Choosing the right coffee equipment

This is the start of your journey with Bella Barista, the type of coffee machine that will be right for you. Let us guide you to the perfect machine to suit you; our role is to use our expertise to help you make the right choice.

This guide will help you to decide which equipment you need to make your favourite coffee at home. Whatever you decide, rest assured that we have made sure the equipment we supply is:

• • Reliable
• • Durable
• • Good value for money
• • Easy to repair / spare parts are readily available

Manual Filter Coffee Brewers – Starting from £6

Manually brewing filter coffee is the best method to use if you enjoy black coffee, have limited space &/or limited budget. If done well, it produces a clean, delicate cup of coffee full of flavour. It is best suited to showcase the unique characteristics of a coffee, so try using a single origin coffee instead of an espresso blend. Some popular manual filter brewing methods are:

• • V60
• • Kalita Wave
• • Chemex
• • Aeropress
• • Cafetiere

Electric Filter Coffee Brewers – Starting from £165 The next step up from the manual brewer, electric filter machines are great if you want to brew more than one cup at a time & are less time consuming to use. Stove Top from £29 The traditional Italian brewing method; this creates a strong, rich coffee because of the high coffee to water ratio & high temperatures used in the process. Great for those who like a strong, espresso-like coffee and a limited budget.

 

Stove top £29-£300

Considered the “traditional” Italian way of making coffee the “Bialetti” style stove top was made famous by Mussolini to show the advancement of the use of Aluminium in Italy. We have listed only Stainless steel pots as these give a better flavour. Ground coffee is placed into the centre compartment and then when the water boils it passes through the coffee into the top compartment. This method of coffee making appeals to those who like a strong brewed coffee.

Benefits of Stove Top	Points to Consider
Very low initial cost Very portable can be used on different heating sources so ideal for camping/ boats	No way of producing steam Not able to make milk based drinks

 

Thermoblock Machines Price Range £99-£600

Thermoblock machines heat the water as it is used, similar to the way water is heated in a shower. This makes them smaller & much cheaper than a conventional boiler.  The vast majority of budget coffee machines (below £200) will have thermoblocks. There is a wide range available, some with one thermoblock, some with two, some with a thermoblock  AND a boiler.  Some single thermoblock machines allow you to heat the water for espresso, then immediately for steam, then back again for another shot of espresso. For steam, the water passes through more slowly thereby reaching the higher temperature needed.

Benefits of Thermoblocks	Points to Consider
Allows compact design because thermoblock a lot smaller than conventional boiler Lower cost than heat exchangers or single boilers Smaller machines High Quality coffee at an affordable price Experimenting  can be fun, learning to get it right	Some thermoblocks struggle to maintain temperature With a single thermoblock you can not pull a shot and steam at the same time and is about 3 times slower than Boiler machines to steam milk Not as efficient as Heat Exchangers or Dual Boilers

 

Capsule: Price Range £300 to £1000

One of the most significant changes in the world of coffee largely due to the massive advertising budget of Nespresso . They offer convenience and simplicity but come with a high ingredient cost. Our range of these is not as we find that our customers are upgrading from this type of machine to enjoy the benefits of “real” coffe

Benefits of Capsule	Points to Consider
Convenience Less mess Grinder not requires	High cost of coffee 5 times more expensive than buying beans No possibility of altering extraction Far from FRESH coffee

 

  Bean to Cup

There are an increasing number of coffee drinkers that want to enjoy the benefits of freshly ground coffee but want the convenience and space saving of having the grinder and coffee machine in one package and are willing to give up the ability “to fine tune”  in return for a simple single button operation. There are also the customers that have recognised the convenience of having capsules but want to progress to a fresher and far more economical way of making coffee.It is to recognise and fulfill this demand that we have decided to include bean to cup machines in our range. As with all our machines these will have been rigorously tested before they are included in our range

 

 

Benefits of Bean to Cup	Points to Consider
Convenience Compact One touch Operation Quick Heat up Freshly Ground Beans  Can be used by all family	Less control than separate grinder Longevity Low temperature of Milk Based drinks Time taken to produce milk based drinks

Single Boilers (SB): Price Range £300 to £800

As the name suggests, one boiler does it all, but not at the same time.  First, it heats water to the correct temperature for your espresso. Then it takes time to reach the hotter temperature to make steam for the milk. . Conversely you have to wait until water cools down to make your next coffee extraction. . Most single boilers contain a reservoir for water; they are not connected to the mains supply.  Single boilers are at the low to mid end of the price range and with time spent to get it right, you will have a lovely shot of espresso.

Single Boilers Pros	Single Boilers Cons
Lower cost than heat exchangers High Quality Espresso coffee at an affordable price Experimenting  can be fun, learning to get it right	Single boilers struggle to maintain temperature The boiler takes time to reheat the water from the optimal espresso temperature to the optimal steam temperature Inconvenience of time delay Trickier to master to obtain the perfect coffee,you may need time & patience to get the best results

Lever Machines (LM) £1300 to £3000

This is the most traditional “espresso” machine and was the first to enable water under pressure to pass through the coffee grains to give a better extraction. The pressure being gained by the compression of the lever. The lever method obviously requires some physical effort and was soon superseded in the mass market with machines that gained the pressure from electric pumps. Purists have come to recognise that the way the lever delivers the pressure in fact produces a perfect pressure profile for the perfect espresso. It must be pointed out that there is considerable pressure exerted by the lever and should be operated with caution.

