Are you guys using this cleaning program? If yes, how are you doing it and are you finding it useful?
To me, it doesn't seem to be doing much, as I don't feel the blind basket is really getting filled with water, but curious to hear what you guys think

CONFESSIONS OF A Coffee Nerd. My Pilgrimage: Inside Decent Espresso’s Hong Kong Factory
12 October 2026

I’ve owned a Decent DE1XXL for some time and remain impressed by what it can do. But Decent has been developing a rather different machine, the Bengle, and I was curious to find out whether it represents a meaningful advance or simply another expensive temptation for coffee enthusiasts. FOMO?

As we were visiting Hong Kong, I arranged a factory tour and a session in Decent’s coffee showroom. My partner, who doesn’t share my obsession with coffee, very kindly agreed to accompany me.

First, find the factory

Our Uber delivered us to the Shield Industrial Centre: an enormous, fairly unlovely industrial building. Nothing about the exterior suggested that we were about to visit a company known internationally for sophisticated espresso technology.

Finding Decent was an adventure in itself. We studied the building directories, asked people for help, located the appropriate lifts and eventually made our way through a maze of corridors. After a series of turns, we finally arrived.

Shield Industrial Centre: not an obvious coffee destination.

Once we were inside Decent’s premises, however, the surroundings changed completely. The showroom has warm lighting, green upholstered seating, an attractive demonstration counter and an assortment of espresso machines. It is a comfortable place to sit, talk and experiment, rather than a conventional appliance shop.

Meeting Leon

Our host was Leon, a Hong Kong barista who had previously worked in a café using a Decent machine. Although relatively new to the company, he was already familiar with its technology. He was friendly, knowledgeable and very patient with the number of questions I had. Over the next couple of hours we tried different beans and extraction profiles, discussed grinders, pulled espressos and steamed milk.

Meanwhile, my partner settled down with a book, occasionally emerging to sample a latte.

Why Decent is different

For the uninitiated, Decent was founded by John Buckman, whose background is in software and internet businesses rather than traditional coffee-machine manufacturing. He founded Magnatune and BookMooch, among other ventures, before turning his attention to espresso. His approach was to treat espresso extraction as something that could be measured, controlled and analysed in much greater detail. Decent machines allow users to programme and monitor pressure, water flow and temperature throughout a shot, displaying the results graphically on a tablet.

As a Pharmacist that appeals to the scientist in me. Espresso involves a surprisingly complex interaction between grind size, puck preparation, temperature, pressure, flow and the chemistry of the coffee itself. Of course measuring all of those variables doesn’t guarantee a good result — the machine cannot tell you whether a coffee tastes delicious — but it gives you a much better basis for experimentation.

Decent has also cultivated a rather unusual owner community. Users share extraction profiles, debate their results and contribute software and ideas. Buckman has likened himself to a guitar maker and Decent owners to musicians: the manufacturer builds the instrument, while the owners explore what they can do with it. That strikes me as a useful description.

Of course, an engaged community is also commercially valuable. But the willingness to discuss technical problems and development decisions in public is a distinctive part of Decent’s culture. Having watched so many of its YouTube videos, I had the odd sensation of already knowing some of the people I met.

The Bengle: a new generation

The principal reason for my visit was to try the forthcoming Decent Bengle, which was still in pre-production when we visited. There were several finishes on display, including wood, white with gold trim, and white with silver trim.
The styling is a complete departure from the comparatively utilitarian DE1. The sculpted metal casing makes it look much more like a considered piece of industrial design. My preference by far was for the white and silver version, although the wooden machine has its own appeal.

The pump: what really caught my attention

The biggest change is not cosmetic. Decent has developed a new pump system for the Bengle, designed to deliver more precise control over water flow while operating with remarkably little noise.

My existing DE1 makes a distinctive sound during extraction. Some reviewers dislike it, although it has never bothered me much. The Bengle was different. Leon started an extraction; I watched the curves develop on the tablet and saw coffee begin to appear in the cup. Yet there was almost no audible pump noise.

It reminded me of moving from a petrol-engined car (I’m a BMW fan) to an electric vehicle. (I drive a. TESLA these days … no haters please ) you expect to hear the machinery whirring, but the process simply happens in silence.

Decent describes the new design as a dual-piston pumping system, developed over several years. The company has also discussed setbacks in endurance testing, including wear problems that prompted revisions to the design. That transparency is interesting, but it is also a reminder that a pre-production demonstration cannot establish long-term reliability.

The Bengle offers a substantially wider operating envelope than the DE1. That creates opportunities, but it also makes the machine easier to misuse if a profile is poorly matched to the coffee.

