Alex

Apartment espresso reviewer · Brooklyn, NY

10 years home barista. 40+ espresso machines tested for apartment fit. Reddit-active on r/espresso since 2018.

Bio

I started pulling shots in 2015 in a 380 sqft Brooklyn studio with 14 inches of counter space and a Gaggia Classic Pro that barely fit. The frustration of buying a machine without knowing if it'd actually work in my apartment — that's why I started measuring everything before buying.

Since 2015 I've owned, borrowed, or extensively tested 40+ espresso machines specifically for apartment use. I've moved 5 times within NYC apartments — every move means re-measuring counters and re-evaluating which machines fit. That experience is what every review here is grounded in.

I'm not a barista by trade. I'm a software engineer who got obsessed with the craft on the side. The reviews here come from genuine daily use, not promotional units. I bought every machine on this site myself before joining Amazon Associates.

Credentials

10+ years home barista experience (2015 — present)
40+ machines tested in real apartments (Tier 1 through Tier 4)
5 NYC apartments — different counters, walls, water hardness
r/espresso active since 2018, 8K+ comment karma in coffee subs
Specialty Coffee Association Barista Skills Foundation (2019)

Conflicts of interest

I earn from Amazon Associates affiliate links on this site. I disclose this on every review (see full disclosure). I do not accept payments for reviews, sponsored content, or product placements. Brands occasionally offer free review units — I disclose this in the review header when it happens, and editorial conclusions are unchanged regardless.

Other writing

r/espresso buyer's guide thread (2023, ~3K upvotes)
HomeBarista.com forum contributor
Personal blog (link in bio)

Articles by this author

Get in touch

Contact form → · hello@apartmentespresso.com

For corrections, please use the contact form with subject "Correction: [page name]" — I respond within 48 hours.