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Espresso is a very important panacea for freshly roasted coffee and steamed milk. It can help people start a new day and is the mainstay of European and American cafe culture. But when the pandemic mixed a bag of bad beans into the mixture and sent so many people home, interest in home espresso machines has surged in the past year and a half.
To help you get the best cafe experience at home, we tested 20 different home espresso machines in six weeks, with prices ranging from US$100 to US$1,700, with varying feature sets, performance, technology, and manufacturing quality . However, after drinking more than 20 pounds of coffee and brewing hundreds of times, we found the best machine for extracting, producing crema, and frothing milk, which is worth the money.
If you want to make real espresso drinks at home but have a limited budget, just a little practice, De’Longhi Stilosa will provide you with delicious coffee and steamed milk.
Breville Bambino Plus eliminates the guesswork of high-quality espresso and has an automatic function to help you complete every step of the process of making coffee-quality beverages.
As the latest update designed 30 years ago, Gaggia Classic Pro does not have as many automatic functions as some more modern machines, but there is no better machine to learn the skills of baristas. It can make great espresso and milk drinks.
If you don’t have a grinder or prefer an all-in-one, Breville Barista Pro has the same excellent automatic features as Bambino Plus, plus a premium grinder and more programmability.
ECM Casa V is beautifully designed and built like a jar. It is very suitable for serious enthusiasts looking for luxury machines. It is a traditional single boiler machine that should be used for many years and will provide you with cafe-quality espresso and steam along the way. milk.
If you want to make a lot of milk beverages, Rancilio Silvia Pro is an upgraded and well-designed version of the classic design. It has two boilers. Whether you want espresso or latte, you can use it at any time.
If you can enjoy an espresso drink at the touch of a button, Philips 3200 can do all the work for you, from grinding to steaming milk without any additional work. It is always ready to provide quality espresso, latte or cappuccino.
De’Longhi Stilosa sells for less than $100 and is a machine you should consider when you want a real espresso drink at home and need to spend as little money as possible. This is a powerful machine, although it requires some skill and practice to get the best results-you need to grind the coffee to the powder level (all espresso machines need to be paired with a good grinder) and make sure you mash it properly Reality.
Even with a lot of espresso experience, when we got the hang of Stilosa, we threw away about 12 cups. The machine will quickly heat up and be ready to start in about a minute, but you need to start the pump to get the water through the system before pulling the first shot. But once we are familiar with this machine, we can easily take satisfactory photos. These beverages do not reach the level of our more sophisticated and more comprehensive recommendations (such as Bambino Plus or Gaggia Classic), but again, this is a reliable product with a good value for money.
To make the milk froth, you need another 15 or 20 seconds to enter the steam mode. For basic milk beverages, it does a good job, but you will not be able to produce microbubbles with the artistic quality of latte.
Stilosa is great for people who occasionally drink an espresso or only one in the morning, but it is not as robust as more expensive machines. In the long run, its plastic structure is unlikely to remain the same. Once worn, it may not be worth replacing or repairing the pump (vibrating pumps may wear out due to heavy use in just a few years) as you may be in a more expensive machine superior.
Stilosa also uses a non-standard double-wall pressurized hand-held filter designed to allow you to use pre-ground or coarsely ground coffee, but it can be difficult and cumbersome to tamping and clean up with a lightweight, plastic-provided rammer, so You will want a straight edge to flatten it, such as the flat end of a knife. The plastic stamp that comes with it is very fragile and difficult to compress your coffee puck.
If you have a limited budget or just want to explore the idea of home espresso, then Stilosa is a reasonable purchase option that can make great coffee if it can’t last a lifetime. If you can’t find Stilosa, the Capresso EC is a very similar machine with almost the same build quality and performance, and frankly, it is difficult for us to decide between the two. We give De’Longhi an advantage because it has a longer warranty: two years longer than Capresso’s warranty.
Bambino Plus is Breville’s entry-level compact espresso machine. With its fast start-up, automated functions and robust manufacturing quality, it is a great choice for beginners who want to get high-quality espresso drinks without practice or guesswork. Good choice. Within this price range, other machines of similar manufacturing quality cannot provide the same amount of digital control or convenience as Bambino Plus.
Bambino Plus combines many of the features Breville uses on its more expensive and larger machines, so you can easily control a lot of your lens. What’s more important for many users is that its “ThermoJet” thermal coil heats up in just three seconds, so you can almost immediately prepare to shoot after turning it on. Many traditional espresso machines require 10 minutes or more to reach temperature.
The built-in PID control keeps the temperature accurate, and you can select and program the injection temperature and time. In addition, the process is automated; you only need to press a button and the machine will pull the lens according to predefined settings. Everything on the machine is digitally operated via illuminated buttons on the front panel-even without a dedicated power switch.
With the correct coffee powder grinding, we found that when using the supplied non-pressurized basket, this machine can extract above-average espresso and has a good crema. The integrated milk frother with adjustable stick (upper and lower only) is suitable for lattes and cappuccinos. If you want to make tea with it, it also has a hot water setting. However, we strive to achieve the real cafe-quality microfoam that the company claims in its literature, at least when we have the machine.
