At the the top of the list of types of espresso makers is the “super automatic espresso machine“. A more accurate category description might be “the super awesome super automatic espresso machine”.

One Touch Ease of Operation

As the name implies, these machines do just about everything you need in order to create a perfect shot of espresso, automatically, at the touch of a button. It will fresh-grind your preferred roasted whole bean espresso; it will place the precise quantity of espresso grounds in the brew group–based on your flavor and strength preferences; it’ll perfectly tamp down the ground coffee; it will heat the water to the precise temperature that you’ve pre-set; it will use the exact amount of water that you have pre-set based on your personal taste preferences; and of course it will then brew and deliver a shot of espresso just the way you like it. It’s not done yet. After brewing it will get rid of the used grounds in the brew group and deposit them within the dump box. All automatically!

You Can Learn to become an At-Home Barista!

Nowadays more individuals are choosing to make their own espresso beverages at home instead of spending $4 or more at their local caffe bar. However, they have become really attached to the high quality and taste of brewed espresso drinks from their preferred neighborhood caffè joint, even Starbucks. Is this an Issue? Not at all. Thanks to today’s well designed, engineered, and crafted European espresso machines the home barista can produce a latte or perhaps a macchiato every little bit as great, and maybe even much better, than at Starbucks.

There are lots and lots of super automatic espresso machines on the market today, created by many different companies, but quality and cost differ quite a bit. This can make it a bit challenging to select the best machine for your requirements and budget.

Following is a brief summary of features that can be found on an espresso machine that fall into the “super automatic” category:

Water Use Control

This is a programmable feature which allows you to choose and control the amount of water that is dispensed per drink, depending on whether you’re making an espresso or a crèma.

Pre-Grinding

This function will have your coffee beans already grinding while you make one shot of espresso so they are prepared for the next shot.

Moistening the Ground Coffee Grounds Before Brewing

This feature will lightly spray the coffee grounds just prior to brewing. This begins to leach out the aromatic and flavorful oils from the coffee.

Temperature Control

Some people like their coffee to be served a little cooler than others. Please note that espresso is typically brewed at a lower temperature than regular drip coffee.

Adjustable Dosing

This function will allow you to control the taste and strength of your drink by increasing or decreasing the amount of ground used in a shot.

Cup Warmer

A shot of espresso will probably be a lot better should you brew it directly right into a warm cup. Whenever you brew your espresso drinks into a cold cup it drops the temperature of your drink too much.

Water Filter Systems

This is really a nice function because the removal of minerals and chlorine from your drinking water will make your coffee taste much better. Only Jura-Capresso includes a built-in drinking water filtration system.

Grinder Settings

Being able to adjust your grind will really permit you to customize the taste of your coffee. If you grind too fine your coffee will be bitter; should you leave it too coarse it will result in a weak cup of coffee.

Bypass Doser

This handy feature makes it easy to brew a cup of coffee using different coffee than is in the hopper. If, for instance, you really feel like a cup of decaf in the evening you can make one by pouring pre-ground decaf beans into the bypass doser. This way you do not need to turn your machine upside-down to empty the bean hopper to put in different beans.

Double Boilers

If you have a double boiler system, and you are making a latte (for instance) you will not have to wait around, whilst your espresso cools off, for the system to re-heat sufficiently to produce steam to froth your milk. You’ll by no means have to settle for drinking a cooled off cappuccino again!

Digital Display

The digital or Liquid crystal display displays will display you in plain english what’s going on with the machine, and even what needs to be done, like adding water, adding beans, or emptying the dump box.

Good Machines Aren’t Cheap

Some, but definitely not every super automatic espresso machine includes all of these features. The more features included will cost more; the fewer functions included will cost less. Don’t be fooled by lower priced machines that appear to be feature-rich. Generally speaking they will not be made as well, will require service much more frequently, won’t last as long, and most importantly, they won’t make a very high quality shot of espresso. Buying a cheaper, lesser quality machine generally ends up costing you more in the long run, and you won’t be enjoying espresso beverages like you ought to be.