Manufacturers of espresso machines begin to first manufacture internal and external machine parts, and these parts vary from one company to another. Sometimes they are on special demand, and these parts are various degrees of difference depending on the appropriate price of the coffee machine. We will mention the most important parts of the espresso machine.Espresso machine tools
Group Header
It is the interface of the Group Head Espresso machine, where hot water is added to coffee under pressure. The head of the group is characterized by a locking mechanism for the filter holder, the design of the head of the group varies from one machine to another, but some of its designs are known historically, such as the head of the group E-61 (E-61Group) – made by Faema in 1961, it is heated by gaining heat from the steam boiler, and it retains to some extent a constant temperature thanks to its large exposed surface area in the espresso machine.
The boiler in the espresso machine
Single boiler
A single boiler is a closed boiler used to heat water with a dual purpose; espresso preparation and evaporation, but it can only be used for one function at a time. Therefore, the user must operate it according to its design so that he can prepare coffee and evaporate milk in an ideal way. These boilers often use two thermostats; one to get a low temperature to prepare “espresso”, and the second to provide a higher temperature to create an abundance of compressed steam.
Double boiler
Dual boiler, the main characteristic here is that it contains two boilers within its design; one dedicated to the preparation of coffee, and the other is dedicated to evaporation. These machines are often the most expensive types of “espresso” machines because of the amount of materials and resources that go in their installation, and it is also one of the most technologically advanced espresso machines. Double boilers also include digital temperature controls to adjust the water temperature of each of the preparation boilers, which means that the user can control the temperature of the two boilers separately in proportion to the needs.
Pumps in the espresso machine
Motors are one of the most important parts of the espresso machine and they can be divided into three main sections:
Vibratory pump
Vibratory pump, which is the cheapest type of pump in an espresso machine, is found in most household espresso machines, and takes a few seconds to reach the desired pressure.
Rotational pump
A rotator pump is seen as more desirable due to the possibility of changing its rotational speed in order to increase or decrease the pressure inside it (the rate of water flow is directly proportional to the pressure). Yet this is not something that is not an easy task to change it during espresso preparation.
Docking pump
As for gear pumps, they are somehow more advanced and the water flow rate can be adjusted electronically, which means that the flow rate of water during the preparation of the coffee dose can be changed if the machine allows it.
Tools used in the preparation of Espresso
Filter holder for espresso machine
The casting method here (Portafilter in Arabic), and the term means both the holder handle and the filter basket inside, which is the tool that holds the filter basket where coffee is packed and carried during preparation. The filter holders are usually heavy and durable, as they are made of metals such as steel or copper. The filter holder may be single or double gutter, and can also be exposed at the bottom of the filter basket. Filter holders are available in a various, small sizes due to the lack of measurement size, and may be the designs of different types vary slightly among themselves making them incompatible with other machines.
Filter basket
In espresso machines, coffee must be packed in the filter basket, which is usually a cylinder made of steel and open from the top and has a set of holes at the bottom. Filter baskets are available in different sizes, and the depth of the basket varies depending on the purpose of use and the size of the coffee dose, for example: the single dose basket is shorter than the double or triple dose basket.
Tamper
A tool used to press ground coffee in the basket (Tamper), usually small in size and hand used. The base or piston of the tamper is often a piece of steel metal of a size that fits perfectly with the basket and usually, the base of the tamper is flat but sometimes it comes in a variety with a corrugated design engraved in metal.
Coffee Dispenser
The coffee distributor is one of the most necessary and important tools for improving the extraction of “espresso”. This tool is designed for one specific task that is simply to distribute the coffee evenly inside the basket before the compression process, so that the coffee does not gather only causing bad extraction.
Milk Pitcher
If you want to develop your skills in drawing on coffee, then choosing the right Milk Pitcher is very important, because the Bacher is like a painter’s feather, when choosing a steaming pot take into considerations the size and breadth of both the hole and grasp.
Electronic Scale
The scale is very necessary for the coffee maker to calculate the exact grams to time used, thus determining the suitability of the grind in the “espresso”, and you also need a responsive scale with a timer.