Decent DE1Pro First Look! | 1 Month In
Вставка
- Опубліковано 29 чер 2024
- Decent DE1: geni.us/eAA0GD
Custom drip tray: geni.us/nKHL
Try our coffee! geni.us/4AAmhpj
Today, we take a first in-depth look at the Lifestyle Lab Decent DE1Pro espresso machine. I've been using the DE1Pro for almost exactly 1 month now, so I wanted to share my thoughts so far about Decent as a brand, and also provide an in-depth look at the machine as a whole, how it functions, why it's so special in the espresso world, and why I bought it.
#espresso #coffee #lifestylelab
Instagram: / lifestylelab_
Support the channel! www.lifestylelab.ca/support-us/
Filming Setup
Camera: geni.us/Hufs
Microphone: geni.us/Vvr3Dyp
Key light: geni.us/TBDpR4
Softbox: geni.us/4hZgboX
Light Stand: geni.us/wG7z
Backlights: geni.us/spg5S
Slider: geni.us/Fp5KU5
Tripod: geni.us/fDiXW
Fluid Head: geni.us/kFst
AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE:
Some of the links used in the description will direct you to Amazon, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
0:00 - Intro
0:59 - Scales!
2:02 - Serving Capacity
2:35 - Steaming
4:17 - Espresso / Pulling a Shot
9:40 - "Decent Language"
11:37 - Presets & Tea?
13:09 - App Overview
18:57 - Profiles I'm Liking
21:52 - Visualizer Uploads
23:53 - Wrap Up
So! Now that you've seen (some) of what this machine is all about, what are your thoughts and questions!? I'll try to answer them in future videos!
As nice as that black mug is, we can't see the coffee as it's being dispensed. Suggestion: use a glass cup so that we can see the crema and such.
it would be great to see a video about reading/interpreting those graphs and tips to get a shot as close as possible to the profile preview
Thanks great vid! How are you preparing your water you put through it? 😊 I’m looking at ordering mine in a month or so! 🤞🏼
I'm using bottled water at the moment, but am actively looking into mineral mixes for adding to distilled
As shallow as it is would never buy this because I can't get over how it looks and sounds, especially for like $6,000 CAD
I know James Hoffman has more knowledge but your way of explaining things is actually better in some ways. 🙂 This is becoming my favorite coffee chanel. Keep up the good work! 🙌🏻
That's quite the statement!
Thanks so much for watching Luben !
Totally agree… both channels are excellent…. Though really like the sage barista pro focus on this channel
Backhanded compliment if I ever heard one before. Nice video man. Thanks
This is so interesting to learn about! This kind of machine has to be the future for speciality coffee/coffee nerds at home. The level of control and information is amazing, also you are a good orator when it comes to conveying information. The way your break down the terms and talk through it is brill. Looking forward to more videos.
This machine has always seemed over my head but you explained it so clearly. Thank you!
I've had my Decent for 6 months now, during that time I've learned more about coffee and am now making better coffee than I had after 30 years of traditional espresso machine use. I'm also making better coffee with my E61 machine because of this knowledge. This isn't a machine for coffee nerds, it's a machine for people who want to make better, more consistent coffee. I agree with your comments about the steaming, one of the machine's strengths, but it looks like, as with all machines, you can make fast microfoam or great microfoam, but not both.
One thing I notice about your machine is that you need to calibrate the pump: the blue (flow) line and brown (weight) line should sit on top of each other, yours are some way apart. The flow line derives its value from local voltage and this varies from place to place so you can apply a specific correction for your local area. There's a calibration chart recently published on the Diaspora forum, or use the dsx skin, it will suggest a correction value. Again, something you would never know about, or even be able to adjust on a traditional machine.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I am considering an upgrade and set my eyes on ECM synchronika and de1pro. I mostly make milk drinks and I am ok with either manual flow control or the automatic profiling. So it boils down to which one produces better tasting milk. Steaming speed is less of a concern for me. I am all after the silky mouthfeel. Reviews say that de1 generates very dry steam, so at one point I was about to pull the trigger on a de1pro. Then I saw the UA-cam video posted by coffeeshin showing a whopping 30% dilution on de1xxl on high flow settings (60 grams added to 200 mil of milk). So now I am really confused. I will really appreciate your opinion.
