If you’ve failed to heed my earlier warnings about the challenges of doing real espresso at home and you’re ready to lay out some fat cash and grapple with the steep learning curve - this post is for you.
This guide is by no means a replacement for a thorough reading of the reviews and forums on coffeegeek and home-barista.com, but it should at least give you enough of a snapshot to know what kind of trouble you and your wallet are getting into.
First of all, it should be said again that stovetop moka pots and the consumer steam-based machines that replicate them are producing something different than true espresso, which requires in the neighborhood of 8 bars of pressure (produced with a pump or strong mechanical piston). Though such devices are commonly marketed as espresso makers and can often turn out really excellent brews, they should not be confused with true espresso, properly extracted with persistent crema.
Your gear guidance begins after the jump.
Arguably more important than which espresso machine you choose is your grinder. Unlike many of the grinders that I spoke about earlier, a dedicated espresso grinder needs to be held to a much higher standard or precision and adjustability. Here are some that deserve consideration.
Baratza Virtuoso
This grinder is the beefier cousin to the conical Solis Maestro
The Rancilio Rocky
Good ergonomics, good burrs, and good adjustability make this a well-tested favorite among the coffeegeek set. Looks and feels at home next to most any espresso machine. Probably the best value in its price range (around $285) and the last stop before you start getting into the more serious commercial gear.
The Mazzer Mini
This is the kid brother to Mazzer’s line of commercial grinders and is the gold standard for serious home espresso geeks. FIne adjustability and excellent grinding precision make it the device most likely to deliver the “god shot”. At upwards of $400, its a big investment but the return is a far superior cup. Second hand commercial Mazzers can sometimes be rescued from used restaurant equipment stores or poached by careful hunting on eBay.
Espresso machines come in many flavors and there are a lot of variables to consider. Reading reviews and forum comments online is a must, but as a rule you should avoid being fooled by aesthetics as some of the prettiest machines produce the most underwhelming brew. I’ll mention just a few here that I’m familiar with and then you’re on your own.
The Rancilio Silvia
Utilitarian in its aesthetic, this machine is widely considered the entry level device for those who are serious about espresso. Its become the Honda Civic of home espresso machines, enduring numerous modifications from coffee nerds unafraid of voiding their warrantees. Owners practice the voodoo art of “temperature surfing”, timing the proper moment after the boiler element turns off to begin their extraction. The Silvia can treat you very well if you take the time to learn her ways and if you have a penchant for tinkering, you’ll be in good company. Retails for around $480 but deals and second hand machines abound.
The Expobar Brewtus II
This machine has a commercial E61 group head, separate boiler for steaming milk, and adjustable temperature and pressure control. The Brewtus enjoys a very good reputation for serious home espresso geeks and sets a good benchmark to measure other machines in this price range by. Available in the neighborhood of $1700.
The La Marzocco GS3
For those who will spare no expense for great espresso, the wait list for the GS3 is the place to be. Delivering lab-quality temperature stability and all the power of a commercial Marzocco machine in an elegant package that runs on ordinary 110v power. This machine is the lamborghini of home espresso. The machine that teenage coffeegeeks hang posters of above their beds. Even with a probable $5000 pricetag, you’ve still got to get in line to purchase one. I’m fortunate enough to have one of the pre-release models doing duty on loan in my kitchen making every day feel like christmas.
Okay, so you probably noticed a pretty major price gap between the Silvia and the BrewtusII. This is reflective only of my limited knowledge of home espresso machines and not of what’s actually available. A comprehensive look at the home espresso machine market would eat up days of my time (just as it will no doubt eat up days of yours). If you’re moving up from the Silvia you can probably bank on spending much closer to the $1000 mark before you see too much significant improvement in the bang:buck ratio. Many online retailers offer package deals for buying machines and grinders together and patiently shopping around pays off.
I’d add the Macap M4 doser stepless model to the mix - it’s very on par with the Mazzer Mini - in some aspects, better, in some, a little worse.
Pluses:
- better doser assembly, really nice “feel” to it
- leaves less coffee in the doser
- I like the ease of the worm gear stepless grind selection better than the stiff turning Mazzer Mini
- Seems to have a slightly “cooler” grind than the Mazzer - ie, the grounds are basically room temperature - the Mazzer’s grinds can feel a bit warm.
- quieter
Negatives:
- Mazzer’s fork is 100x better
- Mazzer’s a bit quicker
- Mazzer’s grind catching tray, albeit still very small, is better than the Macap.
- Mazzer’s lids seem slightly better quality.
Hey Tonx-
What’s your opinion of lever machines? I have the La Pavoni Europiccola model and I’ve never taken the time to really figure out how to deliver the goods. I read once on Sweet Maria’s that Tom uses a La Pavoni lever model to cup all new beans that he gets. Of course, that was when he was in his tiny spot in Columbus, Ohio for a while and probably didn’t have the room for something larger.
Thanks for all of the great advice this week.
dgrotto -
I’ve only ever gotten to play with lever machines really briefly, but I’ve tasted some really great shots that were pulled on them. I have to imagine that your La Pavoni can put you in business, given a good grinder. Now that you mention it, I kind of wish I’d included a lever machine in this article.
Great info! I have the Rocky and would (if I had known and/or bought later) gone for the doserless version. I find the doser isn’t useful and I end up making more grounds than necessary and more mess than necessary. Other than that, though, it’s highly recommended.
Great run down on espresso machines! I have a modified Silvia that performs quite well.
I wrote an article about Silvia mods here:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Modifying_Miss_Silvia
Lever machines can pull a fantastic shot, but you need to be careful to lock down the variables (freshness, grind, dose, tamp, water temperature, pull amount & technique) and try to only change one at a time until you start getting results.
It can take a couple of weeks practice to begin to dial in the perfect combination of all of the above, but once you really get the hang of it the results can be spectacular and it all starts to feel like second nature.
These sites have way more information:
http://www.kazys.net/pavoni/ (if it’s still up)
http://www.pavoniexpress.com/
http://www.gurus.net/pavoni/howto.html
Julian.
I would add the Cimbali Jr to your upper end of home use grinders for espresso only. It’s a bit louder than the Mazzer or Macap and a touch more expensive but not by much anymore. Bigger burrs and the doser does not throw to one side as much as the others when dosing. The big draw back for other than espresso is that the super fine adjustment is too slow to change to drip or press grinds, but it’s great for espresso.
I am amused to note that Mark has changed his opinion of the Macap portafilter forks from his previous view as follows:
“Initially I didn’t much care for the wire shape fork on the machine (”it doesn’t look as impressive as a cast piece of chromed metal, like on the Mazzer!” I thought), but after using it for a week, I really like it… even more than the Mazzers’ forks! Why? Because the wire fork facilitates “spinning” the portafilter to fill all areas of the filter basket - hold the handle to the left, click the lever. Hold the handle to the right, click the lever. Makes for faster, easier, and more uniform filling of the filter basket, especially when you are grinding for the shot.”
I personally find the Macap fork to be much better than the Mazzer fork, for the above reason as well as the fact that coffee grinds don’t built up on them as happens with the Mazzer and other similar designs.
I also think Mark is perfectly entitled to change his opinion. Nothing worse then being stuck on a viewpoint when the passage of time etc has convinced you otherwise. Consistency, except in maintaining brew temperatures is highly over rated and doesn’t allow for consideration of new information.