Best Espresso Machines

[admin]

The best machines for making espresso, cappuccino and lattes.

Best Espresso Machines: Read more

 

[Wisdawn]

Thank you for this guide but I think that there's a serious drawback to the approach of the review itself here, and that is it completely ignores the espresso machine's microfoam-milk capabilities. This could be because the reviewer(s) are connoisseurs who enjoy straight espresso rather than white coffee, or for some other reason. And I, for example, enjoy straight espresso but I also like to entertain family or guests -- even myself -- with a good latte or cappuccino sometimes, and I've learned that the pressure must be good enough and the spout must look a certain way, like a professional espresso machine's spout, just a stainless steel thin pipe, to be able to produce milk with microfoam. I would be very interested in reading another espresso-machine review from Tom's Guide, which includes the microfoam-milk capabilities of all the espresso machines and sorts them also by the relevant order. I'm interested in knowing, for example, the cheapest espresso machine out there today that has true manual microfoam-milk capabilities, in the right hands, of course. And thanks again.

 

[Rob In Boston]

Regarding the Breville Oracle Touch. It makes amazing coffee but it is amazingly fragile for a machine at this price point. I've had mine for 2 years and I've had to send it back 4 times for repairs and/or replacement. I would never recommend this machine.

 

[TomGuided]

An article that says you can make good espresso from a Nespresso machine is not well informed. And not even mentioning the grinder is a huge mistake.

Good espresso requires three things only:

1. Freshly-roasted coffee (4 to 21 days from roast date), which is correctly ground right before making the espresso. No cafe anywhere pre-grinds espresso.
2. Clean water
3. Nine bars of pressure at 197-201 degrees F

The review doesn’t even mention grinding, which is more important than the espresso maker. There’s no paper filter with espresso; the coffee itself is the filter and it needs to be very finely and consistently ground for a good espresso. It’s the consistency part that makes a good grinder so critical. At a minimum, get a Baratza Sette 270 grinder, or for faster work, their 270w, which precisely weighs each dose. There is a family of grinders called DF64 which are even better.

As for the machine, the newest Breville Bambino is excellent, or, ideally, the Breville Dual Boiler (not the Oracle) is fantastic. Paired with a good grinder, fresh espresso beans and a scale, and your espresso can rival (and usually beat) any cafe. The Dual Boiler model will do a better job, especially at milk steaming.

Workflow takes time to learn, and goes something like this:
Weight 17 grams of beans
Grind them
Distribute and tamp them into the portafilter
Put your cup on a scale and make the shot
Aim for 17 x 2, or 34 grams of espresso, delivered in 25 to 30 seconds
If you get 34 grams in less than 25 seconds, make the grind setting finer
If you get 34 grams in more than 30 seconds, make your grind setting coarser
Once you land in the 34g in 25-30s zone, your beans are “dialed in,” although you can now adjust to taste from this reference.
Steam milk, pour a beautiful swan or flower design, and drink.