Types of Espresso Machines: What Are the Differences?

Although a skilled barista makes it look easy, a lot goes into pulling a perfect shot. They need to understand their espresso machine inside and out for consistency and speed.

For those just beginning their home espresso journey, the first step is acquiring the right machine, which can be daunting. The market is chock full of models that use different brewing methods and have extra features—not to mention how expensive they can be.

To figure out which espresso machine will work best for you, you’ll need to know what you want out of a brewer, how much time you’d like to devote to learning, and what types of machines are available.

Types of Espresso Machines 

Home espresso machines are divided into a few categories based on the degree of automation they provide the user. These include semi-automatic, super-automatic, automatic, and manual. 

Semi-Automatic

Semi-automatic espresso machines are the most widely used in both home and professional settings. Their defining characteristic is that they allow the user to stop and start the brewing process with a button or switch.

“This is the way coffee gets made in cafes for a reason. It’s a balance of consistency and customizability that can both lead to repeatable, delicious results and give you room to tinker,” explains Maciej Kasperowicz, director of coffee and certified Q Grader for Trade Coffee. Using a semi-automatic machine gives the user control over the brewing process. For those looking to produce the best possible espresso and who are interested in dialing in variables and learning the ins and outs of pulling a shot, it’s the way to go.

The biggest hurdle to using a semi-automatic machine is that it necessitates an investment in extra equipment. Most require a separate coffee grinder that’s built specifically for super-fine espresso and a quality tamper as well. For those who are serious about espresso, this isn’t necessarily a downside. Some of our favorite machines, like the Breville Express Impress, have built-in grinders and tamping mechanisms, but they tend to be less accurate than a dedicated grinder. “If you want the highest quality espresso, buying a machine that lets you choose a high-quality grinder instead of forcing you to use the integrated one is the way to go,” Kasperowicz says. 

Nearly all of our favorite espresso machines are semi-automatic. This includes our top pick, the Breville Bambino Plus. It’s compact and affordable, while still having a quality steam wand and clear controls and instructions that make it accessible to newcomers. For those looking for a more hands-on machine that allows them to tinker, we recommend the Gaggia Classic Pro. It’s built similarly to a commercial espresso machine and offers a bit more control over the brewing variables while still having an intuitive interface.

Super-Automatic

The next most widespread style of home espresso machine is the super-automatic, which has a fully automated brewing system. “You just drop in whole beans and press one button for the machine to freshly grind, dose, tamp, and brew the coffee,” Kasperowicz says.

The built-in grinder and ease of use do have a trade-off, though. Super-automatic machines offer a lot less control in terms of adjusting things like dose and brew time—factors that have a direct influence on how the finished coffee tastes. “Even if you’re not the kind of person that needs to tinker with your coffee brewing, if you’re going to be making espresso every day, the ability to personalize it a little more is good to have,” Kasperowicz says.

Even though it produces superior espresso, buying a separate grinder and dialing in the right grind coarseness may be too much of an investment for some people. “If you just want the coffee as quickly as possible without disrupting your morning routine, a super-auto can be a great choice,” Kasperowicz explains. “It’s minimal work, you’ll have fresh ground coffee without investing in a separate grinder, and some super-autos do have customization options in terms of grind size.”

As far as which super-automatic machine to buy, we like the Spinn Coffee Maker. It comes with a built-in grinder and has a fully automated, but unique, brewing process that employs an internal centrifuge. The centrifuge acts similarly to a salad spinner by using centripetal force to move the water through the coffee grounds. The espresso it produces is not quite traditional, but it handily beat Keurig and Nespresso pod machines in taste tests.

Automatic

Anyone who has ever stopped into a busy coffee chain has seen an automatic espresso machine in action. This style of machine is similar in design to semi-automatic ones. The major difference is that automatic machines contain a flow meter. A flow meter measures the amount of water that goes into each shot and ensures the same amount of water is used each time—that way the machine automatically stops the shot instead of leaving it up to the user. Many automatic espresso machines even allow the user to customize the exact amount of water used in each shot and program the machine to use that much every time. 

“The pros and cons are almost exactly the same as for semi-autos, with just the added pro of the automatic stopping the shot for you,” Kasperowcz says. That extra bit of automation comes at a price, as flow meters tend to be expensive additions and, on the lower end, are often inaccurate. 

Among our favorite automatic machines is the Breville Barista Touch Impress. In other reviews, we’ve listed this machine as semi-automatic, but it can utilize both semi-automatic and automatic brewing methods. The Touch Impress comes with a touch screen that walks the user through the entire brewing process, times how long shots take to pull, and tells you whether you need to adjust the grind coarser or finer based on brew time. Through our testing, we found that the flow meter wasn’t the most accurate, but worked well enough, and the touch screen made whipping up a latte straightforward.

Manual

The most affordable and simple style is the manual espresso machine. Instead of having a built-in boiler, they generate the pressure necessary to brew espresso with a lever that’s pulled by the user. The main attraction with lever machines as they are sometimes called, is direct access to every brewing variable and their more hands-on, retro approach to espresso. In fact, the term “pulling a shot” comes from the act of pulling the lever on an automatic machine to make espresso.

They’re not as easy to use as a machine that works at the push of a button, but manual machines have their perks. They range from pricey, high-end devices like La Pavoni to popular, affordable models like the Flair Classic. Many models of manual espresso machines don’t require electricity, which makes them perfect for travel or camping.

“The manual doesn’t really provide any upside over semi-automatic machines in terms of espresso quality,” Kasperowicz explains “It’s not like the learning curve is steep but when you get it right it’s better than using super-automatics.”

Why We’re The Experts

• Dylan Ettinger is a Serious Eats contributor who specializes in coffee, spirits, cocktails, and barware. With over a decade of experience in the specialty coffee industry, he has spent the last four years testing and reviewing coffee grinders, espresso machines, pour-over cones, and other home coffee appliances for a variety of publications.
• For this piece, he combined his experience in the coffee industry with that of Maciej Kasperowicz, Trade Coffee’s director of coffee and certified Q Grader, to better understand the nuances and differences between different types of home espresso machines.