For coffee lovers, nothing beats a fresh cup of espresso. Its flavor is richer, more complex and — unlike regular coffee made in a standard drip machine — requires specialized skills to prepare. Whether you’re a home barista or just interested in experimenting with the specialty drink, you can find an affordable espresso maker on sale right now.
Compared to a drip or French press coffee maker, espresso coffee machine sales typically take up more counter space, and many offer additional features like built-in grinders, milk frothers and temperature settings. They also tend to be more expensive, but many of these high-end units can be found at a discount when shopping for Black Friday, Cyber Monday or Prime Day.
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While browsing the espresso section at any major retailer, you’ll likely see plenty of glitzy packaging and rave reviews that tout a variety of machines’ capabilities and parts. However, you should also consider factors such as the amount of espresso and other drinks the machine can produce at a time, its water reservoir size, whether it comes with a steam wand, how easy it is to clean and if any of its components are dishwasher-safe.
In the lower price range, you can find a manual model that can help you hone your barista skills at home, while spending more than $1,000 generally buys you more control, stability and reliability (characteristics valued in cafe settings where baristas often brew hundreds of cups a day). Some espresso machines even come with dual boilers to simultaneously brew espresso and steam milk while maintaining proper temperatures.