Does gold make coffee taste better? And what about diamonds and olive wood? Let’s put it this way: why would anyone tune an expensive espresso machine like the “La Marzocco”? We met up with Robert from rb.crafts, who skyrocketed our caffeine levels and gave us a masterclass in grind settings, Ferrari paint jobs, and gold-plated steam wands.
This article is part of our Coffee Special, full of product tests, exciting insights and some valuable new perspectives on coffee. Curious? Then click here!
Fuck. What have we gotten ourselves into? We set up a meeting with Robert from rb.crafts and found ourselves in a sleepy industrial area near Stuttgart. It’s early in the morning and we’re standing in front of a ordinary-looking factory hall with half-closed shutters, right next to a 70s bowling alley with a faded sign. We duck under the rolling shutters and, like Alice in Wonderland after she fell down the rabbit hole, we enter a world of its own: it’s a coffee microcosm. Over the following three hours, everything we thought we knew about coffee converted into a giant house of cards. We feel like members of an exclusive sect, a trendy club; all that’s missing is a password at the door.
To our left, in rb.crafts’ in-house carpentry shop, fine woods are being cut, turned, and primed. Our eyes are immediately drawn to countless Italian espresso machines, some gleaming with gold, waiting to be customized and prepped for the next steps. Just like Alice in her new world, we struggle to believe what we’re seeing and drag our jaws on the floor. The scent of freshly ground coffee and oak wood shavings brings us back, and, obviously, Robert invites us for a coffee. Robert is one of the few espresso machine tuners worldwide that customises machines at the highest level. Each machine is tailored to the individual wishes of the customers. Craftsmanship at its finest: the customisation process involves a lot of wood, but gold, diamonds, and LEDs can be incorporated too.
rb.crafts
Luxury upgrades for espresso machines.
Imagine buying an Italian espresso machine – already one dream come true – and then taking it to the next level with a luxury upgrade. Sounds like overkill? Maybe, but it’s almost a must! Spending € 5,000 on a La Marzocco Linea Mini R for your home is already a statement. But for many, including us, that’s just not enough – as our hot-or-not test revealed! While the La Marzocco Linea Mini R outperforms cheaper competitors like Rocket & Co. in terms of haptic feel and attention to detail, there’s still room for improvement – and, of course, for customisation! That’s where specialists like Robert from rb.crafts and his seven-member team come into play. For many, coffee is a pleasure, but at rb.crafts, the espresso machine becomes a true style statement.
Why should you limit your style to the clothes you’re wearing when you can make a big statement with your espresso machine too? With espresso machines, the customisation options are (almost) endless. From quirky to bold, to downright genius – Robert has done it all for his clients. A “La Marzocco” with the same paint finish as the customer’s Porsche 918, gold-plated steam wands, and diamond-encrusted casings. In comparison, the usual tuning requests seem pretty humble. Most customers opt to have the bodies and components of their machines coated in luxurious custom paint finishes. These are not only food-safe but also scratch- and impact-resistant, making the more durable than the original paint. The individual look is further enhanced with selected woods, ranging from local oak to walnut and olive. Olive wood – now only sourced from deceased trees – has become even more exclusive: natural products that, with proper care, can last a lifetime. As Robert gives us more insight behind the scenes, we learn that every handle and lever is individually hand-turned and oiled. Wow! If you’re a fan of craftsmanship, rb.crafts will make your heart race – just like ours!
As add-ons for the espresso machine, striking mechanical details like the Naked Manometer or a shot timer that shows the exact brewing time are excellent options – both of which have now become standard on the La Marzocco Linea Mini R. Overall, there’s enormous potential for customisation, personalization, and optimization – both visually and technically. Aesthetics play a significant role for customers, who want to turn espresso machines into special everyday objects that deserve to be showcased. It’s similar to bikes,which are often used as interior design pieces or even as a substitute for a Banksyin our living rooms. While some might find this odd, for others it’s completely normal – after all, product design is an art form in its own right and represented in the most popular museums. And how awesome is it when you can take an old espresso machine you have lying around and – through upcycling – turn it into not just something new, but something truly special?
Is this luxury? Without a doubt! But it’s a luxury that expresses personal passion and is tailored to individual personality. “Luxury can be expensive, but it should never be boring.” A statement we already made in our Luxury is Lame article. Speaking of expensive things: espresso machine customisation starts at a minimum of € 2,500 to €3,000 – and the sky’s the limit. If you want diamonds on your espresso machine, you’ll need to dig deeper into your pockets. For such a unique piece, Robert and his team spend at least 6 to 8 weeks perfecting the customisation.
rb.crafts – Coffee and craftsmanship.
Not less fascinating than the hallowed halls of rb.crafts is the company’s history. While other kids were playing soccer, founder Robert was already hanging out in his grandad’s carpentry workshop, practically growing up with the scent of sawdust in his nose. No surprise, then, that as a student, he already customised his first espresso machine with a hand-turned wooden handle. The idea was such a hit among friends and acquaintances that today he customises espresso machines for a living, with clients contacting him from all over the world. Everything’s still handcrafted with painstaking attention to detail. Success like this rarely happens overnight. Alongside his main job at Porsche, Robert spent years in his free time taking espresso machines to the next level. And it all began in a makeshift workshop in a small industrial area until, in 2021, a larger workshop became available right across the street. That was the moment he took the bold step into self-employment: all-in, full risk!
