For those who are just getting into coffee equipment, the differences between espresso machines and drip coffee makers are often confusing. This article systematically sorts out the characteristics of both types, from working principles, extraction methods, and price ranges to purchasing advice, and offers reference opinions for home and professional scenarios. At the same time, the article also compiles common troubleshooting for espresso machines, milk foam making steps, and key details in drip coffee maker selection such as materials, water outlets, and temperature control, helping coffee lovers make more suitable judgments when buying and using. Content involving Front Street brand recommendations in the article will also be retained for readers' reference.
Coffee machines are the general term for devices used to extract coffee, and can be divided into two major categories by type: drip and espresso. Quite a few friends still have questions about the differences between these two machines, so today, from the perspective of coffee training, we will take everyone on an exploratory journey about coffee machines, with rich content covering both purchasing and usage tips. To avoid any appearance of advertising, no specific brand models will be recommended.
Espresso Machines
These machines generally have a boiler to produce hot water, then pressurize the hot water to about nine atmospheres and force it through the coffee grounds in a metal filter basket to complete extraction. Coffee brewed with high-pressure hot water is more concentrated and forms an emulsified layer of crema on the surface, usually called espresso or espresso coffee. There are many types of espresso machines. Taking commercial models as an example, the most common is the single boiler, and above that are dual boilers and multi-boilers, with prices rising accordingly. Besides conventional electronically controlled switches, there are also lever-operated models, each with its own characteristics. Commercial machines range in price from forty or fifty thousand yuan to four or five hundred thousand yuan, offering extremely diverse choices.
Drip Coffee Makers
They usually adopt an upper-and-lower two-layer structure. When using, place pre-ground coffee powder into the upper funnel container lined with filter paper or a metal filter, place a glass or ceramic coffee pot in the lower layer, and pour cold water into a separate water reservoir. After starting, the machine heats the cold water to about ninety degrees Celsius and gradually introduces it into the funnel container. The hot water flows through the coffee grounds and drips into the pot below.
In addition, besides brewing coffee, this kind of coffee machine can also be used to make tea.
Espresso: High-Pressure Extraction
Espresso machines use high-pressure hot water passing through the coffee grounds to extract coffee. Because today's espresso machines commonly use a pump to pressurize the boiler in order to reach the pressure needed to extract crema, they are also called pump espresso machines. Earlier old-style espresso machines required manually pushing a lever to pressurize the boiler, and are also called lever coffee machines. Nowadays lever models are more valued for their visual appeal, and are inferior to pump models in both ease of operation and taste performance.
Drip Coffee: Normal-Pressure Extraction
It is generally made with a drip coffee maker. There is one similarity with espresso machines: drip coffee also lets hot water flow through the coffee grounds to extract coffee. The difference is that the hot water is at normal pressure.
Other Aspects
1. Drip coffee makers have no pressure, and the output is only black coffee, that is, Americano, and cannot make other fancy coffees.
2. Espresso machines have a certain amount of pressure and can use pressure to extract ESPRESSO coffee with rich crema. Some plain espressos can be made into lattes by adding milk, cappuccinos by adding milk foam, and other fancy coffees.
3. In terms of price: a drip coffee maker can be bought for around two hundred yuan with quite good quality. Espresso machine prices range from seven hundred yuan to over one hundred thousand yuan.
How to Choose an Espresso Machine
The making of Italian coffee is closely related to the machine. A superb cup of espresso is like a well-recorded album, and can be called a combination of craftsmanship and technology. To make excellent Espresso is a highly challenging task for both home coffee lovers and senior Baristas in coffee shops. The purchase of an espresso machine naturally has to be divided into two major categories: home and professional. The following is a guide to buying an espresso machine.
Home Espresso Machines
Strictly speaking, making espresso at home is "impossible." This is also why almost every Italian household uses a moka pot. Perhaps Italians long ago reached a consensus not to learn to make coffee themselves because it is too difficult, so everyone goes out to drink coffee on the street. This is precisely where the commercial significance of espresso lies.
Now Americans, perhaps because it is hard to find good coffee, or perhaps because they have spare money and time, are willing to put effort and money into this.
