How we rate espresso machines

Everything that decides whether the machine can pull a good shot at all: stable temperature, a gentle start, and a basket that extracts rather than fakes crema with a pressurised valve.

What we can actually read: PID, pre-infusion, portafilter size and basket type are published. Actual brew temperature stability is not, so PID is read as the proxy for it.

Scored from figures that predict it, because the thing itself is not published.

3 of the 6 rules below are struck through in this category, because too few makers publish the input. The 3 that remain score this criterion out of 10 between them: a struck rule leaves the sum entirely rather than counting as a zero. That result is then worth 22 of the category's 100 points.

• PID temperature control2.5 of 10

  present

  2.5 pts

• Pre-infusion2 of 10

  present

  2 pts

• Portafilter2 of 10

  Not asked of a product whose machine type is capsule or pod or bean-to-cup or bean to cup or super-automatic or superautomatic or super automatic or fully automatic.

  50 mm or less

  0.5 pts

  over 50 mm, up to 53 mm

  1 pt

  over 53 mm, up to 57 mm

  1.5 pts

  over 57 mm

  2 pts

• Non-pressurised basketnot scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 1.5 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  Also read under Ease of Use & Learning Curve, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  Not asked of a product whose machine type is capsule or pod or bean-to-cup or bean to cup or super-automatic or superautomatic or super automatic or fully automatic.

  absent

  1.5 pts

• Bottomless availablenot scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 1 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  Also read under Maintenance & Cleaning, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  Not asked of a product whose machine type is capsule or pod or bean-to-cup or bean to cup or super-automatic or superautomatic or super automatic or fully automatic.

  present

  1 pt

• Pumpnot scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 1 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  rotary, lever, manual

  1 pt

  vibration

  0.7 pts

10 of 10

Milk is half of what most people make. A machine that has to choose between brewing and steaming, or that takes a minute to build steam, changes what you can serve two people.

What we can actually read: Boiler type and count, wand type and wattage are published. Steam pressure almost never is.

Scored from figures that predict it, because the thing itself is not published.

1 of the 5 rules below are struck through in this category, because too few makers publish the input. The 4 that remain score this criterion out of 10 between them: a struck rule leaves the sum entirely rather than counting as a zero. That result is then worth 16 of the category's 100 points.

• Boiler3 of 10

  Also read under Maintenance & Cleaning, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  dual boiler

  3 pts

  heat exchanger

  2.5 pts

  thermojet

  2 pts

  thermoblock, thermal block, thermocoil, single

  1.5 pts

• Boilersnot scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 2 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  1 or less

  1 pt

  over 1

  2 pts

• Steam wand2 of 10

  commercial, professional, articulating

  2 pts

  automatic

  1.5 pts

  panarello, pannarello

  1 pt

  none

  0 pts

• Automatic milk1 of 10

  Also read under Ease of Use & Learning Curve, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  present

  1 pt

• Power2 of 10

  1000 W or less

  0.5 pts

  over 1000 W, up to 1400 W

  1 pt

  over 1400 W

  2 pts

10 of 10

An espresso machine is a pressure vessel that gets hot twice a day. Materials and mass are the difference between a decade and eighteen months.

What we can actually read: Body material, weight and warranty are usually published; where a machine is made often is too, and it correlates more than it should have to.

Scored from figures that predict it, because the thing itself is not published.

1 of the 4 rules below are struck through in this category, because too few makers publish the input. The 3 that remain score this criterion out of 10 between them: a struck rule leaves the sum entirely rather than counting as a zero. That result is then worth 16 of the category's 100 points.

• Body material4 of 10

  stainless steel, titanium, brass

  4 pts

  aluminium, ceramic

  3 pts

  glass

  2 pts

  abs, plastic

  1 pt

• Weight3 of 10

  5 kg or less

  1 pt

  over 5 kg, up to 10 kg

  2 pts

  over 10 kg, up to 15 kg

  2.5 pts

  over 15 kg

  3 pts

• Warranty2 of 10

  none

  0 pts

  up to 1 yr

  0.8 pts

  over 1 yr, up to 2 yr

  1.4 pts

  over 2 yr

  2 pts

• Manufacture location publishednot scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 1 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  published at all

  1 pt

10 of 10

How much the machine does for you. A superautomatic asks nothing; a lever asks everything. This criterion does not judge which is better, only how much skill the machine assumes.

What we can actually read: Machine type, automatic milk, a shot timer, a gauge and a built-in grinder are all published facts about what is automated.

