Coffee Espresso Makers Guide

Pump driven espresso vs steam driven espresso vs automatic, which is best? That questions has both and easy and a difficult answer. By that I mean, if you only have a limited amount of money to spend, the question doesn’t matter. You’re just not buying one of the more expensive models. But if money’s just not the issue, then sure, this is a question you need the answer to. Let’s see how we can help you sort through all of this.

You see when it comes to pump driven espresso vs steam driven espresso vs automatic, you’re talking about three very different technologies at three wildly different price points.

Pump driven machines are usually the mid-range products. With a pump machine, you can get a very nice cup of espresso, and also with a little frothed milk and cinnamon, cappuccino. Pump machines usually run somewhere between $100 to $200. What makes great espresso is three things, proper temperature of the water, proper pressure as the water goes through the coffee grounds, and also the right fineness of the ground beans. Pump machines take care of two out of three of these. The only thing left to do is to make sure you correctly grind your beans, which for espresso can be somewhat of a headache.

To continue our conversation about pump driven espresso vs steam driven espresso vs automatic espresso machines, let’s take a look at steam driven machines.

You might think with the word “steam” that these machines would also be able to achieve the correct high temperature to make a really good, authentic cup of espresso. After all steam is super-heated and pressurized water, isn’t it? Well, actually when they say steam they really mean water vapor. The  big problem with steam machines is they don’t actually achieve the temperatures necessary to make a proper cup of espresso.

Now, this might not be that bad, if all you want to do is to play around with espresso and cappuccino. But if you’re a real aficionado, then no…you can’t get a steam machine. Even if it will only cost you $70 or so.

Whereas pump machines are in the middle price ranges and steam machines are at the lower end, automatic machines are very much at the high end. You can get a garden variety automatic for $200+, or you can spend anywhere from $750 on up!

As far as our question about pump driven espresso vs steam driven espresso vs automatic, what’s so great about automatic machines is they do everything! And I do mean everything.

You know the problem I told you about with the pump machines of the beans not being ground correctly? Well, true automatics grind their own beans and make the espresso from them, all at one time. All you do is put the beans in an wait. Out comes perfect espresso. This all comes with a price tag, though. DeLonghi’s Magnifica super-automatic will set you back a cool $745.

So, which is the best, pump driven espresso vs steam driven espresso vs automatic? It all depends on how much money you want to spend!

Want to know how to find the best coffee and espresso maker? Well, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’re going to talk about all the various types of espresso makers and how much they cost. I’ll also be giving you some tips on price and where to buy the best ones.

Ready to get started?

One of the most important things you need to know is that there are four types of coffee and espresso maker–steam, automatic, pump and piston. Steam driven coffee espresso makers are the lower end of the price spectrum, while the automatic machines are at the top end. You can pick up a steam driven espresso machine for as little as $25. An automatic machine could run you $1,000, or even more! Pump and piston machines are somewhere in the middle of this price spectrum, but more toward the cheaper end of things.

So, really if you’re interested in how to find the best coffee and espresso maker, you need to first off decide what price range you’re in.

Now, your price range might just sort of take care of itself. By that, I mean you might just have $70 to spend on an espresso machine. Well, if that’s the case, then guess what? You’re not buying an automatic machine. You’re probably buying a better grade steam driven machine. I’m sure you see what I mean.

Now, money might not be the issue. You might just want to buy the best espresso maker you can, while spending as little as possible, but you might be willing to spend several hundred dollars or even more, if you get the machine you want.

If that’s you, then you need to know the difference between the various types, the pros and cons, so that you can find the best coffee and espresso maker.

To that end, let’s start with automatic machines. Automatic espresso makers do everything from grind the beans to froth the milk for cappuccino. Some great automatic machines are made by DeLonghi. For instance, I really like their DeLonghi Magnifica, super automatic machine. It will set you back a cool $750, but who cares if you’re that much into espresso, right?

If that’s too rich for your blood, then as far as how to find the best coffee and espresso maker, you’ll need to look at pump and piston machines. Again, DeLonghi makes some nice machines for less than $200. So does Krups.

If you need to stick to the lower end of the market, then again, Krups is a great bet.

So, the question of how to find the best coffee and espresso maker has many answers according to your budget. But if you’ll stick with the manufacturers I’ve mentioned, you should be great!

What are the best espresso makers for your money? Well, that depends on a lot of factors, which we’ll have to discuss before we actually talk about specific models. The term “for your money” covers a lot of ground with espresso makers. For instance, you can buy an espresso maker for anywhere from $25 to over $1,000! Does the $25 variety make the same cup of coffee as the $1.000 model? No. Is that cup of coffee worth buying a $1,000 machine? Well, only you can decide the answer to that question.

Again, before we get started looking at the best espresso makers for your money, let’s talk some about espresso makers in general.

The first thing you need to know is there are four types of espresso maker. There are automatic machines, steam driven machines, and pump and piston driven machines. These all fall into different price points. And, they either make superior of inferior cups of coffee, or they’re easier or harder to use. (If that makes any sense! )

Automatic machines are, well, …automatic! They do everything. What’s so great about automatic machines is they do absolutely everything. They grind and brew the coffee all at one time. No fuss at all! You just pop the beans in and perfectly made, frothy espresso comes out! What could be easier? Well, nothing really. As far as being the best espresso makers for your money, there are just two problems with automatic machines. Espresso purists sort of look down on them, and also they’re on the more expensive side of things. For instance, the DeLonghi Magnifica costs a whopping $750! But, hey! If you’re that into espresso…

Steam driven machines are the poor mans best espresso makers for your money. You can get a Mr. Coffee steam driven machine for around $25! That’s a far cry from $750! The problem with steam machines in general is this. They can’t create the heat and sufficient pressure to make a really outstanding cup of espresso…for the most part. Even in this price range, there are what I would call the best espresso makers for your money. The Krups Allegro, for instance, makes a nice cup of coffee, for a steam driven machine. Best of all, it only costs around $60!

