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Subcategories of Espresso Machines
In general, there are three different subcategories to each type of espresso machine.
This type of espresso machine uses one boiler and at least two thermostats inside. One thermostat controls the water temperature for brewing and the other is used to produce steam to steam milk. You use a flip or switch to toggle between espresso brewing and steaming. This type of machine cannot brew and steam at the same time.
In this type of espresso machine, a large boiler maintains a water temperature of around 240 degrees F, which is the ideal temperature for producing steam. The brewing water makes its way to the grouphead through a coiled tube inside the boiler. As it is drawn from the reservoir through the coiled tube, it flash heats up to ideal brewing temperatures. The coiled tube is the heat exchanger. You can steam and brew at the same time on these machines.
These espresso machines feature two independent boilers, or a boiler and a thermoblock. One maintains water at the ideal brewing temperature while the other maintains the water at the ideal steaming temperature. With this type of machine, you can brew and steam at the same time. Though this type of machine seems like the best option, in North America we do not have enough power on a standard 110V, 15 amp wall socket to effectively run two boilers as they are typically based upon European specifications.
