Even at a 50 year high, coffee prices are expected to increase in 2025, so it’s a great time to start recreating your favorite coffee shop orders at home. If your go-to caffeine fix is an espresso, you may find that the cuppa you’re making at home doesn’t quite taste the same as the one you order, even if you use the same coffee beans as your favorite coffee shop. The high pressure required for extraction and the finer grind size of the beans are just a few of the ways how espresso differs from regular coffee. The velvety texture and complex, punchy flavors are all results of these differences, and the reason your shots don’t taste as good as those from a coffee shop often comes down to the type of machine being used.
An espresso shot uses super finely ground coffee, through which hot water is passed at a pressure of about 9 bars, which is quite high. The coffee bean’s fine grind also makes espresso fickle to get right, and even small changes in conditions can lead to an unbalanced cup that’s too bitter, acidic, or watery. To achieve and consistently deliver that high pressure, sometimes multiple times a day, a machine needs to be carefully engineered and made of high-quality materials. Plus, it should allow the user to adjust the many parameters required, such as water temperature, bloom cycle, extraction time, and more. All of this translates to a higher cost, making professional coffee machines too pricey for most people to buy for home use.
Espresso balances a lot of factors perfectly
Two major factors make professional coffee machines superior to their commercial counterpart. First, they give you accurate control over various functions, allowing you to calibrate the perfect water temperature, pressure, and extraction time. Second, even the automated steps are performed better due to higher-quality materials and greater precision. A good example is the spray head, which ensures water is evenly distributed over the coffee grounds. A lower-end machine may be unable to add water as evenly, meaning some of the coffee grounds are over-exposed to hot water while the rest won’t be extracted enough, resulting in more bitter-tasting notes. Similarly, flow meters that control the amount of water and bloom cycles, which are meant to saturate the coffee grounds and release excess carbon dioxide trapped in coffee beans, are better in professional machines.
Considering the significant price difference between professional and home coffee machines (the former often has 4-figure pricing compared to the latter’s three-figure sticker), a high-end machine is an investment. While a professional coffee machine can make a better espresso shot, you still need practice and know-how to exploit those capabilities best. Unlike commercial bean-to-cup machines, many professional units don’t include a coffee grinder since the built-in types tend to be less accurate. Instead, they require a separate good-quality burr grinder, adding to the cost. For coffee shop-level espresso at home, consider professional manufacturers like Gaggia that make smaller espresso machines, like the Gaggia R19380/46 Classic Evo Pro. Alternatively, get a manual machine like this Flair Espresso Maker and a separate grinder, like the OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder. This setup gives you complete control over all aspects of the espresso. However, before going out and spending all that money, remember you can reprogram your machine to turn any Nespresso coffee pod into an espresso.