Scored from figures that predict it, because the thing itself is not published.

3 of the 6 rules below are struck through in this category, because too few makers publish the input. The 3 that remain score this criterion out of 10 between them: a struck rule leaves the sum entirely rather than counting as a zero. That result is then worth 12 of the category's 100 points.

• Machine type3 of 10

  super-automatic, fully automatic, bean-to-cup, capsule

  3 pts

  automatic

  2 pts

  semi-automatic

  1.5 pts

  manual, lever

  0.5 pts

• Automatic milk2 of 10

  Also read under Steam Power & Milk Texturing, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  present

  2 pts

• Shot timernot scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 1.5 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  Also read under Workflow & Ergonomics, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  present

  1.5 pts

• Pressure gaugenot scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 1 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  Also read under Workflow & Ergonomics, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  present

  1 pt

• Built-in grinder1.5 of 10

  present

  1.5 pts

• Pressurised basket (forgiving)not scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 1 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  Also read under Shot Quality & Extraction, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  Not asked of a product whose machine type is capsule or pod or bean-to-cup or bean to cup or super-automatic or superautomatic or super automatic or fully automatic.

  present

  1 pt

10 of 10

The chores. Descaling, backflushing, and how often the tank runs dry. A plumbed machine removes one of those entirely; a 0.3 litre tank adds it back several times a day.

What we can actually read: Tank size, plumbing and boiler type are published. Descaling intervals depend on your water and no maker can state them for you.

Scored directly from published figures.

2 of the 4 rules below are struck through in this category, because too few makers publish the input. The 2 that remain score this criterion out of 10 between them: a struck rule leaves the sum entirely rather than counting as a zero. That result is then worth 12 of the category's 100 points.

• Plumbablenot scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 2 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  present

  2 pts

• Tank3 of 10

  Also read under Workflow & Ergonomics, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  1 L or less

  1 pt

  over 1 L, up to 1.8 L

  2 pts

  over 1.8 L

  3 pts

• Descaling burden3 of 10

  Also read under Steam Power & Milk Texturing, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  thermojet, thermoblock, thermal block, thermocoil

  3 pts

  single

  2.5 pts

  heat exchanger

  2 pts

  dual boiler

  1.5 pts

• Bottomless (basket visible)not scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 2 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  Also read under Shot Quality & Extraction, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  Not asked of a product whose machine type is capsule or pod or bean-to-cup or bean to cup or super-automatic or superautomatic or super automatic or fully automatic.

  present

  2 pts

10 of 10

Time from cold to first shot, and whether the machine tells you what it is doing while you pull one.

What we can actually read: Warm-up time, shot timer, gauge, tank and footprint are all published where the maker thinks they flatter the machine, which is itself informative.

Scored directly from published figures.

3 of the 5 rules below are struck through in this category, because too few makers publish the input. The 2 that remain score this criterion out of 10 between them: a struck rule leaves the sum entirely rather than counting as a zero. That result is then worth 12 of the category's 100 points.

• Warm-upnot scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 3 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  10 s or less

  3 pts

  over 10 s, up to 30 s

  2.5 pts

  over 30 s, up to 60 s

  2 pts

  over 60 s, up to 180 s

  1 pt

  over 180 s

  0.5 pts

• Shot timernot scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 2 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  Also read under Ease of Use & Learning Curve, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  present

  2 pts

• Pressure gaugenot scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 2 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  Also read under Ease of Use & Learning Curve, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  present

  2 pts

• Tank2 of 10

  Also read under Maintenance & Cleaning, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  1 L or less

  1 pt

  over 1 L, up to 1.8 L

  1.5 pts

  over 1.8 L

  2 pts

• Footprint published1 of 10

  published at all

  1 pt

10 of 10

Points earned per pound against this category's median, which at espresso prices is the criterion people argue about most.

What we can actually read: Needs a published price here and on at least three rivals.

Computed from price, not from a rule list

Value is the only criterion here with no thresholds of its own, because it cannot be read off one product. It asks what else the same money buys in this category, so it needs the category. That result is then worth 10 of the category's 100 points.

Points already earned on everything else

out of 10

Multiplied by the category median over this price

median ÷ price

Capped at

10

No price published, or fewer than 3 priced rivals

5 of 10

Half marks is not a verdict, it is a refusal to guess: with nothing to compare against, a product is neither good value nor bad, and scoring it either way would invent a finding. It corrects itself as the category fills.