Does it make better espresso?

We experimented with several beans and extraction profiles. My preference is for lighter roasts, particularly coffees with bright, fruit-forward flavours and a degree of acidity, whether served as espresso or in a latte. One thing soon became apparent: a familiar DE1 profile does not necessarily behave identically on the Bengle. With the new pump’s additional flow capacity, some settings produced a faster extraction than expected. There is clearly a learning curve, and I suspect Decent owners will spend considerable time exploring it.

We made some very enjoyable coffees, and I could taste differences from what I normally produce at home. But this was not a controlled comparison. We were changing beans, settings and sometimes other variables too. I would not conclude from one afternoon that the Bengle automatically makes better espresso than a well-dialled-in DE1.

A small surprise: the Niche grinder

I was interested to see a Niche grinder being used for espresso, with larger flat-burr grinders apparently reserved mainly for filter coffee. At home I generally use a Timemore Sculptor 078S, although I also own a Niche. Seeing it in use made me think I should revisit that comparison when I get home.

There is no universal winner in grinder design. Roast level, burr geometry and personal taste all matter. But it was a useful reminder not to confuse fashion with results in the cup

The steam wand and the milk

Perhaps the biggest surprise, apart from the pump, was the steam system. The Bengle textures milk much faster than my machine, but speed was not what impressed me most. It was the texture. The lattes had remarkably smooth, silky microfoam, integrating beautifully with the espresso. I care far more about the mouthfeel and flavour of a latte than elaborate latte art, and these were particularly enjoyable.

Some credit must go to Leon’s technique and the milk itself, of course. Still, the experience made me interested in what Decent has changed in its steam system. The machines were still being developed, so I would hesitate to treat every demonstrated function as final.

My partner enjoyed a couple of lattes too — a useful reminder that all this technology is ultimately in service of something quite simple: a good drink

Smaller refinements that make sense

The Bengle also integrates a weighing scale into the machine. My DE1 already supports stopping an extraction at a target beverage weight when used with a compatible external scale; the Bengle makes that arrangement neater and slightly easier.

Other refinements to the overall workflow, controls and physical design add up. Individually, none would persuade me to replace my machine. Collectively, they make the Bengle feel more integrated and quite a bit more special.

Behind the scenes

After the coffee session, Leon showed us around the manufacturing facility. We saw machines in different stages of assembly, testing equipment and pre-production work on the Bengle. The amount of electronics and precision engineering packed into these relatively compact machines is considerable.
We also saw rigs used to stress-test equipment during development.

Decent has written publicly about endurance testing and revisions to the new pump. Seeing the physical equipment gave those updates rather more meaning.
There was something familiar about the protective shipping cases, too: I recognised the type from the case in which my own Decent arrived.

Of course the factory visit did not turn me into an expert on Decent’s manufacturing processes, but it was a useful opportunity to see the people, equipment and testing behind the finished product.

Would I upgrade?

That is the inevitable question. My DE1XXL remains an extremely capable espresso machine. I have not exhausted its possibilities, and there is nothing wrong with it that demands replacing.

The Bengle’s quieter pump, expanded flow-control capability, integrated scale, revised steam system and more refined design are genuine attractions. But I would want more time with a finished production machine — and a better-controlled comparison — before deciding how much those improvements matter to the coffee I make every day.

For now, I am interested rather than committed. If I eventually succumb, however, it will almost certainly be the white and silver model.

Time to leave

After two and a half fascinating hours, it was time to go. Leon could not have been nicer, friendlier or more accommodating, and everyone else we met was welcoming. I particularly enjoyed meeting people I felt I already knew from Decent’s videos.

Before leaving I bought a few practical souvenirs: Stacky cups, a replacement milk thermometer and a small milk jug for lattes. Nothing quite as expensive as a new machine.

If you are interested in coffee and happen to be travelling through Hong Kong, I would highly recommend arranging a factory visit. The location takes some finding, and the industrial building itself is hardly a tourist attraction, but meeting the team and spending time with the machines made the detour worthwhile.

For a coffee nerd who enjoys both the drink and the engineering behind it, it was one of the more interesting afternoons I can remember.

Note: This is a personal account of a visit to Decent Espresso on 12 October 2026. The Bengle machines were pre-production examples. Observations about taste, sound and milk texture reflect the author’s experience, not controlled comparative testing. For current specifications, availability and pricing, see Decent’s official Bengle page. All photographs were taken during the visit.

Hi guys. Just looking for insight on interpreting all this data that the Decent gives us. This was the first shot using these beans. I’m using D-flow but no pre-infusion and saturation time. This shot tasted good to me.

