espresso machine – Espresso Coffee Brewers

How to Use a Stove Top Espresso Machine

espressocoffeebrewers — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 16:01:10 +0000

A stove top espresso machine is a great way to get a fantastic cup of espresso but, for some, the process of using a stop top espresso machine instead of a semi-automatic espresso machine can be a little daunting. The truth is that stove top espresso machine is actually pretty easy to use and the versatility makes them an especially useful tool for those who may want a great espresso coffee maker at home or out camping.
Of course, always consult your user manual for any instructions that may be unique to your stove top espresso maker. However, for the most part, stove top espresso makers largely work in the same way.

Product name	Our Rating	Check Price
DeLonghi Silver Lattissima Plus Nespresso Coffee System
DeLonghi Nespresso Vertuo Evoluo
Nespresso Pixie D60 Espresso Machine
Breville Nespresso Inissia Titan
KitchenAid Nespresso Machine

Easy as 1–2–3

Stove top espresso coffee makers, or Moka pots, are typically make up of three parts: the base, the filter, and the top portion. Some may look different but they all follow this basic design principle. Putting these three parts together is easy. You may want to practice once or twice without any water or coffee grounds. Ensure you know what it feels like when the top and bottom parts are correctly attached. If you do not have an adequate seal then you will end up with a big mess and no espresso—not a good way to start your day.

Start with Cold Water

In most cases, you can simply use cold water in your Moka pot. Some larger models may suggest that you use hot water to reduce boiling time and the chance you can “cook” the coffee grounds. Consult your manual and, if in doubt, use cold water. You can always experiment in the future with warm water to see what produces the best flavor.

Add Your Grounds

Now is when you will add the grounds to your stove top espresso maker. Again, you may want to do some experimenting with this part of the process. Depending on the filter you use, you might have to adjust the size of your grind if you typically use an electric espresso machine. Try using a slightly larger grind than you would normally use for espresso and see if that produces the flavor you want.

You can either add the filter to the bottom piece of the espresso pot then fill it with grounds or add the grounds before attaching the two pieces—that’s your call. Be sure not to pack down the grounds or you may negatively affect the brewing process. Clean off any excess grounds as well and level off the filter before moving on.

Attach the Top Portion

This is probably the easiest step in the process. Simply attach the top portion to the base after the filter has been added. As mentioned earlier, be sure that the two parts are attached correctly or else you will end up with a major mess to clean up.

Add to Heat

This is where the magic happens. Using a low to medium heat is usually best for stove top espresso makers. If you are camping then you will want to use a low flame. You can check on the progress of your espresso by simply looking into the top portion of your stove top espresso maker. Once it is full you are ready to serve! Easy as that!

Cool Down and Clean

For the best results during your next brew, you will want to clean your stove top espresso maker after use but be sure to let the unit cool down before cleaning. This is simply a safety issue. You don’t want to burn yourself while disassembling and cleaning. Take some time to enjoy the espresso you just brewed. Don’t worry—the cleaning can wait.

Not so Scary

There you have it! Using a stove top espresso maker isn’t so scary after all! It’s an especially handy tool for you espresso fans that also love to go camping. You can get a coffee shop quality espresso wherever you go! Experiment with water temperature and coffee ground size to find the combination that provides you with the absolute best espresso. Enjoy!

Should I Get an Espresso Machine with a Grinder?

espressocoffeebrewers — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 15:21:28 +0000

When shopping for automatic espresso coffee makers, there are pretty much two categories you can sort the options into those with attached burr coffee grinders and those without attached burr coffee grinders. Of course, that’s a pretty simplistic method of sorting and ignores all other features these coffee maker machines may have. However, it’s a good place to start to make that perfect espresso shot. A lot of people ask themselves whether they need to purchase a machine with an attached grinder such as a conical burr grinder. The espresso machine models with conical burr grinders are typically more expensive than models that do not have that same feature. Is the added cost worth it or not?

Product name	Our Rating	Check Price
DeLonghi Silver Lattissima Plus Nespresso Coffee System
DeLonghi Nespresso Vertuo Evoluo
Nespresso Pixie D60 Espresso Machine
Breville Nespresso Inissia Titan
KitchenAid Nespresso Machine

Many People Don’t Know They Need a New Grinder

A lot of people looking at automatic espresso machines already have some experience with brewing their own coffee at home. For most people that experience is basic, trusty drip coffee. Therefore, a lot of people already have a coffee bean grinder at home and can achieve the correct grind size for the perfect espresso shot to get them going each morning. They have used it for years and it has always produced a good cup of drip coffee so surely it is good enough for espresso, right?

Well… not so fast. Drip coffee and espresso have just as many differences as similarities. The grind that you use for your drip coffee is not the same grind you want to use for espresso. Basic grinders that you would use for drip coffee don’t allow you to control the size of the grind which is necessary for producing the best flavor when making espresso. If you are going to spend money on an espresso maker and quality beans then you need a good grinder—period.

