By: Caffeinated Gear Review Team
Shopping for your first espresso machine is an exciting step into the world of home brewing.
While budget considerations are naturally important, we’ve discovered through years of testing that there’s more to choosing the right machine than just finding the lowest price.
Before diving into specific recommendations, we strongly recommend understanding what type of home barista you want to be.
This crucial first step will help you avoid the frustration of purchasing a machine that doesn’t match your needs or skill level.
For a comprehensive guide on choosing the perfect machine for your style, check out our detailed guide:
Rather than simply listing budget-friendly options, we want to address a widespread misconception in the market.
Through our extensive testing and professional experience, we’ve noticed that manufacturers of budget espresso machines often proudly advertise 15 bars of pressure as a major selling point.
This marketing tactic might seem impressive, but as coffee professionals, we need to explain why this isn’t actually beneficial for making great espresso.
The inspiration for this article came after one of our followers commented on our YouTube videos questioning the quality of the Sage Bambino Plus because it “only” operates at 9 bars of pressure, while cheaper machines boast 15 or even 19 bars.
Our research revealed that many retailers are using higher pressure numbers as a key selling feature.
This has led many shoppers browsing popular retailers to mistakenly believe that more pressure equals better espresso.
We’re here to explain why this assumption is incorrect, and why 9 bars is actually the ideal pressure for extracting the perfect shot of espresso.
To fully understand this, let’s look at how espresso machines evolved to their current form.
The early 20th century saw two pioneers, Luigi Bezzerra and Desiderio Pavoni, revolutionise coffee brewing with their single-shot espresso machine design.
Bezzerra’s innovation focused on controlling water temperature, while maintaining pressure for faster extraction.
However, these early machines, heated by open flames, struggled with consistency in both pressure and temperature.
Pavoni’s contribution included crucial safety features, such as a pressure release valve that protected baristas from scalding coffee splashes.
The arrival of electrical power marked another leap forward, replacing steam-powered systems and improving efficiency.
However, these machines still only reached about 2 bars of pressure.
The real breakthrough came when café owner Achille Gaggia introduced his spring-piston lever design.
This innovation boosted possible pressure from 2 bars to between 8-10 bars, creating the familiar phrase “pulling a shot” – literally describing the action of pulling the machine’s lever.
Since Gaggia’s revolutionary design, 9 bars has remained the gold standard for professional espresso extraction.
Despite what budget machine marketing might suggest, higher pressure doesn’t equate to better espresso.
Our testing consistently shows that 9 bars of pressure provides optimal extraction with standard baskets.
Increasing pressure beyond this point actually diminishes shot quality rather than improving it.
Standard espresso baskets feature a single layer of perforated metal, designed to allow even flow while retaining coffee grounds.
This design artificially creates pressure to simulate crema, rather than achieving it through proper extraction.
True crema, that gorgeous golden layer atop a properly pulled shot, comes from expert extraction of fresh, quality beans – not from artificially high pressure.
The allure of pressurised baskets lies in their ability to produce beautiful crema, but our extensive testing reveals an important truth: appearances can be deceiving.
We’ve discovered that even the most basic pre-ground supermarket coffee can yield shots with picture-perfect crema when using a pressurised basket.
However, our years of experience tell us that spectacular espresso demands more than just good looks—it requires premium coffee beans, recent roasting, immediate grinding, precise dial-in, and spot-on extraction parameters.
The fundamental issue with pressurised baskets is their artificial creation of crema through mechanical means rather than proper extraction. While this produces visually appealing shots, the taste often falls short of expectations.
We’re not making these claims without evidence.
In this video, we conducted a detailed comparison using identical coffee (supplied by Blue Coffee Box) in both whole bean and pre-ground form, testing pressurised versus standard baskets to evaluate taste differences.
For additional verification, in this video, we performed another comprehensive test examining both basket types with fresh and pre-ground coffee.
Our testing revealed that even with premium speciality beans fresh from roasting, pressurised baskets excel at creating the appearance of perfect extraction without necessarily delivering the corresponding flavour quality.
That said, our experiments showed that pre-ground coffee performed marginally better in pressurised baskets compared to standard ones—hence our measured assessment of the situation.
When comparing freshly ground coffee in standard baskets against pre-ground in pressurised ones, the fresh grind consistently produced superior espresso. The pressurised basket shots remained drinkable, particularly with quality speciality beans, but the difference was noticeable.
Interestingly, when we prepared milk-based drinks like lattes, cappuccinos, or flat whites, the taste distinction became less pronounced, though still detectable to trained palates.
It’s crucial to note that we conducted these tests using the Sage Bambino Plus, which differs from budget machines advertising 15 bars of pressure.
