It’s been a while since I wanted to write a comprehensive guide on home espresso machines, yet I struggled to find a way to make it as useful as possible, steering between the sheer amount of options available on the market. Finally one of you gave me the right input by asking what he should be looking for when searching for an espresso machine, independently from which exact model and/or manufacturer we would recommend. In the following paragraphs we’ll try to do just that in a comprehensive and approachable way. This blog post is mainly intended to speak to a broader audience and thus lacks more advanced content such as very technical explanations and flow or pressure profiling capabilities although some of the machines listed at the end, might already have them installed or are able to be upgraded to it.

When looking into getting started on your incredibly fulfilling journey of preparing specialty coffee at home, we often see us confronted with thousands of equipment reviews on which espresso machine to choose over another one. We've been there, and it's madness even for professionals like us. So, we wrote this somewhat unusual guide to help you gain clarity before anything else!