How to Build a Professional Espresso Machine

This is a great choice for cafes and coffee shops which want to draw customers who are passionate about barista and espresso skills. It's the official machine for the World Barista Championships, and it shows.


The barista is able to refill the water reservoir throughout their shift. The machine is equipped with hot water for tea and cool-touch steam wands.

Water

A commercial espresso machine is required to make a large amount of espresso-based drinks in an efficient manner. This is why these machines are built with stainless steel which is more durable and resistant to breakage and scratches. Espresso machines are also easier to maintain and clean.

Lastly, a good quality machine has a shut-off valve for the water line to avoid limescale build up. This will ensure that any repairs are made to the affected machine components and won't impact the remainder of your operation.

Test your water to ensure it's being treated correctly. For example the distilled water can be refining by adding a small amount of minerals back to it. This can reduce its anti-erosive properties as well as improve its taste, but it could also harm certain machines. Remineralized wate makes the boiler sensor think that the machine is full even though it's not. This could cause excessive heat and damage to the machine.

Grinder

The grinder is an essential element of a successful espresso maker. The grinder transforms the raw, unground coffee bean into a finely ground coffee that can be tamped properly into the filter basket to ensure an excellent extraction.

Commercial-grade professional espresso machines usually have a built-in grinding unit that can be programmed to grind for various sizes of drinks, which ensures consistency in results every time. Super-automatic espresso machines take this one step further, automating and programming the entire process from brewing to dispensing. These kinds of machines tend to earn high marks in Lab tests for their hands-off ease of use.

Manual or semi-automatic machines require more effort from the barista but often the results are worth it. This model was awarded an award known as the Good Housekeeping Coffee Award in 2022 for its smart dosing mechanism that measures and dispenses the right amount of coffee every time. It also comes with the ability to use a low pressure pre-infusion to ensure balanced extraction, and a milk frother that produced dense, thick steamed milk during our tests.

Temperature

When it is about espresso, temperature plays a major influence on the taste and quality of your shots. If the water isn't at an ideal temperature, it can cause a delay in extraction, and could result in bitter coffee.

Espresso machines that are of high-quality come with tools to help you maintain the correct temperature of your water. One method for doing this is by using an PID, which monitors and adjusts the temperature of the water. Another method is using a double boiler. This lets you utilize one boiler for tea and steam while the second one heats water to the right temperature for brewing.

Carles points out that these types of systems can be beneficial for large corporations and baristas at home alike. They can help novices create the perfect espresso because they are able to maintain the exact temperature and prevent several variables that can affect the flavor profile. It's also simpler for baristas with more experience to dial in their espressos just the way they would like.

Pressure

The amount of pressure an espresso machine makes use of is another element which affects the quality of the coffee it makes. Many espresso drinkers notice that their beverages taste different depending on the amount of pressure employed, even when all other factors remain constant.

In general, commercial grade machines utilize nine bars of pressure to create espresso. These machines are also more likely to be steam-driven than pumps-driven. Although higher-pressure machines are available, they often require a more sophisticated group head design that can take on the higher pressures.

While espresso coffee machine advertise 15 or 18 bars of pressure on their machines Nine bars are generally considered to be the standard when it comes to making consistently excellent espressos. The higher-pressure machines tend to be less expensive and are designed for home use.

In comparison, 9 bar of pressure is four times more than the pressure that is exerted by your car tire. The more pressure that a professional espresso maker is able to apply, then the better it is at capturing the flavor of your favorite coffee beans. It's worth investing in a premium machine that can deliver the most effective results.

Barista Skills

A barista must be able to take orders from customers quickly and accurately. This is especially important during busy times at the coffee shop. Being able to provide excellent customer service is also vital to establishing relationships with customers and increasing sales for the shop. This includes acknowledging regular customers, working to resolve issues efficiently and remaining positive and amiable in tough situations.

The ability to multitask is often necessary for baristas, since they could be required to take orders and operate the cash register and also communicate orders to their coworkers and take phone calls simultaneously. This ability allows customers to enjoy an enjoyable coffee shop experience by ensuring that orders are delivered quickly.

It is important that a barista's skills are developed to be able make different drinks with an espresso machine. You can learn about the various kinds of espresso by reading about them, trying the drinks in person and by watching online videos. Many baristas find it helpful to attend classes provided by various organizations.