In Italy there is also a category of coffee machines mainly designed for baristas to use at home, generally called semi-professional coffee machines, that is, prosumer machines. For example, ECM's Giotto coffee machine, although quite suitable for small cafés, currently cannot be imported due to domestic certification restrictions. Or some better home espresso machines, such as Rancilio's Miss Silvia (note that Americans all install a PID temperature controller when using this machine at home, otherwise it is hard to guarantee making good coffee). Such machines usually use professional portafilters, only the boilers are very small, and the pumps are mainly vibration pumps. But semi-professional models often use an E61 brew head, so the experience is good. But who can afford that effort? They are mainly most suitable for baristas to use at home.
Professional Espresso Machines
Generally, professional machines are all quite good, mainly made in Italy. Of course, some are sturdier, and some do not last long and break easily, especially automatic models. Because they have electronic control boards, the quality of these products is not very good, and they break down easily. By comparison, manual (of course not "true" lever type, but "small" lever type) and semi-automatic machines are less prone to failure. Manual ones use mechanical switches and almost never break. The semi-automatic one's power switch is very large, and the wire is very thick, so it is also hard to damage. Especially where there is no local dealer providing repair and warranty service, it is best to use this kind of machine.
Some people value appearance, but do not forget that usually only good machines do good business and make good profits, so there is money to make the machines look better. Therefore appearance is not entirely meaningless. The simplest point is to avoid plastic parts.
The E61 brew head is a special part. Professional machines had best use this. Because it has two advantages: one is to use the hot water in the boiler to continuously heat the brew head and avoid the brew head temperature being too low. The most important is still that this brew head has an automatic "pre-infusion" function, which is very convenient for making coffee. Otherwise, manual "pre-infusion" is hard to control, easy to forget, and may be done improperly. Machines with this function are slightly more expensive than ordinary machines, but the price difference is not very large. Generally, relative to the price of a relatively professional coffee machine, it is not obvious.
Next is the dual pressure gauge, of course referring to vibration pumps. Some machines use pressure gauges that are not accurate enough, which is inconvenient for adjusting pressure.
Now many people emphasize temperature control, including David Schomer. So some newly developed coffee machines have direct temperature display and temperature adjustment functions. But although this type of machine is convenient to use, because many parts are electronic products, it is best to find one with a local dealer providing warranty and repair service. Otherwise it may affect the operation of the coffee shop.
The last point: it is best to buy a new machine. Second-hand machines are often used for a long time; if they have not broken down yet, then they are about to break down. So in use, maintenance problems are likely to be encountered frequently. Or if you do not understand the machine's faults, it may affect coffee making without you realizing it, which is even worse.
Handling Common Problems with Italian Steam Coffee Machines
1. Coffee too weak: This coffee machine is a professional Italian steam coffee machine and belongs to espresso equipment. The markings on it are set according to the concentration of Italian coffee powder, and Italian coffee powder is very strong. When brewing other coffee powders with lower concentration, adjusting the ratio of coffee powder to water can produce a richer taste. For example, after lightly tamping and filling the coffee powder, brew the coffee to the mark 2 position;
2. Coffee temperature too low: After turning on the power, wait until the water coming out of the outlet is hot before putting in the coffee powder, or open the lid to heat it, and when the water inside is about to boil, cover the lid again. Then the coffee will come out relatively hot;
3. Water comes out soon after turning on the power: This is normal, because the coffee machine boiler is very sealed. After heating, the water and the gas inside expand and push the water out. Wait until the water coming out is hot before brewing coffee, or open the lid of the water inlet to heat it, which can avoid this phenomenon.
Milk Foam Making
1. Heat the milk to fifty or sixty degrees and set aside;
2. Open the steam knob and use an empty cup to catch the mixture of water and steam released in the initial stage;
3. After a continuous large amount of steam is released, bring the steam wand into semi-contact with the surface of the milk;
4. The milk foam slowly forms. Once the appropriate milk foam is reached, immediately move the cup away;
5. Add the milk foam to the coffee with a large coffee spoon, and it's OK;
How to Choose a Drip Coffee Maker
Because there is not much to develop in terms of function for drip coffee makers, most efforts are made in appearance and style, and of course factories also work hard on how to reduce costs. Although drip coffee makers are simple, can you just buy one casually when choosing? Since the functions are all the same, is the cheaper the better? Actually not. Below we discuss the selection of drip coffee makers.
