Espresso Coffee Machine

Espresso is different to other types of coffee. It is the basis for several other ways of making coffee, such as a cappuccino, but is radically different from filter coffee for example. Not only is the basic process completely different, the best coffee and grinding is different also. Take a French Press as an example. You do not want to be using very finely ground espresso beans to make coffee in a French Press.

A typical espresso coffee machine will differ from French Press and filter coffees in one major way – the water is forced through tightly packed coffee grounds as opposed to either dripped through in the case of filter coffee or immersed in, in the case of a French Press.

This results in a unique texture that actually varies from maker to maker. There are several different types of espresso coffee machines, although the basic premise is the same. Hot water or steam forced through tightly packed coffee grounds. The most basic machine is a stove top maker that boils water in a small cylinder and the steam from the water percolates up through a holder where the coffee grounds sit and then cascades over the top into another container where the coffee is collected.

This is the simplest type of espresso machine, and any other machines will just use a more sophisticated way of forcing the water through the coffee, although usually they work in the opposite direction and the coffee is then allowed to flow out using gravity. i.e. downwards instead of up as this stove top machine does.

Most machines use a pressurized water pump to force the water through, although some, like the La Pavoni EPBB-8 Europiccola, use a hand driven piston. This is my personal preference as it allows a great degree of control over the pressure. It does mean a lot of extra work and experimentation though. So – if you are a fan of quick and easy, this is probably not a machine for you.

Espresso is a very personal choice as far as taste goes, and there are a million ways to make it, all with subtle differences depending on the beans used, the fine-ness of the grind, what machine was used to grind the beans, how long they were roasted for and of course, which espresso coffee machine was used to make the shot. Every one makes their own personal preference, but for variety, I always keep a stove top maker next to my La Pavoni. Some of the Commercial Espresso Machines might do a better job, but I doubt it.