Where to buy: Our site, Darty, Boulanger, etc.
Average time for an espresso: 45 seconds, including startup.
Pros: Simplicity of use, speed of use, a single device for grinding and extracting, milk-based drink options.
Cons: Not necessarily fine control for enthusiasts (coffee dose, grind, tamping). Maintenance can be tedious.
For whom? I love good espresso, but I don't know much about it and I don't want to spend too much time on it.
Our unfiltered opinion: Does the Pareto principle ring a bell? Beware of "gadget" options; prioritize simplicity. A well-known brand, a proven model, ideally with a digital screen to facilitate maintenance, and you're all set.
Where to buy: our site, Darty, Boulanger, etc.
Average time for an espresso: 2 minutes, including startup.
Pros: Very good compromise between ease of use and coffee quality, speed of use, takes up relatively little space, inexpensive compared to the service rendered. Cleaning is simpler than automatic machines.
Cons: Not as simple for daily use as an automatic machine, and no total control over the process.
For whom? I love espresso and I want to go further than an automatic while sticking to a simple-to-use machine.
Note: to take a step toward precision and succeed in making your espressos more consistently, equip yourself with a scale accurate to 0.1g to measure the quantity of ground coffee in the portafilter.
Our unfiltered opinion: If you feel like a budding barista, you risk hitting a glass ceiling quite quickly with this type of model. The integrated grinders show their limits, especially on light roasts. Purists tend to separate the grinder from the coffee machine for even more flexibility.
Where to buy: our boutique on request or specialized sites.
Average time for an espresso: Between 2 and 25 minutes, including startup.
Pros: The best potential quality, great flexibility allowed, easy cleaning.
Cons: Potentially expensive ensemble, takes up more space, and more settings to adjust. You must master the parameters to get a good espresso.
For whom? I am an espresso purist and I want to get the best out of the specialty coffees I buy.
Note: for espresso, prefer an electric grinder. Few manual grinders are capable of providing a grind fine and uniform enough for good espresso, even if the market has been tending to improve in this direction in recent years. Furthermore, if you are a heavy coffee consumer, you risk tendonitis! Consult our guide to choosing your coffee grinder to learn more. A precision scale is also highly recommended for this method.
Additionally, ensure your portafilter does not have a pressurized basket, or you will miss out on the true extraction.
Our unfiltered opinion: it can be tempting to equip yourself with certain renowned brands also found in coffee shops. If you have that kind of budget, why not, but it comes with constraints on startup time and energy consumption, for a quality gain that is not necessarily tenfold. Put your money toward the grinder first if you are hesitant.
Where to buy: Maxicoffee
Average time for an espresso: 10 minutes
Pros: Compact, potentially without electric power or plumbing, stylish, real-time pressure control, great flexibility, portability, and great taste potential.
Cons: Time spent for each espresso, need for a kettle and to preheat the machine, bad settings are heavily penalized.
For whom? I am an espresso poet, and I am ready to spend hours finding the right settings.
Note: It will be necessary to "test" each coffee, then adjust the grind size or the quantity of coffee in the basket to get a beautiful extraction. As with an electric espresso machine, the flow rate will be a very good indicator of the quality of your extraction.
Our unfiltered opinion: The lever machine is not a practical solution. It is a statement. That of an enthusiast who prefers to understand what they are extracting rather than simply experiencing it. If you have reached this point, you already know that the coffee you put into it will make all the difference; our specialty coffees are tailored for this. As you will have gathered, we have a soft spot for lever machines.