Believe it or not, there are eight different types of espresso makers. The first, and most common one to find in homes in Spain, Portugal and Italy, is the stovetop espresso maker. There are three chambers, the top holding the ground coffee, the middle being a filter basket and the bottom holds the water. As the water is heated, it forces steam up through a tube to the second chamber, then the top, making espresso that is ready to serve.
A steam espresso maker is very similar to a stovetop one, and produces a cup of espresso that is nearly identical. A piston-driven espresso maker is another beast entirely. This type of espresso maker comes in high end designs that can cost several hundreds of dollars. Ornate and exquisite, they can be made out of brass, copper, chrome or silver.
Also, the piston-driven espresso maker is what made the crema a desirable trait in a cup of the drink. Before, the crema was thought of as an unwanted waste product.
The piston-driven espresso machine gave birth to its pump-driven counterpart. Small, simple and ideal for home use, it is also the most popular machine found in American coffee shops. A motor-driven pump does the work that manual force used to, making this version very easy to operate.
There are also semi automatic and automatic espresso machines, the former is automatic in the way that the water is delivered from a pump instead of manual force. The latter allows the user to send a programmed amount of water through the flow meter.
Super automatic espresso machines are even easier to operate, since they literally do all of the work for you. From grinding to tamping and extracting, getting a perfect cup of espresso has never been easier. Fully self contained, all you have to do is fill the water reservoir and bean hopper. The antithesis of the Presso manually operated coffee press, these are more expensive but completely fool proof.
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