When you are considering the purchase of an espresso machine you need to look at some different factors that will effect your purchase. This is a big purchase that could be with you for many years to come, it could make or break your business, or it could sit and collect dust if it not a good fit for what you need.
Who is the machine for?
Think about who will be using this machine. Is it for home use, is it a gift for the office for a job well done, is it a piece of restaurant equipment? If you will be going through hundreds of pounds of coffee beans per week you probably do not want to get a hand crank variety. If it is for office workers you probably would be better off with some sort of self cleaning automatic functions that allow people to avoid making a mess.
Will is be a Cafe Latte, Machiatto, or Mochaccino
What are you going to be making? Some machines do things better than others. Some have the ability to froth milk and warm up cups. If you want something simple don’t spend extra money on features that you are not going to use .
Control
Do you want your machine to have an on off switch and that is it or do you want a full touch screen led display that allows for 250 different incremental coffee grind micron sizes and precise temperature controls? Some varieties take all of the control and spit out espresso others leave all of the control in your hands. If people are not going to take the time to learn how to use the machine and simply want to push a button get them something simple.
Level of Work
You can go manual, semi automatic, automatic, fully automatic, or combo. How much work do you want to do for your espresso? One end of the scale requires muscle patience, and practice. The other requires you to push a button. How much work do you want to do when you wake up in the morning or before a lunch meeting?
Care
Machines require maintenance and these are no exceptions. These machines are more complex than some vehicles on the road. Though you will not have to get the oil changed you do need to clean, decalcify, and change filters. Some machines have numerous self cleaning functions and make it a push button procedure, others are more complicated.
Do your research and don’t spend more than is necessary to get the proper cup of coffee.
Pingback: Help, Which Espresso Machine Should I Buy? | Review Storm