The correct grinder to use for making espresso is a burr grinder. With many burr grinders, you can control the grind to make all types of coffee from basic drip coffee to espresso. These are the grinders you will find at coffee shops and if you have ever asked them to grind beans for you after purchase then you will usually hear them ask which type of coffee you plan to make. That’s because they will grind the beans to the correct size to ensure you get the best cup of coffee possible.

A Fresh Grind Equals the Best Flavor

There is simply no debating it… freshly ground coffee beans make for the best-tasting coffee. Choosing to buy an espresso maker with an attached grinder makes the process of getting freshly ground beans for your espresso much easier. When you grind your coffee beans you expose the oils inside the bean. The less time between grinding and brewing, the better.

There are ways to get freshly ground beans at home without having a grinder. For example, if you buy your beans at a coffee shop you can ask them to grind the beans for you. However, once they grind those beans the timer begins on using the ground beans. Ideally, you will use your ground beans in a few days. Any longer and you will begin to lose flavor. This is fine if you don’t mind making frequent trips to your nearest coffee shop. However, having your own grinder at home can cut down on a lot of unnecessary trips to the coffee shop.

Making Other Types of Coffee

If your new espresso machine is going to be one part of your kitchen coffee setup then perhaps an attached grinder is not needed. In cases where you may use your coffee grinder to make espresso as well as drip coffee or French press, then you may want to look at purchasing a separate grinder with adjustable grind settings to meet all of your needs.

Having a grinder attached to your espresso maker is definitely handy for making espresso but it does not do you much good if you want to use those grinds elsewhere in your kitchen.

Of course, you still want a real quality burr grinder for making great espresso but you will likely want to look at a standalone model that can meet your needs and budget.

Speaking of Budget

You will notice that espresso makers with attached grinders are more expensive than those that do not have attached grinders. However, don’t let that initial sticker price shock you into choosing a less expensive model that will just cost you money down the road.

We have established that you need a proper burr grinder for making espresso. If you do not own one already then you will be buying one no matter what. There are two ways to look at this cost: either it is included as a part of your espresso maker purchase or you will be buying a standalone model. If you are choosing an espresso maker without an attached grinder then you should add the cost of a grinder to the purchase price to get a true comparison. You may find that the difference between models with attached grinders and those without is not so great after all.

Consider how you will use your espresso machine, your coffee grinder, and what your budget is and then make the right decision for yourself and your own personal use cases.

Mastrena Espresso Machine Review

espressocoffeebrewers — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 16:25:10 +0000

Mastrena is a fairly well-known name in the world of automatic espresso machines but, chances are, you would never see one of these units in someone’s home. Why is that? Well, the Mastrena espresso machines are made exclusively for Starbucks by a Swiss company called Thermoplan AG. The Mastrena automatic espresso machine is made for a high volume environment and what coffee shop is known for high volume better than Starbucks?

Unless you are a true coffee connoisseur then the Mastrena espresso machine is not likely something you would put in your kitchen. Why? There are a few reasons. First is the cost. These units are made for high volume Starbucks locations and should be looked at more like a piece of machinery rather than an appliance. Units are said to cost as much as $40,000 each. That’s a lot of money to spend on your morning shot of espresso but you would at least have a very interesting conversation piece in your kitchen. The other reason you probably wouldn’t put one of these in your kitchen is availability. These machines are produced exclusively for Starbucks so it’s not like you can log into Amazon and have one shipped to your door in a couple days. Basically, if you want one of these in your home you have to be prepared to spend a lot of money and be a little patient while searching.
Why do people even want to own such a unit? Name recognition goes a long way. Walk into any Starbucks are you will see the Mastrena name. If the most popular coffee chain in the world uses these machines then surely they are good enough for your own home, right?
Obviously, a Mastrena espresso maker would be a fine addition to any home barista’s kitchen but the units are likely overkill for what most people need. Unless you are running a coffee shop out of your home then you don’t need a Mastrena espresso maker. That would be like shopping for a new vehicle and choosing a semi truck if you don’t plan on doing commercial hauling. The cost/benefit ratio for the average person simply does not make sense.
Of course, even after reading that, some people will still want a Mastrena espresso maker in their home. Part of it is the novelty factor: there is no arguing that having a Mastrena unit sitting on your counter would be really cool. Plus, of course, these units are built to get the job done. That job may just be a little bigger than what you are planning on doing in your own home.
Starbucks coffee shops make hundreds of shots of espresso per day. The UFO-shaped hopper on top of the Mastrena espresso maker holds enough beans to get a Starbucks through the morning coffee rush without requiring employees to refill the unit with beans as the line of customers continues to grow. While the massive amount of storage is great for a commercial coffee shop, it would probably go unused for smaller operations. Filling that storage with beans would only result in stale beans after the first few uses.

