The Espresso Experience: Espresso Coffee Machines
It's a safe bet that there are as many types, kinds and styles of coffee and coffee-related products in the world today as there are people enjoying coffee; within that population are a group who regularly have the ultimate coffee experience - an espresso coffee experience made possible by the an espresso coffee machine.
The espresso experience is a social phenomenon. It is a catalyst of sharing and interaction; an enabler of introspective moments alone and raucous group discussion; a bridging of generations and integrator of class. Few experiences in our modern world have such a unifying potential based on a heritage of customs that extends back more than a century, while being as relevant and beneficial today. And the enabler of this minor miracle? The espresso coffee machine.
The Culture of Espresso
While coffee has been enjoyed for centuries, having been prepared through a variety of methods that essentially extracted the coffee essence by boiling it from the bean; only at the beginning of the last century did a craftsman (and presumably coffee lover) develop the process by where the ground coffee was infused quickly, thereby extracting all of the desirable characteristics of the coffee and avoiding many of the secondary characteristics which resulted from cooking the coffee for too long. Luigi Bezzera would undoubtedly be pleased at the extent to which his espresso coffee machine has gained such universal devotion.
Of course, the espresso coffee machine has enabled a cultural phenomenon of social interaction -the explosive growth in coffee houses, coffee specialty shops, coffee breaks, and coffee parties; while coffee is not new, it is now more enjoyable to a wider segment of the population - we are pleasantly ensconced in the Culture of Espresso.
The Quest for The Perfect Espresso
Part of the espresso phenomenon is the challenge in achieving that perfect espresso; most espresso aficionados have a vision of that perfection which largely remains unfilled. Of course, the challenge is due to the variability in the primary elements of espresso: the coffee bean, the espresso coffee machine, and the barista (a term used to describe a skilled espresso maker - but more loosely applied, especially in commercial coffee establishments, to anyone charged with making the espresso). For this reason, there is an international industry around the design and manufacture of espresso coffee machines that will more consistently enable the perfect espresso.
The perfect espresso, then, is partly myth, and partly a challenge to espresso aficionados: practice, experiment, innovate, and you too will someday experience perfection. In the meantime, acquire an espresso coffee machine that is as automatic or as manual as you desire, and experiment with all of the possible combinations of coffee beans and espresso protocol; success should not be to easily attainable, as you will no longer have the thrill of the quest to keep you challenged.
How To Choose An Espresso Coffee Machine
There are several criteria in making the choice of your ideal espresso coffee machine; perhaps the first decision should be the degree of automation you feel you need: do you desire an espresso coffee machine that simply delivers on demand at the push of a button, or are you willing to have a greater role to play in the preparation and production of the espresso? Generally, the benefit of automation is consistency and convenience; the trade-off is cost, and to some degree versatility. The benefit of a semi-automatic espresso coffee machine is that, while it carefully automates the actual infusion and extraction cycle, it is less expensive, and you have the opportunity to customize other variables (i.e. grind and tamping) which could result in your discovering a formula that comes close to your ideal espresso experience.
For example, Krups is a famous espresso coffee machine manufacturer which offers a variety of models, including the fully automatic Espresseria Series: simply set the timer, and forget it - until that irresistible aroma of an excellent espresso wafts through the room. Other manufacturers can also offer a range of manual to automatic espresso coffee machines to address virtually any combination of features, benefits and cost.
