Just a good espresso?

Without knowing much more than the basics of making an espresso myself, last winter gave me quite a few bad or at least not-so-good espressos, and certainly only one really good.

I found the good one in Copenhagen while doing some general tourist stuff, at a place that looked quite ordinary. No fancy barista vibes, just coffee, baked goods, sandwiches, and they even had ready-made oatmeal porridge. But the espresso, smooth, no bitter “bad” tastes—just fabulous. This contrasted with the next morning in Malmö, visiting a place that is connected to a small-scale coffee roasting business. The place visually screams artisanal coffee and uniqueness, located in an old rustic building with exposed wooden beams. They sold their own roast of beans as well, but the espresso was meh at best.

There is a local place I have visited sometimes with a friend, and they make their own ice-cream and bake their own ice-cream cones. They serve some of the worst espressos I have paid money for. Once is a coincidence, two is a pattern and the potential third time I will blame on my habit to panic and order my default order when asked about what I want. Do the use the cheapest of beans or is it something hardware related (or maintenance/cleaning of such hardware) that gives the bad taste here? Temperature?

The best espresso within walking distance from my workplace has turned out to be the place that sells healing crystals and the where barista has a long moustache. On the other hand, the place that has an Italian-sounding name and charges twice as much for the espresso is in the lower segment.