There are many machine tools and accessories like milk pitchers, push tampers, demitasse cups, and smart scales that you can invest in for your espresso machine.
With more and more people loving coffee, people like to have their own setup at home. One such thing that many people would love to have is an espresso machine. You see, many coffee drinks have espresso as their base. And once you have everything figured out, you can start making delicious coffee drinks at home. But for a beginner, it can be difficult.
So, in this article, I’ve figured everything out for you so there’s no hassle.
Let’s begin.
What Are All The Parts Of An Espresso Machine?
An espresso machine has a lot of parts like a water tank, broiler, portafilter, portafilter basket, portafilter filter spring, group head, group gasket, hot water tap, power switch, pressure gauge, sight glass, steam wand, bean hopper, doser, adjustment ring or knob, grouping dispense switch and grouping dosing keypad.
Investing in an espresso machine is great. Whether you want to get it for running your business or for your home, you need to know the basic and important parts of an espresso machine. It doesn’t matter which brand or company of espresso machine you get, all machines whether automatic or semi-automatic have these parts.
They’re as follows:
Water Tank
This is where the water gets stored for making espresso. It is located on the backside of the machine and gets opened easily for filling in the water. This water is then used to brew coffee. You just need to add room temperature water.
Broiler
This part is an internal part but it is deemed necessary for you to know about. This is the part responsible for heating the water inside to brew your espresso.
Portafilter
The first part that you should know is the portafilter. Here is where the coffee grounds get pushed into before it can start to brew for espresso. You must have seen the handle with a steel holder that holds the coffee grounds.
Portafilter Filter Spring
Portafilters are held in place by clips that clip into grooves milled into their inner surfaces. Almost all of them have one open end, but some are shaped like hexagons and have round profiles and circumferences.
Portafilter Basket
In a portafilter, the basket acts as the filter screen. A spring holds them in place in both double and single sizes.
Group Head
Brewing heads and brew groups are both common names for the same component, commonly known as a group head. When preparing to make espresso, you insert the portafilter here.
Group Gasket
It’s a rubber O-shaped ring that works as a seal for the portafilter and portafilter basket. If your portafilter starts leaking, make sure to replace this rubber seal.
Hot Water Tap
As the name suggests, this is the part from which hot water gets dispensed. You’ll not necessarily use this tap much for making an espresso, but it’s mostly used for making teas or rinsing the pitcher, or even warming the coffee cups.
Pressure Gauge
At the front of the machine, you will find the pressure gauge. The needles usually indicate both boiler pressure and pump pressure. As well as monitoring the health of your espresso machine, this also determines the temperature and pressure for your espresso.
Sight Glass
It’s a very compact and small glass tube that is usually in the front part of the espresso machine. The sight glass indicates the water level of the boiler. You’ll see that the markings present on the sight glass are max and min.
Steam Wand
This will be the most used part of your espresso machine if you decide to make some exciting coffee drinks like lattes and cappuccinos. This is a wand that is used to froth or steam the milk. You can operate it by turning the steam valve knob on.
Steam Wand Tip
It’s a small part that is attached to the steam wand. A splayed pattern of steam is created as the steam is dispersed by the wand, allowing you to steam milk.
Bean Hopper
This is the most visible part of the espresso machine. Have you seen the large container where the roasted coffee beans are placed? This is the bean hopper. It feeds the roasted coffee beans into the grinder for making into grounds.
Doser
Once the coffee is grounded, the doser is the part where it’s at. Then from here, the coffee grounds get fed into the portafilter for brewing.
Adjustment Ring Or Knob
This component is usually located near the bean hopper. It’s used to determine what grind size are you looking for.
Grouping Dosing Keypads
There are the main buttons that help you to operate the machine. You press the button located here to start the group head for brewing. It also has buttons for continuous flow, dispensing time, and various quantities.
Grouping Dispense Switch
As simple as it sounds, it is actually a very basic switch located near the group dosing keypad. An on/off switch to activate the grouping dosing keypad.
Here is a cool video that you can watch for a better understanding.
What Do I Need For An Espresso Setup?
Along with having an espresso machine, you need microfiber cloths, demitasse cups, shot glasses, milk pitcher, tamper, smart scale, and espresso machine cleaner.
Having your own espresso setup whether for commercial use or for private at-home use, there are many things that you need to get started. But before we discuss them further, keep in mind that there are some limitations that an entry-level espresso machine has, which are as follows:
- After making 3 to 4 espresso shots, they need some rest.
- They need 5 to 10 minutes once you switch them on to start completely.
- Give them 2 minutes before new water is filled up.
- After steaming 3 to 4 milk pitcher give them 5 minutes to rest before starting again.