Pump and piston machines are the third and fourth category of espresso machine we’re going to talk about. Basically a pump or a piston machine doesn’t have the extra features that an automatic machine has. Think back to when we had non-digital cameras and you could set the aperture and the shutter speed manually. That’s the difference between a piston and a pump machine on the one hand and an automatic espresso machine on the other.

The real issue with most piston and pump machines is how you grind the beans. You’ll have to grind these yourself. So, if you grind too coarse or too fine, the espresso will turn out poorly. If you’re a real espresso aficionado, then sure, feel free! Experiment with various bean grinders until you get the one that works the best. I’ve even got a friend who threw away his automatic grinder for a hand grinder he picked up in a second hand shop. Bottom line, pump and piston machines are finicky. Having said that, Krups, DeLonghi, and Nespresso all make very nice models. Are they the best espresso makers for your money? Well, they’re not going to set you back nearly $750. That’s for sure!

So, who makes the absolute best espresso machines? I would love to tell you, but it’s not quite that easy. You see there are four types of espresso machine and within each of these four types there are a number of popular manufacturer and also maybe a hundred or so actual models.

Another problem with the idea of finding the absolute best espresso machines is this. How do you rank them? Is a Mr. Coffee 4-shot machine for $64 necessarily inferior to a DeLonghi Magnifica for $750? That’s kind of like comparing a Porsche to a Ford Taurus. Sure, everybody knows a Porsche is better than a Ford Taurus. That is everyone except millions of Taurus drivers who would have to walk if a Porsche was the only thing they could buy.

So, price range has a lot to do with the absolute best espresso machines. But not, perhaps, in the way you might think. What I’m saying is the absolute best espresso machines don’t necessarily cost more money.

Okay, if money’s not an option, then the Mr. Coffee is not going to be the best. It’s a steam driven machine and the espresso that comes from this type, usually, is watery and just not the best. Is the DeLonghi Magnifica the overall best, regardless of money? Well, let me tell you, it makes one heck of a cup of espresso. But then again, so do a number of other machines.

So, it’s not just the taste of the espresso that comes from the absolute best espresso machines that counts. Shouldn’t ease of use count for something? If so, then kudos again go to the DeLonghi machine, again. If not, and if it doesn’t matter than you have to spend a few weeks perfecting how you grind the beans, for instanct, then the DeLonghi machine has a lot of company. From Krups, for instance.

Either way, the absolute best espresso machines are not absolute. They’re relative to you and your needs and your budget. Once you figure out what you want the machine for, how much time you have to devote to the science and art of espresso making, and how much money you want to spend, then perhaps, you can get a bead on the best over all machine.

So, what’s the best coffee espresso gadget on the market? Oddly enough, that’s a little more difficult question than asking what’s the best NFL football team, or even who’s the best heart surgeon in Omaha, Nebraska. Football has playoffs, and you could take a look at the longevity of their patients to rank heart surgeons, but the best coffee espresso gadget? What do you mean by “best”?

Best usually means that something works better or lasts longer than the others. But with coffee espresso makers, you have such a wide range of prices that it’s hard to compare them. Not only that, but it’s really true that not all coffee espresso makers are made equal. They’re really not!

For instance, there are four types of coffee espresso makers to choose from. So, really, if you’re interested in the best coffee espresso gadget, you should really compare them only withing these four groups.

There are steam driven coffee espresso machines. These are the cheaper ones…well, to be honest, these are the cheap ones! You can get a Mr. Coffee espresso maker for $25! Steam driven machines sound great, and if you’re just interested in having fun with espresso, they are. But a steam machine can’t deliver the pressure or the heat to make a really great, frothy cup of espresso.

If you’re interested in a cheap cup of almost espresso, then Mr. Coffee makes some fine machines, which with a slight stretch of the imagination might be consider the best coffee espresso gadget, at least ‘best” when it comes to low priced.

If you’ve got more money…a lot more money…to spend on espresso, then maybe you should consider an automatic machine. Automatic espresso makers are, well, automatic. That is they do everything except drink the espresso for you. At the high end of this price range (over $500) DeLonghi and Saeco make some really nice single and double cup espresso machines, or gadgets. At the low end, you might be interested in what Nespresso has to offer. By low end, I mean $250 or so.

I’m not contending that these three manufacturers are the only ones you can consider as making the best espresso gadget, but they would surely be in the running for the top gadget that’s automatic and that’s in their respective price ranges.

In addition to all this, there are pump and piston driven machines.

Pump machines are prices usually somewhere between the steam machines and the automatic machines. DeLonghi makes some nice pump machines. So does Krups. Pump machines are a little more difficult to use than automatic machines. You have to grind the espresso just right to make these guys work well. As far as the best coffee espresso gadget, if you’re in the middle price ranges, then a DeLonghi might be just the ticket.