5 Important questions before choosing an espresso machine

This article gives you a brief understanding of what questions are important to ask before a choice.

5 important questions

1. What is your budget for an espresso machine and coffee grinder? We recommend that you set aside approx. 40% of your budget for a coffee grinder. We explain why a little later in the article!
2. What types of coffee drinks do you prefer? Large latte? A classic Italian Cappuccino? Clean espresso or Americano? Based on what your drink preferences are, we can more easily understand which type of espresso machine suits you. A manual brewer, a heat exchanger or a double boiler.
3. How many coffee drinks did you intend to brew in succession? This question is relevant to understanding how large a capacity the espresso machine needs to be.
4. Have you measured how much space you have for your espresso machine and grinder? Are you thinking of directly connecting the espresso machine in the future?
5. Do you have a favorite cafe? All cafes and restaurants have different choices of coffee and grinders. Therefore, it can be good to check with them what they use for coffee and grinder type to be able to recreate the flavors at home.

Budget

First of all, you need to know how much you intended to budget for your new home cafe. Many people make the mistake of spending almost their entire budget on buying an espresso machine but forget that the coffee grinder is at least as important. We understand that everyone loves them amazingly built double boiler espresso machines that can also be seen as a handmade piece of art in the kitchen. However, we want you to be able to maximize and get the best out of your budget in order to get the best coffee drinks at home. Buying the most expensive espresso machine does not necessarily mean that you will get the best coffee. Rather, a setup where the coffee grinder can produce the precision of ground coffee that the espresso machine needs is at least as important! The choice of coffee beans also plays a big role! Therefore, we recommend that you set aside between 30 and 40% of your budget for a coffee grinder.

Choice of coffee drink

Our rule is that we don't want to sell anything we wouldn't buy. All of our espresso machines and grinders are fantastic and can produce extremely good coffee drinks. Depending on what your coffee preferences are, not all models will suit you. If you like larger coffee drinks with milk such as caffelatte and brew several at a time, not all espresso machines will be capable enough for that. We want to make sure that all our customers get the best coffee experience at home. If you prefer large coffee drinks such as cappuccino, latte drinks, you need an espresso machine with a double boiler or a heat exchanger unless you only need to brew one cup at a time. If you like to drink only espresso or Americano, we can recommend an espresso machine with a smaller heat exchanger or a manual brewer. Read more about them different varieties of espresso machines here.

Amount

How often did you intend to use your espresso machine per day? Did you intend to only use the espresso machine for a morning coffee or several drinks throughout the day? Will you often invite your family and friends to coffee and need to brew several at a time? All these questions are important to know how large capacity the espresso machine needs to be for your needs. For only a few cups a day, one is enough smaller heat exchanger or one smaller double boiler. If you would like to brew several cups at a time for larger gatherings of people, you need a larger double boiler. For example, if you had intended to brew two cappuccinos every morning and two cafe lattes in the afternoon, we recommend a regular one heat exchanger or double boiler.

Place

Before deciding which espresso machine you want, don't forget to measure how much space you have at home! If you haven't done it, do it right away! The important dimension is the depth and height which can be decisive. Then the height of the kitchen upper cabinet will determine which espresso machine you can buy. If you had not intended to directly connect the espresso machine, you will most likely have to fill the espresso machine from above, as the internal water tank is usually at the back and can be accessed from above. If you have intended to directly connect the espresso machine, it is important to choose an espresso machine that allows you to do so. Click here if you want to see which espresso machines we sell have possibility of direct connection.

Choice of coffee grinder

The most important thing that many people forget is to prioritize the coffee grinder. Before continuing read this first! Now that you have read briefly about the different types of grinders you will need to do some research. The most common question we get from customers is "Which grinder fits this espresso machine?" It is not the espresso machine that the grinder needs to match with, but your taste preferences! Start by looking at what type of espresso grinder your favorite coffee shop uses. The brand of the grinder is not as important as the type of grinding wheels and size. This will give you an indication of what coffee grinder you need to be able to recreate the flavors that you love. Taste and preferences are very personal and up to each individual. Do you want to see the most affordable and most popular coffee grinder? Click here!

Summary

In summary, you need to think about these five points:

• Budget
• Type of coffee drinks you prefer
• The quality and quantity of coffee you intended to brew per day
• Place
• Choice of coffee grinder