Updated 24 Feb 2011

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Introduction

Only 6 of the 21 espresso machines in our database made good-tasting coffee. Find out which ones.

Some espresso machines give full, creamy flavours. Others can leave a bitter taste – and the most expensive and elegant machines didn't make the best coffee.

Our tests include manual, semi-automatic and hand pump models. We also provide tips for making great coffee and explain what to look for in an espresso machine.

Models we tested

This report provides test results and recommendations for the following espresso machines:

Checklist

If you're thinking of buying an espresso machine, here's what you should consider.

Manual or automatic?

Automatic espresso machines have one big advantage over manual models – convenience. You simply pour the coffee beans into the hopper, fill the tank with water and press the coffee button.

With a manual machine you need to compact coffee in a tamper and judge how much water to use – but part of the fun of owning your own machine is perfecting the art of coffee making.

The only significant difference between a manual and semi-automatic machine is that a semi-automatic model switches off when it's poured a pre-set amount into a cup. With a manual, you have to watch the flow and turn it off when there's enough coffee in the cup.

Pump or steam?

Several types of machine claim to make espresso-based coffee, but only one really can – the pump type. Pump machines operate at higher pressure than steam machines and employ a thermostat to control the water temperature. The pump both makes the coffee and froths the milk.

Pump machines typically have large, removable water tanks that let you make 10 or more small (demitasse) cups consecutively without having to refill the tank. You can also froth milk for other drinks without making coffee first, as you must with steam machines.

Thermoblock or boiler?

A thermoblock is a metal block through which water passes (and is heated) on the way to the pump. It only holds a little water, so it's supposed to keep a constant water temperature that's not too hot. A boiler, on the other hand, contains a larger body of water. It works in the same way as your hot water tank at home.

Tamper

A tamper turns the loose coffee into a firm, evenly distributed pellet in the filter basket. A good tamper allows you to pack the coffee down evenly. Tampers fixed to the machine are poor substitutes for solid-metal hand-held tampers.

Features

• Controls: Good machines have convenient controls. Good automatic machines should have intuitive programming.
• Cup warmer: Most machines come with a cup warmer – but some of them can take up to 20 minutes to work. The best way to warm your cup is to pour hot water into it.
• Steam control: This allows you to control the amount of steam forced through your milk. Manual frothers produce better quality froth than automatic ones.
• Froth enhancer: Don't worry about these as they force too much air into the milk – machines operate better with the enhancer removed.
• Water container: This should be big, accessible and transparent (so you can easily check the water level).
• Drip tray: Go for big and easy-to-drain.
• Exterior: A groove-less exterior will be easier to keep clean. Stainless-steel and matte finishes look stylish but show up fingerprints and grime.

Additionally for automatic machines ...

• Grind container: Most automatic machines will warn you when the grind container's full – usually around 14 cups.
• Coffee mill: Automatic machines will grind fresh coffee beans. You can adjust the texture of the grind between fine and coarse.
   

Buying tips

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• Ask the salesperson if there's a demonstration model. Get them to make an espresso so you can check the quality before you buy.
• Check the milk-frothing mechanism to make sure you can create good-quality creamy froth without large bubbles.
• Make sure the controls are easy to operate (particularly on automatic models). A digital display is better than indicator lights, especially if you need to programme the machine. Also, check that the fineness of the grinder is easy to adjust.

Tips for the home barista

Coffee beans

There are two main varieties of coffee beans: Arabica and Robusta. Arabica beans generally make a higher-quality coffee.

A true espresso is made from darkly roasted and finely ground beans. It's sometimes called "Italian style". But this can be misleading, as some coffee using this label is not dark or ground finely enough.

If you're using a manual or semi-automatic espresso machine, you may want to buy your own grinder. Avoid cheaper grinders that won't let you control the fineness.  A decent burr-type grinder will give you the right fineness and control. For best results grind your beans just before making the coffee.

Keep your beans fresh by buying in small quantities from a store that has a high turnover. Keep them in an airtight container somewhere cool, dry and dark. Don't refrigerate or freeze them. Our Coffee beans report has more about choosing and storing coffee beans.

Start-up tips

Tips to get you (and your espresso machine) up and running:

• To remove factory flavours, flush a litre of water through a new machine and push a cup of hot water through the steam wand.
• A standard espresso shot is 7g of coffee in 30ml of water – you can amp this up by adding more coffee or reducing the water.
• Use fresh water only. Discard any water that's been sitting in the tank for a few days.
• Use beans roasted no more than 10 days ago.
• Adjust the grind fineness until you can get the machine to give you 30ml of espresso after about 20 seconds. (This time – which is called "extraction" – doesn't include the few seconds of "preinfusion" some machines go through.)
• Warm up the cups by leaving them on the cup warmer (if there is one) or running hot water into them.
• Froth milk immediately after making an espresso (don’t let the coffee cool). Aim for small creamy bubbles. Banging the jug on a table and swirling it around several times will remove the larger bubbles.
• Invest in a thermometer that fits inside the frothing jug. Milk should be around 65-70°C. Any hotter and it will burn.
• After frothing milk, clean the nozzle with a sponge that’s not used for anything else. Run a small amount of water to cool the internal parts of the machine (otherwise the extra heat can burn the grind of the next cup of coffee).
• If you want a "long black", add an espresso shot to hot water rather than extracting it for a long time. Over-extraction causes bitterness.
• Drink the espresso within a few minutes of it being made.

The perfect crema

Espresso has a creamy, pale, golden froth on top of the dark brown coffee. It's called the crema, and it's perhaps the most important thing that distinguishes espresso from other types of coffee. Crema is actually caramel. The high temperature and pressure in an espresso machine caramelise the sugar naturally present in coffee, aerate it and expel it with the espresso.

Perfect crema should be thick and stable, and preserve the coffee flavour, aroma and temperature. The state of the crema can help you diagnose where your espresso-making may be going wrong.

• If it's light, inconsistent, thin and dissipates quickly, the coffee has been under-extracted. It was probably too coarsely ground or the water temperature was too low.
• If it's dark and has a hole in the middle, there's either too much coffee in the filter basket or the coffee was compressed into the filter basket (a process known as tamping) too firmly.
• If it's white with big bubbles, the coffee was probably over-extracted because the hot water was passed through the filter for too long.
• If you still can't get good crema, check whether the coffee chamber is dirty.

Perfecting the froth

Here's how to get that professional creamy froth:

• Use fresh, homogenised milk. Full-fat milk produces the best quality froth. Low-fat milk will produce more froth – but it tends to separate more quickly.
• Use a stainless steel jug, half full of milk straight from the fridge. Turn on the steam and purge any water from the wand. Stop and put the wand into the milk just below the surface. Angle the jug and turn the steam on to full.
• Move the jug around to create a whirlpool effect, keeping the nozzle just under the milk level and well under the foam as it develops. 
• When the foam has risen to almost twice the original milk level, drop the nozzle down to heat the milk. Keep heating until the jug is almost too hot to touch.
• The froth should be a creamy froth where the bubbles are so tiny that they can't be seen, and the surface should look shiny, almost glasslike.
• After frothing the milk, bang the jug on the table to remove larger bubbles from the froth, swirl it around a few times, bang it again and pour it on the top of the coffee straight away. The milk and froth should be poured out of the jug on to the crema – you shouldn't have to spoon it out.