•Water supply: mains or tank?



Some espresso machines come with their own water tank (or ‘reservoir’). This means that you do not need to worry about connecting your machine to the main water supply in the building (you just top the tank up yourself), so you can set it up anywhere you like. If you opt for a coffee machine that does not have a water tank, make sure that you can connect it to the building’s plumbing system easily.

•How many cups?

Think carefully about how many cups of espresso you expect to be serving at once: if you think you will only need to make one cup at a time, there are plenty of coffee machines out there that will do this. However, if you will be serving coffee for larger groups of people at once, you should consider purchasing a machine that will allow you to make multiple cups simultaneously. It is possible to buy machines that make six or more cups at one time: these are naturally more expensive, but they could save you vast amounts of time in the long run.

•What extras do I need?

Different machines come with different combinations of features, so once you have decided on the basic machine you require, you need to think about the extras you are going to need. For example, most espresso machines come with a steam wand, but some are equipped with two or three- handy if you are making several cups of coffee at once. Other extras include warming plates, automatic milk frothers, and programmable size settings.