King’s Gambit
Coffee Co.
A LELIT Bianca V3 with flow control, a Mahlkönig X64 SD single-dose grinder, a ratio-aware scale, a PUQ automatic puck press and the rest of the prep kit. Brew and steam at the same time, shot after shot. Prefer a hopper and stored grind times? Mahlkönig's X54 swaps right in.
For people who host, pour a lot of milk drinks and want control over every second of the shot.
In the setup
Rough total About $4,950
Buy it piece by piece and skip what you already own. Prices are approximate and set by each brand.
3 of 9 pieces are in our shop. Add them in one go; the rest are linked to the brand on each card.
About $3,000
Dual boiler with a manual flow-control paddle and plumb-in options listed. You control every second of the shot.
Gold
$599.00
Weigh the dose, grind it all, nothing left behind. 64 mm flat burrs and stepless adjustment, from the grinder maker behind café workhorses.
About $200
Ratio mode, timer, 0.1 g readability and USB-C charging. Works for espresso and filter, and matches the Stagg kettle.
About $940
An automatic puck press. Set the pressure once, drop in the portafilter and it tamps level every shot. The last step that still depended on your wrist.
About $40
Slide-out needles break up clumps before you tamp. The cheapest fix for uneven shots.
About $40
A quiet, weighted home for about seven spent pucks. Knock, don't bang.
About $40
A pitcher shape that makes latte art easier, in 12 or 18 oz. Sized for one or two drinks.
Silver
$68.00
Dirty machines make dirty-tasting shots. Backflush with it, then soak the portafilter and baskets in it too.
Gold
$18.00
Minerals made for espresso machines, skipping the chlorides that can damage boilers. Easier on your machine.
An Ascaso Dream PID in the color that suits your kitchen, a Mahlkönig X54 that grinds for espresso and filter, a 58 mm beech tamper, a steaming pitcher, machine cleaner and minerals made for espresso machines. Seven colors, each with a walnut-handled 58 mm portafilter.
A Breville Barista Express Impress with the grinder built in, a scale, a steaming pitcher, glasses to show off the shot and minerals made for espresso machines. Your first real espresso bar in one footprint. Ready to go further? Fellow's Espresso Series 1 with an Opus 2 grinder is the next step, about $1,560.
A Fellow Espresso Series 1 with pressure profiling and a 58 mm group, a Mahlkönig X64 SD single-dose grinder with 64 mm flat burrs and low retention, so switching to decaf after dinner is easy, and the full prep kit: Fellow's espresso bundle (dosing funnel, WDT, knock box, tamping mat), a Mahlkönig beech tamper, a steaming pitcher, espresso machine cleaner and minerals made for espresso machines. This is where home espresso gets serious.