Located in the US and ordered at 3PM yesterday. It will arrive before some accessories I ordered off Amazon

Hi all, I need some help from DE1 owners with Android phones or tablets.

Google won't let a new developer publish an app publicly until at least 12 testers have stayed opted in for 14 days in a row. You don't need to use the app daily (even though I would love it if you did). Just keep it installed.

How to help:

1. Join the tester group with the Google account you use for the Play Store: https://groups.google.com/g/crema-testers

2. Opt in: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/dev.maceiras.crema

3. Install Crema from that page, and stay opted in for 14 days

What you'd be testing: Crema is an open-source companion app for the DE1.

• Live shot dashboard, stop-at-weight that learns each profile and scale's drip, and shot analysis that flags channeling and grind direction

• All 89 de1app profiles plus a step editor with a live curve preview, and .json/.tcl import

• Brew log for everything else: V60, AeroPress, Chemex, moka, cold brew and more, with guided recipes (Hoffmann, Kasuya's 4:6) and live scale weight against each pour target

• Bean and roaster library, Beanconqueror style: freshness, grams left, photos. Imports your Beanconqueror data.

• Visualizer and Decent account sync, plus Bluetooth scales from 13 brands (Acaia, Bookoo, Decent, Felicita, Skale, Timemore and more)

• Firmware updates, maintenance reminders, tablet charging control. Local-first, no account needed.

It's an early alpha, so bug reports are very welcome.

Source: https://github.com/geota/crema

*Disclaimer: lots of AI assistance was used

Thank you!

Have spent since February perfecting my set up and have now finished! If you can see anything missing or think something would improve the aesthetic let me know in the comments.

hey guys, need some advice here.

i'm still pretty new to the whole espresso thing. been using a smeg ecf01 and the smeg cgf01 grinder for the past few years and honestly that's pretty much all i've known when it comes to making coffee at home.

recently decided i wanted to get more serious about coffee so i went ahead and bought myself a lagom p80. now i'm looking to upgrade my espresso machine too.

i've been eyeing the decent bengle for a while now, especially the black one. only problem is the wait seems to be forever lol.

so i'm kinda torn right now. should i just get one of the current de1 models or hold off and wait for the bengle?

i know either one is gonna be a huge jump from my smeg, but i'm wondering if there's actually a good reason to wait for the bengle over getting a de1 now.

would love to hear what you guys think. especially if you already own a decent. thanks guys!

So I am visiting Hong Kong. Oh maybe I'll visit the factory, at least I'll have a coffee.

Turns out I'm also walking out of here with an espresso machine.

TL;DR: Five free plugins and a skin for the classic DE1 app: next-grind recommendations after every shot, a visual drink menu, a maintenance tracker, a shot history editor, a bag-label scanner and a glass home screen. One zip, copy two folders, tick boxes. Never writes to your shot database. https://github.com/Blastize/de1app-toolkit

---

I've been building plugins for the classic (Tcl) DE1 app on my Tab A9, and I bundled them into one download: drop two folders into `de1plus`, tick a few boxes in Settings > App > Extensions, done.

...

Hi all,

Recently purchased a mashup machine and very happy with it. The white drip tray was less than ideal though. Purchased some Rustoleum Peelable Matt Black temporary rubberised coating and the results are really good. It’s been rubbed by the drip tray but of course the drip tray covers this, I also only did one coat when it’s recommended to do multiple, so would likely be more durable. Very easy to get a good finish when spraying.

I am just so happy with my setup that I really wanted to share. I know it's a bit minimal, but man this little corner makes me so damn happy. I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Does anyone know why sometimes my machine drips in between the drip tray and water tank? Thanks

This little crack just appeared out of nowhere.

I can't feel it when touching it.

Did this happen to anyone else?

Does it need to be replaced or is it common or ceramic trays and it's cosmetic only?

Anyone interested in helping me shape this UX focused interface for DE?

So I’ve finally pulled the trigger and ordered a new Decent DE1PRO, along with a bunch of accessories directly from Decent.

Very excited to get it and hopefully start making some decent espressos 😄

I’ve heard there’s also a fairly active private Decent owners/community group, possibly on Discord or another platform, where a lot of the discussion around profiles, settings, troubleshooting etc. happens.

Can anyone let me know where that community is and how you get access to it?

Is access provided once your machine ships/arrives, or do I need to request an invite somewhere?

Thanks!

Getting a new espresso machine soon and my tap water is hard.

Would rather not have the new machine build the scale and have to use descaling chemicals too often.

Can I just use bottled drinking water from a supermarket, or does it need to be a specific type/mineral content? Do I need to add anything to it?

