisan. In both cases, roast profiles can be shared with a community and thus help everyone progress.
Pros and cons and conclusion
As you can gather from the article, I was enthusiastic about the possibilities the Decent offers me. The variety of functions is gigantic, and the playground is enormous. Possibilities can also be overwhelming. The machine is only suitable for you if you can also ignore options.
Anyone looking for pure, simple functionality and ideally just one button will not be well advised with this machine. Anyone who does not appreciate digital formats will currently not be happy with the Decent either. If you place the machine in a museum or a noise-sensitive environment, the acoustics are probably problematic.
Anyone who wants to learn about espresso, challenge themselves, and perhaps discover something new takes a big step with the Decent. For coffee schools, roasteries, and coffee aficionados, I cannot imagine a better espresso machine in terms of price-performance.
As Kaffeemacher, we will set up such a device in our school and integrate it into our courses. Furthermore, we can then write more videos, tests, and guides for you on the subject of espresso extractions.
To the Decent Espresso website: https://decentespresso.com/
From the failed ZPM Kickstart to Decent Espresso. Article in the Barista Magazine.
We have no economic connection with Decent. As always, we write, test, and work as we please—in this case, after testing the machine of our friend Patrizio Frigeri, a passionate user of the Decent Espresso.
