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Types of espresso machines
A manual piston espresso machine
Since their invention in 1901, multiple machine designs have been created to produce espresso. Several machines share some common elements.
Varying the fineness of the grind, the amount of pressure used to tamp the grinds, or the pressure itself can be used to vary the taste of the espresso. Some baristas pull espresso shots directly into a pre-heated demitasse cup or shot glass, to maintain a higher temperature of the espresso.
An espresso machine may also have a steam wand which is used to steam and froth liquids, to include milk, for beverages such as the cappuccino and latte.
Steam-driven
A steam-driven unit operates by forcing water through the coffee by using steam or steam pressure. The first espresso machines were steam types, produced when a common boiler was piped to four group heads so that multiple types of coffee could be made at the same time. The design is still used today in low-cost consumer machines, as it does not need to contain moving parts. Many low-cost steam-driven units are sold in combination with a drip-coffee machine.
Piston-driven
The piston, or lever, driven machine was developed in Italy in 1945 by Achille Gaggia, founder of espresso machine manufacturer Gaggia. The design generically uses a lever, pumped by the operator, to pressurize hot water and send it through the coffee grinds. The act of producing a shot of espresso is colloquially termed pulling a shot, because these lever-style espresso machines required pulling a long handle to produce a shot.
There are two types of lever machines; manual piston and spring piston design. With the manual piston, the operator directly pushes the water through the grounds. In the spring piston design, the operator works to tension a spring, which then delivers the pressure for the espresso (usually 8 to 10 bar).
Pump-driven
A refinement of the piston machine is the pump-driven machine, which has become the most popular design in commercial espresso bars. Instead of using manual force, a motor-driven pump provides the force necessary for espresso brewing. Commercial or some high-end home machines are often attached directly to the plumbing of the site; lower-end home machines have built-in water reservoirs.
Four variants exist in home machines, depending on how brew water and steam are boiled; in discussion these are generally known by acronyms.
Single Boiler (SB)
Most simply, a machine can brew only, and not steam, which only requires a single boiler. This is relatively uncommon, with steam wands being a simple and valued addition.
Single Boiler, Dual Use (SB/DU)
Some home pump espresso machines typically use a single chamber both for heating water to brewing temperature, and to boil water for steaming milk. Since the temperature for brewing coffee is sometimes less than the temperature for creating steam, the machine requires time to make the transition from one mode to the other. This is quite common and inexpensive.
Heat Exchanger (HX)
Some machines use a single boiler, kept at steaming temperature, but water for brewing is passed through a heat exchanger (taking some heat from the steam, without rising to the same temperature). This is found in many mid-range machines. There is some controversy as to the temperature stability of the brewing water, due to it being indirectly converted from steaming temperature to brewing temperature, rather than kept at a brewing temperature, but excellent results can be obtained.
Dual Boiler (DB)
Finally, in some espresso machines, for commercial or home use, water for brewing is heated in a separate chamber, which is simplest but requires two separate boilers. This is found primarily in higher-end machines, though it is also found in some mid-range machines, overlapping with HX.
In commercial (multi-group) machines, there can be a common boiler for all groups, or separate boilers for each group.
Air-Pump-driven
In recent years air-pump driven espresso machines have emerged. These machines use compressed air to force the hot water through the coffee grounds. The hot water is typically added from a kettle or a thermo flask. The compressed air comes from either a hand-pump, N20 or CO2 cartridges or an electric compressor. One of the advantages of the air-pump driven machines is that they are much smaller and lighter than electric machines. They are often handheld and portable. The first air-pump driven machine was Handpresso Wild, which was invented by Nielsen Innovation SARL, a French innovation house, and introduced in 2007.
Variations
Semi-automatic, automatic, and super automatic
Machines which contain the addition of pumps, sensors, valves, and grinders to automate the brewing process generally are referred to as automatic.
Semi-automatic machines are automatic in the sense water is delivered by a pump, rather than manual force and remaining brew pressure in the basket is dissipated with a three way valve.
Automatic machines add a flowmeter inline with the grouphead. When the programmed amount of water has flowed through the flowmeter, the pump is automatically turned off and brew pressure released through a three way solenoid valve.
Super-automatic machines operate by automatically grinding the coffee, tamping it, and extracting; all an operator needs to do is fill the bean hopper, and if the machine is not connected to a water line, add water to a reservoir. Additionally, models contain an automated milk frothing and dispensing device.
Stove top
Main article: Moka pot
Moka pots, also known as stove top espresso makers, produce coffee with an extraction ratio similar to that of a conventional espresso machine. The bottom chamber contains the water. The middle chamber is a filter-basket and sits within the bottom chamber holding the ground coffee. The top chamber, with a metal filter, screws onto the bottom chamber. When the pot is heated on a stove, the pressure from the steam in the bottom chamber forces the water through a tube into the filter-basket, through the ground coffee, the metal filter, and it then funnels into the top chamber where the coffee is then ready to serve. Depending on bean variety and grind selection, Moka pots can create the same foam emulsion known as crema that conventional espresso machines can. They are commonly found in Italy, Spain and Portugal. They are also known as a macchinetta, Italian for "little machine".
Modifications
A popular modification in home espresso machines is to retrofit a PID controller, to increase temperature stability and hence extraction consistency and quality. PID controllers date from the 1950s, and have been retrofitted to espresso machines since the early 2000s, but are rarely factory-built outside of high-end machines (multi-$1,000), and hence remain (2010) a popular retrofit.
See also
Espresso
Coffee
Coffeemaker
Espresso bar
References
^ a b An espresso timeline
^ Pendergrast, Mark (2001) . Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World. London: Texere. p. 218. ISBN 1-58799-088-1. </
External links
How an espresso machine works
Coffee Makers and Espresso Makers
Coffee Taster, the free newsletter of the International Institute of Coffee Tasters, featuring articles on the quality of espresso, chemical and sensory analysis, market trends
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Categories: Espresso machines | Coffee preparation | Italian inventionsHidden categories: Articles lacking in-text citations from March 2009 | All articles lacking in-text citations
