Editorial process

A machine appears on EspressoGoods because its maker publishes specs we can link to, and it appears in a finder result only when those published specs meet every answer you gave. We do not test machines or taste coffee. This page sets out the exact rules the site runs on, so you can check any result against them and tell us when one does not hold.

Step 1: a machine enters the catalogue

We read the maker’s own product page, spec sheet or user manual and record what it publishes. For a machine that means the type (semi-automatic, super-automatic, manual lever or portable), the maker’s name for the heating system and a normalized class for it (flash heater such as a thermoblock or Thermocoil, single boiler, heat exchanger, dual boiler, or no heater), whether the maker says the temperature is PID-controlled, any built-in grinder, the portafilter size in millimeters, the baskets supplied, the milk system and whether it textures milk automatically, the pump pressure as advertised, the warm-up time the maker claims, the water tank, the dimensions, weight, wattage, the drinks or presets it offers, and the US list price. For a grinder it means the burrs (type and size), the number of settings or whether adjustment is stepless, whether it is sold for single dosing, the hopper, and how the maker positions it.

Each entry links to the page it came from and shows the date we read it. Figures are copied as published, never rounded or “corrected.” Where a maker gives only centimeters, kilograms or ounces, we convert to the site’s units and say so in the entry’s notes.

What a blank means

If a maker does not publish a figure, the field is left empty (stored as null) and shown as a dash or “not stated.” A blank means “the maker doesn’t publish this,” not “no.” We do not fill it from a review, a forum, a retailer description or another model. The PID field shows yes only when the maker uses the term; a machine whose maker says nothing about PID is treated as unknown, not as having it. A built-in check rejects warm-up figures that have no maker wording behind them, and dimensions or tank sizes that are implausible for a countertop appliance.

If the maker no longer lists a model, its own brand listing on Amazon can stand in, labelled as that maker’s Amazon listing. For a few brands sold in the US through an official distributor, the distributor’s spec table may fill a gap, labelled as such. Review sites, forums and memory are never a source for a spec. If an Amazon listing turns out to be a different model from the catalogue entry, the specs stay but the Amazon link is removed, so no buy link points at the wrong machine.

Step 2: the machine finder’s rules

The finder runs fixed rules on the catalogue. There is no hidden score and no weighting by brand. Each answer either adds a requirement or adds nothing:

• Budget ($200, $500, $1,000 or $2,000 or less): the machine’s current price must be at or below the ceiling. A machine with no current price drops out whenever a budget is set, because we cannot show that it fits.
• Drinks: “Espresso / Americano” adds no requirement. “Lattes, I’ll steam” requires a milk system of some kind (a steam wand or anything else the maker lists). “Lattes, automatic milk” requires a milk system the maker describes as automatic, such as an auto-frothing wand or a carafe.
• Effort: “Push-button” requires a super-automatic machine. “Portafilter (I’ll learn)” excludes super-automatics, so only machines with a portafilter workflow remain.
• Grinder: “Built in” requires a built-in grinder; “I have / will buy one” excludes machines that have one.
• Counter width (8, 10, 12 or 15 inches): the published width must be at or under your figure. A machine whose maker publishes no width does not match.
• Fast heat-up: the maker’s own claimed warm-up time must be one minute or less. No published time, no match.
• PID: the maker must state PID temperature control.
• 58 mm portafilter: the published portafilter size must be exactly 58 mm.

A machine matches only if it meets every requirement. An unpublished spec counts as not meeting it. Matches are sorted by price, lowest first, with unpriced machines last, and the finder shows the 12 lowest-priced; the compare tab shows the rest. Each match lists why it fits, quoting the price with its source and date, and the maker’s figures behind each answer.

Near misses are shown separately and never mixed into the matches. A near miss fails exactly one requirement, and that one is named (for example “Missing: PID”). Up to four are shown, lowest price first. A machine whose only failing is “no current price” is not offered as a near miss.

Step 3: the compare tool

The compare tab shows the whole catalogue as a spec table you can filter by type, heating class, brand, maximum price, built-in grinder and PID, sorted by price. Pick up to four for a side-by-side view; the share link lists their catalogue IDs and nothing else. It displays the same stored figures as the finder and makes no judgment between them.

Step 4: the cost calculator is arithmetic

The home-versus-café calculator uses only the numbers you type in; the starting values are an example. Cost per home drink is the bag price divided by the bag weight, times your dose, plus your milk cost per drink. The saving per drink is the café price minus that. Weekly saving is the saving per drink times drinks per week. Payback time is the setup cost (machine plus grinder) plus extras, divided by the weekly saving; if the saving is zero or negative, it never pays back. The one- and two-year figures are 52 and 104 weeks of saving minus the setup and extras.

It does not count electricity, water filters, descaler, repairs or replacement parts, the drinks you would have skipped anyway, the value of your time, price changes over time, or what the machine could be resold for. The page says so next to the result.

Step 5: the grinder matcher

A grinder is listed as an espresso grinder only when its maker positions it for espresso, for example by describing an espresso grind range. Grinders sold for drip, pour-over or French press, and those whose maker does not say either way, are shown separately under “sold for brewed coffee, not espresso.” A budget ceiling works as in the finder: a grinder with no current price drops out. If you choose a machine with a built-in grinder, the matcher says you do not need a separate one to start. It also shows the baskets the machine’s maker lists, because pressurized (dual-wall) baskets are designed to tolerate a coarser grind while single-wall baskets need a true espresso grinder.

Prices

Where a machine is sold on Amazon, its price comes from Amazon’s official API, refreshed daily and shown with an “as of” date. Otherwise the price is the maker’s US list price, labelled with its source and read date. A price is correct only on that date; the store’s price at checkout is the one that applies.

Things we never publish

• Star ratings, review counts or “best-seller” labels, from Amazon or anywhere else.
• Testing, tasting or long-term ownership claims of our own, or first-person stories about using a machine.
• Invented quotes, from users, baristas or makers.
• A spec the maker has not published, or a figure we estimated.
• Sponsored placements, paid rankings or maker-written copy presented as ours.

Affiliate links

As an Amazon Associate, EspressoGoods earns from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra and never decides which machines we list. Amazon links carry the tag espressogoods-20. Commissions play no part in what is listed, in the finder’s rules or in sort order, and machines sold only on a maker’s site are listed with a link to that site.

AI assistance and sign-off

Articles on this site are researched with AI assistance and edited by EspressoGoods editors before publication. Specs and prices are checked against the sources listed on each page.

AI tools help organize research and draft explanatory text. EspressoGoods editors check every spec and price against its source, remove anything that cannot be traced, and sign off before a page goes live. No page is published as unedited AI output.

Updates and corrections

Every page shows the date it last changed, and that date moves only when the content changes. Each catalogue entry carries the date we read the maker’s page; if that date is old, check the maker’s page before relying on it. If we change one of the tool rules above, this page is updated and re-dated first.

If something here is wrong, write to our contact email (being set up; it will appear on this page shortly) with the page and a link to the maker’s page. The contact page lists what helps. Related reading: about EspressoGoods, privacy policy, terms of use, and the tools on the home page.