# Difference in espresso machines?



## Alexandr (Nov 11, 2012)

Hi!

I bought a used low-cost Rowenta espresso machine and I'm quite happy with it (apart from plastic which it is made from, but at least it is matte, not glossy). However I'd like to know how are more expensive espresso machines batter. Of course, it could be materials and I'd like to buy something fully metallic (in future). Some machines allow temperature setting, some have the ability to set the size of the brew... but what are other parameters which distinguish cheap espresso machines from these more expensive? And how can I distinguish them simply by checking their parameters?

Thanks


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## twistywizard (Sep 3, 2012)

Better quality pumps, larger boilers, better quality components, group heads. There are a LOT of variables. What sort of Budget do you have in mind? Generally the best entry level machine you can buy is probably the Gaggia Classic.

From there it really depends on budget, type of drink you make etc etc


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## RoloD (Oct 13, 2010)

This is a guide I've just written which hopefully will nswer your questions:

*Choosing an Domestic Espresso Machine*

An espresso machine has a seemingly simple task - to pump water through ground coffee at a temperature of around 93˚c and a pressure of 9 bar in 20 to 30 seconds. There is a secondary function of producing steam for heating and foaming milk. So why is there such a range of machines and range of prices (from £50 to £2000 and beyond)? What do you get for your money? How much do you need to spend to make a decent espresso?

There are a couple of key features that distinguish the good from the mediocre, and perhaps the most important is:

*Temperature Stability*

Supplying water at the correct temperature is essential for espresso. A commercial espresso machine is designed to be left on all day; it has a large boiler and a large amount of metal which, once warmed up, will keep a stable temperature all day long. Many commercial machines also heat the group (the bit the water passes through which the portafilter - the part that holds the ground coffee - locks onto) to help keep temperature stable.

But in a smaller domestic machine it is much more difficult to maintain temperature - it will continually heat up and cool down as coffee is made.

*Brew Temperature and Steam Temperature*

You may have noticed already that the task of the espresso machine is not so straight forward - it has to supply water at for the coffee but at near boiling point for the steam. How is is able to do this?

*1. Single Boiler Dual Function*

Most favoured on this forum are the Gaggia Classic (£200) and the Rancilio Silvia (£400)

The very cheapest espresso machines (under £100), despite their appearances, are really like a version of the Bialetti or Moka stove top pots; rather than using a pump, hot water is heated up by an electric element and steam pressure passes it though the coffee. This inevitably means the water is too hot and scalds the coffee. We will not be considering these.

The simplest 'proper' domestic espresso machines work like this: a small thermostat-controlled boiler heats up the water to brew temperature, the pump forces it through the coffee. To make steam to foam your milk, you switch to a second thermostat and wait until the water reaches boiling point.

Immediately we can see two problems with this system: firstly, you have to wait a few minutes between brewing and steaming for the boiler to get hotter and, perhaps more importantly, the temperature in the boiler is rising and falling all the time - after you have made steam, the boiler is going to be substantially hotter than it was before and it could take some time to return to the correct temperature for coffee.

The Classic is solid, reliable and parts are easy to replace. It is a very popular machine and it easy to pick up a decent one second hand.

The Silvia is generally regarded as a slightly better machine - more solid and better temperature stability - but the current price differential between it and the Classic mean that, arguably, it is not such good value for money.

Both the Classic and the Silvia can upgraded with a PID control. The PID (stands for Proportional/Integral/Derivative) is an electronic device that, rather than switching power to the boiler on and off like a simple thermostat, supplies power in a series of pulses that get briefer as the boiler approaches the correct temperature. The PID control also allows you to experiment with different temperatures for different coffees.

*2. Heat Exchanger (HX)*

Popular HX machines include the Fracino Cherub (£720), the Expobar Leva Office (£900), and the Rocket Giotto and Cellini (£1200 to £1400)

The heat exchanger has been used for decades in commercial machines. In an HX machine there is one heating element and one boiler, which superheats water under pressure so it can deliver steam on demand. Temperature of the water is regulated by a pressurestat (the pressure of the water in the boiler is directly related to its temperature). The brew water does not come directly from the boiler but from a copper tube that passes through the boiler.

