Work happened to carry me to Asmara, Eritrea last month. One l day I was invited to have a coffee with one of the Eritreans I was working with. Nothing fancy, as it was a small outdoor lunch counter at the building complex, although it was staffed by a couple women who were more home cooks than pro cooks/ chefs. It was very passable espresso, and something I was not expecting. We sat around and talked for a bit, and he happily fielded questions I had about Eritrea's history. Partway through the conversation I asked if they grow coffee in the region, as it's at an elevation of around 8,000 ft. He said they consume a lot, but do not grow it. He mentions one woman used to import beans from Ethiopia and had a very good business roasting and selling them. But that ended ~20 years ago. They seem to have the land and the climate, but other factors are at play in that country, unfortunately. Maybe one day in the not-too-distant future they will be able to start their own coffee industry.
Life is hard there, without a doubt. In the major city, residents had been without electricity for 2 weeks when we arrived. And they only get water service turned on for a few hours a week -- and it is not potable. It could be in the middle of the night when service is activated; they get up and fill as many containers as possible. And there are purifiers in most houses so they can turn some of the water into drinking water. Even to get propane for their stoves or wood for their fires they need to get allocation tickets.
My espresso machine is one that would make many in this thread roll their eyes. It was a wedding present I bought for my wife and I. Used daily for 13 years (multiple shots daily) until it had some issues last month I could not overcome with my small toolbox of DIY skills. So it went to a pro, where is getting a pretty thorough tear-down with a lot of wear parts getting replaced. Turns out the main culprit of the issues I was having is the pump. But all check valves, solenoids, gaskets, etc. that I did not already replace are getting replaced. It will not be inexpensive, but if it gets me 13 more years it will be well worth it. That's about 12,000 espressos and cappuccinos at the rate we drink them. It is worth it to me.
As far as snobbery, one thing to realize is (as previously mentioned by others) coffee has a lot of flavor compounds. The roaster I buy from has two 'flavors' of espresso roasts -- one that has an emphasis on chocolate and one that is more citrus/ orange. It's probably the final acid level that determines which way it turns out. I buy 5 lb bags of beans and break them into roughly 1/2 lb batches and vacuum seal the bags. I usually freeze them as well, but that doesn't seem to make much difference. When I open a bag I do not typically know which of the two roasts is in the bag. Not a true objective test by any means, but it is not hard to tell after one taste which roast it is. It is not unlike different grapes and fermentation processes creating distinct flavor profiles in wines. Please note I am referring to flavors, and not claiming one it better then the other. Like with setting up stereo systems, the grinder and machine are my 'transparent' components and the brewing variables and roasts are the 'tune to my individual preference'.
Sorry for the rambling thoughts. But there is plenty of room for individual preference while still locking down some variables in order to achieve a more consistent desired end product.
