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HOW ESPRESSO MACHINES WORK
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How do espresso machines work?
Espresso has become increasingly popular and you can
find a machine or a vendor just about anywhere in the United States. Cafes are
set up in bookstores, movie theaters, grocery stores, and even gas stations.
This strong brew has become so popular that espresso machines are now appearing
in astonishing numbers on the countertops of residential kitchens. Though these
machines are substantially smaller than those used for commercial purposes, they
work in the same way. Espresso is very strong coffee that comes in a very small
amount. Espresso can also be added to milk to make café lattes or cappuccinos.
Espresso is basically the result of 1 ˝ ounces of
water being pushed through ground espresso, which is very tightly packed. The
result is a heavy dark brown liquid that is quite thick. There is also a small
amount of crema on top. Crema is a sort of foam that is produced when espresso
is made. When one purchases a cup of espresso, the quality of the coffee will
depend greatly on the barista selling it. This is because the barista is in
charge of the temperature and pressure of the water, how finely ground the
coffee is and how tightly the coffee is packed.
Espresso beans are collected from many different
countries of the world to make espresso. These countries usually specialize in
coffee and are generally locations such as Columbia and Italy. To prepare to be
ground into espresso grinds, the coffee beans must all be roasted until they
become very dark and have an oily appearance. Once the beans have finished
roasting, they are ground very finely. The consistency of the grind will
determine how slowly the espresso will pass through it. It should generally take
approximately twenty-five seconds for water to pass through espresso grinds.
The most basic of espresso machines is comprised of
four different parts. At the bottom is a container that holds boiling water. The
filter then sits on top of the boiling water with just a small part being
submerged in the boiling water. On top of the filter is the coffee and out of
all of it comes the spout. When using this kind of machine, the coffee is first
placed into the filter. Then a very small amount of water is placed into the
reservoir and the top is replaced. The water then needs to be heated either over
a stove or over a fire (in the case of portable camping espresso machines) and
the pressure will begin to build inside the machine. The pressure creates a need
for the water to leave the reservoir, pass through the coffee, and exit through
the tube, or the spout, which is what we see when looking at one of these
machines.
However, this basic machine is not the most
efficient to use when making espresso because it does have its disadvantages.
One of these is that the temperature of the water will greatly affect the
temperature of the espresso. If the water is too hot, the espresso is going to
be far too hot to drink and will have an affect on the taste. For this reason,
espresso machines that use a pump were invented.
An espresso machine that uses a pump is made of
five different parts. The reservoir holds the water just as in the other model
but it is not pressure tight, it is not heated, and it can be removed. The pump
takes the water out of the reservoir and pushes it into the heating chamber
using a high amount of pressure. The heating chamber is a solid, stainless steel
machine that has a heating element, which is just a piece of coiled wire, into
the bottom. This element heats up when electricity is passed through it. The
heating chamber also contains a valve which will allow for water to come through
the pump into the chamber but won’t allow anything from the chamber to be passed
back through the pump.
There are two other parts that the pumps machines have which the basic espresso
machine does not. One of these is the porta-filter, which is a removable piece
that has a very small screen on the bottom. It is in the porta-filter that the
ground espresso is placed. The porta-filter also has two small spouts from which
the coffee flows from. The other part included in these more sophisticated
machines is the steam wand. This wand allows for milk to be heated when the
espresso is being used to make such drinks as cappuccinos and café lattes. The
steam wand simply works by steam being taken from the heating chamber and being
released through the wand into a container of milk. This type of machine also
has a control panel which is what you see when you look at the face of the
machine.
The control panel has a power switch, two lights
that indicate that the machine is on and that the water has finished heating to
the proper temperature. The control panel also features a valve, which begins to
flow water through the coffee in the porta-filter or steam through the steam
wand. The control panel also has a micro-switch that controls the heating
element but this micro-switch is not displayed on the front of the control panel
but rather, inside it.
Once the machine already has water in it, the
machine must be turned on and must be given time for the water heater light to
come on to indicate that the water is at the right temperature. The espresso
grounds must then be placed into the porta-filter and tamped down. It can then
be placed into the espresso machine by twisting it in. A cup must be placed
under both spouts so that they can catch the espresso that comes out. You then
press the valve, which tells the pump to start working. This in turn begins to
add pressure to the heating chamber and pushes the hot water through the coffee
and out of the spouts into the cups. Once the espresso has come out of the
machine, the valve must be turned back to its original position.
If you then choose to steam milk for an espresso or
cappuccino, you must begin by filling the container, which is usually also made
from stainless steel, with milk. There must be enough milk so that the steam
wand is completely covered by it. The valve must then be turned onto the steam
wand position and the heater will heat the water and open the valve, which allow
for steam to flow through the nozzle. The steam will heat up the milk within a
matter of seconds and froth will form of the nozzle of the wand is held just
under the milk’s surface.
An Espresso Machine
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