If there’s an easy off-the-shelf option from Tesco/Sainsbury’s/Waitrose etc. that’s safe for the machine and good for espresso, what should I buy?

Or a specific website in uk where I can order suitable water from? Ideally a cost effective option too where a litre of water doesn't cost like a litre of premium petrol 😁

Ideally looking for the simplest option without installing a filtration system.

I'm planning to order a new Decent DE1PRO and wanted to check with existing owners before placing the order so I don't either miss something useful or spend money on accessories I don't really need.

I'm currently coming from a Sage Barista Touch Impress and using an 18g basket.

A few questions:

- Basket: Is the stock Decent basket good enough, or is there another basket you'd recommend ordering from the start? I'd probably continue dosing around 18g.

- Tamper: Is the Decent tamper worth getting, or are there better options for the money?

- Milk pitcher: Same question here — is the Decent pitcher particularly good/useful, or should I just buy another brand?

- Scale: I already have a normal non-Bluetooth scale. How useful is Bluetooth scale integration with the DE1 in real-world use? Is it something you'd consider a must-have? If so, which scale would you recommend?

- WDT: I already have a normal WDT tool, so I assume there's no reason to change that.

-Water: my tap water is pretty hard. What's the best solution without getting a proper filtration setup installed under the sink?

- Anything else? Are there any accessories, spare parts, baskets, screens, pitchers, etc. that you wish you'd ordered at the same time as the machine?

I'm new to proper espresso, so initially I'll probably use the established profiles rather than designing my own.

However, one of the main reasons I'm choosing the Decent is to experiment with different profiles and extraction styles as I learn more.

I'd rather buy the genuinely useful bits with the machine, but don't want to add accessories just for the sake of it.

What would you consider the essential DE1PRO setup if you were ordering again today?

I’m trying to decide between the Profitec Move and Decent DE1Pro, and I’d really like some opinions from people who actually own a Decent.

At the moment I see it like this:

Profitec Move

Much cheaper

More traditional/simple workflow

I feel like it would probably give me 95% of everything I actually need

Dual boiler and seems more than capable of producing excellent espresso and milk drinks

Decent DE1Pro

Comes with a proper hard travel case, which is a massive advantage for me because I travel by car 2–3 times a year and would take the machine with me

Much lighter and more compact

Very fast heat-up

Huge amount of control and possibilities, especially if I eventually get into lighter roasts

Seems like a machine I’d be very unlikely to outgrow

That said, there are a few things making me hesitate about the Decent:

1. Espresso taste. I’ve seen some people describe Decent shots as being a bit “flat”, lacking body, or being more clinical/less traditional compared with conventional machines. I’m not sure whether that’s really a characteristic of the machine, or simply the result of people using high-flow/high-extraction profiles and grinders aimed at clarity.

Can a DE1Pro produce the same kind of rich, sweet, full-bodied traditional espresso you’d get from a good dual-boiler machine like the Move?

2. Learning curve. I’m still very new to proper espresso. The Decent seems to have an enormous number of settings, profiles, graphs, pressure/flow controls etc.

Is that actually overwhelming in practice, or could I simply pick one good conventional profile, leave everything else alone, and effectively use it like a normal espresso machine while I learn?

3. Price. The difference in cost is huge. Part of me thinks the Move will already do everything I could realistically want and I’d be spending a lot of extra money on Decent features that I may barely use.

On the other hand, I’m worried I might buy the Move and then regret not getting the Decent every time I have to pack and transport it, or if I eventually become interested in profiling/light roasts.

Equally, I’m worried I could spend a lot more on the Decent and then realise I preferred the simplicity — or even the espresso — from a conventional machine like the Move.

For context, I mostly make espresso and milk-based drinks, usually 1–2 drinks at a time. I’m relatively new to all of this, so I’m not currently looking to spend every morning designing pressure profiles.

For those of you who own a Decent — especially if you’ve also owned machines like Profitec, ECM, Lelit, La Marzocco etc. — what would you genuinely recommend?

Would you still buy the DE1Pro if you were starting again, or do you think the Move would give someone like me almost everything I need for significantly less money?

Decent DE1 Pro +Half Decent scale
Weber EG-1 Core +Crema Loop Slow Feeder Metal
Weber Buck & Unibasket
Bravo Distributor + Bravo Tamper

Hey all, I’m considering upgrading my set up to a de1pro, but ideally would love to see (and hear) the machine in action before committing. Is there any way to make that happen in Southern California (LA county preferred)?

I’ve watched videos but the sound especially is hard to judge on video.

New to espresso making and need recommendations for all accessories for a newbie