Here at Armorica, we pride ourselves on our variety and product knowledge and hope that this article will help you find the perfect coffee machine to suit your lifestyle. From a basic filter coffee machine to the more expensive automatic bean-to-cup machines, we provide what we believe to be a wide range of the highest quality coffee machines available today. We are constantly seeking out new models to add to our selection, so you can rest assure that Armorica will continue to provide you with the best models available, helping you to produce perfect espresso, cappuccino, café latte or any other speciality coffee in your home or office.

In 1947, the first pump-based espresso machine was sold by Gaggia; this offering consumers a way to make good quality espresso in their home/office. This machine has been improved and updated to include the latest technology such as one touch automated controls. Although we do also offer traditional coffee machines which have a manual lever and with practise will produce an espresso suited to your tastes.

Filter vs. Espresso Coffee Machines Filter and Espresso coffee machines are the two basic types of coffee machine. You can really taste and see the difference when you try to compare a coffee made from a filter coffee machine and a coffee made from an espresso coffee machine.

The coffee produced by a filter coffee machine is usually served in a regular cup/mug and tends to be lighter than an espresso, as it passes water through ground coffee which can take up to 10 minutes although with an Cuisinart filter coffee machine it only takes 6 minutes for the water to filter through the coffee. Whereas an espresso machine is more viscous as it passes pressurised water through ground coffee, producing an espresso with a good body topped by a thick ‘crema’.
An espresso contains high amounts of caffeine (unless you use decafe) and levels of acidity, but it does have a very distinct taste. You can use your espresso coffee machine, as well as serving an espresso as a shot or lungo (regular cup), you can also use espresso as the base of most coffee’s, including cappuccino and café lattes; the 2 most popular coffee shop drinks.

Filter Coffee Machines
Most filter coffee machines are automatic and do a lot of the work for you, and of course are simple to use – for example, you can select the strength of the coffee, the number of cups you want. Some even have a built-in coffee grinder and a function that automatically washes itself out to reduce lime scale. In most filter coffee machines; there is a double-walled carafe with a vacuum sealed lid to sustain the freshly brewed flavour for hours. The process of making filter coffee involves hot water dripping slowly through a basket containing ground coffee, lined with a porous filter to infuse into the carafe below.

If you want to use loose coffee in your filter or traditional espresso coffee machine, you can then decide what type of coffee you want to use, bearing in mind the results will vary every time. Please take into account, the loose/ground coffee needs to be compacted into the holder, however, if it’s compacted too much, the coffee will drip slowly into the cup and make it very strong, and if it isn’t compacted enough the coffee will run into the cup too quickly making it very weak.

Espresso Coffee Machines
Espresso coffee machines can also be broken down into three types: Traditional, Nespresso, or Bean-to-Cup coffee machines.
All espresso coffee machines are pressurized which means water is boiled in a chamber that builds up pressure and steam. Once enough pressure has built up, boiling water is forced through the ground coffee; the steam can be used for frothing. All espresso coffee machines can range in quality and price, but they will all ultimately produce great coffee. Espresso machines are steam driven and produce very strong coffee which is much richer and concentrated than filter coffee and as espresso is the base for all coffee’s, you can also enjoy a cappuccino or latte by topping off your espresso with steamed milk and frothed milk.

Traditional Coffee Machines
Traditional coffee machines or commonly known as pump coffee machines, they automatically pump water into a tank that will build up enough bar pressure to force hot pressurized water through the ground coffee, which is held in a filter holder. They also have a thermostatically controlled boiler which heats up the water to 85 – 92°C; the optimum temperature level to ensure a good cup of coffee.
A basic espresso machine will not only make espresso, but other speciality coffee as well, however the user will need to know what to do. With traditional coffee machines you can only make one cup at a time – though if the machine has a twin nozzle dispenser, you can make two cups of coffee at the same time, but you will need to put twice as much ground coffee in, to make sure you get the full strength in both. If you don’t, the machine will pass double the amount of water through 1 portion of ground coffee, resulting in a weak espresso. Also, if you are going to use coffee beans you will need separate grinder to grind the beans yourself.for these types of machines – we would recommend a grinder with 4 or 5 settings; extra fine, fine, medium, coarse and extra coarse. However, if you don’t want a separate grinder, you can easily use pre-ground coffee or use coffee pods.

