Welcome to Nofinity

• The Philips Baristina (around £299 / €) is an espresso machine with an integrated grinder, marketed as a hassle-free way to enjoy „real espresso“.
• James Hoffmann tested it after many viewer requests and discovered several fundamental design flaws.

• Non-adjustable grind: The grind setting is fixed from the factory and can barely be tweaked even by opening the machine (voiding warranty). The grind is very coarse – comparable to a pour-over grind.
• Fixed pressurized portafilter: The portafilter comes with a built-in pressurized basket that cannot be swapped for a standard one, limiting the ability to achieve proper extraction.
• Uneven water distribution: Water enters around the edges rather than through a shower screen, causing a „donut extraction“. A test showed 10% more extraction from the center than the edges.
• Low extraction yield: Even at a lungo-style ratio (10 g coffee to 40 g liquid), the machine achieves only about 16% extraction (vs. a desirable 20%+), resulting in watery, bland espresso.
• Broken promises: The slogan „Love real espresso“ is misleading. This machine delivers mediocre coffee at best, far worse than much cheaper setups like a budget espresso machine + a decent grinder.

• For the same money, a combination of a cheap espresso machine (e.g. Aldi) and a capable grinder (DF54, Baratza ESP) produces significantly better coffee, albeit with a bit more effort.
• Even pod machines often achieve higher extraction yields (21–23%).
• The Philips Baristina offers terrible value for money. It fails everyone who genuinely wants good espresso at home.

• James Hoffmann bought the unit himself (no sponsorship) and thanks his Patreon supporters.
• He expresses disappointment over the missed opportunity and hopes for better bean-to-cup machines in the future.
• Plug for the second issue of his magazine „Cherry Bones“ (now available).

• Ben Cowan admitted he was wrong: he expected a Q4 flush, but Bitcoin broke above the May high and now trades around $85K.
• Bitcoin has shrugged off macro headwinds (rising yields, strong dollar, higher energy prices) that normally would pressure it.

• The current bear market lasted only ~9 months – similar to 2019, but without a massive volume spike at the bottom.
• Compared to the previous cycle (Terra/Luna, FTX), there were fewer ‚sins‘ to pay for, hence less pain.
• The 4-year cycle remains intact, even if the bottom came earlier than expected (summer instead of Q4).

• Global net liquidity is still severely constrained (~$25T vs $30T in 2021).
• Monetary policy is less restrictive now (Fed funds rate below 2-year yield), allowing altcoins to rally.
• However, a true alt season is unlikely unless Bitcoin first has a euphoric rally and liquidity surges (which would require a crisis first).
• The Bitcoin pair index (ALT/BTC) does not yet show a sustainable rotation.

• The decisive factor is the weekly close above/below ~$82,800 (May high).
  • Above it: Bullish – the bottom is likely in.
  • Below it: Bearish – could still see a Q4 low.

• The recent spike in YouTube views is not due to renewed retail interest, but to a change in how views are counted (now counts after 1 second).
• Other metrics (Coinbase app ranking, Google Trends, Twitter followers) show no recovery in retail demand.

Takeaway: Stay flexible. As long as Bitcoin holds above $83K, the bullish case is intact. A weekly close below that level could trigger another Q4 decline.

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