Thanks for talking about the features and showing it all on screen. I got to play with one of these last year and I felt overwhelmed by how much data I was getting. I hope to be able to pick one up in the future so I can learn all of its tricks. Nice video man, keep up the good work!
I am amazed at how quickly you've familiarized yourself with the Decent in such a short time of ownership! What a fabulous review! Hope you come out with more videos on profiles for lighter roast coffees soon!
Great 1st look. It has to be nearly impossible to boil down a machine with infinite options down to a short vid. This went perfectly deep. Considering a decent for myself so I’ll stay tuned. Thanks!
Keep up the Decent videos. This was great. I think more videos on the different profiles would be really informative. I'd also like to see some about maintenance even though that could be boring for some people.
This is a great video. I have a Decent XL and would love to experiment with different profiles using your explanations as a guide. Future video suggestions: a demonstration with the tea portafilter using loose tea and tea bags with different types of tea requiring different water temperatures; a demonstration using the pour over profile and pour over basket; a demonstration using the cleaning profile to show how to clean the Decent. You are going to have so much fun working with this machine. I look forward to seeing future videos. 👍🏽
i got my DE1 the same week you did. i am very much looking forward to your next videos!
Great work 👏🏻👏🏻 excited to see more!!
I have had a decent for a year now, and can’t imagine getting anything else. Looking forward to the content! Would highly recommend the DX skin, really changed the machine for me.
Very simple explanation to those who are new to DE. I also recommend to calibrate your flow rate, ideally you want that brown line to match blue line during extraction
Thank you for this informative video and the clear and very watchable way you presented it. The plan is to purchase a Decent and now even more so. Please keep them coming.
Great presentation! It’s good to find an independent review and one that’s done so well! There’s no hint of a prepared script, as you come across as someone who knows his material well and doesn’t need a script. It’s well thought out and certainly comes across that way; organized and comprehensive. It’s of value to me in that I just got a DE1XL and have pulled only one shot. I’m debating on whether or not to keep researching or just to jump right in. Your tour of the programs was just what I needed to familiarize myself with the layout. Kudos on this video! I’ll be looking for more. Hoffman & Hendricks, make room for one more!
Very informative review and practical analysis of the usage of all this data. Thank you
With all that data, it would be interesting to compare puck prep methodology. For example I've heard in forum backalleys that large flat burrs aren't tolerant of leveler distributors. Perhaps a comparison of WDT, leveler, WDT+leveler (which to me is a hat on a hat), and no distribution against flow rate? Or do puck screens do anything to flow rate (or even, do they do anything)? It's so cool that we have access to these types of data now, it's a great time to be in espresso
Great work!! Keep it up!!
Excellent video!
I have been tempted on getting the Decent XL and this video has increased my interests in it. I am going to hold off getting one for a little while since I just got the Flair 58 with a Smart Profiler transducer and a Y value to be able to run the Flair pressure gauge and the Bluetooth transducer with my Acaia Lunar scale on the SE profiler app on my IPhone or IPad. I just recently got this set up and I am learning to use the Flair 58 with these features. This is the beginning of understanding the level espresso machine and the different profiles.
The Decent elevates this all to the next level like nothing else. So for now I will continue to play and learn with the Flair 58 and the Smart Pressure Profiler, but I see myself in the near future getting a Decent likely the Decent XL.
My regular espresso machine is my La Marzocco Linea Mini which I love and will always use it as my primary espresso machine but I would love to be able to explore even further into different shot profile with a Decent way beyond what I could do with the Flair58 with the Smart Profiler.
Thanks again for a great video and looking forward for the next!
The Flair 58 is a dangerous gateway into this machine, especially if you're already adding data collection into the mix
Excellent video! Very helpful to anyone considering one of these machines.
Thank you for doing the great video, after this I placed an order for my DE1 Pro V1.44!!
Congrats!!
@@LifestyleLab_ thanks bro!
So we’ll broken down, there’s no way I would be able to decipher a machine like this in my own. Another great video 😊 perfect amount of depth
Like may things because you can doesn't mean you have to. The great thing about this machine is that once you find a profile you like and that saves your mistakes in puck prep that its a one button experience.
