Kees remembers it as a good fun project, building this espresso contraption for the good cause. Thanks for showing how to actually use it, even if it is once only!
Hey Kees, James, wouldn’t it be cool for you two to get together and build one of these as a tutorial for all of us, parts lists, tools needed, everything. I like to build one!
I used to work in this shop in Edinburgh where we had a lovely three group kees van der westen mirage idrocompresso spring lever machine. I emailed Kees a couple of times to ask about some advice on maintenance on the groups (lots of fun re-greasing and seal replacement that needed doing now and then) and he always got back with super helpful instructions and ended all his emails with "All the fat crema, Kees".
no need for a morning shot if you know how water tastes from these crappy e61 machines. luckily I stopped using mine after few months. now my hot water touches only porcelain along with coffee. no need for a shot that has bad water
the lack of safety valve combined with manual fill didn't ring ay alarm bells though ?? recipe for destruction. I wouldn't turn my back on it for a second, but then why would you, id want to be using it. every time I scrap a machine I think about doing this
@Bulleht can you please tell me where you get your copper piping, valves, gages and connectors from? Haven't got/found a reliable source yet. Thanks in advance 😊
@@DigitalicaEG Maybe where you live. But in the country where the clear incandescent bulb was invented it is named after the person who invented it, not some thief who stole the idea and then took credit for it.
In my experience, Kees van der Westen machines are kinda like the Alfa Romeo of espresso machines - they’re quirky, can be a nightmare to maintain and keep running, something is always broken, but they’re pure eye candy and will simply just make you happy.
“There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.” - Hunter S. Thompson
Why does James have a full blown workshop and is completely cool with fiddling around with mains? This guy keeps surprising me. There is definitely more to him than just coffee
As a maker nerd myself, and a lifetime coffee lover, this makes me happy on the inside. There is just something so pleasing in having complete control over the process and knowing exactly what is happening while you are pulling the shot.
"That's kind of a thing" and "just a little bit unconventional". The statements are civilized and understated accompanied with the all important eye stare. I love the subject matter but equally the intelligent delivery. Quality stuff James. Love your work....from Billy down under.
@@jameshoffmann This does remind me - any chance you might do a video on what one can do to achieve the best (or least bad) results with the absolute bottom of the market, sub-100 dollar espresso machines? We're talking De'Longhi EC115M, Saeco Poemia, Gaggia Viva Style, etc. Might as well then also explore the cheapskate's coffee grinders - the Krups GVX212's and Cuisinart DBM-8s of the world. Questions that might be explored here include how to avoid mistakes that would make the coffee produced even worse than it need be, how to align the few aspects of control you do have (dose, how long to run the shot, whether to heat the machine up to steaming temperature even for brewing (my father used to do this all the time), grind size, tamping) to give you the best chance of pulling at least an alright shot (or one the flaws of which are more easily masked by milk), which aspects of a setup like this should one first consider upgrading (eg. try cheap grinder coffee in a more upmarket machine or well ground coffee in a cheap machine), that sort of thing. An evaluation whether these sorts of things are ever a good option or should one always always always just save up or buy used could also be interesting!
yeeeeees jamse's coffee tips fucking love it been binge watching his vid's for 3 days now and you just made me realize what it is i love so much about this channel
And I will be randomly giving this away to someone on the Patreon...... Pretty sure I heard this in the video, right, right? ;) Thanks for all the great content!
Okay so I’m watching this video and all of a sudden an ad comes up for the Breville Bambino and it’s very sterile and nice and then it flicks back to James @4:57 hunched over this absolute contraption and fuck it really showed the how far some people will go to be creative with their coffee also gave me a good laugh
That would be the coolest machine in the world to have in a shop. Haze the new guy by telling him to grab you a cup of coffee, just to see the look on his face when he walks over there. Really, that thing deserves to be used. It's something straight out of a whimsical Miyazaki film.
