These days, having a home espresso machine is as typical as the usual coffee maker. Why pay coffee house prices for espresso drinks you can make at home? If you’re thinking about getting an espresso maker, you should know a bit about them before going shopping.

An espresso maker uses pressure to force water through the coffee grounds, unlike a drip machine that just lets water flow naturally by gravity. The added pressure means you get more of the flavor out of the beans in a shorter amount of time. A good espresso is very strong, well-flavored, and should have a thick layer of foam on top (called the crema).

Though the method is always the same, there is more than one way to make espresso. Most machines on the market either produce their pressure with a pump, or just with heated steam. The steam espresso machines are the less expensive ones, but even a pump machine is a pretty reasonable price these days. Before buying, compare the pressure capabilities. The more pressure your machine can produce, the happier you will be with it.

Whether you use a steam or pump machine, make sure the coffee beans are ground finely if you want the best espresso. You can get fancy, and find a machine that will do all the grinding for you to keep it simple. They can usually steam or foam milk as well, giving you the chance to make any kind of latte or cappuccino you could possibly desire.

You can keep your kitchen counter from getting too cluttered by getting a very handy model that makes both espresso and regular drip coffee. Or you can go the other way, and get a more old-school type of espresso maker, called a moka pot. It’s just a little metal pot that sits on your stove burner. It makes decent espresso, and can be fun to use when you get tired of expensive kitchen gadgets.