The reservoir is medium in size and easy to disassemble; it can be lifted easily, but if the machine is flush with the kitchen wall, it must be rotated before it can be used. It comes with a lightweight, non-calibrated, non-standard 54 mm tamper, which can be replaced for about $35, but there are third-party alternatives. The drip tray is easy to disassemble and clean, but it is small and easy to overflow, which is a typical feature of compact models. This means you need to remove and clean it after every two shots. If you want to produce the powder-grade grinding required for the best performance, you also need a decent grinder to pair with the machine.
Bambino is stylishly designed and has a variety of finishes to choose from to match your kitchen decoration, but like most Breville appliances, it is not as user-friendly as traditional machines like Gaggia Classic, which are easy to repair (or upgrade). Use standard tools at home.
In other words, if something goes wrong, based on our experience, Breville’s customer service is excellent and easy to cooperate, and Bambino Plus provides an extended warranty. Generally, if you encounter a machine problem, Breville can repair it or replace the refurbished model at a significant discount.
The price of the Bambino Plus is similar to that of the Gaggia Classic that we also recommend, but it is a very different machine. Gaggia uses traditional design and full analog control, suitable for those who are interested in espresso as a hobby. Breville Bambino Plus has a fast heating hot coil design and digital convenience, designed for those who don’t want to develop barista skills, but just want to easily obtain high-quality espresso drinks-and it is exactly that.
Gaggia Classic Pro is the home espresso machine for traditionalists and has become the gateway to serious coffee hobbies for many espresso lovers. Gaggia’s manufacturing method is very similar to that of the past thirty years: no advanced electronics, three plastic rocker switches for control (on/off, pull/pump and steam mode). The manual steam valve is operated by a plastic knob, and you can control the steam level by opening and closing.
This is a very different experience from Breville Bambino Plus-it requires more effort, but if you put in effort, you can get better results, and if you are the kind of person who really likes fine-tuning recipes, it might be a good fit you. Gaggia is a semi-automatic machine, so you can manually control the length of the shot-there is no programmability at all.
You must learn something about pulling espresso to use Gaggia effectively, but once you hone your home barista skills, you will find that simple design and controls will give you maximum control over your coffee making experience , It can make excellent coffee drinks. It will let you feel the variables of espresso brewing-temperature, grind and pressure-which are not available to automatic devices such as Bambino Plus.
We recommend that you use Classic Pro for a while, and then decide if you need something more complicated. For many people, this will be the only home espresso machine they need-I know some people have had them for more than 20 years and have done nothing more than replace the filter basket, or in rare cases, A PID has been added for more precise temperature control. Since it has been around for a long time, spare parts and upgrade kits are easy to obtain, and Gaggia is very simple to operate, and you can use daily tools for repairs and modifications.
We really hesitate to recommend Gaggia Classic or its long-term competitor Rancilio Silvia M V6. Frankly speaking, both are great machines. Gaggia is the Fiat of the home espresso machine world, while its long-term rival Silvia is the slightly more upscale and sportier Alfa Romeo.
The Gaggia Classic Pro has a 3.5-ounce aluminum boiler with external heating elements, while Rancilio’s 12-ounce brass boiler is equipped with internal heating elements. The power of Gaggia is 1,425 watts, and the power of Rancilio is 952 watts. For novice users, we give Gaggia an advantage because it has more power and smaller volume, and can reach steam temperature faster. And its cost is more than 300 dollars lower.
From a mechanical point of view, Bambino Plus and Barista Pro are almost identical, and they produce similar espresso grades. However, Barista Pro adds a grinder. If you don’t have a good grinder, it can save you at least $200, which makes this machine a good choice overall.
With the integrated grinder and fast ThermoJet heating system (the same as used in Bambino Plus), you can start the machine and enjoy an espresso in a few minutes-the only faster way to make an espresso or latte is to use the super automatic Machine, but Barista Pro will provide you with quality drinks. Barista Pro’s digitally controlled 30-set integrated grinder uses its adjustable dose timer (we like 15 seconds) to perform powder-level, good crema production at grinding level 5.
Like Bambino Plus, we like illuminated controls, especially the easy-to-read, high-contrast LCD and automatic shooting controls that can adjust shooting temperature and shooting length. The milk frother does a great job with lattes and cappuccinos, the large-capacity water tank is easy to take out, and we appreciate the easy-to-clean drip tray.
The Barista series requires a proprietary filter set, which must be replaced every 30 tanks (if used frequently, it will take about two months to replace). These are about $10 per six-pack on Amazon. However, if you have softened and filtered water at home, your mileage may vary, and you can extend it a bit.
