When we talk about espresso machines, we are thinking of four major types:
- The manual espresso machine or the piston. Automation gave this machine the aura of being old and valuable. It is quite chic, a rather romantic addition to your kitchen. Factory 8 from Gaggia or La Pavoni's Europiccola with pistons come into this category. You need to realize that they have smaller water reservoirs, and can be noisy during initial heating. The minimum price is $400.
- The semi automatic espresso machine or the electric pump machine. This type of espresso machine is much easier to use, as pressure is not provided by hand any longer, but through an electric pump. You decide when the brewing process starts, by turning a knob. You also decide the end of the extraction, by switching in the opposite direction. Dosing, tamping and removing the grounds are still carried out manually. Starting price is $150.
- The fully automatic espresso machine or the one-touch system is very similar to the semi-automatic machine, with one small difference. You just decide when the brewing starts, and the machine will stop itself, after a predefined amount of time. The lowest price is $450.
- The super automatic espresso machine is just that, a superautomatic. These convenient appliances do almost everything, from grinding to dosing, tamping to brewing. Superautomatics allow you to do whatever you like while the coffee is being prepared. At the same time they do not allow you to experiment to much. And they cost a little more, from $800 to several thousand dollars.
Of course, there are also steam-driven machines, the cheap type, but they do not produce enough pressure to extract and brew real espresso.