Benefits of Lever	Points to Consider
No electric pump to replace Very good pressure profile Best for espresso	Difficulty of operating the lever Extra space required because of lever More experience required to produce consistent espressos

 

Heat Exchanger (HX):   Price Range £800 to £1800

These clever machines have one boiler (WITH AN INTERNAL HEAT EXCHANGER) which heats the water for your espresso AT THE SAME TIME as creating the steam for your milk.  No waiting, less fuss. This is the largest selection of the Bella Barista range, the heat exchanger is a pipe contained within the boiler which the water heats as it passes through then mixes with the right amount of cold to make the perfect temperature for your espresso much more reliably. The beauty of these machines is, the super-heated steam for milk is available simultaneously.  The small down-side is, if there is a long time between pulling shots the water can become too hot. This is easy to overcome by flushing water through the group head for a few seconds, known as a ‘cooling flush’. Our range of Heat Exchangers includes models that can adjust temperature/pressure and you can choose from a mains supply, an internal reservoir machine or one that has both.

Heat Exchangers Pros	Heat Exchanger Cons
Heats the water for coffee AND steam simultaneously Can produce multiple cups of coffee without delay Easier to obtain the perfect shot of espresso Choice of internal reservoir or mains supply More adjustable/controllable Higher build quality More convenient than single boilers Reliable temperature control Boiler refills automatically Perfect steam power for milk based coffees	More expensive than single boilers Larger More difficult to change temperature than dual boilers Some skill required, e.g. ‘cooling flushes’

 

Dual Boiler: Price Range £1200 - £5000

Unsurprisingly, these machines have two boilers.  One heats the water for the perfect espresso, the other heats water perfectly for the steam.  With a dual boiler, not only can you do both at the same time but many dual boiler coffee machines let you control the temperature according to the coffee you are using, ultimate control to produce perfect coffee.

Benefits of Dual Boilers

Points to Consider

Two separate boilers for individual temperature control (via PID) No need for cooling flush Very easy to obtain the perfect shot of espresso Choice of internal reservoir or mains supply Solid temperature stability More adjustable/controllable Easier to obtain the perfect shot of espresso Ability to pull shots at different temperatures Convenient Reliable temperature control Boiler refills automatically Perfect steam power for milk based coffees

More expensive than single boilers & Heat exchangers Larger size Can be difficult to descale

Pressure Profile : Price Range £2500 - £5000 |

Benefits of Pressure Profile

Points to Consider

Two separate boilers for individual temperature control (via PID) Reliable temperature control No need for cooling flush Very easy to obtain the perfect shot of espresso with the ability to change pressure profile of shot Choice of internal reservoir or mains supply Solid temperature stability More adjustable/controllable Easier to obtain the perfect shot of espresso Ability to pull shots at different and temperatures and pressure profiles Convenient Boiler refills automatically Perfect steam power for milk based coffees

More expensive than Dual Boilers Can be difficult to descale Requires expertise in manually changing the pressure profiles

 Other points to Consider

Full Automatic or Manual?

In a commercial setting, fully automatic machines tend to be used; a button is pressed & a shot is produced.  This sounds easy doesn’t it, but we believe it is important that you have full control.  With a manual machine, you can look at the shot being pulled and stop it if it ‘blonds’ (the extraction goes slightly paler indicating the less desirable parts of the coffee are being released into your cup). Again, this is something you will learn easily.

 

Vibration or rotary pump

Vibration pumps are smaller & less expensive so they are found in most domestic machines. Our machines that are fitted with vibration pumps will contain only top quality pumps. Rotary pumps tend to be slightly quieter and are a better pump to choose if you will be plumbing in your machine at any point. The rotary pump is designed for heavy commercial use so will last longer, but can be three times more expensive than vibration pumps to exchange so this should be factored into your choice..

 

PID

This is a precise, computer controlled thermostat which ultimately, gives better temperature control with a smaller ‘dead band’, preventing the machine overshooting or undershooting  the heat required by pulsing heat in short, rapid and controlled increments. PID comes into its own when used with dual boiler machines.  It means each boiler has its temperature regulated or adjusted.  The problem with some PID dual boilers is that when the PID is used to control the steam boiler, it can prevent the boiler from recovering temperature quickly.  Again, this is something that can be overcome by larger heating elements in the steam boiler or simply programming the PID to allow the steam boiler to recover quickly.

Grinder , Ready Ground or Capsule

18 is the figure used by many Italian coffee expert when quantifying the best time scales in the coffee production
Green Beans  Good for 18 months
Roasted coffee Good for 18 weeks (we say 6)
Ground Coffee Good for 18 minutes

As you can see from this ideally coffee should be drunk within 18 minutes of being ground which if you do not have a grinder is very difficult. Manufacturers over the years have tried various ways of sealing the coffee after it has been ground to retain the flavour, with out doubt the most successful has been the introduction of the capsule this  not only preserves the flavour but also  simplifies the coffee making process.  Of course there is no substitute for grinding your own to give the best and freshest flavour. Unfortunately grinders capable of grinding coffee fine enough for espresso machine do not come cheap