Love this! Thanks 😊😊
Very informative and impressive video and espresso machine, superbly done and superbly fun
Thanks for this video!
Captivating presentation of an awesome piece of machinery...I would love to own something like that.
I love how your first look is a month in. Most tech type channels have their "full" review at 1 month or much earlier.
Great stuff!
Definitely going to be taking my time with this one, whole lot to unpack
Thank you for amazing video really appreciate
Thanks for the Visualizer shout out 🥰
I've been enjoying my machine for 14 months now and am spoiled for good.
Performance outshines an E61 machine in everyway possible.
Subscribed! Great video. I've had my machine all of 1 day and this has been a great help in getting up and running. Any tips on how to connect the Visualizer extension to your account for uploading shots?
This is done on the extensions page. Each extension has a small gear for settings where you can add in your account
I hope there are more competitors in this space of providing finer control and feedback while pulling a shot. You can clearly do more with such tech.
People still seem to be buying E61 machines which is more than 60 years old.
great video !
Glad you enjoyed it
This is very exciting, it's like having multiple machines in one which allow for greater experimenting. This machine provides the tools to approach different beans. I seriously considered buying this machine, this video is making me give it a second look. Thanks!!
Multiple existing machines, and then an equal number that haven't even been created yet!
@@LifestyleLab_ I love my Breville Dual Boiler, and I have a few different lever machines the Decent would consolidate everything.
For sure!
One thing it obviously can't replace is the manual enjoyment of using a lever
@@LifestyleLab_ Very true!!
So great seeing this! I’m thinking about getting a Decent. Curious if you thought about the upgraded steam wand on the XL?
For me personally, I don't see that as a necessary upgrade for home use
I went for an XL not sure it was necessary but the pitch is more robust internals and upgraded steam (from the Pro) and further upgraded in the XXL and the upgrade cost between levels is less than 10% when I purchased.
Internals are the same between the Pro and XL. Only model with lower durability internals was the now discontinued DE1+
@@LifestyleLab_ oops you are correct - when I was buying there weren't any Pro's readily available and I thought the spec was slightly different.
Whoops. Tried to like it twice. Well done, really appreciate the overview. I would love to see a comparison (taste) of what can be achieved on the decent vs something like a bdb on a difficult to extract bean. That’s my biggest obstacle on going for a decent, I know it will be a lot of fun to tinker, but will it come through in the cup?
To put it bluntly, yes, difficult beans is where it excels. Profiles like the Rao Allonge and Blooming are spectacularly capable with light roasts
I really want to hear more on the Decent. Please give us more insight and videos into pulling flavorful espresso.
Have you watched my latest video about tamping pressure? The Decent gets used to pull some really neat data!
Very impressive machine. I am still a bit resistant to the whole IoT (internet of things) built into machines but in this case it has been implemented quite well.
Super cool.
OMG amazing video! Really really amazing! Do you think that this machine worth the money??
It's worth the money for the small group of people who want to dive THIS in depth into their coffee.
Or, for those who would like to use the real time data for teaching purposes. I happen to be both!
EXCELLENT...!
Have you tried the D-Flow profile? After my playing this profile seems to be a good blend of other ideas and it saves failures of puck prep and even the not so perfect shots taste good.
I would agree with your comments about the steam it allows you to produce silky smooth milk (and oat).
I haven't yet!
John just alerted me it it's existence in our last chat. I'll definitely be checking it out
@@LifestyleLab_ to my very limited view it takes something very complicated and makes it very useful. Fo me the D-Flow profile allows me to tweak the grind very slightly and when puck prep fails me the result is still very drinkable because its flow limited.
The most bizarre thing to me is I can tell before i taste the espresso what its going to taste like from the way the pressure curve behaves towards the end of the shot.
Great video and interesting to see how people play with it, but I think its interesting to see comments on people who think its overly complicated.
I wonder how one explains that this "complication" actually makes it "easier" to make consistently great espresso.
Nice video. Yesterday I was in a store looking at high end classical machines. Coming from designing computer controlled industrial processes for steel manufacture, power grids generation and distribution, and nuclear processes, I was quite critical of how they were designed and built. Then I see this video and it is quite apparent that this machine is the way of the future, maybe with a simplified user interface for non-coffee geeks. Wonder how you get this serviced, descaled, etc. Would love to see the internals. Coming from Hong Kong, is it Chinese or Korean or what?