A variation on this design (often but not necessarily incorporated into HX system) is the thermosiphon, which uses principles of convection (hot water rises/cold water sinks) to pass water directly from the boiler to the group which acts as a heat sink to reduce this superheated water to brew temperature. If the group gets too hot or too cold, water in the thermosiphon will circulate and bring it back to the correct temperature.

The E61 group is often found on HX machines (called so because it was developed by Faema in 1961 - the year of the eclipse). Although initially a commercial design, it is now found on many prosumer machines. In the E61 group water is circulated through the body of the group itself, maintaining a stable temperature. It also allows for pre-infusion, which lets hot water flow into the coffee grinds just before extraction takes place enabling a better extraction.

All the machines mentioned above are solidly made and will produce excellent coffee. The Italian machines (like Rocket and Izzo) tend to win on sheer looks, but the British (Fracino) and Spanish (Expobar) machines offer excellent value for money.

All the machines mentioned so far use an electric pump to force water through the coffee. Pumps come into two basic types - vibratory and rotary. Both work well; the vibratory pumps are cheaper, rotary pumps quieter.

*3. Dual Boiler*

Popular Dual Boiler machines include the Fracino Piccino (£600), Expobar Leva Dual (£1100), La Spaziale Vivaldi II (£1500) and the Izzo Alex Duetto (£1900)

A increasingly popular solution is to have one boiler supplying the water for brewing coffee and a separate boiler supplying water for steam. Both boilers have their own heating elements. This creates a slightly more complicated and more costly system, but it does mean the temperature of the brew water can be controlled completely independently of the steam system. E61 type groups are also found on Dual Boiler machines.

Both HX and Dual Boiler machines can maintain stable temperature and steam milk at the same time as they brew coffee and produce first rate espresso and cappuccino. Some machines, like the Expobar Leva Dual and the Alex Duetto have PID controls to maintain and adjust temperature accurately.

Although in principle, Dual Boiler may seem like a better solution than HX machines, in practice both can produce excellent coffee. It really comes down to the particular design of the machine, and some HX designs may have better temperature stability and steam power than Dual Boiler machines.

But there is an alternative to pump machines:

*4. Lever Machines*

*
*

Popular lever machines include the Pavoni Europiccola (£300-£500), the Ponte Vecchio Lusso (£650 - £800), the Elektra Micocasa (£1000), the Olympia Cremina (£2750) and the Londinium I (£1600)

Lever machines use a manual lever connected to a piston to force water through the coffee. This is traditional method that preceded electric pumps and is still favoured in southern Italy and is now having something of a resurgence.

Advocates of lever machines claim that the column of water the piston pushes through the coffee extracts the very best from the coffee and the mechanical design of the system means temperature of water is reduced as the piston descends, reducing the undesirable elements that remain in the coffee as the extraction progresses. Lever machines have the additional advantage of being extremely reliable and almost silent.

In manual lever machines the lever is connected directly to the piston, in spring-driven machines it is the spring that does the work (lifting the lever tensions the spring ready for the next extraction). Like dual boiler and heat exchanger designs, lever machines will supply steam without waiting for the boiler to reheat - either by basic mechanical design (the mass of the group and cylinder cooling the boiler water to the correct temperature) or by using thermosiphon principles. The best lever machines also exhibit excellent temperature stability but, with some of the more inexpensive machines, keeping the temperature steady can be a bit hit or miss (or, some would say, an acquired skill).

The high price of some new lever machines is offset by the fact, because of simplicity of design and quality of engineering, they can literally last a lifetime.


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## iroko (Nov 9, 2012)

Great guide.


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## RoloD (Oct 13, 2010)

Thanks, glad it was useful.

