There are some espresso machines that make solely espresso. They don’t have a milk frother, and they don’t even have room to put a standard size cup beneath the spout. Make sure that you really want “espresso” and not some other form of coffee drink before you buy one of these, or you will be disappointed. However, if you really love your coffee strong and like to drink it out of tiny, little cups, then this is for you!

When you read espresso machine reviews, you will see that most people think of an espresso machine as one that makes espresso but that will also create a coffeehouse drink such as a mocha or latte. In other words, it will steam or froth the milk in addition to making the coffee.

You also need to put a little thought into how serious you are about your coffee and often how “old school” you are about it. Some people think that you can only get very good espresso from a hand lever machine, while others are eager to let the coffee maker do the thinking and have a computer onboard. That is entirely up to you and will often depend n how much money and how much counter space you have.

Which brings us to size – some espresso makers are considerably bigger than others, and if you have a big kitchen, then that will be fine, but not all of us do. A large, professional-style espresso machine can take up a good portion of your kitchen counter, and you may not want that big of a footprint. Choosing a smaller one can provide you with the same level of coffee quality.

Finally, some espresso machine reviews look down upon a class of coffee makers known as “bean to cup.” This means that the beans are ground in the coffee maker itself, rather than you having to do it or by you buying ground coffee. There are arguments both for and against “bean to cup,” and your decision will likely again depend on your time constraints and your access to fresh beans or grinds.

As you can see, choosing the best espresso machine is no small feat. There was a time when there were just one or two machines on the market, but now there are dozens of brands and hundreds of models. You will need to know what type of coffee you want, how much time you have, and what kind of space you have available. Make sure that you do your research by reading espresso machine reviews before you buy so you won’t end up making an expensive mistake that just takes up a lot of your precious counter space.