Now that these are out of the way, here are the most basic items that you need for having your own espresso setup. Of course, if you have the budget then the sky is the limit, but the list that I’ve prepared is only of those items that are a MUST-HAVE for an espresso setup.
So here we go.
Microfiber Cloths
A clean and spotless espresso station is always recommended. And for keeping it clean, you need a microfiber cloth. Microfiber cloth absorbs any spillage almost instantly.
Plus, this soft cloth doesn’t even cause scratches on the surface. So, ideally, you should have two cloths. One for the bar where your setup is and one for the steam wand.
The cloth is used for cleaning the machines, the bar, and any spillage that is caused. And the steam wand is ONLY for the wand. You see, wiping it with a cloth every time you use it keeps it clean for the longest time and makes it more durable.
Tamper
Though this seems like it’s not necessary, for leveling up the coffee grounds you need a tamper. You see, if the coffee grounds are uneven and you brew them that way, the espresso will not be proper.
Since some grounds would be over-extracted and some would be under-extracted, the taste of espresso will be compromised. Using a tamper for leveling the grounds and then brewing makes for a tasty and even espresso shot.
Smart Scale
A smart scale is a commonly used kitchen gadget that comes in handy when brewing coffee or espresso. It lets you measure a tenth of a gram of espresso so that you get even the slightest of precision right.
Shot Glasses
These are small glasses that you directly pour the espresso in, once it is brewed. This will help you split espresso into cups, or make coffee drinks into another cup like cappuccino or red-eye, etc.
Demitasse Cups
These are the cups that are used in most cafés and coffee shops for serving espresso. These small white cups are necessary for drinking espresso.
Milk Pitcher
This is needed to froth or steam the milk. If you feel like having a hint of sweetness in your espresso shot, the addition of milk foam will make a basic macchiato. And you can enjoy it by frothing up some milk to make milk foam using the pitcher. It holds the milk till the time the steam wand does its magic.
Espresso Machine Cleaner
Now that you have started brewing your espresso, you also need to keep in mind that you need to clean it as well. Having an espresso machine cleaner is a good idea to start with so that your machine can never be out of service due to bad hygiene.
If you can’t afford an espresso machine cleaner, you can always do it manually. Check out my other article where I talk about this in detail.
Below are some of the coffee drinks that you can make using your espresso machine along with their caffeine intake.
| Espresso Based Coffee Drinks | Caffeine Content Per 8 oz Serving |
| Americano | 78 mg |
| Cappuccino | 80 mg |
| Latte | 76 mg |
| Macchiato | 100 mg |
| Red-Eye | 160 mg |
| Mocha | 101 mg |
What Are The Tools Of A Barista?
As a barista you need to have some essential tools like a scale, thermometer, wiping cloth, knock box, milk pitcher, and tamper.
If you’re a beginner getting your hands on a fresh and shiny espresso machine can be overwhelming. But it’s okay. It’s nothing that you can’t wrap your head around. But picking the wrong kind of tool can actually create a hassle for you. So, in order to start smoothly here are the basic tools that you need as a barista.
Scale
Scale is very important when you’re just starting out. It lets you measure the coffee grounds, brewed coffee, and anything related to coffee very accurately. When brewing, coffee ratios and measurements are important to get a delicious brew every single time.
Thermometer
A thermometer is ideal to have. This allows measuring the right temperature for brewing exciting coffee. Whenever your steam up milk, you’ll need to measure the temperature of the milk for trying out new coffees.
Wiping Cloth
Having a wiping cloth lets you clear out any spillage. Plus having a cloth to wipe your hands with, will always keep your hands neat and clean without any coffee stains.
Knock Box
Now, this is a box or a bin that is dedicated to throwing all the used coffee grounds. Throwing them separately from other trash is recommended.
Milk Pitcher
A milk pitcher lets you stir up some well-steamed milk for adding to the coffee drinks. You can steam milk, froth milk foam, and have microfoam using the milk pitcher.
Tamper
This is the most important thing for making coffee. The tamper allows you to level the coffee grounds in the portafilter. Uneven ground will not let water flow through completely and will produce an uneven brew.
My Two Cents
Having an espresso machine is quite an investment. Whether you want it for commercial use or for at-home use, you need to know everything about espresso machines and their components. No matter what brand you decide to have, there are some basic parts like portafilter, group head steam wand, and others that you should know about.
Whatever your use may be, you need to have some essentials like microfiber cloth, tamper, milk pitcher and much more to get started. Of course, you can get whatever you’d like and go fancy but ideally, there are only a few items needed. So, go ahead and brew some delicious espresso and enjoy!
Other Articles
- Check out the visual story version of this article
- How To Remove Coffee Stains (Easy To Do)
- Does Your Coffee Cup Affect the Taste of Your Coffee?
- How To Make A Strong Coffee (A Detailed Guide)