Steam, Piston, or Pump Espresso Machine?

If you want to begin producing espresso drinks at home, and you're just learning about the various kinds of espresso machines, then you need to understand the distinction between these three various kinds of machines: the steam driven espresso machine, the lever and piston espresso machine, and the pump espresso machine.

The electric steam driven machine is the first one we'll discuss. These are the least expensive espresso machines obtainable. These machines simply function by steam pressure. Water in an airtight chamber is heated to boiling and then rapidly forced through the ground coffee utilizing steam pressure, and then into a cup. Electric steam machines are only able to get the water pressure up to about 1 bar that is truly not enough pressure to extract and brew actual espresso (the preferred pressure at which espresso is brewed is about 8 bar) and doesn't produce a very great crema. These machines generally have a steam wand allowing you to froth milk to create a latte or cappuccino. In my opinion these kinds of machines should truly not be regarded as espresso machines because the best they can do is make a strong cup of coffee.

Next we'll discuss a manual machine that utilizes a lever and piston. Manual lever machines do not use steam pressure, instead the pressure for brewing espresso is achieved by pulling on a hand lever that is attached to a piston. This kind of espresso device gives you complete control over the whole brewing procedure such as dosing, tamping, pulling the manual lever to pressure the water through the espresso grounds, and timing each of these operations. Moving the lever up moves the piston up which then brings pre-heated water to the brew group. When the lever is subsequently pulled down it forces the hot water, under pressure, through the ground coffee. The phrase "pulling a shot" refers to this kind of machine, since you really need to "pull" a shot. The manual lever and pistion machine are engineered to create sufficient pressure, within the 8-9 bar range, to properly extract a proper espresso drink.

An experienced barista can make an superb espresso using this type of machine. But there's technique to be learned which more likely than not results in many, many failed efforts before mastering the skill. For my money I want something a little more user friendly.

The final kind of device that we'll look at is the electric pump espresso machine. The electric pump machine utilizes a pump rather than a lever to move water through the system. The pump pulls water from a reservoir and returns it into a tank that heats the water. After the boiler heats the water to brewing temperature the pump will first push water through ground coffee within the brew group. You have the ability to control the temperature of the water before the pump pushes the water through the system. Over the years advancements in technology have created three sub-categories of pump espresso machines: the semi-automatic, the automatic, and the super automatic espresso machine.

Some individuals think that a genuine espresso shot can only be made by "pulling" a shot with a lever and piston machine. But for those who do not have the time to learn and develop the skill that it takes to make an espresso the manual way, an automatic pump espresso device works good enough for me.