For coffee enthusiasts who prioritise convenience over perfection and mainly enjoy milk-based drinks, pressurised baskets might suffice, particularly when paired with quality machines like the Sage Bambino Plus or the Gaggia Classic Pro.
The espresso machine market divides into two distinct categories: domestic machines and home barista espresso machines.
Domestic machines differ from commercial espresso machines in their construction, prioritising affordability and user-friendly operation.
These machines typically fall within the £100-£200 price range.
These machines typically feature 15 bar pumps or stronger, and importantly, they lack an over-pressure valve.
This means your shots will consistently pull at this high pressure setting.
Rather than traditional brew boilers, these models generally employ thermoblock heating systems – on-demand water heaters that warm water as it flows through.
If you’re curious about exploring these entry-level options, our detailed guide covers everything you need to know:
When you step up to home barista machines (what we in the industry call prosumer equipment), you’re looking at proper commercial-grade engineering principles in a home-friendly format.
Naturally, this comes with a steeper price tag and a bit more complexity in operation.
The starting point for quality prosumer machines sits around £400, but the sky’s truly the limit when it comes to high-end options.
Take the sought-after La Marzocco Linea Mini, for instance – at nearly £4,000, it’s a serious investment, though remarkably, it’s not even close to the highest-priced home barista machine on the market.
When it comes to making proper espresso at home, pressure matters enormously. Most professional-grade home machines operate at 9 bars of pressure – the sweet spot for extracting those complex coffee flavours we love. The Gaggia Classic Pro is a fascinating exception, designed to bridge the gap between domestic and professional use with both standard and pressurised baskets. Don’t worry though – adjusting it to pull perfect 9-bar shots is straightforward.
For coffee enthusiasts taking their first step into serious home espresso, two machines around the £400 mark stand out: the Sage Bambino Plus and the Gaggia Classic Pro.
These machines, alongside the integrated grinder espresso machines from Sage and the Sage Barista range, consistently top our recommendations for first-time home baristas.
Our testing reveals that budget-friendly 15 bar machines can produce decent espresso with some modifications and practice. The DeLonghi Dedica EC685 particularly impresses us as a machine that can cross into home barista territory.
Getting to grips with any espresso machine takes time and patience. Working with a 15 bar machine adds another layer of complexity, but we’ve found it’s certainly achievable with dedication.
Through extensive testing, we’ve identified several features that make the DeLonghi Dedica stand out from other 15 bar machines:
For more detailed insights, see:
The main challenge with 15 bar machines? Preventing channeling.
Channeling occurs when water finds the path of least resistance through your coffee puck under pressure. When this happens, the water rushes through these channels, leaving surrounding coffee grounds under-extracted. The result? Disappointing espresso that lacks balance and complexity.
A bottomless portafilter offers invaluable visual feedback about your extraction. When channeling strikes, you might see multiple streams or spurting coffee – quite different from the ideal single stream of tiger-striped espresso flowing from the centre.
While the Dedica’s pre-infusion feature helps minimise channeling (unique at this price point), we’ve found through testing that it’s not a complete solution.
Your grinder choice is crucial. For detailed grinder recommendations, check out:
Success also depends on using freshly roasted coffee beans and mastering proper dosing and puck preparation.
For consistently outstanding espresso, we recommend investing in a 9-bar machine like the Sage Bambino Plus if your budget allows. Its features include:
Looking for an all-in-one solution? Consider the Sage integrated grinder machines from the Barista range. While the Barista Express pioneered this category, we particularly recommend the Sage Barista Pro, which brings welcome improvements to its predecessor’s design.
While testing the Barista Express extensively in our coffee lab, we discovered that its 18 grind settings, though serviceable, can sometimes limit precise adjustment capabilities. By comparison, during our hands-on evaluation of the Barista Pro, we found its 30 grind settings offer significantly more control for dialling in the perfect shot.
For coffee enthusiasts working with a tighter budget, we’ve found that quality used espresso machines often outperform new budget models. Through our market research and restoration experience, we’ve identified the Gaggia Classic as one of the most reliable second-hand options. However, we should note that identifying the specific Gaggia Classic model requires careful attention, as several variants exist.
Based on our engineering analysis and industry experience, the prevalence of 15 and 19 bar pressure in budget espresso machines stems from several factors. First, the affordable vibratory pumps commonly used in these machines typically operate at 15 bar pressure. Professional and high-end home machines incorporate an over-pressure valve (OPV) to regulate this pressure effectively. However, manufacturers often omit the OPV from budget models to reduce costs.
Additionally, our testing reveals these higher pressure levels better accommodate ESE pods (coffee pod bags similar to tea bags) and pressurised filter baskets. This design choice reflects manufacturers’ efforts to create machines that work well with both ground coffee and pod systems.
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