Choosing My Espresso Machine (INeedCoffee.com)

Choosing My Espresso Machine

Note: This article was written using Singapore Dollars. Beside each is the US Dollar equivalent as of September 2006. Currency conversion was done at x-rates.com.

If you're now reading this article just to get a quick guide on choosing a coffee/espresso machine, jump to the conclusion at the end. Or if you want to know more so that you can make a more informed decision, then I hope the following paragraphs can be of some help.

The range of home espresso machines is enormous, judging from the price, amount of automation and the number of brands available in the market. Price can range from more than S$100 (USD $63) to as high as a few thousands dollar, mainly dependent on the internal design & components that have direct impact on the end quality of the cup, the capacity of coffee the machine can churn out and also on the complexity/automation built-in that determines the ease of use and the functionalities. Until now, in general, espresso machines costing less than S$1000 (USD $630) are entry-level consumer machines suitable for first time coffee drinkers who want to own an espresso machine with a small budget, and make their own coffee or espresso with lower priority on the cup quality.

So, what factors contribute to a prosumer or semi-professional home espresso machine?

On a macro level, home espresso machines are categorized into manual, semi-automatic and fully-automatic machines. Manual machines are the first espresso machines made during the founding era of espresso machine. They are beautiful with classic design that will definitely be an attraction or a piece of art or decoration at home. Usually made with a chrome or brass or copper body, they are real hot in literal sense, when the machine is turned on, because there isn’t much insulation to the boiler. Furthermore, among the 3 categories of machines, these manual beauties need to be tamed, that is, they are the most difficult to use because the pressure of pulling an ideal shot is directly dependent of how fast or slow you pull the shot. As such, these machines are either for skilled baristas or the purists (who go for the original stuff) or those who want a rewarding challenge. Finally, good look doesn’t come cheap, and especially when she needs to be tamed, do not expect consistent treatment (ie. cup quality) every time.

On the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of the amount of automation, the fully automatic represents the today’s society – pragmatic, time-to-delivery, fuss-free, multi-functional, complicated yet straight-forward, and with polished, masculine and occasional futuristic look. To put it simply, such machines are usually all-in-one coffee machines capable of making espresso, coffee, café crema, latte, cappuccino, and a wide range of other gourmet coffee beverages. And they are easy to use with one button operation, easy to clean or even comes with self-cleaning feature whereby you only need to drop in a cleaning tablet and the machine takes over the entire cleaning process. Cool, right? Coffee bean grinder also comes as an integrated package, which is one big advantage over separate maker and grinder combination because it will minimize the amount of oxidation exposed to the coffee grounds. In terms of controls, you can usually set the ground dosage or coffee strength, temperature and cup volume (by the ounces or milliliters), all within the control panel that is user-friendly. There is basically zero dependency from user aspect, hence, making a cup of coffee is a breeze. However, fully-automatic home machines also have their cons. First, they are easily priced above S$1000 (USD $630) even for the entry-level machines. Next, the current technology at the S$1000-S$3000 (USD $630 - $1890) price range is not able to produce quality espresso as compared to the semi-automatic and automatic machines. In terms of coffee or café crema, fortunately, these machines are capable of making decent cups consistently. But when it comes to espresso, the crema created from the built-in mechanism in the fully automatic machine is not the true reddish-brown, tiger-striped crema that genuinely ooze through the portafilter of the semi-automatic machines, that reflects the freshness of the coffee beans. (Ok, let’s assume that robusta does not play a part in this description). Contrary to the advantage of having an integrated coffee grinder, the heat generated from the boiler within the same enclosure tends to also warm up the coffee beans in the hopper, thus affecting the lifespan of the roasted beans. Due to the compactness of such machines, the burr size in the grinder is also smaller (than the dedicated semi-professional grinders) so as to fit well under a reasonable production cost. Note: the bean hopper in the fully automatic commercial machine is usually located above the main casing of the machine, so the heat is not so much affected as compared to fully automatic home espresso machine. Finally, the quality of cleaning or self-cleaning function of these machines is questionable for the purist of coffee lovers.

Depending on the priorities, the fully automatic machines may suit the busy executives who weigh convenience over quality and prefer coffee to espresso. Sturdy, good-looking and all-in-one coffee makers fit the bill.

Semi-automatic espresso machines compromise on the convenience to achieve excellent espresso as compared to the manual and fully automatic machines. Similar to the manual machine, the semi-automatic dudes use a portafilter to hold the coffee grounds, and that’s where the similarity ends. Semi-automatic machine uses electric pump to create consistent pressure on the coffee cake, rather than relying on the arm’s strength. Stable water temperature is achieved through a heat-exchanger head unit that constantly heat up the brewing head via a constant flow of hot water across a built-in pipe/vessel. Alternatively, dedicated boilers for water and steam are employed, but this approach is more expensive as compared to the heat exchanger design. The third method, and also the latest in terms of technology, is the use of PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) to control the temperature fluctuation to a variance of 1 to 2 degree Celsius or Fahrenheit. This is by far the most advanced in espresso machines, and it is available in both commercial and home machines. In terms of brew quality, semi-automatic machine is the best, but at a price. More variables are found here: grinding, tamping, dosing, and timing are some of the most important skills required to produce a quality cup. Consistency is possible through practice. Another disadvantage of semi-automatic machine is the cleaning process. As a rule of thumb, cleaning ritual has to be followed in order to fully reaped the benefits of the machine, which otherwise the coffee stains build-up will produce a rancid taste, and all the effort in perfecting the variables will go down the drain.

