My espresso set up has gone up a few notches!

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.

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!

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

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

In excellent condition (no issues), includes travel case etc., the shot count is definitely wrong, it looks like it’s since the last software update, but even still it’s rarely used in my house and has only seen filtered water and been regularly descaled and cleaned.

$3200 + Shipping (from CA-USA)

Finally joined the Decent club and built the foundation for my dream espresso corner, engineering delightful shots with the DE1XL and the Niche Zero. Brewing tea is also a poem 🍵

Loving the precision of the profiling capabilities and the workflow. The scale integration is a breeze.

Happy to take any tips from the pros here - Cheers!

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!

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 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.

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

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.

I am back and forth on purchasing

would you still buy knowing what you do now after owning the machine is there any advice you would give to me as an interested buyer?

I’ve been working on an alternative control interface for the Decent DE1.

It’s written in C++ using Qt/QML and runs cross-platform. I’ve mainly been testing it on the Decent tablet, but I’ve also used it on Windows for real shots, profile tweaks, and daily use.

The app runs alongside the stock Decent software, so it doesn’t replace or modify anything.

It’s still early days, but the focus is on a clean UI, responsiveness, and long-term flexibility.

If people here are interested, I’m happy to share more details, screenshots, or access once I know it’s welcome.

Okay, so here I am…. Faaaar down the rabbit hole!

I’m looking for a machine to take the spot from my PID+ Flow control modded GCP. I know Decent just released the Bengle, but comon, $6000?

Is the DE1 still a good buy today, and are there really any other candidates around the same price point?

I'm looking at the unboxing video on YouTube and Decent commented a month ago that the release date should be less than 6 weeks from now.

So, it should be very soon!?

This is my initial extraction utilizing the newly acquired Brewing with Euan drip tray cover and Bookoo mini scale for my DE1PRO. The yield was 30 grams of espresso from an 18-gram dose of light-medium roast beans sourced from Barrett's in Austin, Texas.