The advert in this video was talking about Nespresso and their new innovative coffee, and in sat here about to skip and return to a world champion barista play with a coffee machine made from a bike. Now that’s innovation :)
I feel like I’m having a fever dream, seeing a bench test video as if I were watching water-cooled PC overclocking on a tech channel but it’s coffee.... Pretty good dream
I just saw this. Love it! If you look at the top of the steam boiler, there's a thermosyphon adjuster to allow you to adjust the group idle temperature based on your shot pulling frequency. If you spend some time with it using a Scace device, you can certainly adjust it to a perfect temperature for pulling either one shot without flushing, or several. What a fun project: cf. Picasso's Bull's Head, Duchamp's Readymades, a true functioning work of art made with one of the Netherlands' iconic bicycles.
James, what a treat. Thank you for sharing this with everyone! I love functional one-off fabri-cobbled apparatuses like this. It's weird, it's unique, and it functions!
Wow! Bloody brilliant! I'd really love to have one of those - as a plumber I suppose I could build one, as its pretty simple really. Thanks for showing us it - great video 😁👍👍
Oh my... If I had that thing I would have so many burns I would terrify children and I would never ever go to sleep again. I can't believe this, I'm in love with an espresso machine.
OMFG! Saw this years ago at a cupping when Square Mile were based at Pritchard’s Rd. asked then if it worked and I was assured it did... fast forward 5?6? Years and here is the proof that it does... #amazing Love this video and thanks James for firing up the olde beast of a machina!
Your next series needs to be “James designs and builds his own espresso machine” with about an hour of you imploring the viewers to never try this at home.
This is fantastic. Should definitely be used for entertaining, and as a conversation piece. I love my equipment, and leave it out in the kitchen because I feel it adds an aesthetic that friend's homes lack frankly. If I had that thing, I would be obsessed with it.
I got to hand it to you, you are the "David Attenborough" of coffee. Really, I can close my eyes and listen to you explain in detail the mating habits of heat-exchange coffee machines (which is different then dual-boilers of course). I like drinking good coffee. I never took interest on making it. Thank you for making coffee such an interesting topic.
That is probably what the first espresso machine looked like. It would have been hilarious to see the machine put on the actual bike itself, so you can ride around and make coffee XD
@@brentroman My back-of-the-envelope calculation says that it takes 10 stationary bikes to power a Moccamaster, so I reckon you'd need twice that amount to reliably cope with the peak demand of an espresso machine.
Seeing this makes me want to build the steampunk espresso machine I came up with a while back. I have no idea where to start with building in, but I still want to try.
A bit of protective plexiglass across the front, with nicely rounded corners and cutouts for the coffee “lever” and the steam knob, and you’re in business! Alright, a spill tray too perhaps.
That is one beautiful espresso machine. I am a person who has several commercial espresso machines sitting around with no manuals. One I know doesn't work - the pump doesn't work but the second one is suppose to and it came with an external pump which might have been just for line pressure. Most importantly I don't tend to react to fear in fact it tends to draw me in. I get a real kick out of your video blogs.
I saw this video was up, so I made a pourover and sat down to enjoy both coffee and vid, and scarcely needed the coffee. What an alarming-looking machine! This was fun.
As as Barista and small batch roaster who is constantly studying after years of experience with many machines. As an oxymoron, this is the most beautiful, dirty steam punk espresso machine I've ever seen. As far as operation, yes, it's terrifying. Thanks for sharing.
Great content to, that is one sexy beast of a machine. Also wanted to point out how on point your choice of music is especially given subject matter, keep up good work.
This was great. Would love to see more videos about machine mechanics. Would be great to learn about water for espresso too; source and filters etc. Thanks for all your work James 🙏
Having just watched the hilarous fiasco that was your smart coffee scales review, it was very cathartic to see you here clearly having a great time playing with a favourite toy :) keep it up!
Again, it was informing as well as entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed it. As a mater of fact I hit the like button only a couple minutes into viewing because I knew it was going to be fun. Thanks for sharing your frankenstein espresso machine with us. And thank you to Kees van der Westen for building that beautiful piece of art.
You should Definitely build a Plexiglass case for this piece of art and Display it /Use it more often. Such a shame to leave it in the shop, especially if it makes great coffee........ I wish I had the room for it!!!!
