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Espresso Maker - A Must-Have For Home Baristas

Espresso is a robust dark-brown beverage created by pushing hot water through tightly packed, finely ground coffee. It is the base of many popular café drinks.

A barista, also known as an "espresso maker", controls many variables to create a perfect cup. This includes the temperature of water as well as its pressure and how tightly packed the coffee is.

Origins

The espresso maker is a machine that presses small quantities of close to boiling water under high pressure through finely ground coffee beans. The espresso is stronger, more concentrated and served in smaller cups. This is a great option for those who need a strong cup of espresso but want it quickly!

The first espresso machines were created in the 19th century. The coffee industry was booming in the 19th century however, brewing required too much time. People everywhere were desperate for the convenience of a cup in a snap!

Angelo Moriondo of Turin patented one of the first coffee machines in 1884. It held a name that read "New steam machinery for the economic and instantaneous brewing of coffee beverage, method A. Moriondo."

The Milanese makers Luigi Bezzerra and Desiderio Pavoni modified and improved this machine. They incorporated the portafilter, multiple brewheads and other innovations that are used in espresso machines today. The Ideale was their machine that was popular with the audience at the 1906 Milan Fair. Today Moka pots are used in Moka pot can be found in nine out of ten Italian households.

Variations

Espresso is more intense in flavor than coffee. It is a great match with milk to create cafe favorite drinks like cappuccinos and lattes. The bold flavor of espresso shines in recipes for baked goods and even marinades.

There are four kinds of espresso makers: manual lever semi-automatic and automatic and super-automatic machines. Each type has a different method of creating pressure extracting the espresso.

A manual lever machine operates using a mechanical piston to press water through grounds. It's the perfect blend of the manual control and mechanized consistency. There's still the grind and tamp shot yourself however, you can control the pressure and temperature of the water better.

Moka pots, a different manual espresso maker, work similarly to modern espresso machines, which are powered by pumps. Inside an airtight vessel, boiling water generates steam, which is then pushed through the bottom chamber into a filter basket containing ground coffee and into a filter made of metal, where it is pumped into the top cup. These machines are cheaper, however, they only produce 1-1.5 bars of steam pressure. This isn't enough to make espresso.

Ingredients

Espresso makers can help baristas at home create popular cafe drinks such as cappuccinos and lattes. You can add flavoring extracts or syrups to espresso shots to make drinks that are rich, like an espresso martini.

To enjoy a delicious espresso drink you'll need premium beans, fresh milk and sugar. To ensure a consistent extraction, look for coffee beans with a special espresso label. Finely grind them. Try various roasts until you discover the one that best suits your preferences.

You'll require a burr mill to grind the beans to a uniform texture. The espresso machine also has an espresso portafilter that stores the grounds as well as an tamper that is used to seal the coffee.

In the end, you'll need an espresso cup and a steamer or a frother to create the silky aerated milk typical of espresso drinks. Some machines have steam wands that can aid in the process. You'll also need to regularly descale your machine that involves running vinegar and water through the system.

Techniques

Espresso Brewing is the process of creating pressure to quickly extract the intense flavor Coffeee from finely ground, dark-roasted, and tightly packed coffee into a 'puck. This method of brewing results in an intense coffee shot, known as espresso. If done correctly espresso will have a beautiful crema (or dense foam) on top.

Unlike the Moka Express that uses heat to filter water through coarsely ground coffee, the majority of espresso makers utilize highly pressurized water that is forced through small grounds with high temperatures. This results in an espresso-like beverage that can be diluted by milk or water to make other beverages such as lattes and cappuccinos.

While the Moka Express is a basic low-cost machine, other espresso machines can be complex and costly, and provide numerous beverage options. The most well-known machines, however, are Italian-designed lever machines which use spring-loaded arms that release hot water from a cylinder into a portafilter. A barista working with such a machine is able to control the time when he pulls the shot, as well as adjust variables such as grind size and water temperature on a shot-by-shot basis to get the best results. These machines were instrumental in bringing espresso maker for home to greater prominence in Italy and Europe.

Equipment

A high-quality espresso machine should be able to extract soluble and non-soluble solids out of finely ground, tightly packed coffee. This process is assisted by pressure and controlled variables, like temperature and grind size. Then there's the flavor which is influenced by a host of factors including the beans and the way they're handled and prepared.

There are various kinds of espresso machines, however the semiautomatic model is the most well-known. It utilizes an electric espresso maker motor to agitate the water and force it through the grounds. It also permits the user to do the grinding and tamping. These machines are the most affordable, however they're not as reliable as spring pistons or other designs that are manual.

The higher-end lever models come with an accurate piston that does the work. They are more tolerant than spring piston models, but they still require some expertise to operate correctly. They typically require a lot of maintenance, including having to heat up and remove the portafilter and piston each time.