The Livietta offers commercial quality in one of the most compact home use espresso machines. Another unique feature of the Livietta is the ability to brew espresso and steam milk simultaneously. This is accomplished through the technology of having two thermal block boilers (one for brewing and one for steaming), each with its own pump and three way solenoid.

Single-origin coffee refers to beans that have been grown and harvested in one area, which could comprise of a specific region or country. Since coffee has a unique taste that is acquired from the climate and terrain in which it is grown, knowing the origin of your coffee will allow you to better predict its flavor profile.

The Seaco Xelsis an Saeco Exprelia both use the same Saeco technology for brewing, cleaning and maintenance. They both have stainless steel boilers, and use the same 15 bar pump for brewing which is plenty of pressure to create the 8 to 9 bars required to brew quality espresso. The water reservoirs both hold a generous 54 ounces of water for brewing and steaming, and the milk carafe used by both these machines have the same 17.25 ounce volume.

The Francis Francis X7 Iper Espresso machine is a good home use espresso machine. I would also say it could be used in a small office setting (of less than 5 people) who like Illy coffee and the easy use single serve espresso pods.

The Espressione Supermma is a pleasure to operate, with a large, easy-to-use touch screen. After the initial easy set up, simply touch and select your cup size to brew espresso. Additionally, the Cappucinador allows you to easily froth milk with the turn of a knob.

A tamper simply levels and compacts espresso ground coffee in the portafilter. This is important because if the ground coffee is not level and packed tightly (in addition to being consistently and finely ground), during the brewing process the hot pressurized water will move either too quickly through the espresso grinds, not saturate the ground evenly, or both which gives you a poor quality shot of espresso with little or no crema.

Caffe D'arte Taormina is an artisan Sicilian dark roast espresso made of 100% Aabica from four origins. It has a surprisingly sweet flavor with hints of oak and lasting chocolate aroma, which is a great choice when making Mochas.

If you are looking for a thoughtfully designed super-automatic one touch espresso machine, I recommend the Jura-Capresso J9. I know I will miss the J9 when it is removed from our sales office

Happy Years to all. I look forward to helping you with all your coffee needs in the up coming year. Enjoy the rest of this year and try to spend it with loved ones.

The beauty of the Café Americano is that you can custom make it. Some people say that you need to mix espresso and hot water in a one-to-one ratio, which tastes great. But, you can also experiment and create your own recipe. Enjoy; I hope you will be inspired to brew your own Café Americano right at home.