Here is my setup at the end of calendar year 2022.
Monolith Flat Max Grinder - https://www.kafatek.com/index.php/monolith-flat-max/
I am currently using the Monolith Flat Max with LM burrs, by Kafatek, a company out of Washington State. I’ve had this one for two years, and it replaced another Flat Max I previously had but with different burrs. This one has burrs that are optimized for light and medium roast. This is an endgame grinder for me. I don’t think I will ever want or need another grinder. I absolutely love it. The owner of Kafatek, Denis Basaric, personally tests espressos from each grinder the company ships to make sure it meets his quality standards. This grinder comes with a really nice funnel, and a plastic bean cup and an RDT bottle to spray and shake beans beans before you grind, to help reduce static electricity. The beans go in at the top, then towards the end of the grinding, you can use the Mr. Puff bellows to push any remaining coffee grounds out of the grinder. And finally, the chute is removable so you can sweet any grounds left in the tip. So this is truly a zero retention grinder, in as far as it is possible to get there to zero retention. You can also adjust the speed of the burrs here on the side, and this gives your a range from 0 to 400rpm. Grinding at different RPMs will you different brewing results. I normally stick with 350 RPMs.
BPLUS WDT Tool - https://amzn.to/3XCrnkK
I have a lot of different WDT tools, but this is still my favorite one because the wires are thin and flexible. I feel that it is able to breakup clumps without shifting too many coffee grounds in the direction of travel. I get consistently nice results with this tool.
Generic Distribution Tool - https://amzn.to/3w90kSu
For a year or two, I used this distributor tool for every espresso shot. I use it much less now, because I want to streamline my workflow, and I think my grinder combined with good WDT produce a puck that is almost perfect for tamping as is, so I use it much less now. I bought this too off of Amazon, and I bought it specifically because it measures 58.3mm in diameters, so it distributes coffee as close to the basket wall as possible.
Decent Espresso Self-Leveling Tamper - https://decentespresso.com/tamper
This tamper has an edge that protrudes beyond the basket so that every tamp is perfectly level. Also, this is calibrated to tamp at 25 lbs of pressure to add more consistency to each shot. I am very happy with this tamper. My tamper is the "Decent Espresso Tamper V2," but the current versions for sale on the Decent website is the V4.
Decent Espresso Tamping Station - https://decentespresso.com/cradle
Simple and good looking stainless steel tamp station.
Basic Brewing Scale - https://amzn.to/2ZPvain
My basic brewing scale is inexpensive and it just works, all the time. I love it.
Acaia Lunar Scale - https://cliffandpebble.com/products/2022-acaia-lunar-scale
This scale includes a lot of powerful features but I have a love hate relationship with it. Some of its quirks really bother me, for example if it sense a drop of water on the scale, it begins to flash an "H2O" alert on the screen and you can't see the weight of your shot for 10 to 15 seconds... very likely causing your target weight to be missed. Personally, I don’t think it’s worth a price tag of over $250, but that really depends on your application. Bluetooth connectivity to some machines is very cool!
Bean Storage Containers - https://amzn.to/3XEdnY5
If you need containers to store beans, these look great and they work well.
Breville Oracle Touch Machine - https://amzn.to/2wOJQ72
Early review posted in the Review section of this website, and three-year review video coming soon.
I have used this exact setup for 2 years now, but it is time to make some changes... More to follow soon!