The espresso machine was invented in Italy and since that the espresso machine gained immense popularity in the world. The system of brewing that espresso has is very different from the other coffee makers. It’s all about the pressurised water. There are companies who make this machine manually. This machine is more expensive than the other coffee makers because there are espresso machines for both commercial and home use. The professional machines can have 7 group head which is mostly used at commercial coffee shops.
The external features are the group head which is where water flows through the coffee, the steam arm for frothing and heating milk and the hot water spout or the nozzle is hot water used for tea. The three functions work together to make wonderful coffee or other drinks like cappuccino, café latte etc…
The making of drinks like cappuccino or café latte starts with a shot of espresso, the ground coffee is placed on the portafilter and when the machine pulls a shot of espresso the water is forced through the portafilter with the perfect pressure and temperature to produce the espresso. Every espresso machine has a boiler, the professional machines like in the commercial coffee shops has two large separate large boilers and these machines can have up to seven head group in it. However, the machines designed for home use has one brew boiler over the group head and it works in the same way as the professional machines.
The machine heats the water at a high-temperature degree and passes it to the heat exchanger and to the steam builder that is rapidly heated to a higher temperature through the coiled pipe to produce a perfect coffee. However, the lower temperature is going to make the coffee acidic and the higher temperature will make it taste bitter. In order to make the perfect coffee, there are some machines that have a temperature adjuster. Normally the water is adjusted to a particular pressure to control the flow rate through the ground coffee and it can be adjusted to around 9 bars and this is the right setting at a good pressure. The home espresso machines also have second boilers which produce the steam to make other drinks. The second boiler can be set to a different degree and different pressure. Also, the espresso machines come with a reservoir of water and the professional machines are connected to the water pipe directly.
Various Types of Espresso Machines And Components
Steam-driven Espresso Machines
These machines are your budget espresso machines. They are very cheap, but do not produce a high end espresso. Great for those looking for a low cost machine.
Piston-driven Espresso Machines
These are higher end devices that actually create a strong espresso shot. These piston machines are priced high and produce high quality espresso.
Pump-driven Espresso Machines
The most common type of espresso machine system on the market. Very reliable and produces an excellent shot of espresso. Prices are moderate to expensive.
Different automation mechanisms have been designed and vary depending on which make and model you choose. Manual machines require some expertise in brewing. If you’re looking for a top notch espresso and are willing to master the art, these are the machines for you. Automatic and Super Automatic machines will still produce an excellent espresso with consistent results. They are much more user friendly and can be used by anyone.
Both the professional and the home use espresso machines work in the same way and here are the best espresso machines of 2019.
☕️Best Espresso Machine Reviews
1. Breville BES840XL the Infuser Espresso Machine
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Breville has made a one of a kind machine. The outside is designed with stainless steel casing, plastic underneath the machine and in the back we find the water tank. The water tank is kept warm by the metal top of the machine and it contains 61 ounces of water. Moreover the drip tray contains the accessory that comes with the machine. When the drip tray gets full the “empty me” sign will appear. The accessory that comes with the machine are 4 baskets. The baskets are two doubles and two singles with two non-pressurized and two pressurized and it also comes with a razor to clean the baskets easily. Also it comes with brush and scoop. The port filter is stainless steel which is an upgrade in this machine. Also in the inside there is a boiler and that’s a thermal coil for boiler and it has temperature stability. In fact, this machine boiler was built in PID to make more temperature stability. Also, In this machine there’s the ability to enter to the programming on the boiler temperature and it’s possible to take it up by 4 degrees up and 4 degrees down from the factory settings, so it’s in some way a controllable machine. Moreover, there’s a programmable buttons for the volume of coffee. Furthermore, there’s a steam button that makes hot water out the spout and steam by turning it into the left and the right. There are some machines who store steam in the top portion of the boiler but this one it makes steam at the moment and takes the water from the water tank.
2. DeLonghi ECAM22110SB Compact Automatic Cappuccino, Latte and Espresso Machine
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This is a fully automatic coffee machine that can make espressos, cappuccinos and café latte. This DeLonghi has the flexibility to customize drinks. At the top of the machine there’s a bean container with a cover that has been designed to conserve the aroma and there is a handy doll inside the container for adjusting the grind settings in which it can make coffee with different consistencies also it has a burr grinder. In addition to that, there is another chamber for using the pre-grounded coffee. In this machine there is a transparent water tank in which it can make it easy to notice that there is a shortage of water. The infuser behind the tank must be cleaned from time to time. In the front of the machine there is the drip tray. The machine contains coffee spouts and a steam which is used for frothing the milk and making other drinks. This DeLonghi espresso machine can produce an instant hot water and in this machine there are buttons that make one, double espressos or long coffee. Furthermore, the central dial is used to select the strength of the coffee, with more strength the machine will brew more beans to produce the strength selected. Also there is a button to run automatic rinsing and descaling cycles. On the top of that, the machine will remember the preferred size beverage setting. This machine has a beautiful compact design, it’s not big and it does not take much space in the kitchen.
