What Determines a Great Value for a Home Espresso Maker?

August 29, 2023

Best Value Super Automatic Espresso MachinesAre you trying to find the best value espresso machine?

Do you want the best home espresso maker you can get without spending a lot of money?
Then this free guide is perfect for you for what determines a great value for a home espresso maker.

Below, you’ll find this free guide divided into three parts:

  1. How this Free Guide Will Help You
  2. What Determines a Great Value for an Espresso Maker?
  3. Ratings and Reviews of the Best Value Espresso Machine

How this Free Guide Will Help You

When you’re looking to find an espresso machine that provides the best value for its price, you need to take a few key features into consideration. This way you’ll be sure to end up with a home espresso maker that’s perfect for your needs without spending unnecessary money.

While many people tend to use the words “value” and “cheap” interchangeably, in the world of espresso machines you can’t think this way.

Why?

Because, with espresso makers you may find a product that’s priced as low as $39, which is cheap, but is it actually a value? Or are you wasting your money on it?

You’ll also find other products priced at $59. Since it costs more than the $39 device it must be of better value, right? Wrong.

You see, with home espresso machines there are such a wide variety of selections at all different price levels that it can be very overwhelming trying to find the best valued product. In fact, there are so many things you need to take into consideration in order to really make the right choice.

And, that’s where this free guide is going to help.
Our goal here is to share with you the information you need in order to make an educated choice on which home espresso maker is the best value for your needs.

We’ll explain exactly what features you should worry about and which you can ignore, as well as provide ratings and reviews of the best valued espresso machines you can get.

By the end of this guide, you’ll have everything you need to make the best buying decision for your home.

What Determines a Great Value for an Espresso Maker?

Drive Mechanism

As we mentioned above, a $39 or $59 espresso machine may be inexpensive, but they’re not the best value for your investment.

Why is that?

Because, most espresso makers operate in either one of two ways:

  • Steam-driven
  • Pump-driven

A steam-driven machine uses built up steam pressure to force water through the coffee grinds in the machine. Unfortunately, this pressure is not strong enough to actually create a real espresso drink.

In fact, this type of device is only good at producing a stronger cup of coffee.

Only a pump-driven machine can produce enough pressure in order to brew a true espresso experience. One that has a rich, frothy “crema” on top of the drink.

This is the type of device that all coffee shops use to make espressos. And, as you’ll see from our Comprehensive Buyer’s Guide there are many affordable options you can get for your own home.

So, when it comes to getting a good value on a home espresso machine, you only want to buy a device that is pump-driven. For the price, a steam-driven product is really not worth the expense.

Now that you know about the different types of machines available, can you guess this question below?

Question: What type of device were we referring to above when we said that the $39 and $59 products were not a great value?

Answer: Steam-driven machines

Is a Milk Steaming Wand Necessary?

Another feature that you want to take into consideration when buying an espresso maker is if you want it to include a steaming wand or not.

A steaming wand is used to froth milk. This allows you to brew more than just espresso, but also cappuccinos, lattes, lungos, ristrettos and more.

If you find yourself only drinking espressos and not much else, then this feature is would be a wasted expense. A better value machine for you would be one without it.

On the other hand, if you want the option to brew many different types of drinks, this feature would be essential for your home espresso device.

Pods or No Pods?

Another aspect of value is if the espresso machine allows you to use easy-serving-espresso (ESE) pods or not.

ESE pods are pre-measured packets of coffee that you place into the machine for brewing. With these, you don’t have to worry about grinding your own coffee beans to tamp into the machine or deal with any messy clean up. You just push a button and enjoy your espresso.

Espresso machines come in three designs:

  • Uses ESE pods only
  • Uses ground coffee only
  • Uses both ESE pods or ground coffee

If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of grinding your own coffee beans, a device that uses ESE pods only would be the best choice for you. There’s no point in wasting money on a machine that uses both ESE pods and ground coffee. That dual feature comes at an expense.

If you don’t see yourself ever using ESE pods, then finding a device that offers that capability is unnecessary. You can get a much better machine that’s been designed to work solely with ground coffee.
However, in terms of value, the best espresso maker is a dual option ESE pods and ground coffee device because it offers a lot more bang for your buck. For the times when you are on-the-go and don’t have time to grind your own coffee beans, ESE pods really come in handy.

 

1 Comment
  1. […] as they only boil the coffee over and over resulting in over-extraction. Automatic, programmable coffee-makers are fine if gadgets or gimmicks are your thing, but water that sits overnight looses oxygen, […]

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