Kees remembers it as a good fun project, building this espresso contraption for the good cause. Thanks for showing how to actually use it, even if it is once only!
Hey Kees, James, wouldn’t it be cool for you two to get together and build one of these as a tutorial for all of us, parts lists, tools needed, everything. I like to build one!
If I blow myself up while building one of these, I'm blaming both of you. Absolutely brilliant
Luca Bernardi you can blame me, as long as you dont hate me haha.
I think it is awesome! I would use that thing all the time. Too cool.
How can i startbuilding these! I need to learn how to do this
I've never seen James happier in a video than when he rang the bell on his machine :)
Dude I would love a bell on my machine!! Ding, orders up 😎
GP ...The bell is rung when the Coffee ☕️ is ready ...🕶
2:02
You must have not yet seen the video where he turns a krispy kreme donut into coffee. When he first tries it he giggles like a little kid.
Of course a Dutch espresso machine maker uses a bicycle in his build
@C J maybe the wooden shoe was meant to be under the drip tray instead of the white tub 😂
Hmmm. I'm starting to wonder if this is why bike theft rates are what they are there.
I used to work in this shop in Edinburgh where we had a lovely three group kees van der westen mirage idrocompresso spring lever machine. I emailed Kees a couple of times to ask about some advice on maintenance on the groups (lots of fun re-greasing and seal replacement that needed doing now and then) and he always got back with super helpful instructions and ended all his emails with "All the fat crema, Kees".
When you need your morning shot and all you have is an IED.
Cristian Rogers that’s actually pretty creative
Improvised Espresso Dispenser
no need for a morning shot if you know how water tastes from these crappy e61 machines. luckily I stopped using mine after few months. now my hot water touches only porcelain along with coffee. no need for a shot that has bad water
😂
That cracked me up bro hahaha
Holy shit I am so early, James I just wanted to say you are at least 90% of the reason I have a coffee addiction
As long as coffee is lots of fun, that’s great news!
@@jameshoffmann Absolutely, and it has gotten more fun with each of your videos!
I'm soooo with ya!!!
Same here haha. Weirdly I got james recommended to me before getting into coffee for other reasons, but he has been huge on my journey
Super interesting to see you display some of your technical/engineering knowledge. It's easy to forget all the stuff that goes into making a shot!
I repair espresso machines as my dayjob, and this is so fun to watch!
Especially, with the e61 groupheads.
Please fix my CC1!!!
the lack of safety valve combined with manual fill didn't ring ay alarm bells though ?? recipe for destruction. I wouldn't turn my back on it for a second, but then why would you, id want to be using it. every time I scrap a machine I think about doing this
@Bulleht can you please tell me where you get your copper piping, valves, gages and connectors from? Haven't got/found a reliable source yet. Thanks in advance 😊
@@benekl7266 grainger
I think all espresso machines should have a bike bell, it's just a nice touch.
😂😂😂
imagine hitting the bell in the morning and say "It's COFFEE TIME !!!"
Or dinging when the espresso is done for your customer :).
And you scream COFFEE TIME at the top of your lungs like a caffein overdosed maniac.
This makes me want to build a steampunk coffee maker. Activated by a rolling a marble. Haha!
Sounds like something to add to the wintergarten machine
@@talisolin Exactly my thoughts when reading this comment, what a crossover it would be
Thank you for your concept. Its not hard to do. Graham (Electrician) NZ.
Using anything but a clear incandescent Edison bulb in this thing seems like blasphemy.
Shoulda used grandpa's old incandescent Christmas lights, wrapped all the way around the heated piping of course.
I think it's called a clear incandescent Swan bulb.
Funk Cult pretty sure it's called an Edison bulb.
@@DigitalicaEG Maybe where you live.
But in the country where the clear incandescent bulb was invented it is named after the person who invented it, not some thief who stole the idea and then took credit for it.
@@ultrademigod it's not called a Tesla bulb unfortunately. It's called an Edison bulb everywhere. Google it
"How do you like your coffee?"
