Dec 7th, 2009 | Written by Original Writer | Posted in Coffee Makers |

When buying a coffee machine you need to know what you are looking for. Why do they range in price quite so much? If you do not know the answer to this question read on to get a better clue of what to look for when buying one.

The perfect espresso does not just happen. It is a finely tuned process that a machine can help with but unless you buy one of the most expensive ones or use coffee pods you are going to need some know-how too. The water needs to be boiled to the right temperature, the coffee needs to be ground finely enough, it then needs to be packed tightly enough and finally the hot water needs to be forced through the coffee grounds at the right pressure to make the perfect espresso.

Most of the cheaper machines will fail on one if not all of the above criteria. To be safe you need to make sure you buy a manual, lever operated machine if you know what you are doing with it or a semi-automatic machine that takes some of the stages under its wing.

Semi-automatic machines, such as the Gaggia Classic coffee machine, use a pump to move the water from the reservoir to the boiler. Once heated to the ideal temperature, the pump forces it through the coffee grounds in the filter basket at the optimum pressure.  They normally include two heating units so that the water for the coffee and the water to create the frothing steam can be heated simultaneously. The reason they are ‘semi’ automatic is that you need to grind and pack the coffee into the filter basket first. Doing this properly is not as easy as it sounds and you will probably need a bit of practice to get the hang of it for your taste.

The cheaper semi-automatic machines cost between $300 and $450. They are cheaper because their parts are adequate but inferior when compared to the more expensive models. The boilers are made from aluminum and the casings are plastic whereas in models costing over $450, the boilers are brass and the casings are metal. The more expensive models are recommended for heavier daily use.

For a fully automated process you need a super automatic pump model that does everything from grinding the beans to delivering your perfect coffee with the press of just one button.

About The Author
Chloe Anderson writes about the hottest kitchen appliances including each Gaggia coffee machine.

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