Classic Moka Pot

This post is more me sharing my experience and a comment on the internet's influence on us. I have almost exclusively read stuff here and never written. My first time. But, this whole thing started because of this sub, so wanted to share that. Few days ago, saw a bunch of posts about the Agaro portable espresso maker. Thought it's a paid promotion. Then, read the comments. And they seemed genuine? ​ I have forever wanted to get into the hobby but I don't have the budget or a kitchen (I live in a hostel) So, like a noob with no knowledge and research, I decided to buy it on a whim! The product seemed like a good fit for me and the hype led me to believe it was worth it and it would go out of stock soon. So I bought it. ​ Then came the posts that berated agaro and everything it sells. I was so sure I made the wrong decision. A cardinal sin. No newbie should ever touch such a thing. It will make me hate coffee. I was almost convinced that coffee is not a hobby for me. It's too complicated and there's a lot of ways I can go wrong. I don't have a good grinder or the right beans or know what grind to use. In my head, the machine wasn't going to work at all. I went to cancel my order. Couldn't. It was already shipped. ​ The next few days were spent in regret and convincing myself 'meh! Sometimes we buy the wrong things.' 'Its ok, return it once it comes.' ​ But there were some people who made me believe that it won't hurt to try! All I would lose is some money, effort and time. But I'd learn a valuable lesson nonetheless. ​ So I stuck with my decision. Got the machine today. Ordered the home espresso grind, vienna roast from blue tokai (had tried their easy pour in this roast and liked it a lot.) ​ Returned to room. Got everything ready. Pulled my first shot. Waited for the disaster. ​ And to my surprise, it was not? It looked decent. It smelled exactly like the easy pour. And I liked it. ​ I added some hot milk with a tiny bit of sugar. And sat near a window to enjoy my first cup of coffee. ​ And I realised, I ordered this for me. For the kind of coffee I like. As it turns out, milk based coffees are much more forgiving. ​ Yes, the internet could tell me that the machine isn't that great. That the coffee would be bitter or sour or 10 shades of wrong. ​ But, it would be best to try it for yourself and then decide. ​ For those who are wondering, the first shot was a bit bitter, yes. The (faux) Crema was very less. The second shot was much better. I eyeballed everything. And I still enjoyed it! ​ Thanks to those who kept telling us newbies to try and then decide. I am really thankful to those people because right now this is more than just a cup of coffee for me. ​

There a case of another Coffee maker replica, which was praised by this sub. The Kaldipress. Now I have not tried that one or even its original. But in the case of this Agaro, most people who are calling it shitty may not(or have not) even tried the original. I have been using the original Nanopresso since a year now, hell I even got it replaced under Warranty once and let me tell you, it makes a very good shot of Espresso once you have worked your way around it and got help with some additional tools. I ordered this Agaro replica and took a chance to see if it's any good, else I'll just use it's parts with the original. But to my surprise, it works quite decent. My opinion about it is that if it can get someone to try making a good cuppa at fraction of the price they would have otherwise paid, it's a great thing. I'll say, get those additional tools 3d Printed. Dosing funnel and Tamper 3d Printing STL files are available for free download. Get it printed from Zbotic or some other platform. Get that cheap WDT from Flipkart and you are set to experiment. Do watch a few videos(for Nanopresso) to learn how to use it exactly. Cheers☕🤘🏽

Buy a French press or an Agaro moka pot that's great for beginners. You can start with Hunkal ground coffee, which costs around ₹500 for 500 gms. Happy brewing!