"It is complicated."
In my experience, Kees van der Westen machines are kinda like the Alfa Romeo of espresso machines - they’re quirky, can be a nightmare to maintain and keep running, something is always broken, but they’re pure eye candy and will simply just make you happy.
or Mini Cooper
Every time he says “I hope you have a great day” it just really warms my heart. Can’t explain it...
🥺 I knew the machine at once. If not for the UK specialty community, we would likely not have made it through the post-fire rebuild. Thank you, James.
when the world is apocalyptic but you still need your morning coffee
this comment has a heavier weight right now then when you first wrote it.
I love the steampunk look of this mashine!
Hope you´re staying healthy.
"Gonna make some espresso with this espresso machine. Just need to build an espresso machine and we're good to go!"
“There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.” - Hunter S. Thompson
So the next thing after the "I roast the coffee beans myself" tribe is the "I weld my own single boiler cycle machine" tribe
I can't believe you've called this ugly. It's so raw that it actually is beautiful. I'd like to own the hell out out this machine
Why does James have a full blown workshop and is completely cool with fiddling around with mains? This guy keeps surprising me. There is definitely more to him than just coffee
As a maker nerd myself, and a lifetime coffee lover, this makes me happy on the inside. There is just something so pleasing in having complete control over the process and knowing exactly what is happening while you are pulling the shot.
"That's kind of a thing" and "just a little bit unconventional". The statements are civilized and understated accompanied with the all important eye stare. I love the subject matter but equally the intelligent delivery. Quality stuff James. Love your work....from Billy down under.
It's like watching LTT but with coffee 😂😂
JCT doesn’t have quite the same ring...
@@jameshoffmann This does remind me - any chance you might do a video on what one can do to achieve the best (or least bad) results with the absolute bottom of the market, sub-100 dollar espresso machines? We're talking De'Longhi EC115M, Saeco Poemia, Gaggia Viva Style, etc.
Might as well then also explore the cheapskate's coffee grinders - the Krups GVX212's and Cuisinart DBM-8s of the world.
Questions that might be explored here include how to avoid mistakes that would make the coffee produced even worse than it need be, how to align the few aspects of control you do have (dose, how long to run the shot, whether to heat the machine up to steaming temperature even for brewing (my father used to do this all the time), grind size, tamping) to give you the best chance of pulling at least an alright shot (or one the flaws of which are more easily masked by milk), which aspects of a setup like this should one first consider upgrading (eg. try cheap grinder coffee in a more upmarket machine or well ground coffee in a cheap machine), that sort of thing. An evaluation whether these sorts of things are ever a good option or should one always always always just save up or buy used could also be interesting!
Nah, he didn't drop anything
yeeeeees jamse's coffee tips fucking love it been binge watching his vid's for 3 days now and you just made me realize what it is i love so much about this channel
@@jameshoffmann JCT have better rig .😆😆
This is definitely how Doc Brown makes his coffee in the morning :D
02:06 "How good is that!!" + The expression = 💥🏵️💐🌼
And I will be randomly giving this away to someone on the Patreon......
Pretty sure I heard this in the video, right, right? ;)
Thanks for all the great content!
Sean Dion I hope so, much better then the junk delonghi I have at home
I'm afraid any custom will retain this Espresso machine fearing is a Weapon of Mass Caffeine Distribution🙌😂
Sean Dion I’m in the Patreon
Darian Elwood I use to have a delonghi now I have s highly unstable gaggia slight improvement
Sonny Bell I have one of the lowest models tho
Okay so I’m watching this video and all of a sudden an ad comes up for the Breville Bambino and it’s very sterile and nice and then it flicks back to James @4:57 hunched over this absolute contraption and fuck it really showed the how far some people will go to be creative with their coffee also gave me a good laugh
That would be the coolest machine in the world to have in a shop. Haze the new guy by telling him to grab you a cup of coffee, just to see the look on his face when he walks over there. Really, that thing deserves to be used. It's something straight out of a whimsical Miyazaki film.
