You know you want one, but how do you know which Espresso Machines are the best?
What features are most important on a machine? Can you tell by price alone, or will you be able to find the features that are important in one not quite as expensive? There are a lot of espresso machines out there, with many manufacturers producing multiple makes and models.
Fancy coffee houses go by their wealth of knowledge and by what their friends in the business say to uncover which espresso machines are the best. The commercial machines are too expensive for the average consumer and generally have more features that are needed for personal use. But even the pros need some help when new makes and models come on the market. So what’s a consumer supposed to do then? Read on further in this article, that’s what.
A very important feature to look for to let you know which espresso machines are the best, is a built-in grinder. The better ones of these will have a special grind dial, too, to help you control grind production. If you don’t have a built-in grinder, then you need to calibrate your separate bean grinder machine to match your new espresso machines. Many of these grinder machines come already set to a certain grind, such as drip brewing, which may be too coarse for good espresso. It will probably take you several tries, and several shots of espresso, before you find a grind that give you what you want from your machine. A rule of thumb would be about two ounces of espresso from a double basket in about 27 seconds.
If this grind test leaves you still unsure of the what is best, keep in mind that a good expresso maker will be able to tolerate different thickness grinds. A good espresso machine won’t get stuffed or jammed by grinds that are a little too fine or too coarse. You may want to find a machine that has a check valve which will give it a higher tolerance to plow through the finer grinds. The espresso that you produce may not taste as good in these situations. Scientific studies show that there is an ideal pressure for extraction. Higher pressures at best do not make for good flavor, but at worst that can result in bitter espresso.
An
other thing to look for in espresso machines are how loud they are. Your finer brands should be relatively quiet. A good rule of thumb is that you should be able to carry out a normal conversation while your machine brews a shot. They should make espresso at the decibels of a whisper . That way, you can tell all your friends how great your machine is before they taste it for themselves.
Don't forget too that the quality of the beans will make a huge difference!
Different regions of the world tend to have different coffee flavors. The Central and South America continents, for example, tend to grow coffees with light-bodies, higher acidities, and sweeter flavors. A delicious blend which comes out of the Jamaican Blue Mountains is always good. The African continent, on the other hand, offers blends with medium bodies, medium acidities, and wilder flavors; look for specific types from Tanzania and Yemen. Finally, the Asian-Indonesian-Pacific continent grows the coffees with the stiff, heavy bodies, low acidities, and hearty earthier flavors. In particular, coffees from Sumatra are well known for their dark roasts, as well as brews from New Guinea, Sulawesi, and Java.
Whatever you choose will be sure to bring a smile to your face and your loved ones. Portia is a retired CFO of a Real Estate Development Corporation. She has discovered that there are more good things to life than counting beans (unless they are java beans)
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About the Author:
Dr. Jay B Stockman is a contributing editor for VisionUpdate.net, and a practicing doctor for New York Vision Associates, http://newyorkvisionassociates.com,
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