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> Espresso machines, then and now, are gigantic, expensive, difficult to use, and incredibly inefficient from an energy perspective. Every one of these four st
by enriquto 5y ago
> Espresso machines, then and now, are gigantic, expensive, difficult to use, and incredibly inefficient from an energy perspective.
Every one of these four statements is so comically false that you cannot help to attribute a dose of bad faith in the author. You can buy a real espresso machine that fits in a 15cm x 30cm base (like two bottles of water side by side) for about 100EUR, which is definitely easier to use than a moka pot, and does not waste energy by heating the air in the kitchen.
- calmoo 5y agoWhat machine are you referring to?
- enriquto 5y agoI don't want to make publicity of a brand here, but I just went to a local shop and got the smallest one that got to 19 bar. It makes excellent expressos with cream and all (if you buy appropriately ground coffee). EDIT: just look for "thin espresso machine" on a search engine, there's plenty of choice!
- 2rsf 5y agoNespresso's promise 19 bar as well, but they use a simple PTC element to heat the water as they pass over it so in reality it's "up to 19 bar"
- ValentineC 5y ago> It makes excellent expressos with cream and all (if you buy appropriately ground coffee). Most cheap espresso machines achieve crema and pressure via a pressurised portafilter [1]. Nothing wrong with having one as a beginner, but you're stuck with using coarser grinds because of the always-there pressure, and it limits the number of variables you're able to play with to "dial in" beans. [1] https://coffee.stackexchange.com/questions/2641/how-big-of-a-difference-is-there-between-a-pressurised-and-non-pressurised-porta https://coffee.stackexchange.com/questions/2641/how-big-of-a...
- enriquto 5y agoI'm definitely a "beginner", but still can see that from moka pot to cheap espresso there is a world of difference, and from cheap expresso to "serious" espresso the difference is very subtle (to my tastebuds).
- 2muchcoffeeman 5y agoThey are probably referring to the Delonghi Dedica. Out of the box it comes with a pressurized basket. If you are not familiar with coffee machines, this type of basket will not give you espresso like at an espresso bar. Coffee ground for espresso on this machine will choke it. Instead it is designed to be more forgiving of grind size. You can put store bought pre-ground coffee in it. The basket itself provides resistance and the value will open when it hits 9bar internally. You can get a normal basket for it since the pump can hit the required pressures for espresso. But they use their own basket size, so just be careful what you get. The steam wand also uses a froth-aider so you won't be getting the silky microfoam that can pour art. I've used the Dedica before and it's ok. For my money I'd get the Breville Bambino if you want this style of machine. I believe the latest model comes with a pressurized and normal basket. And the automated milk steamer is actually quite impressive. Milk foams up well enough to pour art and it does an admirable job at soy milk.
- maslam 5y agoWhich one did you get?
- Gigachad 5y agoI got an espresso machine at the start of last year and I just can’t imagine using anything else now. They aren’t immediacy obvious how to use, but after a quick read of the manual, anyone could do it. And the thing uses such a trivial amount of energy I could just turn my house heating off for a day to save several years worth of coffee making.