Home Espresso
Home Espresso Machine
Instead of going to your local cafe or favorite corner coffee shop for a perfect cup of espresso why not consider making your own at home? There are a wide variety of home espresso makers geared for home use from the more basic models to those used by professionals. But before you spend hundreds of dollars on a top of the line home espresso machine consider your options and needs. While some may seem a little pricey, keep in mind you are saving long term and on a daily basis by avoiding high priced coffee at cafes.
Before you rush out to buy a home espresso machine take your time and do your research. There are several different varieties of home espresso coffee makers on the market. Each type of home espresso machine comes with a different price tag and different capabilities. Although the top of the range machine is nice, it may not necessarily meet your needs. Instead of buying a home espresso machine simply because it is rated the "best", buy a machine that you can and will use on a regular basis.
Choosing the right home espresso machine can be a daunting task but with some basic knowledge and wisdom of how espresso makers work, cost, and specific features you get for the money, selecting the right option is easy. One point is clear - if you are buying your coffee at a coffee shop at least 3-4 times a week the payoff on purchasing yourself a home espresso machine is well worth the investment.
The Perfect Home Espresso
Home espresso equipment is exploding onto the home gadget scene in ever skyrocketing numbers and designs with ever decreasing costs, but what's the true description and origins of espresso coffee and what are the crucial factors in a great home espresso ?
Cafe espresso or just, espresso, as it is now popularly known, is a concentrated coffee libation brewed by forcing hot water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans.
The term cafe-espress was first used in the 1880s, well before home espresso machines were invented and basically means coffee made to order, expressly for the person ordering it.
The first espresso coffee machines were showcased in the early 20th Century, and the 1st patent being filed by Luigi Bezzera of Milan, Italy, in 1901. However these early machines used steam pressure not water to brew the espresso and it was not till the mid-1940s, that the design was altered to the piston lever home espresso machine.
The important differences between a well made home espresso and either drip or coffee from other brewing processes are a denser consistency, more melted solids and crema, a brownish froth that floats on top of the coffee which is a mix of plant oils, proteins and sugars.
Thanks to the pressurised water concerned in the brewing process, the flavours and chemicals in a good espresso become extremely concentrated. For this reason, espresso is used as a base for other coffees,eg latte, cappuccino, mocha and macchiato.
Even though it clearly relies on the individual coffee beans used and the maker or barista, as a rule of thumb there's customarily two to 3 times the quantity of caffeine in an espresso than in the same volume of drip brewed coffee. An expert operator of an espresso machine is a barista, the Italian word for a bartender.
Home espresso machines have gone up in popularity with the general rise of interest in espresso, principally since the 1990's and the enormous upsurge in the number of coffee houses and chains on each street.
We are at present experiencing a new wave of innovation as the electronics industry turns it's attentions to home espresso machines and we will be able to now find a large range of espresso equipment in consultant kitchen and appliance stores, online sellers and department shops.
Many are fully automatic, push button home espresso machines which both grind and make a fresh cup with only one touch. They sometimes make a better espresso than poorly trained folk, but not as good as the best trained baristas.
Will this new wave of home espresso machines change what we call an espresso? It certainly could and that wouldn't be such a bad thing.