How mad Max would make his espresso 😂
Also, I think I may have an addiction to your channel. Been going through some withdrawal for the last few days.
I always thought Mad Max would use salvaged car components :D
I love that glas window showing the boiler water level! I want one of these on my machine now :)
The advert in this video was talking about Nespresso and their new innovative coffee, and in sat here about to skip and return to a world champion barista play with a coffee machine made from a bike. Now that’s innovation :)
Was really hoping the bicycle bell would ring when the boiler reached temp.
I can dig James' descent into a mad coffee scientist; post-apocalyptic mad max machines, microwaves, the lot
I feel like I’m having a fever dream, seeing a bench test video as if I were watching water-cooled PC overclocking on a tech channel but it’s coffee.... Pretty good dream
I just saw this. Love it! If you look at the top of the steam boiler, there's a thermosyphon adjuster to allow you to adjust the group idle temperature based on your shot pulling frequency. If you spend some time with it using a Scace device, you can certainly adjust it to a perfect temperature for pulling either one shot without flushing, or several. What a fun project: cf. Picasso's Bull's Head, Duchamp's Readymades, a true functioning work of art made with one of the Netherlands' iconic bicycles.
Am I the only one love these steampunk machines and James' glasses! I found these two elements match each other quite lovely!
2:05 I don't know why but I'm super happy hearing that RING RING sound :D
James, what a treat. Thank you for sharing this with everyone! I love functional one-off fabri-cobbled apparatuses like this. It's weird, it's unique, and it functions!
Wow! Bloody brilliant! I'd really love to have one of those - as a plumber I suppose I could build one, as its pretty simple really. Thanks for showing us it - great video 😁👍👍
Oh shit, I only drink coffee once per month but I am bingewatching this channel for the last few days... your content is just too good
Oh my...
If I had that thing I would have so many burns I would terrify children and I would never ever go to sleep again.
I can't believe this, I'm in love with an espresso machine.
Excellent vid, and during this Covid period, a seriously nice distraction. Kees is brilliant.
As someone who works with mechanical systems, heat systems and fabrication every day, this is bliss.
Beautiful Monstrosity With an Amazing Payout a Shot of liquid Gold. Definitely a Conversation Piece
OMFG! Saw this years ago at a cupping when Square Mile were based at Pritchard’s Rd. asked then if it worked and I was assured it did... fast forward 5?6? Years and here is the proof that it does... #amazing
Love this video and thanks James for firing up the olde beast of a machina!
So much more stunning than many coffee machines, should be in use everyday
You must get so many offers to purchase this machine. So fascinating and raw.
Your next series needs to be “James designs and builds his own espresso machine” with about an hour of you imploring the viewers to never try this at home.
I've been thinking about ways to rebuild my (almost) 30 year old Astoria and make it fun. This is giving me some inspiration! Thanks!
I would ring the Bell like everytime I made a Shot of Espresso! This is such a great idea for an Espresso machine, just love it!
I am just looking forward to James ultimately building his own coffee machine from scratch.
Just awesome! The builder has to be a genius...
This is fantastic. Should definitely be used for entertaining, and as a conversation piece. I love my equipment, and leave it out in the kitchen because I feel it adds an aesthetic that friend's homes lack frankly. If I had that thing, I would be obsessed with it.
Grinning like a 90's raver. What a wonderful machine!
Excellent video, thank you very much for it!
I don't know why, but this machine is so much fitting to your personality, James!
Just want to say. So love your passion for coffee.
The only thing more scary and wonderful than that machine is James's grinning.. 😂😂😂
"Tony Stark built this in a cave from spare parts"
I've never seen this video before, but something about it rang a bell.
That thing is amazing, being able to see all the bits and pieces in a machine is almost always a thing of beauty.
I got to hand it to you, you are the "David Attenborough" of coffee. Really, I can close my eyes and listen to you explain in detail the mating habits of heat-exchange coffee machines (which is different then dual-boilers of course). I like drinking good coffee. I never took interest on making it. Thank you for making coffee such an interesting topic.
What a glorious, weird, unique, and dangerous contraption. I love it.
