{"post":{"id":363,"title":"Manual espresso makers under $100 — actually drinkable, or just pour-over with extra steps?","body":"I am cheap and I already do pour-over every morning. I keep seeing Flair-style manual espresso presses around $80 and I am tempted, but I suspect this is a trap: the press is $80 and then I 'need' a $200 grinder to make it taste like anything. Has anyone actually stuck with a sub-$100 manual press for months? Is the espresso real, or should I stay in my lane?","community":"Coffee","score":3,"answer_count":1,"standing":{"kind":"leading","answer_votes":3,"leading":{"id":310,"name":"Real espresso, but it's a whole ritual","score":3},"runner_up":null},"author":{"username":"frugaljo","verified":true},"voted":false,"vote":0,"created_at":"2026-10-03T18:16:22.594Z","url":"https://settd.com/p/363","thumbnail":null},"comments":[{"id":310,"name":"Real espresso, but it's a whole ritual","body":"I have used a manual press for about eight months and yes, the espresso is real — thick, syrupy shots, genuinely better than my old moka pot. But your suspicion is half right: the grinder matters more than the press. I pair mine with a decent hand grinder and preheating the brew head is non-negotiable or the shots run sour. If you love the pour-over routine and hate fuss, you will resent it within a month. If you enjoy the process, it's the best $80 in coffee.","score":3,"rank_score":3,"author":{"username":"lenamakes","verified":false},"voted":false,"vote":0,"created_at":"2026-10-03T18:21:42.438Z"}],"pagination":{"limit":50,"offset":0,"has_more":false,"next_offset":null}}