Should I Buy an Espresso Machine

By Michael King

This is a question most of us who love, espresso, cappuccino and latte are confronted with at some point in our lives. As for me, I have always been a coffee drinker, but had never experienced a cappuccino until later in my life and after a couple of career changes. I had become a professional angler and spent many hours traveling various lakes during the early morning hours of the day. As such I had developed a routine of stopping at certain convenience stores I knew of to obtain my morning fix of caffeine. This is when I first discovered cappuccino. EUREKA! I had never experienced such flavor. What a marvelous concoction. And this from a convenience store machine of mass production.

I never knew what I was truly missing until a friend of mine introduced me to a cup of freshly ground cappuccino made with a bean grinder and a lever espresso machine that he owned. Yes, it was wonderful. Yes, there is a huge difference in the quality of a commercially produced drink and one prepared from scratch. Needless to say I soon purchased a lever machine of my own.

There are questions you need to consider before purchasing a machine. First and foremost is whether or not you truly love a fine espresso, cappuccino or latte. If so, then you should consider purchasing a machine. Secondly you should consider which type of machine is best for you. There are many different types of machines on the market today. There are fully automatic, semi-automatic and manual lever operated machines. As far as quality of the finished product, I think it is hard to beat a lever machine as you have more control of the process. For speed and ease of preparation an automatic machine may be the option for you. A semi-automatic machine gives you some control of the finished product and some ease of operation.

You should also consider the amount of time and effort you wish to spend in the preparation of your preferred drink. If you enjoy the preparation as well as the consumption and you can afford some time, then you should obtain a manual machine and a burr grinder. If you enjoy fine espresso and are limited in time you should consider an automatic or semi-automatic machine. There are automatic machines on the market that have built-in grinders as well.

Whichever machine you consider is right for you, I am sure you will be pleased with the end results. If you truly love espresso, cappuccino or latte then you should purchase an espresso machine and a quality burr grinder. Do not spend many years, as I did, drinking inferior products. Prepare it yourself. You will be glad you did.

About the author: Michael King is CEO of MLK International LLC. To visit his website click: http://gourmetcoffeeandkithen.com/ To see more on burr coffee grinders visit: http://gourmetcoffeeandkitchen.com/grinders.html For more info. on burr grinders see: http://coffe-n-beans.com/