Company is based out of Hong Kong, product was designed by John Buckman. Much of the development has also been in close collaboration with Scott Rao.
Major servicing / fixing would require the machine to be sent back, but issues that severe are few and far between from what I've heard
@@LifestyleLab_ I had to top off mine to do a replacement of a steam wand and although I was slightly scared of taking the top off having seen it and the videos Decent produced for the change I would be more confident changing other parts should I have to in the future.
It's a Hong Kong based company and production. I've been there on site and can confirm this. Of course certain parts are definitely made in China or sourced from other countries, but the assembly line and lab is located right inside Hong Kong which is kind of rare.
So far the issues I saw people encountered is mostly software side, and even if it's hardware hardly anything that the person can't fix with their remote support. Sometimes they just mail the replacement parts and teach the user how to replace it. Their support is offered by in house staff that knows the machine inside out and not some kind of call center in China or India. I think one of their policy is, if the machine is shipped to certain country it can be repaired free in a center in the region only. So let's say if one ordered a machine to be shipped to US, and then he migrates to UK, the machine would still need to be shipped back to US center for free repair.
Is it difficult to dial in your grind on this machine? The pressure profile seems quite adaptable during the shot so can it compensate for imperfect grind / coffee particle size?
You find yourself dialing in grind in slightly different ways with the more complicated profiles. Eg. Aiming for around a 1.5g/s flow rate after the pressurize step of the Adaptive profile. When using a more simple pressure based profile such as default, the process will be the same as another machine.
I think that the control of this machine shouldn't be treated as something that compensates for imperfect grind (although it can help). It should be considered as another tool on your belt to use together with grind size, brew ratio, and temperature while dialing in the perfect shot
In your next Decent video could you please show the range of motion of the steam wand?
Videos show it like it barely moves but the xl can move all over
The base steam arm has the same maneuverability. Full ball joint same as most prosumer machines. I’ll try to show it if I remember
The drip tray for the Acaia is sweet. Do you have the Acaia Lunar Original or the 2021 model? Thanks
Unfortunately had to settle for the older version because the new ones are almost impossible to get your hands on in Canada.
I contacted Acaia to see if they could help me get one for the channel (not for free, just the ability to purchase one) and they basically said "nope, sorry."
@@LifestyleLab_ thank you for your quick response, I greatly appreciate it. Sounds like Original is working great. Your videos are always fun and informative, I always look forward to them. I have the Decent DE1+(received November 2020) which has been discontinued from the offerings but still works wonderful. Your a great teacher so I am looking forward to the adventures with your Decent.
@@LifestyleLab_ the 2021 lunar is not compatible the the decent. it is also not necessary.
Holy crap. This is insane and I really appreciate the explanation! Now, I just need to get ahold of several thousand dollars to get one. Ha! Hopefully some day!
We want more Decent content! :)
Might want to tune in this week ;)
I like the idea of the adaptive profile, an interesting idea! I'm surprised it targets 11bar pressure though, as above 9 bar the coffee puck will compress and resist flow more. If anyone knows why it targets this pressure (instead of say 9 bar) I'd be interested to learn!
I was actually incorrect on that. The graph targets 11 to get the ramp as steep as they wanted, but there is a limit set in the pressurize step to keep it below 8.8 i believe
@@LifestyleLab_ that makes sense! I've not got a Decent myself but would very much like one some day! It certainly seems like something that would take a long time to master all it's possibilities! Cheers for the reply
So interesting these pre infusions are even longer then expected…. I have to imagine you have to go a reasonable amount finer for these…. I’m very interested to see if I could replicate the adaptive shot on my lelit Bianca obviously it’s not the same since I can only control flow not pressure but interesting to try I think
Pressure is a result of flow on something providing resistance :)
You could duplicate it, but to do so accurately you'd need to have some form of live flow data from something like the smart espresso profiler. You can see live pressure data, and coffee flow data on an E61, the element you'd be missing is flow rate into the puck (blue line)
@@LifestyleLab_ true I think the smart pressure profiler would be an easy way to make it happen. I’m wondering if you can just make some ruff calculations in your head while with a good scale 🤔
Have you tried 6bar at the puck to brew every shots with 2ml/s flow rate(1:2 ratio), I didn't have a Decent machine, but what I experienced might be a bit of help for ur Decent experience, I mod my Delonghi 310 with OPV, and I built a OPV test rig that with pump and pipe fitting, OPV on it, pre adjust the pressure at 10 bar on the rig, then I thought that would be around 9bar ish at the puck of Delonghi 310, however, that's not the case for this type of machine, I built a 51mm pressure test rig for the group head as well, then turns out pressure was at the 6bar, flow rate was 2ml/s, and I tried medium roasted bean(it was fermented beans, bright acidity and berry notes), that was really good(40 seconds), then I tried this method on typical chocolatey medium roasted beans and it does surprisedly good shot as well.
