If you want to get results similar to those obtained by professionals of the hospitality industry in bars and cafeterias, one of the best options is to have a manual or arm espresso machine at home. This type of coffee maker allows you choose the coffee that you prefer and they have a considerable pressure to extract the maximum aroma and give an excellent body to the coffee.
In addition, some have a additional system for steaming milk and thus achieve a foam with a consistency and texture that will give your favorite coffee a special character. This type of machines are highly valued by those who like good coffees with higher intensities. If you are one of them, surely you will like everything we have to tell you…
The best espresso machine: which coffee machine to buy
- Espresso machine for espresso and cappuccino coffee, prepare all kinds of coffees at the touch of a button; includes arm with...
- Pressure pump of 20 bars and 850 W of power - get the best cream and the maximum aroma and take advantage of the surface...
- Includes adjustable steamer with protection for use, to froth milk, emit hot water for infusions,...
- Includes dosing spoon with coffee tamper and removable water tank with a capacity of 1,5 liters and...
- Coffee maker suitable for use with ground coffee with safety valve that automatically releases the pressure
- 15 BARS: 15 bar pressure creates an espresso with a rich aroma and a nutty foam on top
- THERMOBLOCK: Thermoblock technology heats the water in 35 seconds to the exact temperature to prepare an espresso...
- MILK FROTHER: Capuccinatore with 360 degree rotation to froth milk and create optimal cappuccinos, macchiatos or...
- DOUBLE USE: It works with ground coffee and with "Easy Serving Espresso" pods, possibility of preparing one or two cups of...
- DESIGN: narrow coffee pot (only 15 cm wide)
- The L'OR Barista coffee maker is designed to work with the exclusive L'OR Barista double espresso capsules and the...
- Prepare 2 coffees at a time or 1 double coffee in one cup - Up to 19 bars of pressure for a perfect espresso
- Complete coffee menu: cut, espresso, long and more
- Customize the volume of your coffee from 20 ml to 270 ml - Compatible with L'OR Espresso, L'OR Barista and Nespresso capsules
- Dual capsule recognition automatically detects capsule size
- Stainless steel espresso coffee maker with elegant and compact design for lovers of good coffee; allows you to do everything...
- Its rapid heating system by thermoblock guarantees that the temperature is maintained in its optimal range for...
- pressurepro control manometer to check pressure in real time; Includes adjustable vaporizer with protection...
- It emits hot water at the ideal temperature for infusions; Filter holder arm with double outlet and two filters for...
- Removable drip tray for easy cleaning; energy saving system with automatic shutdown and...
We bring you below a comparison of the best espresso machines, so that you can choose the one that suits you best, having a clear idea about all of them. A somewhat deeper analysis with the best makes and models of espresso machines What are you going to find in the market?
Oster Prima Latte II
Among the best-selling automatic coffee machines is the Oster Prima Latte II, since it has a fairly adjusted price for what it really offers. can prepare delicious cappuccinos, lattes, espressos, as well as steaming milk to get a good foam.
A mythical espresso machine, a favorite of many websites and coffee lovers for the flavor it gives, at a much lower price than more expensive machines.
It has a water tank 1.5 liters capacity, with another additional 300 ml milk tank. It can heat up quickly thanks to its 1238 W of power.
It has a Pressure of 19 bars to extract the maximum from the coffee, also giving a lot of creaminess to the result. And it is very easy to clean, and even allows you to remove the milk tank to store it in the fridge.
La Pavoni Professional Lusso
It's a real professional coffee center. Its price is high, but it is almost a professional industrial machine that you can have in your kitchen. With a resistant stainless steel body, for use with coffee beans, ground coffee, and with different varieties to make.
your tank of water is 2.7 liters, so you can prepare many coffees without having to constantly refill it. It also has a removable anti-drip tray, beverage heater, anti-drip function, water level indicator, and start light, as well as an arm to make the foam.
Illy Caffè Iperespresso X7.1
Illy Caffè has achieved a model with a design that is art and that evokes vintage machines. So it can be an ideal complement for your kitchen. This manual or arm espresso machine has a metal body, a system to create foam, the possibility of preparing both ristretto, normal or long.
With 1100w power for rapid water heating, a tank with a capacity for 1 liter of water, and a simple preparation and selection system so you don't have to complicate your life to get your ideal coffee instantly.
De'longhi Dedica EC685.M
Another alternative is the pump coffee maker De'Longhi Dedicates. A compact design similar to the previous one, also in stainless steel, and a tank with a capacity of 1.3 liters of water. In addition, it includes a system for using ground coffee or single-dose coffee (Easy Serving Espresso).
It has an anti-drip system, a thermoblock system to heat water in just 35 seconds, 15-centimeter narrow traditional pump, possibility of preparing two cups at the same time, and a cappuccinatore with 360º rotation capacity to make the best foam in milk and cappuccinos.
De'longhi Cappuccinatore Pro
Another of the De'Longhi's most acclaimed models Within this category of coffee machines is the Cappuccinatre Pro. With 1100 w of power to heat the water, removable 1.1-liter capacity tank, anti-drip tray, coffee system that accepts both ground coffee and single-dose coffee, etc.