What drives him? The love for coffee and the passion for turning something beautiful into something extraordinary. But does such a unique espresso machine actually make better coffee? That would be too easy. However, drinking coffee from a machine like this is definitely enjoyable – and taste, after all, is also a matter of perception. Someone like Robert, who completely disassembles and rebuilds espresso machines, inevitably delves into the question of how to make the coffee even better. Many factors come into play here: temperature, bean quality, roasting, grind size, and time. It’s no surprise that he’s self-taught as a barista and even welcomed a subtenant, Rotbart Kaffee, into the workshop, where barista courses are offered.
But how do you make the perfect coffee? And do you really need a gold-plated, five-figure espresso machine?
The most important lesson of the day: A good grinder is key to a great coffee – there’s no getting around it. Period. And, coffee must always be freshly ground. Awkward silence. Because in the back of our minds, we’re reevaluating our coffee habits and feeling a bit ashamed about that bag of freshly ground coffee that’s been sitting in your fridge for months. Okay – lesson learned. But now we’re curious, and both coffee experts – who are both named Robert – give us some valuable tips to take home.
Welcome to the specialty coffee bootcamp
7 Tips for better coffee
No clue about coffee – but who cares as long as it tastes good? Well, our – let’s face it, pretty basic – knowledge about coffee machines, portafilters, water hardness, grind size, and coffee beans was thoroughly dismantled over the following three hours, reset to zero, and then slowly rebuilt with new insights. After what felt like 20 espressos from various machines, our afternoon was definitely over. We were all buzzing on caffeine, and even the croissants we brought couldn’t save us. Yet despite – or perhaps because of – that caffeine overload, we walked away with plenty of new knowledge, knowing a lot more about common mistakes, bad habits, and what you absolutely need to keep in mind while making coffee.
1. Coffee – Water Quality and Filtration
Coffee is 99% water. So, it’s pretty obvious that bad water can ruin even the finest beans. Water that’s too hard is alkaline and neutralises the fruit acids in some coffees. On the other hand, water that’s too soft is acidic, which can bring out unwanted flavours in acidic coffees. So, what now? Either filter the water to achieve an ideal pH level of 7.0, or, even easier, just buy good mineral water. Many baristas swear by Volvic because of its well-balanced mineral content. Good water isn’t just the foundation for great coffee, it also helps prevent your machine from scaling prematurely.
2. Coffee grinder
We’ve learned: the grinder is more important than the coffee machine itself. Only a good grinder ensures a consistent grind without too much coffee dust, which burns faster leaving a bitter taste.
Coffee loses 60% of its aroma in the first 20 minutes,
Robert Burkhardt, founder of rb.crafts
Seriously? Yes, really! As soon as freshly ground coffee comes into contact with oxygen, oxidation begins, and the volatile aromatic oils start to evaporate. That’s why: Grind your coffee fresh for every cup and start the brewing process immediately. Robert takes this idea so seriously that even on hiking trips, he carries a gas stove, a Bialetti, and a hand grinder to ensure the coffee is freshly ground on the spot. Cool – we’ll definitely remember that! By the way, if you let the coffee sit in the portafilter too long before starting the brewing process, it begins to burn in the brew group – and that’s definitely something you want to avoid
Another important tip: there’s always some ground coffee left in the grinder, known as the “dead space.” Just quickly flush it out and discard it (coffee grounds make great plant fertiliser, by the way), then use the fresh grounds for your next cup.
3. Maintenance of coffee grinder and espresso machine
Proper maintenance is essential but often overlooked. Over time, your coffee might start to taste off because the machine calcifies, unwanted residues and deposits build up, or the grinder’s consistency suffers due to wear and tear. Show your machine some love, and it will love you back!
4. Temperature
The ideal water temperature for brewing coffee is around 93°C. Lighter roasts can handle slightly higher temperatures, while darker roasts prefer slightly lower ones. This is where the difference between expensive and cheap machines becomes apparent: cheaper machines struggle to maintain a consistent brewing temperature, especially when brewing multiple coffees in a row. Temperature surfing can help here. Yes, you read that right – on more affordable machines, the temperature can fluctuate. “Temperature surfing” helps you reach the right temperature by running a bit of water through the machine first to lower the temperature before brewing your coffee.
5. Cold Coffee
Want to test your coffee’s quality? Let it cool down, because you’ll quickly notice if a coffee is truly good when it’s cold. High temperatures act like chilli – the spicier the food, the less you taste. Similarly, the hotter the coffee, the harder it is to judge. That’s why good coffee tastes great even when cold. And of course, without sugar and other additives!
6. Tamping
Rituals often have a deeper meaning: tamping, or compressing the coffee grounds, requires practice. First, the grounds must be evenly distributed. Then, they are compressed with the right amount of pressure. If you apply too much pressure, the water flows too slowly, making the coffee bitter. If tamped unevenly, the extraction only occurs in the less compacted parts of the coffee grounds, resulting in a noticeably inferior brew!
7. Nespresso Machine
The tip about freshly ground coffee can even elevate coffee from a Nespresso machine: simply buy refillable capsules, fill them with freshly ground coffee, and voilà – you’ve got a much better cup of coffee. What to watch out for? Find out in our hot-or-not test.
Conclusions
Our visit to rb.crafts’ coffee wonderland had terrible consequences – not just for our caffeine levels, but also for our wallets. A lovingly customised espresso machine is definitely going on our wish list. It’s clear: we drink with our eyes too, and a tuned or personalised coffee machine is not just a visual highlight but also elevates the taste experience to a whole new level! However, making truly great coffee requires more than just a high-quality machine: the right ingredients, the necessary know-how, and a passion for experimentation are essential too! Will we ever find our way out of the rabbit hole? No chance, we’re stuck deep inside it, and love it!
For more info, visit rb-crafts online.
Words: Susanne Feddersen, Jan Fock, Robin Schmitt Photos: Robin Schmitt