Lower pressure can help with improving sweetness. The Decent quite literally has a 6 bar profile called "gentle and sweet". However there are certainly better profiles out there in my opinion, such as the ones I mentioned here!
@@LifestyleLab_ It's very hard to nail in this machine, xD. I learned a lot from Decent's channel and all-though I don't have a Decent, I applied the recipe that I learned from them onto my normal flat profile machines, like allongé blooming for the light roasted beans, allthough blooming does require a dimmer mod machine to do that, for the medium chocolatey beans and I learned that as well, go higher temps and 1.5:1 or less ratio from their hour long VODS, they do explore a lot of espresso than any of us ever could, that's the route might be good for u to do as well.
Bianca is a good alternative. Specially version 3.
While this was fascinating, I was really stunned that you didn't actually taste the shot and tell us about it after you pulled the first shot. I want to know what the outcome was after you talked through the graph.
This shot wasn't exactly dialed in, and the video was more intended as an overview of the machine capabilities. Lots of content on shots to come 👍
I feel like owning this machine is a really good way to learn how to get very good at being a barista.
Still waiting on that flow control Appartamento video 👀
It is best thing for now. Sadly they don't plan to make cheaper version with similar approach.
Would this machine suit an ek43 ?
Sure, the EK43 is a great grinder, they would both help get the best out of each other
Great video. Very informative and lots of insight for people new and wanting to get the machine. Thanks!
A side note though. Selling a drip tray for $199 is just daylight robbery. It costs as much as the original Acaia Lunar scale, expensive yes, but at least its has a lot more R&D and tech embedded in it. Yikes!
Thanks for watching!
I'll be looking into a few different scale mounting options. This one is all metal, and powder coated. Tough to make a custom, low-volume metal parts for cheap
I would get a Decent if I could afford it. I like watching you style and thoughts.
Love u
Are you on 110v or 220v?
110V
I think Decent owe you a commission - you've just convinced me to make the purchase
If only!
Maybe one day they’ll have an affiliate program 🥲
But you forgot to drink the coffee ☕
Man I really want one but my biggest complain so far is UI! They need to hire better graphic designers and improve the app. Sadly! It looks like college project right now.
It's all open source!
Tonnes of alternate skins / workflows out there
@@LifestyleLab_ Maybe a new video soon? I havent seen any content creator talk about it!
There are a number of different interface styles to meet different peoples ideas of what is good / useful and being open people are writing their own.
Nice video.
I must admit the sound of the machine isn't very appealing. All factors of workflow must be considered when purchasing an espresso machine. Remember this is the sound you will be hearing every morning after you wake up to enjoy a morning coffee.
But ... 1st world problems bruh 😸💭
It's funny, I thought that I'd hate the sound when I bought my Decent, now it just sounds like the foreplay before the orgasmic coffee! My E61 machine pump now just sounds like a droning noise
Decent would need competition. The price is quite high.
Actually there is a major Chinese coffee machine brand which offered similar product but in a much larger size, some glitches and some "alternative facts".
Price USD?
Please check their website :)
BUT... can it run crysis?
That is a pro machine! Not everyone will have this at home.
Definitely!
But I'm going to use the data to teach concepts that apply to ANY espresso machine :)
@@LifestyleLab_ Great. Will wait for that one too. Thank you.
Dang, I was looking at profitec 400 as something below £1500. I should not be watching this video. I am so, so tempted.
Pro 400 is a fantastic machine!
I would buy one if the machine didn't sound like it was farting.