Also Read: DeLonghi EC702
3. Gaggia Brera Super automatic Espresso Machine
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This Gaggia comes with both silver and black color and it’s very easy to use. First of all it has a ceramic bird grinder. In fact, ceramic bird grinder is considered one of the best grinders, also it has a grinder adjuster. The smallest is the best one for making good ground coffee. It also has a rapid steam that steams the milk very quickly. The system of brewing allows the choosing between light, medium and strong dosing options from 7 to 10. Drink volumes are fully programmable in this machine and it brews coffee in less than half a minute. Additionally, the judge door and the water reservoir are accessible directly from the front of the machine. The water reservoir can hold 41 ounces of water. This machine has the bearing which is the rapid steam technology. the process of grinding in this machine has a pre-infusion cycle ,it’s a free infusion and does the pressure brewing. The browser has a removable group, it’s easy to pull out and rinse under cold water. For maintenance purpose, the machine has an alert system when it’s necessary to descale and to remove the buildup in the boiler. In this machine there is an option to adjust the dosage which is the amount of beans being grounded and the water volume that’s going to brew through the beans. The machine does have a passive cup warmer and it heats the cup by using the heat that radiates from the internals of the machine. Also the machine remembers the settings used for making a coffee.
4. Saeco Philips Intelia Deluxe Espresso Machine
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This Saeco has a sleek case design. The bean grinder has five settings, a bypass dozer, two programmable buttons, the water volume and it can change the intensity of grinding. It has a large water reservoir and it has a trip tray with baffles wallet. This Espresso machine comes with decalcifying, brew unit lubricant, greater brush, a test trip for the water, a scoop for the bypass dozer and a tool for adjusting the grinder settings. This machine has a wiggle in the grinder to help beans get grounded easily. This machine can take a number of grammes that the grinder brews. This machine can program a lot of things and it can also produce hot water and hot milk. The menu of this machine can change the coffee temperature. Also, it can go on standby and it can change the water hardness and the water filter as well. Moreover, it has a cup warmer, a ceramic grinder which has 10 grinder settings and it holds ten point five ounces of beans and 53 ounces of water in the reservoir. It also has a warning light to tell when it’s out of the water and when is something wrong in the machine.
5. Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machine with Iron Frame and Stainless Steel Side Panels
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In this machine, they have changed a couple of things. On this latest version, they have changed the boiler. The heating element is different from the other boiler on their previous edition. the colour of this machine is stainless steel, and it’s a little more impervious to burning out. They haven’t changed the outside case; it’s still nice brush stainless steel. There is also in this machine three-way solenoid valve which takes the excess pressure and moisture off the brew head after pulling a shot. The port filter is the same on their commercial machines which is 58 millimeter chrome-plated with a brass porter filter. The port filter comes with a double and single basket. Also, there is a black flush disk and by sticking it into the single basket it covers the holes in the latter. It comes with three buttons, one for brewing, second for making hot water and the third is the steam button. This Rancilio can take the brewing to 200 degrees up to a steam temperature around 285 degrees. The water reservoir which is in the back of the machine and it held 67 ounces of water. For the design, this machine is in stainless steel and it’s not a big machine. This one has copper tubing that they use in their commercial espresso machines. The steam bar articulates in every direction. The drip tray has a laser film and it comes with plastic temper and a scoop.
6. Jura IMPRESSA C65 Automatic Coffee Machine, Platinum
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The Jura IMPRESSA works with a simple operation thanks to the one operating concept of the smart rotary switch. This machine can adjust the height of the coffee spout. In fact, the height of the coffee spout can be adjusted between 2.6 – 4.4 inches to allow any size of cup to be used. Also, it has fine foam frothier. Furthermore, its revolutionary fine foam technology ensures a unique quality of milk foam with a fine feature-light consistency. Moreover, this machine is a set of combination of striking lines, compact dimensions, high-quality materials and uncompromising workmanship. The coffee strength can be adjusted in every preparation. Also, it comes with a 15 bar high-performance pump. This espresso machine has a conical grinder which grounds the beans perfectly and keeps them fresh and energy save mode.
