How do you like your coffee?

Semi-automatic and automatic espresso machines are mainly aimed at users who want to have full control over the coffee-making process, as it requires quite a bit of practice and experimentation until the final result is as good as possible.

But based on what criteria will you choose the one that suits your needs? Let's look at some of the basic features.

Boiler:

Most semi-automatic and automatic espresso machines usually have one of two different types of boiler, which usually go hand in hand with their price.

In those with a single boiler: the water for brewing coffee and producing steam take place in the same chamber. This means that the two functions cannot be performed at the same time and a short waiting time is required when switching from one function to the other.

In contrast, machines with a double boiler have two separate chambers, which allows the two functions to be used simultaneously, meaning the coffee can be brewed while at the same time we can also use the steam wand.

Bars (Pressure):

The pressure of the machines is measured in atmospheres (bar). It is essentially the pressure with which the water is drawn from the boiler to the group. Most home semi-automatic espresso machines have 15 bar. Note that more bars do not necessarily mean a better final result.

Power (Watt):

The power (in Watt) of semi-automatic and automatic espresso machines does not significantly affect the final result and should not be a selection criterion between different models. Higher power translates into faster heating of the water and steam. The differences in times are small, and most of the time it also depends on the type of boiler.

Coffee baskets:

The porta-filter is the "handle" in which the baskets with the ground coffee are placed. Most machines come with two types of baskets for pre-ground or freshly ground coffee, one for a double and one for a single shot.

Some also include in the package a basket for preparing espresso with ESE (Easy Serving Espresso) pods, which contain ground coffee in a sachet similar to tea bags. This allows for easier preparation and no coffee grinding is required, as well as easier cleaning since the pod is simply removed from the basket.

Quantity setting:

On more expensive models there is also electronic adjustment of the amount of coffee that will reach the cup, as opposed to manual stopping. This allows the same quality coffee to be prepared every time, of course when the other steps have been done correctly.

Steam setting:

Although most have the ability to adjust the steam for preparing milk foam, there are also those in which it is automatic. If preparing foam for cappuccino, latte or macchiato is a priority, it would be better to choose a machine with adjustment, for a better and more precise result.