The built-in burr grinder is obviously very handy for Starbucks baristas and home baristas alike. Freshly ground beans make for the best shot of espresso and there is no debating that. If Starbucks uses freshly ground beans then you should be doing the same… you just maybe don’t need a commercial espresso maker to do it.
Attached to the Mastrena espresso maker is a frothing wand and several buttons that baristas can push to dispense the correct amount of espresso for the order that they are working on. Pretty much everything on this unit is something you can find on units of all sizes for home or commercial operations—the Mastrena name is the only thing that’s exclusive to Starbucks.

One interesting feature of these Mastrena espresso machines is the reminders for cleaning. Since these machines are being used in commercial settings and processing hundreds of orders per day, they need to be cleaned and maintained much more frequently. The Mastrena machines remind baristas multiple times per day about cleaning and will even stop working if the cleaning reminder goes ignored. That’s an important feature for a busy coffee shop but an annoying feature for a smaller operation that may not do the volume of a Starbucks.

Should You Buy a Mastrena Espresso Maker?

If you have the money and connections to get a Mastrena espresso maker then you should feel free to go ahead and pull the trigger on one. However, most people are not looking to spend that much money on an espresso maker and, frankly, do not need some of the commercial features that a Starbucks would. If you are opening your own coffee shop then there are a variety of other names in the commercial espresso maker space that can offer a lot of the same features as Mastrena.

If you’re someone looking for a home espresso maker then the Mastrena espresso maker is probably much more money and attention than you want to put into your espresso habit. Electric espresso machines like the Breville BES870BSXL have a lot of the same features as the Mastrena espresso maker but in a smaller, more consumer-friendly setup. You get an attached storage hopper, burr grinder, milk frother, water tank, and more essential features at a fraction of the cost. Plus, best of all, you can order one right now and have it at your door in a few days.
The cost and effort it would take to get a Mastrena espresso maker is far more than you should have to commit to good espresso at home. Save your money, find a great solution that meets your needs, then sit back and enjoy your fresh espresso.

Why Are Mastrena High-performance Espresso Machines so Expensive?

The Mastrena Coffee Machine is a super automatic machine that does all the work by itself. It will grind, tamp, dose, brew, pre-infuse, adjust the temperature, brewing time and steam for you. It is available in two different models- Mastrena Original (CS2) and Mastrena II.

The Mastrena Coffee Machine is a commercial product which is made to cater to commercial services like fast brewing, espresso shots back to back, commercial heat up system, giant bean hopper, automatic streaming and brewing, etc. It can easily produce 240 espresso shots per hour which makes it an excellent choice for any restaurant or coffee house. The Mastrena Coffee Machine is faster, consistent and more efficient which allows it to easily outperform any residential machine. Since the machine is specifically manufactured to cater to commercial demands, it increases its price tag. Starbucks is a renowned coffee giant that owns the Mastrena Coffee Machine exclusively.

Expensive Features Masterna Offers

Following are some of the features of the Mastrena Coffee Machine:

Equipped with a fast grinding technology, the Mastrena Coffee Machine is a bean-to-cup espresso machine. It not only grinds fast, but also brews and steams milk faster for back-to-back service. It is 28% faster than other machines.
It has a strength and memory controller which controls dose, grind, tamp, brew volume, brew temperature, etc.
It helps baristas to brew perfect shots with minimum effort.
It is programmable.
It has computerized memory.
It can make 240+ shots in one hour.
Its extreme internal technology allows temperature stability and back to back shots.
It has a built-in grinder, a giant bean hopper and a frothing wand
It also gives you a cleaning reminder.

What Is the Closest Alternative to a Mastrena for Your House?

Following are some of the closest alternatives to a Mastrena Coffee Machine:

1. Breville Oracle Touch

This machine is highly automated and will serve you various milk-based beverages and espresso shots with just a push of a button. It has a touch panel interface which allows you to operate it easily. The Breville Oracle Touch has a giant bean hopper, a dual-boiler, a closed portafilter cradle and an automatic steam wand.

2. Gaggia Brera

The Gaggia Brera is another classic super automatic machine that will help you brew delicious espresso with minimum effort. It has an automatic steam wand, an LED display, a bypasser and a built-in grinder. Along with this, the Gaggia Brera is a stainless steel model with a classy exterior.

3. Delonghi Eletta

The Delonghi Eletta is another super automatic machine. It has a built-in grinder which grinds the beans; however, the machine also accepts pre-ground coffee. It also has programmable buttons which help you control the system. Along with this, the Delonghi Eletta has a water filter, a removable front reservoir and a unique carafe style steaming system.