Commercial espresso machines have be around for many years, however it was not until 1977 that the first machine designed for domestic use was released. During the 1990’s there was a dramatic increase in the popularity of the espresso machine, with it now being one of the most purchased small appliances. Essentially an espresso machine operates by forcing hot water through tightly packed, ground coffee as well as producing steam for heating milk. The units need to heat the water to at least 88 degrees Celsius, provide pressure of around 15 bars and provide steam at a temperature of a round 65 to 70 degrees Celsius for heating milk. Beyond this, different units offer a variety of additional features such as cup warming, no of cups etc. This profile does not cover drip filter coffee machines except those where drip filter coffee and jug warming is an added feature of an espresso machine. There are a number of characteristics that distinguish espresso machines. Firstly machines can be either pump or steam style. Pump-driven machines use a pump to force the water through the coffee and use a separate heating mechanism for creating steam for heating milk. Steam machines boil the water in a small chamber then use the steam created from this process to force the water into a pipe that flows through the coffee grounds. The same steam is also siphoned off to heat milk. Machines heat water using either a boiler or a thermo-block device. Boilers are slower to heat the water but are more common especially in commercial machines.
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