5 Important Questions Before You Choose an Espresso Machine
Jun 17, 2022
This article gives you a brief understanding of which questions are important to ask before making a choice.
5 important questions
- What is your budget for an espresso machine and coffee grinder? We recommend that you set aside about 40% of your budget for a coffee grinder. We will explain why a little later in the article!
- What types of coffee drinks do you prefer? Large latte? A classic Italian cappuccino? Pure espresso or Americano? Based on your drink preferences, we can more easily understand what type of espresso machine suits you. A manual brewer, a heat exchanger, or a dual boiler.
- How many coffee drinks did you plan to brew one after the other? This question is relevant to understand how much capacity the espresso machine needs to have.
- Have you measured how much space you have for your espresso machine and grinder? Are you considering directly connecting the espresso machine in the future?
- Do you have a favorite café? All cafés and restaurants have different choices of coffee and grinders. Therefore, it might be good to check with them what they use for coffee and grinder type to recreate the flavors at home.
Budget
First and foremost, you need to know how much you planned to budget for your new home café. Many 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 those beautifully built espresso machines with dual boilers that can also be seen as a handmade work of art in the kitchen. However, we want you to be able to maximize and get the best out of your budget to enjoy the tastiest coffee drinks at home. Buying the most expensive espresso machine does not necessarily mean 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 do not want to sell anything that we would not buy ourselves. All 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. About If you like larger coffee drinks with milk, such as caffè latte, and brew several at a time, not all espresso machines will be capable enough for that. We want to ensure that all our customers get the best coffee experience at home. About If you prefer large coffee drinks like cappuccino or latte drinks, you need an espresso machine with a dual boiler or a heat exchanger About if you only need to brew one cup at a time. About If you like to drink just espresso or Americano, we can recommend an espresso machine with a smaller heat exchanger or a manual brewer. Read more About about them different types of espresso machines here.
Quantity
How often did you plan to use your espresso machine per day? Did you plan to only use the espresso machine for a morning coffee or several drinks throughout the day? Will you often invite your family and friends for coffee and need to brew several at a time? All these questions are important to know how much capacity the espresso machine needs to be for your needs. For only a few cups About a day, a smaller heat exchanger or a smaller dual boiler will suffice. About If you wish to brew several cups at a time for larger gatherings, you will need a larger dual boiler. About If, for example, you plan to brew two cappuccinos every morning and two café lattes in the afternoon, we recommend a standard heat exchanger or dual boiler.
Space
Before you think about deciding which espresso machine you want, don't forget to measure at home how much space you have! About If you haven't done it, do it right away! The important measurements are depth and height, which can be crucial. The height of the kitchen cabinets will determine which espresso machine you can buy. About If you weren't planning to directly connect the espresso machine, you will most likely need to fill the espresso machine from the top as the internal water tank is usually located at the back and can be accessed from above. About If you plan to directly connect the espresso machine, it is important to choose an espresso machine that allows you to do so. Click here About if you want to see which espresso machines we sell that have the possibility for direct connection.
Choice of Coffee Grinder
The most important thing that many forget is to prioritize the coffee grinder. Before you continue, read this first! Now that you have read briefly About 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 checking what your favorite café uses for type of espresso grinder. The brands of the grinder are not as important as the type of grinding discs and size. This will give you an indication of what you need for a coffee grinder to recreate the flavors you love. Taste and preferences are very personal and up to each individual. Want to see the most valuable and 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 amount of coffee you plan to brew per day
- Space
- Choice of coffee grinder