About Jose Cabrera: Working Barista at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon
About GrindCircle
Slug: /about/ Meta title: About GrindCircle — Jose, Professional Barista & Espresso Obsessive Meta description: GrindCircle is written by Jose, a professional barista from Cuba who's pulled thousands of shots commercially in Miami. Real experience. No fluff.
I'll be honest with you: there are a million coffee blogs out there written by people who bought a machine last year and now call themselves experts. That's not what this is.
My name is Jose. I grew up in Cuba, where I drank café cubano from the time I was about 6 years old. And I mean real Cuban coffee — not the Instagram version. Back home, because of the lack of resources, what most people drink isn't 100% coffee. It's a 60/40 blend with chickpeas, ground together, whipped with sugar into a paste before the stovetop moka pot even touches the stove. That's what I grew up with. I loved it. I still love it.
I lived in Cuba for 29 years. And in all that time, I never touched a specialty espresso machine.
How I Ended Up Here
The first time I had real specialty coffee — actually good espresso, made with care — was in Mexico City. That hit different. I went from knowing café cubano to suddenly understanding there was this whole other world where the origin of the bean mattered, the grind size mattered, the pressure mattered. I got obsessed.
I started training. And bro… I thought I was incredible. Genuinely. For a while I was pulling shots and thinking, okay, I actually have this. I had no idea. It took me longer than I'd like to admit to realize how terribly misinformed I was — about extraction, about grind, about basically everything. The stuff I was proud of back then, I'd probably dump now hahaha. That's just how it goes, though. You don't know what you don't know until you've seen enough to understand the gap. I moved to Miami, and I found work doing what I love.
Right now I work as a professional barista at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in the Miami Design District, alongside other specialty venues here in the city. Every day I'm pulling shots on commercial-grade equipment — Synesso, La Marzocco, Mahlkönig EK43, Mythos, Anfim. Machines that cost more than most people's cars. I've pulled thousands of shots on this stuff. It's my job.
So when I tell you a $400 home grinder produces uneven extraction, I'm comparing it to what I use at work. That's the perspective you're getting here.
And I'll say something that might sound strange coming from someone who works a two-Michelin-star restaurant: I've never automatically chosen that coffee over one from a tiny neighborhood shop. The fine dining credential is real. The equipment is extraordinary. But some of the best espresso I've had came from a generic little place that nobody's written about, run by someone who just paid attention. Honest truth — I'd take a cafecito from one of those spots over a technically perfect shot pulled in a place with stars on the wall, any day. Stars don't make coffee taste good. Caring does.
Why GrindCircle Exists
I started this because every time someone asked me "what espresso machine should I buy," I couldn't find a single resource to send them that was written by someone who actually worked in coffee. Most of what's out there is either written by gear reviewers who've never professionally pulled a shot, or by enthusiasts who are genuinely great but have never had to run a machine for a 10-hour service.
I could never find a solid, honest guide that said: here's what matters, here's what's overhyped, here's what's actually worth your money at $300 vs $800 vs $2,000.
So I made it.
The goal is simple: I want to help you get to the best setup you realistically can, so you can pull the best espresso possible at home. Not necessarily the most expensive setup. The right one — for where you are right now, and where you actually want to go. If you came here not knowing what a burr grinder is and you leave with a clear idea of what to buy and why, I did my job.
What You'll Find Here
GrindCircle covers home espresso — specifically the gear that helps you pull better shots at home. Machines, grinders, accessories. Honest comparisons. Real measurements when I've used something myself, clear attribution when I'm pulling from community data or manufacturer specs. I'm not going to tell you "we tested this machine" when I haven't touched it. That would be lying.
One thing I say constantly and I mean it every time: the grinder matters more than the machine. You can have a $2,000 espresso machine and a $50 grinder and your shots will taste like nothing. It doesn't matter how good the machine is if the grind is inconsistent. I'll keep saying this across every article until people actually believe it.
What I'm Not
I'm definitely not one of those experts with 50 years in the specialty coffee industry who's written five books. I'm a working barista. I know what I've used, I know what I've dialed in, and I know what the community of serious home baristas has figured out over years of testing and discussion on r/espresso and Home-Barista.com.
When I write something here, I'll tell you exactly what the source is. If I used it myself, I'll say so. If I'm working from manufacturer specs or community reviews, I'll tell you that too. No fake authority. No invented test data.
That's the deal.
Get in Touch
If you have a question, a correction, or just want to talk coffee — contact page. I read everything.
And if you're a brand wanting to send me something to review: I only write about things I can honestly evaluate. If it's a grinder or a machine I've had time with, great. If it's something I'd have to fake expertise on, I'll pass. That's just how it works.
— Jose Professional barista, Miami GrindCircle.com
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