as a coffee trainer my friends and family are always asking me what machine should i buy for
home in truth there are a lot of good espresso machines out there but what's more important
is understanding what type of machine is going to work best for you so rather than telling you
to buy a specific model today i'm going to give you a quick overview on the different types of
home espresso machines on the market their pros and cons so you can find the best option for you
let's start with the simplest option on our list pod machines for many people a pod
machine is their very first venture into making espresso coffee at home it's not hard to see why
they're incredibly quick the equipment is cheap and the process is virtually impossible
to screw up without a doubt the granddaddy of pod systems is Nespresso armed with a killer celebrity
endorsement the original Nespresso system took over the world with its tiny space-age cylinders.
When Nestle's patent ran out in 2011 other coffee roasters started making third-party pods for the
system ourselves included while it's hard to deny the convenience of pods there are some downsides
the first is quantity of coffee the classic Nespresso pods typically hold less than six
grams of coffee compare that with a dose of 20 grams or more that is often used in modern cafes
and the problem is pretty clear it's hard to get enough strength particularly if you like
drinking coffee with milk some pod systems have a higher dose of coffee but they all tend to
be a little on the weak side compared to other equipment on our list the next downside is cost
yes the machines are pretty cheap to buy but this is outweighed by the cost of the coffee
particularly if we compare it on a per gram basis what's more with most pod systems you're also
locked into buying a specific brand of coffee with the exception of the original Nespresso system
other coffee roasters aren't allowed to make pods for most of these systems including the newer
Nespresso Vertuo format so you are limited in the range of coffee you can use with these machines
the final downside is waste most pod systems now have recycling programs while others
will use biodegradable plastics but they both require special facilities to process the waste
so you need to factor in that extra effort to collect your pods and send them back
to prevent this from becoming landfill the next category is what i'm calling manual espresso
these range from traditional stove top espresso makers like the classic Italian Moka pot to
compact camping espresso makers through to minimalist lever machines like the Flair.
This category is a pretty diverse mix of devices but they're all great for
someone who likes to be involved in the process of making coffee in this way
these machines are the complete opposite to a pod machine they give you control over how
to brew the coffee the coffee you use and in most cases you don't even need to plug them in
they can also be quite affordable you can pick up a stovetop Moka pot for as little as $25
check your local thrift shop you might even get it cheaper while simple lever espresso machines like
the Flair range from around $200 all the way up to almost a thousand dollars for the top spec version
a machine like this can make espresso that tastes as good as even the most expensive
equipment on this list so don't discount them and you'll definitely look like a coffee
pro when you whip out one of these at your next dinner party so if you're someone who
drinks espresso straight up and appreciates the minimalist approach to coffee making
then this style of machine can be a great choice of course the most obvious downside is convenience
particularly if you just want to roll out of bed and get some caffeine as quickly as possible
also if you're a milk coffee drinker then you'll need to get a separate milk steamer of some sort
and there's also the other accessory you'll need with any manual espresso maker a grinder before we
move on i should briefly mention the Aeropress many people would normally include in this
category but we have left it out that's because despite what it says on the box it doesn't really
make espresso the way we define it don't get me wrong it's a great brewer which can make fantastic
coffee but i'll talk more about it next time next is the most popular category on this list
the small home espresso machine. Cheap electric espresso machines haven't always been a great
choice but times they have a-changed. Go into any home appliance shop and you'll typically see
a wall of these machines with popular brands like Breville Delonghi and Gaggia. To save space some
models have a grinder built in while others will sell the grinder as a separate appliance while
this type of machine is not quite as convenient as a pod machine or a fully automatic machine
they are still pretty quick and easy once you've got everything dialed in and unlike a pod machine
you'll have the benefit of buying whatever coffee you like and adjusting the way you brew it that's
why they're a good choice for so many people because this category strikes a good balance
between convenience cost and quality they don't win in any one category but they do
all of them pretty well there are a couple of downsides with this machine in this price range
the first is that the pump in this type of machine is really noisy this is due to the
vibrating pump that they use to create water and steam pressure vibrating pumps help keep the size
and the cost of the machine down but they are much noisier than rotary pumps found in high
end home and commercial machines the next downside is speed while these machines are pretty quick to
heat up they will take much longer to steam milk than larger machines with a dedicated boiler
this can be a problem if you're trying to make coffee for a group of people or if you just like
