With so many different kinds of espresso machines on the market, researching which is the best for you can sometimes feel like popping open a big ol' can of worms. Superautomatic or semi-automatic? Single boiler, heat exchange or double boiler? Is the E61 brew group really that great?
Our goal here at Seattle Coffee Gear is to provide as complete of a picture as we can about as many machines as possible. We read through user reviews to develop general pros and cons, have our techs test out the machines, experiment with different grinders to see how they perform with different machines and, ultimately, drink way more coffee than we should. All of this informs our YouTube videos, the writing we do here, our product descriptions and -- one of the best resources we have -- our Selecting an Espresso Machine Video.
If you're just learning about espresso machines and aren't sure what will meet your needs and budget, this video is a great place to start. We've organized the different machine classes by price range and compared their performance against each other, so you can see technical facts like how hot they brew or which type of pump they have and more subjective assessments such as the ease of use or quality of shot.
We're constantly updating and adding machines, so definitely check out updated Crew Review videos once you hone in on the right machine for you.