May 22 2024
KitchenAid’s espresso lineup has become much more interesting than it used to be. The brand now offers everything from relatively straightforward semi-automatic espresso machines with traditional portafilters and steam wands to sophisticated fully automatic bean-to-cup machines that grind the coffee, brew the espresso, and prepare milk at the touch of a button. There are even …
May 21 2024
Manual espresso machines strip espresso brewing back to its essentials: coffee, hot water, pressure, and your own hands. Instead of an electric pump automatically creating brewing pressure, a lever lets you control what happens during extraction. On the simplest machines, you supply hot water from a kettle and physically press the shot yourself. Traditional boiler-equipped …
May 20 2024
Philips makes choosing a fully automatic espresso machine look simple—until you start comparing the 2300, 3300, 4400, and 5500 Series. At first glance, the machines look remarkably similar. All four can grind whole coffee beans, automatically brew espresso, and use Philips’ LatteGo milk system to make milk-based drinks without requiring you to operate a steam …
May 18 2024
Gaggia is unusual among espresso-machine brands because it serves two very different kinds of coffee drinker. On one side is the Gaggia Classic family: traditional semi-automatic machines built around a portafilter, manual milk steaming, and hands-on espresso preparation. The current Classic Pro E24 is the latest version of a machine that has become a favorite …
May 17 2024
You do not have to spend $1,000—or even $500—to start making genuinely good espresso at home. The budget espresso-machine category has improved dramatically. Today’s affordable machines can offer fast heating systems, low-pressure pre-infusion, proper espresso extraction pressure, manual or automatic milk steaming, programmable shot volumes, temperature controls, pressure gauges, and even dedicated iced-coffee functions. But …
May 16 2024
A good espresso machine doesn’t need to take over your kitchen counter. For apartment kitchens, small coffee stations, RVs, offices, and homes where counter space is already crowded with appliances, a compact espresso machine can provide much of the functionality of a larger machine in a footprint only five or six inches wide. But dimensions …
May 15 2024
The Breville Barista Express has been one of the most recognizable home espresso machines for years. Its appeal is easy to understand. Instead of buying an espresso machine and grinder separately, the Barista Express combines a conical burr grinder, 54 mm portafilter, pressure gauge, PID-controlled Thermocoil heating system, manual steam wand, and hot-water dispenser into …
May 14 2024
Choosing the best Nespresso machine starts with a decision that is more important than the machine itself: Original or Vertuo? Nespresso operates two separate capsule systems, and their capsules are not interchangeable. Original machines concentrate primarily on traditional espresso-sized drinks, while Vertuo machines expand the concept to include everything from single espresso to full-size cups …
May 13 2024
A clean Breville espresso machine doesn’t just look better on the counter. Regular maintenance helps protect coffee flavor, keeps the steam wand working properly, prevents coffee oils from accumulating in the brewing system, and reduces problems caused by mineral scale. The confusing part is that “cleaning your Breville” can mean several completely different things. You …
May 05 2024
Ascaso occupies an interesting place in the home espresso market. The Barcelona-based company combines distinctive European design with serious home-barista features such as professional 58 mm portafilters, PID temperature control, programmable pre-infusion, adjustable brewing parameters, stainless-steel components, and fast-heating thermoblock technology. Unlike many traditional prosumer espresso machines that rely on large boilers and long warm-up …
