#PERSONAL EXPRESSO MACHINE SERIES#

Also, the filter is not very precise and I found a lot of grounds in my coffee. Bialetti Moka Pot: The Bialetti is a classic, but machines that use steam pressure tend to produce harsh-tasting espresso because of the temperature of the water.This is a great option for someone who wants an all-in-one espresso experience. Breville Barista Pro: I loved working with the Breville Barista Pro, but it boasts a number of features I found unnecessary for everyday use and preferred using my own grinder versus the built-in grinder on the machine.Serious Eats / Ashley Rodriguez The Competition

Instead of a general “citrus acidity,” with the Gaggia, I was able to get really specific notes, like orange with a sweetness like milk chocolate from the blended coffee, and cherry and candy sweetness from the Guatemalan one. There was also a level of nuance I couldn’t find in other espressos. Most of the machines were able to achieve some level of balance and acidity, but this is the only espresso in which I managed get sweetness out of the coffee. Did it produce the best espresso we had on any of these machines? Yes. To get the water to the temperature I wanted, I waited until the machine was fully heated (which is indicated by the second light on the three-button interface turning off), purged water until the light came back on, and then waited 30 seconds. The Gaggia has a single boiler and tends to run hot the very first shot of espresso I pulled was really bitter and strange. We talked about temperature surfing earlier-and this is a machine that needs it. But when the pressure moves above nine bars, the water starts to compact the coffee grounds in the puck, which slows down the rate at which the water flows through the puck, and the flavor of the espresso is consequently worse. Most tasters will find that the flavor of the espresso gets better with each shot up until you reach nine bars, because as the pressure goes up, the water passes through the tamped coffee grounds in the espresso puck faster and faster.

#PERSONAL EXPRESSO MACHINE SERIES#

This is because, as 2007 World Barista Champion James Hoffmann recently explained, nine bars is the optimal pressure for espresso, a fact that can be demonstrated by simply pulling a series of shots, starting at three bars of pressure and gradually increasing the amount of pressure with each shot. If you ever have a chance to check out a commercial espresso machine at a coffee shop, nine times out of ten those machines are set to exert pressure at nine bars. One of the features we paid close attention to is pressure, since the amount of pressure with which water is passed through coffee grounds is an essential part of the process of making espresso if you’re not incorporating pressure into your brewing, you’re essentially just making strong drip coffee.

Personal expresso machine