Why are espresso machines so expensive? Where can I get a cool antique one?!
Answers: Does anyone have an espresso machine? is it worth the money? thanks:)
The bare minimum that can be called an espresso machine is a commericial pump espresso machine. This will cost about US250 new.
Espresso is the process as much as the drink. Espresso is defined as hot water, below boiling, PUMPED at about 8~9 bars pressure, through finely ground coffee, for about 25-32 seconds.
So you need a PUMP espresso machine.
There are moka pots and so-called espresso machines that uses hot-water pressure, about 1.5 bars, to force water through the coffee. There is no pump. Therefore, they are much cheaper. But you get what you pay for.
I have a Krups commercial pump espresso machine. I use it about 10 times a week. It is pretty decent. But since I really do use an espresso machine quite often, I plan to upgrade to something like a Rancilio soon.
So to answer, a good espresso machine is worth the money only if you use it and can tell good coffee from bad coffee, and care.
You CAN buy antique espresso machines and replicas that uses manual hydraulic levers. But as the pressure exerted is now controlled by your arm muscles as opposed to an electric pump, you need to be very skilled to produce good espresso consistently. I would not recommend it to a newbie.
You can spend a couple of thousand dollars on a real pretty one but when it comes down to you wont use it that often and it just takes up more room.
Agreed with joanie - you will get much better value out of a tassimo machine. I have a krups espresso (you need 15psi min) and it cost ￡300 and I've used it only a few times - its a pain to clean and look after , my tassimo cost ￡45 and I use it all the time.
right now I use a moka pot. they are cheap and easy to use and clean. the espresso isn't as good as a pump machine but I also have budget and space limitations. If you take some time and look on ebay sometimes you can find a good deal on a used machine. I have seen ads for older lever-type machines for only a few hundred dollars. only you can determine if it is worth the money. how much effort are you willing to put into making good espresso each time? how much time are you willing to spend on cleaning and maintenance? if you want your machine to give you good espresso for a long time you have to take good care of it.
