I’m subscribed to James Hoffmann on YouTube. Some of his advice has helped improve my daily coffee routine, and he reviews a lot of neat stuff that I can’t afford. When I saw the 9Barista review in my feed, I was intrigued!

Before I acquired my first espresso machine, I was a fan of the Moka Express pot. The 9Barista is similar to the Moka pot in that you are meant to put it on your stovetop to heat it up. The 9Barista is different than the Moka pot, because it can actually generate enough pressure to pull shots of actual, real, honest to goodness espresso.

In fact, the name implies that it can generate 9 bars of pressure, just like my Rancilio Silvia.

At some point during the review, I went shopping for a 9Barista. I was curious how much it costs. It is priced a whopping $385!

It is a beautiful machine. It really does look like you’re getting a lot of craftsmanship for your money.

My trouble with the price tag is that you can get yourself an entry-level espresso machine like the Gaggia Classic for $450 or so. That a real espresso machine. You can pull one shot after another without waiting for the device to cool down. You can even steam milk with a Gaggia!

In either case, you’re going to need to spend at last $300 on a suitable coffee grinder.

The 9Barista is neat, and I am certain there is an audience for it. It just doesn’t happen to be me.