Drip Coffee Maker Buying Guide
When choosing a coffee machine, first pay attention to the material of the machine, that is, the quality of the plastic. The choice of plastic should first comply with food safety. In addition, many people may smell a strong plastic odor when using a drip machine, and this is because the plastic used is not good. With good plastic, basically no plastic smell can be detected when brewing coffee. But at present some domestic factories use recycled plastic to produce machines in order to reduce costs, mostly in black, because black can cover up some impurities in recycled material. If the machine is made white, the quality of the material is easier to see. Also pay attention to the thickness of the machine's plastic. Some machines may make the machine wall very thin to reduce costs, and you can clearly feel it by pressing with your finger. A thin wall easily causes damage, and a thin wall also makes the plastic smell more noticeable when heating.
Second, when choosing a machine, be sure to choose multi-hole hot water output. The more holes and the finer they are, the better. Generally there should be at least 9 holes, and many American-style multi-hole machines are like this. At present, many drip machines sold online and many machines in domestic stores use single-hole water output, which is very unreasonable. A single large hole for hot water output easily leads to over-extraction in the middle and under-extraction at the edges. If it is single-hole hot water output, it even more seriously affects the extraction effect.
Drip coffee makers mainly have various heating methods. Adding a flow restrictor or increasing power are both intended to make the water temperature higher and heating faster; better machines use a semi-enclosed boiler-like heating method: inside the stainless steel boiler is a spiral heating copper tube. The water temperature of this kind of drip machine when brewing coffee can reach 92-96 degrees. The water from ordinary drip machines is only in the 80s Celsius, which is obviously too cold for coffee. Once the water temperature issue is solved, then consider how to make the coffee grounds fully soak in the hot water. Generally filter paper is used. If it can be equipped with a gold filter mesh like Swissgold, the effect will be even better.
Finally, whether the simplest or with electronic control functions, drip coffee makers all have an automatic keep-warm function. That is, when brewing coffee, after the water is used up, the machine does not need to be turned off and enters automatic keep-warm mode. In order to drink as much of the coffee's aroma as possible, choose a drip coffee maker with a lower keep-warm temperature. Of course, it is best to brew and drink immediately.
Tips for Using a Drip Coffee Maker
Handling Common Problems with Drip Coffee Makers
1. Coffee too weak: The ratio of water to coffee powder is wrong. Properly increasing the amount of coffee powder will do. The Min mark on the glass coffee pot below is a 2-cup amount, requiring 4-6 spoons of coffee powder;
2. Coffee temperature too low: Due to the principle of drip coffee makers, a large part of the heat is lost during the coffee extraction process, resulting in the coffee temperature not being high. You can first not add coffee powder and directly add water to the water tank and let it brew for a while. After the water dripping into the glass pot is hot, restart the coffee brewing steps. You can also directly add hot water to the water tank to brew;
3. Coffee powder not fully extracted: Freshly ground coffee has grounds. The coffee powder left in the filter is coffee grounds, and the amount will not decrease. If part of the coffee powder is still dry, when adding the coffee powder, pile it into an inverted cone shape with the highest part in the middle, which helps the extraction of the coffee powder;
4. No coffee comes out: Check whether the switch indicator light is on. If not, check the outlet power, then check whether the glass coffee pot lid is on and whether it is installed in the coffee machine. When the coffee machine is working, it must rely on the lid on the glass pot to push open the piston so that coffee can smoothly drip from the filter into the coffee pot;
How to Make Rich, Aromatic Coffee with a Drip Coffee Maker
Because the filter speed of a drip coffee maker is too fast, it affects coffee extraction. At this time, add a special drip coffee maker filter paper outside the filter to slow down the coffee extraction time; provide manual assistance during the brewing process: observe carefully when brewing coffee. When coffee drips into the coffee pot, turn off the power, wait 5 seconds, then turn the power switch on for about 15 seconds (extend appropriately depending on the amount of coffee), turn off the power again for 5 seconds, turn the power on again for 15 seconds, turn it off again for 5 seconds, finally turn the power on, and after the coffee reaches the desired amount, turn off the power and it's OK. A cup of excellent rich coffee will immediately appear before you! If conditions permit, after pouring the coffee into a cup, heat it in a microwave for twenty or thirty seconds, and the coffee will be even more aromatic and mellow. Do not use the coffee pot originally supplied with the coffee machine for heating!
Source: Internet
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