I just added a concluding paragraph on the original thread.


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## Alexandr (Nov 11, 2012)

Thanks for the guide, I already found it









But is there any way to tell, if a certain model is using a pump?

For example Krups XP 5220, is it good, bad, is it crap?

http://www.amazon.com/XP5220-Precise-Espresso-Machine-Stainless/dp/B003D5KTSM

Sorry for asking such trivial questions, but you know, I'm an "IT guy" so I'm used to assess hardware by its specific parameters, benchmarks, you know - objective criteria









Btw, I'm only planning to buy myself an espresso for home, you know - post-Xmas sales







I use the Rowenta I mentioned at work.


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## RisingPower (Dec 27, 2009)

Alexandr said:


> Thanks for the guide, I already found it
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I can tell you, krups use thermoblocks, not boilers. The pressure at the grouphead is laughable and it will spit coffee in your face (no opv)

You'll be even lucky to get a single decent cup out of it.

Then, shortly after it'll stop working and be utterly unmaintainable.

You'd be better off buying an aeropress or moka pot.

Buy a classic, it's a perfect entry level machine, has an opv, a very small boiler but not a crappy tiny thermoblock, actually can maintain some pressure and with a pid can keep fairly consistent temperatures.


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## RoloD (Oct 13, 2010)

Alexandr said:


> But is there any way to tell, if a certain model is using a pump?


The word 'pump' in the description is a clue...



> For example Krups XP 5220, is it good, bad, is it crap?
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/XP5220-Precise-Espresso-Machine-Stainless/dp/B003D5KTSM


Well, at that price level you are going to get a machine that might make you a decent espresso, but there is unlikely to be much metal in it and that means the temperature is going to fluctuate. Also, looking at the reviews, it's probably not going to last that long.

The entry-level machine people favour here is the Gaggia Classic (or models like the Baby, which are very similar). Gaggias have the advantage of having very solid brass 'groups', and are reliable and simple to repair and upgrade.

But really, if you are serious about this stuff, you need a decent grinder which is actually more important than the machine. 'Decent' means a burr grinder that will grind evenly and finely enough for espresso. No one believes this at first, but the crucial thing about espresso is getting the grind right so the extraction is neither too fast or too slow (optimum is usually around 25 seconds). The 'right grind' depends not only on the machine but on the type of bean. Pre-ground coffee really doesn't work - not only for this reason (the grind has to be tailored to the machine) but because coffee loses its flavour about 15 minutes after grinding. I hope that criteria sounds objective enough.

So, realistically, buying new you are talking about £200 for the machine and £150 for the grinder. You would probably get a better coffee out of the Krups machine and a decent grinder (like the Iberital MC2) than a Gaggia Classic and a cheap grinder.


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## RisingPower (Dec 27, 2009)

RoloD said:


> The word 'pump' in the description is a clue...
> 
> Well, at that price level you are going to get a machine that might make you a decent espresso, but there is unlikely to be much metal in it and that means the temperature is going to fluctuate. Also, looking at the reviews, it's probably not going to last that long.
> 
> ...


Actually, you'd be lucky to get any coffee out of a krups machine. Worst, machine, ever.

So by that token, the classic wins


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## RisingPower (Dec 27, 2009)

Also, if you're really interested in learning about espresso machines, have a look at coffeegeek and home-barista.


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## Alexandr (Nov 11, 2012)

RoloD said:


> The word 'pump' in the description is a clue...
> 
> Well, at that price level you are going to get a machine that might make you a decent espresso, but there is unlikely to be much metal in it and that means the temperature is going to fluctuate. Also, looking at the reviews, it's probably not going to last that long.
> 
> But really, if you are serious about this stuff, you need a decent grinder which is actually more important than the machine. 'Decent' means a burr grinder that will grind evenly and finely enough for espresso. No one believes this at first, but the crucial thing about espresso is getting the grind right so the extraction is neither too fast or too slow (optimum is usually around 25 seconds). The 'right grind' depends not only on the machine but on the type of bean. Pre-ground coffee really doesn't work - not only for this reason (the grind has to be tailored to the machine) but because coffee loses its flavour about 15 minutes after grinding. I hope that criteria sounds objective enough.


