Can you say SLAYER Espresso!
The first time around was a tease, then it was gone. Much to our collective dismay… Now it’s back and lets just say there may be bloodshed should someone try to take this one… You think I’m joking… See the name? Yeah that’s right. You’re wondering what I’m talking about.The “Slayer” is our newest creation, recreation, incarnation of the Espresso machine. In it’s current existence, it’s a La Marzocco that has been heavily modified. Things like PID, another boiler (yeah, I said that)… and those are the immediately obvious ones. So, with John and myself loitering ermm, I mean training ourselves. The beast came to life, and on the VERY FIRST SHOT, promptly knocked Jason’s socks off with an unbelievable shot. After that (and a few elbows) John and I were next… Might I say that never in my life have I had an Espresso that had that perfect, lovely, rich, deep brown/red crema, with a hint of flecking, the texture and mouth-feel of silk, and the flavor, well the flavor was everything that Blackjack had promised to be, and more. Pleasantly acidic, sweet, bold, full, rich… So, satisfied on that, we proceeded to pull shot after shot after shot, all the while extolling the virtues of this new machine like giddy 10 year olds on Christmas morning, literally freaking out… It was almost embarrassing.
We sat there and dialed in how long it should take to steam 20oz of milk to 144 degrees Fahrenheit (14.4 seconds – no, I’m not kidding about the accuracy), had the pressure set, the temperature set and off that went.Have I mentioned yet that the PID is accurate to somewhere inside 0.2 degrees??? and moves to whatever temperature you want it FAST, and stays there (trust me, you can’t get ahead of this machine). So now, the Barista can start with the bean, then the grind, the throw, then the tamp, add in the temperature, and you have unprecedented control and confidence in the fact that you are no longer having a mere espresso, you are having an experience, a moment, a “God shot”. Anyhow, you get what I’m saying.If this machine wasn’t called the “Slayer”, I’d be calling it “Sir” (I still might)…Following are a few pics of us prepping the newest member of our family.
The poster says it all… 
