If you're considering buying an espresso machine, you may be wondering if you can save money by purchasing an electrical steam machine, but still get the same great espresso taste you have come to love at your local coffee shop.
In all honesty, the answer is, probably not, but you may still find that a steam "espresso machine" is good enough for what you really want.
The question is, do you really want an espresso machine, or are you really just interested in a strong cup of coffee at home?
If you know what you want and what you're purchasing, one of the small, electrical steam machines may suit you just fine. But you need to know the differences in the types of machines so that you can make the best decision for your needs.
The first thing you need to understand is how to brew real espresso. To get real espresso, you force near-boiling water at high pressure through tightly-packed coffee grounds. The pressure and temperature are important.
For real espresso, you need a pressure of at least 9 to 10 bars (also called atmospheres). More pressure than this is not necessary, but less pressure will not create the espresso flavor you get at a coffee house.
And the water must be near-boiling but not boiling, or it will scald the coffee.
Because steam espresso makers use steam to force the water through the grounds, they do not produce enough pressure (almost never more than three bars and often as little as 1 bar), and the water is too hot when it hits the grounds, making the coffee taste more bitter than real espresso. However, if you want a strong cup of coffee and you like what you get from these cheaper (under $75 or $100) machines, this may be exactly what you're looking for.
Manual, or piston, espresso machines, are another option, and give you a great deal of control over your espresso, but they require you to learn how to "pull" a shot by controlling the timing and pulling the lever exactly right. If you're interested in investing the time and effort, you may want to investigate a piston espresso machine, but this is not the best choice for most home espresso machine buyers.
You will probably be more interested in a pump espresso machine, which heats the water to the right temperature and then pumps it through the area with the pressure of the case, the expression of a perfect cup of espresso every time.
The real question is, when you say "espresso machine, you want a true specialty coffee, espresso, make it real, or are you just interested in a cup of coffee to wake up in the morning? In the latter case, a good market electric "steam espresso machine is more than enough. But if you're really interested>espresso, you should invest in a pump espresso machine to get the quality you want and need. You will be disappointed with a steam machine.
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