I want that thing so badly! Thanks for sharing. It’s awesome to see custom pieces of kit like that...makes me want to get creative...
That is probably what the first espresso machine looked like. It would have been hilarious to see the machine put on the actual bike itself, so you can ride around and make coffee XD
That would be pretty cool and incredibly dangerous!
Ismael or if you could power the boiler by riding a stationary bike. Bike powered espresso!
@@brentroman so cool!!
@@brentroman My back-of-the-envelope calculation says that it takes 10 stationary bikes to power a Moccamaster, so I reckon you'd need twice that amount to reliably cope with the peak demand of an espresso machine.
I love that beast of a machine! I'd happily use it daily. Art and coffee, a good way to start the day!
It's like riding an iron horse through the paddock of flavors and aroma! Wow!
Seeing this makes me want to build the steampunk espresso machine I came up with a while back. I have no idea where to start with building in, but I still want to try.
Me at the beginning: "There's no way this monster is made by Kees"
James touches the lever actuator.
Me: "Wow...all right..."
watching that beautiful fluffy coffee drop at 9:43 was the most satisfying moment here.
Awesome! I want to build one now...
“How good is that?!” So good. So cool.
A bit of protective plexiglass across the front, with nicely rounded corners and cutouts for the coffee “lever” and the steam knob, and you’re in business! Alright, a spill tray too perhaps.
Thanks James, it was super fun watching you work that beast of a machine.
The ´mad scientist´ way of making espresso! Love it!
Is it just me, or do we want to see more "engineering James"? This has a Wintergatan-esque feeling about it~
That is one beautiful espresso machine. I am a person who has several commercial espresso machines sitting around with no manuals. One I know doesn't work - the pump doesn't work but the second one is suppose to and it came with an external pump which might have been just for line pressure. Most importantly I don't tend to react to fear in fact it tends to draw me in. I get a real kick out of your video blogs.
Someone in another video called you the David Attenborough of coffee and I cannot stop thinking about it.
As soon as James rung the bell I clicked the Like Button!
I am in love with that Espresso machine, it look awesome and unique
This is so awesome that I yet have to find words for just how awesome it is.
I think this is just the video to show perspective students of coffee about how an espresso machine works. Thank you James!
😯... This is literally The Steampunk Machine, and it's awesome it makes espressos 🙌
I saw this video was up, so I made a pourover and sat down to enjoy both coffee and vid, and scarcely needed the coffee. What an alarming-looking machine!
This was fun.
What a beautiful monstrosity. Bike culture meets steampunk meets James Whale. Very cool.
really appreciate the content and quality so far. Thank you!
I love that video! Waiting for you to run that machine since forever.
As as Barista and small batch roaster who is constantly studying after years of experience with many machines. As an oxymoron, this is the most beautiful, dirty steam punk espresso machine I've ever seen. As far as operation, yes, it's terrifying. Thanks for sharing.
Great content to, that is one sexy beast of a machine. Also wanted to point out how on point your choice of music is especially given subject matter, keep up good work.
Thank you!
I love how you are barista and also mechanic :)
This was great. Would love to see more videos about machine mechanics. Would be great to learn about water for espresso too; source and filters etc. Thanks for all your work James 🙏
Having just watched the hilarous fiasco that was your smart coffee scales review, it was very cathartic to see you here clearly having a great time playing with a favourite toy :) keep it up!
Again, it was informing as well as entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed it. As a mater of fact I hit the like button only a couple minutes into viewing because I knew it was going to be fun. Thanks for sharing your frankenstein espresso machine with us. And thank you to Kees van der Westen for building that beautiful piece of art.
I was already thinking of building my own machine. Now I know I have to. Want it to be as small, simple & elegant as it can be.
A fk'n steampunk espresso machine? This is one of the coolest things I've seen
You should Definitely build a Plexiglass case for this piece of art and Display it /Use it more often. Such a shame to leave it in the shop, especially if it makes great coffee........ I wish I had the room for it!!!!
Pleeease use this amazing thing again!!😍
This is mental. OMG IM LOVING IT