big cups for the machines at the cheaper end of the scale this is made worse because they only
have a single heating element what is known as a thermoblock this means you can't brew coffee and
steam milk at the same time if you're willing to spend more you can get machines with two
thermoblocks like the Breville Dual Boiler or the Delonghi la Specialista Maestro this means
you can move more quickly from brewing espresso to steaming milk or do both at the same time
which can really help speed things up if you're making coffee for a few people or you just want
to drink a lot of coffee all at once i don't know up to you there's also one other thing to be aware
of the filter baskets while they look similar to baskets found in more expensive machines
these machines usually come with what is known as a pressurized basket pressurized baskets have
a double layer design designed to be more forgiving of incorrect grind settings and
older coffee that might be a good thing if you're looking for close enough is good enough result but
for those who want to get the absolute best out of their coffee then a non-pressurized basket is
generally best fully automatic machines work like a futuristic dream from the 50s throw coffee beans
in at the top press a button coffee comes out the bottom all that pesky messy manual coffee making
process is handled for you inside the machine some models this automation is limited to espresso only
while others automate the milk steaming and pour it into the cup like a mini version of machines
you see in convenience stores or hotel restaurants in this way fully automatic machines are suited to
a similar audience like a pod machine someone who doesn't want to be involved in the process
and would rather avoid the mess and the hassle of you know actually making coffee
the key difference from a pod machine is that you can choose whatever coffee you want to use and
you have some control over the brewing parameters this can be a plus if you have a number of people
using the machine and can't teach them all at once how to use it like in a small office environment
the quality of coffee you can make from automated machines has improved over the years but still not
at a level it can compete with what's possible from a manual machine at least not in this price
range another disadvantage to automatic machines is cost the better brands in this category can
cost up to four thousand dollars and finally cleaning and maintenance the grinder the brew
chamber and milk lines on automatic machines need to be cleaned obsessively to keep them working
and tasting right that's partly because a simple blockage can bring the whole system down thanks to
all the extra parts needed to make the automated system work finally the machine that every home
coffee nerd dreams of the high-end manual machine these are the italian sport cars of the coffee
world ranging from around 2500 up to about seven thousand dollars for machines like this
La Marzocco Linea Mini or the Dalla Corte Studio you typically won't find these machines at your
local electrical retailer instead they're usually available through specialist coffee suppliers and
that's because they're made by the same companies that make the commercial machines you see in cafes
practically these machines work in a very similar way to the cheaper electric espresso machines but
if you take off the panels the difference becomes a little more obvious unlike tiny thermoblock
systems found in cheaper machines the machines have a traditional boiler to heat the water and
create the steam a boiler is great for maintaining a big stable mass of hot water for brewing and
nearly an unlimited supply of steam pressure the capacity is great if you need to make coffee for
a few people or even the whole office or maybe the next door office i don't know also many of
these high-end machines have another advantage a rotary pump a rotary pump is much quieter than
the tiny vibrating pumps found in cheaper machines they're also really easy to adjust if you want to
tweak the blue pressure on your machine because of the commercial design of these machines there are
a huge number of ways you can customize if you want to try different baskets just drop them in
if you want a naked handle go for it adjust the brew temperature do it the obvious downside is
going to be price but there are always a few other drawbacks that you need to consider the first
is the time it takes to heat up unlike a cheaper thermoblock machine that can get up to temperature
in seconds hitting up a boiler can take close to half an hour before it's even ready to make coffee
that's not a big deal if you plan to use it all day but it can be a real pain if you want to make
a quick coffee before you run out the door what's more the extra power needed to heat a boiler full
of water also adds to your power bill just so you know also most machines in this category have
manual brewing controls which simply means that you need some way to measure the shot volumes if
you want to get consistent results for most home baristas the best option is to use a digital scale
not a big deal if you're used to brewing this way but it's worth knowing if you've
only used automatic machines in the past of course shelling out seven thousand dollars for a machine
along with coffee scales a tamp and all the other accessories isn't going to mean a thing unless you
get a good quality grinder to go with it if you want to find out more about any of the equipment
in this video i'll link to a few of these machines i mentioned down in the description of course once
you've got a shiny new espresso machine you'll need to know how to get the best out of it
and that's why you should definitely click on this video right here to make sure you don't make some
of the most common home espresso mistakes that we hear of until next time stay stoked