Professional aluminum filter with three levels for one cup, two cups or single dose. The preparation system is adjustable to be able to make two levels of creamy foam or in hot milk. It also has an arm or nozzle that rotates 360º degrees to give greater mobility.
Solac CE4480
It's a cheapest model than the previous ones, from the Solac brand. This manual espresso machine offers similar results, with its 19 bar pressure, its 850w of power, its 1.25 liter capacity water tank, its silent system and its stainless steel body.
Get a lasting cream with the right texture, with cup heating system to maintain the right temperature, adjustable steaming arm for milk or foam, capacity to make one or two cups at a time, energy saving system and automatic shutdown.
Krups Espresso Intense Calvi Meca
Krups is another of the well-known brands in the world of coffee machines. This model is a great manual and compact espresso machine. With 15 bar pressure, electronic thermal regulation system, and nozzle to vaporize the cappuccino or milk and get the best foam.
Thermoblock system to heat the water in just 40 seconds, filter support for one or two cups simultaneously, capacity to prepare normal or double intense espresso, internal filter storage system, measuring spoon for coffee, and removable water tank with a capacity of up to 1 liter.
Guide to choosing the best espresso machine
There are some technical details that you should know to choose a good machine. The most important technical characteristics of the coffee machines that you should watch out for when buying it are:
- Tank size and capacity: Manual espresso machines come in different sizes. Not all sizes are suitable for everyone, since not all households cheat the same amount of coffee or with the same frequency. Choose a size according to your needs and your available space.
- Type of coffee: depending on whether you are going to use ground coffee or coffee beans to grind, you may be interested in some coffee machines that include an integrated grinder. However, if they do not have a grinder you can always buy it separately.
- Quality: The De'Longhi brand is one of the most popular and offers the best quality, although there are also other big brands such as Lelit, Krups, Solac, etc.
- Thermostat: if it allows you to regulate the temperature manually, that will be an extra point to control that it is always at the most appropriate. However, that can be a disadvantage if you don't know what the ideal one is.
- Frother/frother: Of course, these machines include one of the most demanded functions, the steamer to create foam in the milk and a creamy texture in the coffee.
Advantages of espresso machines
If you opt for a manual or arm express machine, you will find some advantages that do not usually occur in other machines:
- You will prepare coffees like a true professional barista and you will surprise your own palate and those of others with the results.
- Allows customize coffee with greater freedom according to your taste. Not only choosing the coffee, but also varying some functions to achieve different results.
- Ease of use. Being manual, you will not find a large number of buttons or very complex instructions to get the best coffee.
How does an espresso machine work?
This type of coffee maker is an appliance used to prepare italian espresso coffee. It consists of a water tank, a heater, and a high pressure system to extract the maximum from the ground coffee beans. Of course, it will also have a filtering system and a vaporizer arm to achieve the desired foam. Their results are very professional, which is why they are so highly acclaimed today.
The good news is that you can choose yourself the type of coffee you are going to use, bean or ground, the variety, brand, etc. They do not limit you to buying a type of compatible capsule like others, or anything like that. Despite being manual, they do not present a greater complexity of use compared to others, and to this we must add that the new models have very interesting automatic functions to make them even more comfortable.
Prepare coffee with an espresso machine
If you love the coffee served in coffee shops, you should know that you can enjoy similar coffee at home effortlessly. Quickly and following these steps and recommendations so simple:
- Fill up the tank water of your manual or arm espresso machine. It must be quality water, better filtered or weakly mineralized to achieve the best result.
- Then remove the group or ladle from the coffee and add the ground coffee. You must fill it, press it a little, and put it back in the coffee pot using a half turn so that it fits and clicks the lock. Remember that if the coffee is of good quality and the beans are ground at the moment, the flavor and aroma improve.
- Turn on the coffee pot and start the process. You must wait for the water to heat up in a few seconds and begin to filter it, dripping into your cup. In an instant you will have the coffee ready to taste. It is likely that some include extra functions or allow you to control certain parameters, but more or less the procedure is always the same.
- For cleaning after each use and maintenance, you must always respect the recommendations of each manufacturer. So read the manual, however, in the next section you have more advice on this.
Cleaning and maintenance of an espresso machine
La cleaning and maintenance This type of manual or arm espresso machine is not too complicated. You don't need much time to get it in perfect condition. The procedure is simple:
- Clean the machine after each use. Do not leave it dirty for several uses or the dirt may clog the machine or not be easy to remove from the filter. Its filters and arm are easily disassembled so you can wash it, as well as the water and milk tank.
- The ducts they are very important, if they get clogged it won't work and can even break the machine because of the pressure. You can choose to clean the ducts every few days if you use it very intensively. To clean them, just run plain water through them without putting coffee in the machine.
- decalcify manually. For this, every 2 or 3 months you can use a descaling tablet in the water tank and activate the coffee machine without the filter. This will remove lime scale from all the internal ducts and prevent them from becoming clogged.
