Whether or not you have ever had training on how to make a latte or a cappuccino, you can save yourself a lot of money by investing in your own home espresso machine, and making your daily latte at home instead of picking one up every day at your neighborhood coffee shop.

Making a latte or cappuccino is easy to learn how to do, especially on a home espresso machine. Easy enough that anyone can make their own latte at home with just a little bit of practice. So it is well worth your time to invest in your own espresso machine, and learn to make your lattes at home. Soon you will be an expert and a coffee snob and only be able to drink your own expertly made coffee drinks.

The first step is buying the right espresso machine. Espresso machines range in price widely depending on their capacity, their physical size, and their features. The more features that come with your espresso machine, the more expensive it will be and the more costly it will be to fix. So consider your feature options carefully.

Typical features available on espresso machines are the following:

• Steam wand--There is no point in getting an espresso machine without a steam wand.  The steam wand is necessary for frothing the milk properly. 
  
• Cup warmer--This is an extraneous feature that is nice but not necessary.
• Hot water dispenser--A hot water tap is a nice feature to have on your espresso maker, but not necessary in the making of any espresso drinks.
• Strength controls for the espresso shot--Having a controller on your espresso shots will give you much more control over the taste and the consistency of your espresso shots.  Recommended.
• Premoistener for coffee grounds--The best shots are premoistened to prep the flavor, so this is also recommended.
• Pod compatible--Pods make espresso machines easier to use but reduce the flavor of the shots.  If you want to make coffee with pods, don't bother buying an espresso machine.  Just buy a coffee maker that uses pods.
• Water filter--This is a nice feature but it adds expense and maintenance to your espresso machine.  You can filter your own water easily from your faucet or in your refrigerator in a filtered pitcher.
• Built-in coffee bean grinder--This is a great feature, but you can also get a separate coffee grinder that will grind coffee for your espresso machine, and a regular drip coffee maker.  Would be nice to have, but not necessary.
• Automatic doser--A doser measures the amount of coffee for each dose or shot.  This is a very high end feature that would be combined with the built-in grinder.  Takes away most of the mess, and some of the art, but makes brewing espresso much easier.
  

I am a trained barista, and I have worked on both traditional and automatic machines.  My personal preference is for a traditiional espresso machine because then I can control everything about the espresso and the milk steaming.  In a traditional machine, you tamp the shot, you measure the coffee, you steam the milk to temperature and decide when it is finished.  You are really making espresso.  If you are a fussy cook, or a food lover, then I recommend a traditional espresso machine.  This way you will learn how to make the espresso, and actually be able to make espresso on any machine, automatic or traditional.

However, if you do not want to be bothered, and would rather have the espresso machine do the calibrating, measuring, grinding and brewing for you, then you need to buy an automatic machine.

There are some really cool looking espresso machines that come in great colors like orange, white, and red, but unless you are a fanatic cleaner, and I do mean fanatic (like you clean when you are stressed, and never leave a spot of your house dirty), then get an espresso machine in either black or steel color. 

Why do I recommend boring black or steel?  The reason that I recommend these colors for your espresso machine is that the coffee grounds for an espresso maker are insidious.  They get everywhere, and they will also get in the cracks and crevices of your machine.  So if you are an average cleaner, or just the average busy person, your machine will always have some coffee grounds on it somewhere, and it is much harder to see them on a black or silver espresso machine.  When I worked as a barista, we were constantly cleaning up coffee grounds on counters, and around the machines.  Espresso ground coffee is very fine, so it can become slightly staticy and stick to things.

Ah, good question.  The answer is that there is NO difference.  They are exactly the same thing.

Espresso is the coffee that is brewed under pressure with much less water than in a traditional coffee maker.  When you add steamed milk to the espresso you have a latte.  If you froth or foam the milk (add tiny air bubbles) to the steamed milk, then add it to the espresso, you have a cappuccino.  A latte and a cappuccino are essentially the same drink except for the amount of air in the drink.  Cappuccinos taste stronger to the drinker, because they have less milk.  So you can make plenty of excellent cappuccinos with your espresso maker.

When you buy your espresso machine, it should come with a metal steaming pitcher. If not, you need to buy one. This is for steaming and frothing the milk.

An espresso thermometer is best to have so that you do not burn the milk. If you overheat the milk, it degrades and does not taste good in the espresso drink.

And coffee. Any medium to dark coffee can be used as espresso depending on your taste. Most espresso drinkers like to use dark roasts like Italian or French roast coffees. The most important part is grinding them properly for your espresso machine.

Coffee grinder--Highly recommended. The fresher ground your coffee is, the better your espresso drink will taste.

The espresso machines pictured at the top and bottom of this article can be purchased from icookwares.com.

Café Retró is Old world design - New age features. Steel body with thermo painted metal finish, toggle switches with indicator lights, temperature gauge, sturdy pull down lever for providing commercial quality steaming/frothing, removable tank with water level visible, .7 liter boiler, pull out knock box and cup warmer. Adaptable for use with ground coffee or coffee servings (ESE). Great performing machine which is both easy and fun to use!

Café Roma Deluxe from Espressione, complete with fully incorporated professional grinder, anti-drip valve, thermometer to check boiler temperature, professional filter holder in brass with interchangeable single or double dispenser. Complete with fully incorporated professional grinder, auto-drip valve, thermometer to check boiler temperature, professional filter holder in brass and chrome plated metal finishes.