Thanks.

As for grinder, I have Hario Ceramic Slim. When I'm going to buy an electric model, it would probably be this Severin:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Severin-Coffee-Grinder-White-Silver/dp/B004QXJNYG/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1354699551&sr=1-1

Btw, what's deal with Illy Francis? I'v seen recently a lot of them being sold as used. Are they crap or was there a ship of them stolen?


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## RoloD (Oct 13, 2010)

Alexandr said:


> As for grinder, I have Hario Ceramic Slim. When I'm going to buy an electric model, it would probably be this Severin:
> 
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Severin-Coffee-Grinder-White-Silver/dp/B004QXJNYG/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1354699551&sr=1-1


I don't know anything about that grinder. At that price, despite what it claims, it is unlikely to grind fine enough for espresso. I could be wrong - if I am, it is a bargain. But I think you are better off with your Hario


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## Alexandr (Nov 11, 2012)

RoloD said:


> I don't know anything about that grinder. At that price, despite what it claims, it is unlikely to grind fine enough for espresso. I could be wrong - if I am, it is a bargain. But I think you are better off with your Hario


It's a German product, which may explain it is not well known in the UK. From what I'v read on a Czech forum, it has a ceramic burr and a transfer (?) so that its rev is not above 600/minute.


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## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

I don't think that grinder is going to be good enough for espresso either, stick with your Hario or look into getting an Iberital MC2.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Alexandr said:


> It's a German product, which may explain it is not well known in the UK. From what I'v read on a Czech forum, it has a ceramic burr and a transfer (?) so that its rev is not above 600/minute.


No, it has a stainless steel conical burr set


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## Alexandr (Nov 11, 2012)

garydyke1 said:


> No, it has a stainless steel conical burr set


Which is better or worse?


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## RisingPower (Dec 27, 2009)

Alexandr said:


> Which is better or worse?


http://www.home-barista.com/grinders/grinder-burr-types-explained-flat-conical-drm-t1672.html


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## Alexandr (Nov 11, 2012)

RisingPower said:


> http://www.home-barista.com/grinders/grinder-burr-types-explained-flat-conical-drm-t1672.html


Thanks, but I should be clearer I was refering to the material used - ceramic vs steel. But it seems there should be no difference.


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

I think the materal of the burrs is the least of your worries with a grinder of that calibre for espresso

It only has 10 settings (to deal with the whole spectrum of coffee brewing methods) which would cause alarm bells for me


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

I agree with Rolod's points about the Gaggia Classic. I've been using one for years and, after fine tuning, the Classic produced excellent results. It's well made and, if you look after it, maintenance-wise, will give years and years of service. One bit of advice not often repeated is replenishing the boiler after using the steam wand to steam coffee. It's a simple matter of switching on the brew switch and running water through the group head until all the steam has been driven off. Makes a bit of a noise but, according to a knowledgable friend, looks after the boiler. He said that a lot of failed boilers are invariably down to not following this housekeeping rule. I've just moved on to a Silvia and am in the process of fine-tuning the grind. Makes me feel like a novice again! But worth it!!


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## Alexandr (Nov 11, 2012)

Thanks for all the recommendations, guys. I'm just a newbie and I have a lot to learn







Well, there is no need to hurry.


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## aaronb (Nov 16, 2012)

Alexandr said:


> Thanks for all the recommendations, guys. I'm just a newbie and I have a lot to learn
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wise words, its better to read lots on here and Home Barista and make a wise choice than spend your hard earned money on something that then doesn't make good coffee and be disappointed


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## rharrison163 (Oct 1, 2013)

Try the Rancillio Rocky Grinder - produces great results


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