Again, semi-automatic espresso machines are meant for purists or coffee lovers with a passion where quality and consistency are the keywords when it comes to selecting the machines. Beauty, a very subjective word, depends on the taste of the individuals, especially when these machines can either come in a classic or modern design. With a price tag that is comparable to the fully automatic machines, the underlying determinant boils down to quality versus convenience. Personally, I will go for quality because it is with such machines that you can truly uncover and savor the complex and wide range of flavors and aromas of the different origins and blends of coffee.

Note: Semi-automatic and automatic espresso machines differs only in terms of the volumetric control in automatic machines that allow users to pre-programmed the volume of the single and double cup.

On a micro level, regardless of the category of machines, below is a list of requirements that differentiates between a basic and a prosumer espresso machine.

Portafilter and filter-basket - This should be made of solid brass to maintain temperature stability. Optimum extraction is achieved through a number of variables, with one of these being the width/diameter of the filter basket. As in most commercial espresso machines, the width/diameter should be around 58mm.
Head unit - A standard component of a prosumer or semi-professional machine comes with a heat exchanger heat unit to maintain stable temperature of the outflow water to the shower screen. Another feature of a prosumer machine is pre- infusion. When the brew button is activated, pre-infusion will initially spray water onto the coffee cake, pause for about a second and then continue with the extraction. This initial pump with a short pause provides a short soaking effect of the grounds that allows release of more flavor before the full pressure extraction.
Number of boiler and its size. Some commercial machines have 2 boilers for hot water and steam, so as to keep pace with the volume demanded in a café or restaurant as well as to handle both independently, while others have a single but large boiler to accommodate both water and steam. In order to keep the production cost of home espresso machine low, however, single small boiler is used with either 2 thermostats or with heat exchanger. This gives rise to a lag in producing sufficient steam immediately after brewing a cup.
Vibratory versus Rotary pump. Most commercial espresso machines use rotary pump, while most home espresso machines use vibratory pump. Technically, the water source of espresso machine using rotary pump is piped-in, that is, water is drawn directly from the water tap that is connected to the machine. Such setup is commonly used in a café or restaurant environment for practical reason whereby the barista do not have to refill the water tank in the espresso machine if the latter is standalone. At home, we obviously do not make a lot of coffee and simply want to place our coffee machine anywhere in our house, without the need for any plumbing work. Thus the vibratory pump is employed such that water is drawn from a usually removal container/tank. User only need to refill the tank when the water level runs low, alerted via an indicator on the front panel of the machine. From the usage point of view, the vibratory pump is usually noisier than a rotary pump, but only for a short period of time when the pump is activated, first when the machine is switched on, and whenever the brew is activated or the temperature in the boiler is low, as controlled by the thermostat. In term of the quality of espresso or café crema, the rotary pump machine tends to produce a smoother crema, whereas the vibratory pump machine gives more bite. Price-wise, the rotary pump including the piping will cost more. If rotary pump machine is requested, then an external pump will be need to required to create a positive inlet pressure, and this pump will also be connected to a water container/canister.

So, in conclusion…

So, as you can see, there is a always a machine that caters to the need of every coffee drinker, be it you are a coffee aficionado or a connoisseur, or just one who wants a fresh and decent wakeup coffee. To summarize, here is a table that hopefully can help you to choose a coffee or espresso machine without getting technical.

The following keywords are graded from 1 to 3 with 3 being most important, 2 as average and 1 being least important. Based on the combination of keywords and their relative importance, the recommended type of machine is given on the right-most column.

Convenience, Hassle-free, Ease of Maintenance	Quality of Espresso	Quality of coffee, cafe crema, or americano	Aesthetics	Our suggestion
3	1	1	2	Fully- Automatic
2	2	2	2	Fully- or Semi-automatic
1	2	2	3	Manual
3	1	3	2	Fully-automatic
1	3	3	2 or 3	Semi-Automatic

In general, if convenience and ease of maintenance is of top priority, then the fully automatic machine is the perfect match, but do not expect the best espresso from such machines. Decent coffee or café crema with “simulated” crema can be churned out, though. If coffee passion is what you’re after, and the quality of espresso in particular is critical, then go for the semi-automatics. Your espresso and coffee brewed from these machines can even be better than those sold in café or restaurants, with guidance and practice. Finally, if you’re of the retro-type and admire great beauty, then you will likely fall in love with the manual lever type espresso machines. Simply put, it is a compromise between quality and convenience within the same price range.

From the above table, you may find that there isn’t one combination that completely suits your requirement. I supposed you’re looking for a 3 in all the keywords, or something along the line. Unfortunately, life is always full of compromises and you cannot have the best of both worlds.

Note: You may come across some websites that mention about super-automatic machines. This is equivalent to our fully automatic machine. The words “fully automatic”, in such websites in conjunction with “super-automatic”, is basically equals to semi-automatic machine plus an electronic dosage control panel, that allows user to pre-program the dosage of coffee usually by timing. In The QARR Coffee, we term machines with and without this control panel as semi-automatic machine. A clear distinction between semi and fully automatic machines is the portafilter used in semi-automatic machine. Fully automatic machines do not require a portafilter, thus tamping is not required at all.

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Choosing My Espresso Machine

So, in conclusion…