Barista Pro is in the Barista series product line. The cheaper Barista Express ($699) does not have the fast heating ThermoJet system that powers Bambino Plus and Barista Pro, while the Barista Touch ($999) has more advanced programmability and a color touch screen display
If Gaggia Classic Pro is a veritable Fiat 124 and Rancilio Silvia M is Alfa Romeo Giulia, then ECM Casa V is similar to the legendary Mercedes-Benz W123-a robust, reliable, German-made machine that is not only fun to use , But it is also a pleasure. Of course, it can also make great coffee. We like the sweet, creamy lens that the machine can pull out, and the micro-foam that the milk frother can quickly produce.
The controls of ECM Casa V are all analog, with buttons for main power, pull, steam mode and water mode. It adopts an all-steel structure, which is very easy to open and has ample internal space. For more than $1,000, you might want ECM Casa V to have a PID to maintain the temperature, but this is not the case, and in our experience, the machine is well-designed and thermally stable, so it is not needed. You can also use a pressure gauge to monitor pressure and better timing. If you are a devoted enthusiast dedicated to developing your technique, then understanding pressure can help you diagnose why your shooting speed is too fast or too slow.
ECM is more powerful than more basic single-boiler machines and starts faster. The 1,200-watt 14-ounce boiler provides 30 seconds of warm-up time, which is faster than Gaggia Classic or Rancilio Silvia M, and even faster than many thermal block/hot coil machines. Contrary to the 2 liter model used in Silvia, the internal reservoir is a fairly large 3 liter.
The low-tech, fully electromechanical design of Casa V means that if you need to perform maintenance, such as replacing a vibration pump or replacing a valve or any other routine maintenance, it should be a dream. For a machine designed for lifetime use, this approach makes sense, which is part of the reason why we like it over the more feature-rich machines in this price range (such as Ascaso Dream or Nuovo Simonelli Oscar II).
At the high end of consumer espresso machines, you will find double-boiler machines. They use one boiler for coffee and the other for steam, providing you with the perfect temperature and sufficient pressure to meet any task. need.
There was fierce competition between the systems we studied — Lelit Elizabeth, Ascaso Duo, and Breville Dual Boiler — but Rancilio Silvia Pro, a dual boiler update of the highly regarded Silvia M, won.
Silvia Pro has a strong physical similarity with its siblings, with the same control style and general assembly and surface treatment, but adds a second dedicated steam boiler and vibration pump, as well as PID control and injection of the two boilers Timer.
Just like its single-boiler brother, it is easy to use, and if you have a tight powder grind, it will pull out an extraordinary lens with rich crema. A dedicated and powerful steam boiler means that you can prepare steam and hot water immediately after you release it. However, if you want to make multiple milk beverages, be sure to turn on the steam boiler (it can be turned off separately), because it may take about 10 minutes to warm up.
The overall experience is like using a cafe-level system-for all practical purposes, it performs similarly. The dedicated boiler provides you with better cream and latte art-quality milk microbubbles than any single boiler machine.
One thing to note is that Silvia Pro is a more basic machine than some dual-boiler competitors. Although it has a manual firing clock with a digital display, it does not have programmable firing timing or firing pre-loss. All direct competitors we tested include these features. It also has no pressure gauge. However, these features will be added to the updated version of Rancilio Silvia Pro X to be launched later this year. However, we have come to the conclusion that for such a sturdy and high-quality machine, these convenient functions are not necessary for making a good cup of coffee.
Like its single-boiler brother, Silvia Pro is easy to repair-we discovered this when our evaluation model required some plumbing adjustments and we had to open it. It is easy to disassemble with a standard Phillips screwdriver, and the shell is also easy to disassemble, exposing all the internal parts for easy access. A machine that allows end users to perform their own daily maintenance without the need for expensive technician labor is a huge advantage, which is part of the reason why this system stands out.
All super-automatic machines-grinding, metering, and pulling out your lens and frothing milk at the touch of a button-are a compromise compared to their automatic counterparts. Only the most expensive products can produce comparable lenses or foamed milk equally well. But for those who want to add freshly ground coffee to espresso and latte drinks and appreciate the instant gratification of pod systems such as Keurig or Nespresso, the super automatic coffee machine is a good choice.
The Philips 3200 LatteGo has the best combination of features and performance at its price point. It is more compact than the basic Gaggia and Jura super automats, and it can extract quite good espresso, with good crema and good temperature and flavor.
The sufficient reservoir is easy to remove. We like the simple illuminated button control, which can provide simple guidance and a personalized beverage making experience. The bean bucket is easy to load, although its capacity is not as high as the others we have seen. The pre-programmed beverage types (espresso, coffee, American coffee, macchiato, and cappuccino) have easy-to-adjust settings (strength, water volume, and milk volume), allowing you to customize each beverage type before execution.
“LatteGo”-a hot-swappable milk frother/heater and jug accessory-produces a better consistency of hot milk than other super-automatic machines we tested. However, it is made of plastic, just like the whole machine. It is also easy to overflow and start to leak unless it is properly snapped into its bracket and properly connected to the machine, and the nozzle needs to be constantly cleaned. In contrast, the Jura D6 design (the container is piped to the machine from the side) is less prone to failure or confusion, although the result is not to our taste.
Post time: Dec-01-2021
