How do you choose a piston machine?

When you're looking for a piston machine, it's useful to ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you want a piston machine with built-in bean grinder or do you want to grind the beans yourself?
• Do you quickly want to make multiple milk specialties back to back?
• Do you want to froth milk yourself or automatically via the steam wand?
• Do you prefer a metal or plastic casing?
• Do you like to control the machine via a touchscreen?

With a piston machine, you can make coffee specialties with ground coffee. You'll first have to grind the coffee beans in the bean grinder. You can do this in two different ways. You can purchase a separate bean grinder, or you choose a semi-automatic machine with a built-in bean grinder. This allows you to pour coffee beans into the bean grinder or piston machine and the machine will grind the beans for you. Do you want to quickly and easily make a cup of coffee? Use coffee pads for in your portafilter, also called ESE serving.

Do you want to quickly make multiple coffees back to back? Check how the machine heats up the water. There are different types of heating systems for piston machines. A boiler takes some time to heat up water, so you'll have to wait on your coffee longer. A thermoblock reaches the right temperature faster. When you choose a dual heating system, you can quickly make multiple milk specialties back to back. Thanks to the extra heating element, you can directly froth milk while making an espresso.

You can froth milk with different types of milk systems. With a steam wand, you can choose how to froth the milk exactly. You can control the temperature and the amount of foam you want on the milk. Keep in mind that it takes some practice to learn this. Are you a fan of a steam wand, but do you want to froth milk in an easier way? Choose an automatic steam wand. With an automatic steam wand, you just have to place the pitcher under the wand and the machine will do the rest. The only thing you still have to do, is pour the milk into your coffee.

Once you put ground coffee into the portafilter, you tamp the coffee. You can use the tamper for this. This is a precision job, since you have to tamp your coffee straight in the portafilter. Do you prefer to have the machine do this? Choose an automatic tamper.

When purchasing a piston machine, you can choose between a plastic or metal casing. A semi-automatic machine with a metal casing is more durable than one made of plastic. The heavier the machine, the more sturdy it stands when you put the portafilter into the machine.

Piston machines also continue to develop over time. For example, some semi-automatic machines have a touchscreen. This allows you to easily choose which type of coffee you want to make, and the machine will get started. As a result, you can track the process.