Nespresso Coffee Machines
Nestlé created The Nespresso™ System in 1970 and so, the first machine was launched which allows you to produce consistent, high quality espresso by using unique Nespresso capsules. The Nespresso coffee machines are probably the easiest to use and are exceedingly popular, the majority of them have a more modern design than a traditional coffee machine as well. All you need to do is purchase the capsules, direct from Nespresso – these capsules ensure the precise flow of coffee and guarantee a perfect ‘crema’, the vital sign of a well made espresso. Once you have inserted the capsule and pressed a button, sit back and the machine will do the rest! It’s very simple to use and the coffee is hermetically sealed inside the capsules, so they will stay fresh for up to 9 months. They come in 12 different blends and have been blended, roasted and grounded. With the Nespresso coffee machine, after the capsule has been used, with most of the machine it will be automatically ejected into a container inside the machine, so there is minimal cleaning and you don’t have to worry about spilling any coffee grounds.
Nespresso coffee machines are relatively quick at heating up, their water tanks are easy to fill and overall they are very simple to use. Also if you ever have a problem, and your machine needs repairing, Nespresso offer a pick up loan machine to every customer.

Bean-to-Cup Machines Bean-to-Cup Machines are becoming more and more popular for homes and offices, because it is fully automatic; all you need to do is put water in the tank and coffee beans in the hopper, press a button and your done. This ‘one stop coffee centre’ will grind the beans and produce a perfect cup of espresso in less time then it takes to boil a kettle. They can also withstand busy environments and can handle upwards of 125 espressos a day, without straining.

Most machines have an automatic milk frother that will draw up milk from a jug which will go directly into a cup, so you can create a cappuccino or latte. The basic models have simple pre-sets, whereas the top end models have programmable buttons, so you can decide what the button will do, e.g. make a cappuccino. The Jura Impressa range is probably the best bean-to-cup coffee machines you can buy because they are more advanced than other ranges. A Bean-to-Cup coffee machine will take your favourite coffee beans and grind them to perfection to create the best cup of coffee you have ever tasted. However, you can get more manual ones, and some do have a switch to turn off the grinder, if you want to use pre-ground coffee.

Other Aspects It’s not just the different types of coffee machines you have to look in to. You should also be aware of the other aspects which are explained below.

Bar Pressure Bar Pressure is very important as it lets you know the strength at which the water is forced through the coffee. A coffee machine with a built-in pump, will have a bar pump pressure varying from 8 – 19 bars. The higher the bar presure, the higher the amount of flavour is extracted from the coffee, giving a more intense taste to your espresso.

Water Tank A coffee machines’ water tank is also another important factor to consider, as not all water tanks are removable, and so, will be more difficult to refill. Also, the bigger the tank, the more cups you can produce; for example – a tank that can hold 2 litres will probably, depending on how much you use the frothing nozzle, make 12 cups. Please note – when buying a coffee machine, it will already have a small amount of water in it to protect the element; this also proves that it has been safety tested.

Warming Up Time The majority of coffee machines can heat up in less than a minute and so you can more of less use it straight away. You can even programme some coffee machines to turn on automatically in the morning, so you can wake up to the smell of a well-made cup of coffee.

Milk Frother The majority of milk frothers on coffee machines are the same; however you are more than likely going to need practice to get the correct technique. You should have a stainless steel or aluminium jug/container and have the frothing nozzle wand at a 40 degree slant.

Cleaning and Maintenance Coffee machines that are at the top end of their market are usually self-cleaning; they will pass steam through the system and pipes which should remove any residue. We recommend that this function is used every other day, whereas the more basic machines should be cleaned every day. You should pay extra attention to the water tank to reduce the build up of lime scale, and don’t forget to clean the milk frother well. Always follow the instruction manual when cleaning your machine.

Grinding There are a couple of things to consider when purchasing a grinder, for example: do you need a blade or burr grinder and how many settings do you need? Don’t worry if you don’t know the answers yet, all is explained below:

There are two different types of grinders; a blade and a burr. The difference is the blade grinder slices the beans finely and less evenly, which may cause the coffee to have a slight burnt taste, if grounded for too long. Whereas, the burr grinder is much like a pestle and mortar, and grinds the beans more evenly.

There is also two types of burr grinders; wheel and conical. The wheel burr grinders spin very fast and can be a bit loud and the conical burr grinder spins slower, are quieter and will clog up less. The reason why you can get different settings on a grinder is because different machines take the ground coffee differently. For example; you need the coarse setting for Cafetiere’s and percolators, medium setting for flat-bottomed filter machines, fine setting for cone filter machines and the extra fine setting for espresso coffee machines.

Contact us
If you need any more information, please do not hesitate to contact us on 08456 017 262 or enquiries@armorica.co.uk where one of our trained staff will be more than happy to help.