7. KRUPS EA8250 Espresseria Super Automatic Espresso Machine
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This machine is super automatic espresso maker with a grinder that adjusts settings for grinding. Also, it has an oily bean accessory. In fact, this accessory designed for the beans to not get stuck in the process of grinding. The 60 ounces water tank is removable with a cup warmer in the top of it. The brew unit does not come out in this machine instead there’s a cleaning tablet. Also, it comes with a water filter applicator and it comes with auto frother with a milk container. Moreover, it comes with a regular steam arm and the milk container can be attached to the steam bar. The milk container can be more practical in making more foam cappuccino and by turning the switch in the milk container it can make a latte. It has auto on and auto shut off, as a result, there is a clock built into it. This one can make strong espresso, coffee and long coffee. In addition to that, it has also a removable coffee cleaner. This Krups has a programmable coffee temperature and a timer to heat the machine before waking up. Furthermore, when making a coffee this machine can adjust the amount of water.
8. Phillips Saeco HD8645/47 Vapore Expresso Machine, X-Small
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This machine is very small for an espresso machine. One of the key features of this machine that is affordable and it’s only 13 inches tall. The bean hopper holds six and a half ounces of beans and with two programmable buttons in the front of the machine and by hitting one of the buttons in rapid succession it will grind and brew twice automatically. It also does steaming for milk to make cappuccinos and other drinks. The reservoir holds 33 ounces of water and this is not a big water tank. It has a morning light and another warning light for the drug box. The brew unit can be pulled out and cleaned once a week and it must be rinsed with hot water. After brewing an espresso the machine cools down automatically. It has also 100 % ceramic grinders for the better taste of espresso. In fact, this ceramic grinder never heats up. Furthermore, this machine has quick heat boiler which is super fast that allows the machine making an immediate brewing for every single cup of coffee. What makes this machine special because it has an automatic cleaning with vapour that can deliver a great, fresh taste of coffee.
9. Nespresso GCA1-US-CH-NE VertuoLine Coffee and Espresso Maker
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This Nespresso machine can make both single-serve coffee and espresso. This machine is the first in the world that makes both espresso an single-serve coffee. This machine comes with a tasting box of 8 capsules. Moreover, it has its own capsules. The tray has a unique design with a metal plate. In fact, this plate can move up, in order to allow the use of smaller mugs. removing the entire tray gives the ability to clean it and to use larger tumblers right underneath the brew basket. What’s very different in this machine is that the brewing apparatus is on the top. The place of brewing the capsules is in on the top of the machine. The capsule collection tray holds 14 spent capsules that are placed on the right side of the machine. Moreover, on the left side of the machine we found the water tank. This water tank holds 40 ounces of water. In this machine there’s no power button, actually it has a double button which means that it’s able to do two jobs at the same time that are brewing coffee and heating. Furthermore, this machine has a nine minute automatic shutoff built into it. This machine uses the central fusion technology and in the capsules there is a bar code, actually this bar code is going to be read by the virtual machine and to tell exactly how much water it should run through the capsule in order to brew the espresso.
10. Nespresso Citiz C111 Espresso Maker with Aeroccino Plus Milk Frother, Chrome
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Today we are reviewing one of the best espresso machines on the market which was awarded for the best compact design. This machine comes with 18 capsules, each one of them has a unique flavour of espresso. Moreover, it comes with a recipe book, and a manual showcasing. The first thing that comes to mind is the lightweight of the unit, which is basically 7.5 lb. The water reservoir is located on the back and it can hold up to 34 ounces of water. This machine has an impressive heating speed. This Nespresso machine can be operational in a matter of 25 seconds. The buttons are programmable that it can run a long or short brewing depending on your tastes.This Nespresso CitiZ has numerous accessories specially made for the making of latte and cappuccino and unprecedented efficiency and flavour. The unique 19 bar pump offers barista-style coffee. It can consistently extract the premium aromas of each capsule. Additionally, it is equipped with an automatic energy saving system that shuts down the machine after 9 to 30 minutes. The inactivity saves 60% of energy compared to traditional models.
Some Important Things To Consider Before Buying An Espresso Machine
Before you decide to dive in and buy an espresso machine be sure to look at the following features of the machines you are considering. The following are very important things to take into consideration:
Warranty
This is very important, especially for those who plan on brewing multiple espressos per day. Be sure to buy the extended warranty, or purchase a machine with a long manufacturer’s warranty.
Manufacturer
We really only recommend buying an espresso machine from a reputable manufacturer. There are a lot of knock off and discount machines out there that just aren’t worth it and come with many problems.
Customer Ratings
Look closely at reviews and customer reviews. These will help you decide on which machine is best for you and which machines are built well.
Customer Support- Let’s face it, any appliance can have problems. Be sure to purchase from a manufacturer that offers great support and replacement parts because you never know what can happen.
Date Released
This isn’t a huge deal, but things do change from time to time. The newer espresso machines have features and functions that older models just don’t. Take a look at the products release dates to make sure you’re not buying a discounted model that is missing important features that you may need.