Without the farts, it couldn’t do what it does 🤷🏻♂️
Bro most of this is just a gimmicks , completely unnecessary and wont make any difference whatsoever to your shot
Nope, it’s just physics and has measurable impact 👍
...and who wants to have a tablet on the coffee machine??? I guess I'm not the target customer for this... thing ;-)
People who want an espresso machine who can replicate any espresso machine currently on the market, with real-time flow, temp, puck resistance, espresso yield, and pressure figures :)
@@LifestyleLab_ yes, I understand and I’m not an ‘analog puritan’ promoting La-Pavoni-only… but for me, this has lab-character without any appeal. But good that it’s in the market and folks enjoy it!
Your videos are well scripted and made, but I’m missing pricing information and this seems to be intentional. Any reason for that?
I also love a good manual experience, just released a quite positive on the Flair 58!
I don't like to "bake in" pricing information into my videos because they change over time and by region, and people shop in a variety of different currencies. Best to just give on smart link that can sort by region :)
@@LifestyleLab_ thanks! 😀
I get the espresso journey your on. I do. I understand the appeal of this machine in that journey. However, I have no idea how you're going to make this content accessible and relevant after acknowledging that this machine does things that are unfathomable "on E61 machines and Gaggia Classic Pro." It feels like you just fenced so many of those viewers out; especially since you attracted so many Breville users in your early content. This channel had an everyman's ethos to it. In fact, in a recent gear video you mentioned not featuring a Niche in your videos because so many of your viewers couldn't access one. How do you rectify that sentiment with this direction? I would imagine there's a lot of instruction and demonstrations you have planned on the many espresso variables that go into a shot. But after acknowledging that the results from the Decent are not something that can be attained on the countless number of standard 9-bar machines in peoples' homes, I can't see this turning into anything but a Decent fanboy channel. I don't know how you guard against that, but I sincerely hope you find a way. Your content has always been excellent, well thought-out, well edited and has always been relevant to a large audience. Good luck.
There won't be too much "decent exclusive" content like you're describing.
The reason I got the decent was to be able to better demonstrate and visualize concepts that apply to ALL machines, such as tamping pressure, distribution, puck integrity, differences in different roast levels...etc. It's a teaching tool :)
I have a Decent and an E61 machine. I've learned more about making consistently good espresso in 6 months with the Decent than in decades with the E61. I apply all that understanding to the E61 machine now and my coffee-making on that has improved a lot. Hopefully, you'll be able to get much of the same benefit by watching how it's used on this channel. You certainly don't need a Decent to make good coffee, and I've made plenty of bad coffee on the Decent but it really helps me to understand why coffee is good and why a coffee is bad so that I can correct it.
You have to be freaking kidding me guy. It’s only coffee
It's chemistry 🤷♂️
Dude, please tone down the arm movements. I know it’s part of the act, but it’s too much and distracting.
You can do this, I believe in you
What a weird thing to pick up on
The way this guy talk is soooo weird !
Thanks Mohamed!
Kindly avoid watching 👍
You normally have great videos but this one is too nerdy for me. Occam's razor, Ockham's razor, Ocham's razor (Latin: novacula Occami), also known as the principle of parsimony or the law of parsimony (Latin: lex parsimoniae), is the problem-solving principle that "entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity",[1][2] (copied from Wikipedia) If you want espresso to be your hobby I can understand. If you just want good tasting coffee in the morning this is to much. I went from a Barista express to a hand grinder, scales and a clever dripper. Santa delivered a Precision Brewer so now I'm fully semi automated. The Barista express now lives in the garage.
The videos dedicated to this machine will certainly be very nerdy, but the intention of getting this machine is to visualize very basic concepts that will apply to ALL machines / brewers
@@LifestyleLab_ I sill love your videos. I ordered my scales after watching you review. 😃
Very nice! Which one did you end up getting?
@@LifestyleLab_ Timemore black mirror plus. It has engraved switches and a physical on off switch. I also bought the Timemore C2 Slim with the E&B burrs. All good for travelling. At home I use a Wilfa Svart 130B. This will be my next upgrade. The question is the Uniform the Ode or the Mahlkoenig X54. Probably a Uniform without the scales.
Very nice, I've been meaning to look at the new bluetooth Black Mirror