What is ideal espresso? This question is simple yet priceless. The answer is the espresso that you like is the ideal espresso!
Please do not get caught up in the PR and spin of the shady salesperson that is trying to convince you that just his particular machine makes the espresso that other machine can’t. Their shameful tactics are easy to spot. An example is during the salesperson’s demo, when they hand you the cup and watch you take your first sip. They tell you “Isn’t this great, isn’t this exactly what you are looking for (notice they tell you, not ask you)?”
Because of the leading questions-and the fact that some people have very little experience with espressos, they tend to agree with the salesperson, that yes that’ the ideal espresso, and yes it is worth paying more money.

But, how does the real espresso taste? Beside numerous objective factors, like what type of coffee is used, how fresh is it, how it was roasted, what is the grind, how skilled is your barista, what is the water quality used for brewing, what amount of coffee is brewed, is it the right pressure and temperature, there are some very subjective factors like the facility appearance, interior setting, design on your cups, – even who is sitting next to you can affect the taste.

I still consider the best espresso and cappuccino I ever tested (and made as my starting point) – was the one that I drank in Venice. I was shocked to learn later on that regular coffee shops in Italy actually use pretty cheap coffee beans. So it is hard to tell if it’s a magnificent setting, the best baristas in the world,or a very good batch of coffee beans that is making said espresso taste so good.. But I know what is my ideal espresso is.
So what should you do? Whenever you go on the trip to the coffee drinking country – try a local espresso and see if you like it. If you do – do not to be shy to ask all the questions you have about it, or if the language is a barrier just watch the barista. I am sure some day you will tell “That’s it – I found it! That is my ideal espresso!”

The choice between full-automatic espresso machines and semi-automatic espresso machines is not just a lifestyle preference, it also shows your character and state of mind.
Personally, I think that there are some things loose their attraction without human touch.
Brewing coffee is one of them. Yes, the machine can do everything for you – it can dose, grind, brew, even dispose of some of the waste. But, when you get your cup of espresso, are you missing something?
I was very glad to have an encounter with Howard Schultz, one of the smartest and brilliant businessmen in the world. He is the CEO of Starbucks (you can read the whole interview here: http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2008/12/16/325296/starbucks-boss-interviewed-on-american-tv.html). One of his biggest regrets of his past is turning to highly automated espresso machines. He has acknowledged that losing the theater of the manual espresso Machine was a mistake. The performance of a barista conjure with the espresso machine is something we see rarely in today’s age. It is such a joy for me watching the barista conjure with the machine, using the perfect moves, thus getting an espresso that is a little tastier. Ahh, the magic of the human hand!
I won’t lie – we considered full automatic machine at first. We felt that the idea that you do not have to do anything, just press the button and get your espresso was astounding. Luckily, we went with semi-automatic. Almost a year after getting semi-automatic machine, we have no regrets. Our machine is never tired to entertain us, especially for my husband who looks at this as a great man toy! Automatic can get boring (and is very expensive too).
The best example I can give is a car with manual transmission. It may seem scary at first and hard to operate, but any manual driver will tell you that an automatic may be more convenient, but manual is more fun to drive and is also better in the long run. I know an espresso machine is a little different then a car, but I hope I made my point.

I just talked today with one of the nicest and sweetest person I know-and is also one of my favorite customers. He bought a Lelit PL042 LET from me about 5 months ago. He heard of us through a friend that I had talked to a few days earlier prior to his purchase. It was my second local sale; therefore I was able to meet this customer in person-not just exchange emails over the computer. I haven’t seen him for a while, so naturally I ask how the machine is working. “What a toy I got!” he says delightfully, and starts to tell me how well the PL042 LET works and all the different espressos he experiments with.

He starts to talk about his old stand-alone grinder. I stop him in his sentence, wondering why on Earth he is not using the grinder on his $900 machine. After a little investigation, it turns out his grinder was set on #0 setting. This works well with Turkish coffee but not so well for espressos. When he returned home, he set his grinder to #5 and it works like a dream.

He e-mailed me his satisfaction and concluded he couldn’t wait to play around the settings some more. I could sense his happiness and, believe me, I was happy, too. There was no need for any repair- just a little more information on my product was needed. I learned an important lesson from this case: never assume the customer knows how to completely use the espresso machines. I am always here if there is any questions that needs answers. Just let me know.
Happy Grinding!

Does this sound familiar?
You spent hours researching your ideal espresso machine and spend more time reading CoffeeGeek reviews than your morning newspaper. And you tried the confusing amount of features that YOUR espresso machine has and can’t make a decision. In this economy, your money must be spent wisely; your investments last for years and you want a great espresso. Luckily, we have been there and know exactly what you are going through now.

Fortunately, we have reached our peace of mind. Let us help you. We use the Italian brand espresso machine Lelit. Why Lelit when there are much more prominent brands on the market?

The reason is because it gives you a fresh, strong, and creamy espresso every morning (and those occasional afternoons). We require the machine must be manufactured in Italy, considering espresso was invented there. We want something with history behind it – something with years, even decades of experience and authenticity.

The European Union has some of the strictest health regulations on the planet. When it comes to food and health, government regulation can be a good thing. Sometimes government involvement is not that bad after all. We wanted to make sure that there is no melamine, lead or salmonella in our coffee.

An example of the strict regulation is when we asked our Lelit suppliers why they use brass to produce their boiler instead of aluminum (which is much cheaper), we learned that it is illegal in Italy to use aluminum in the food equipment. It should be a warning sign when you read that the machine you are considering has an aluminum boiler. What else do you have to consider when it comes to choosing your machine?

Well, my next post will tell you more.

I am Lucy; the owner of this business and this is my story about how Latté Maestro was created:

Whenever my husband Eugene and I travel (this year in Portugal) we find ourselves always stopping by at the local coffee shop looking forward to new experiences, new taste and new enjoyment. Usually we order a cappuccino (my favorite) and a double (Eugene’s favorite.) When I say that we enjoy our coffee this is an understatement. I have ventured to every continent (except Antarctica, of course, and Australia, which is next on the list). Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe –our love for coffee has risen over nations, countries, religions, time zones and climate belts. We share this love with the world and enjoying our favorite drink wherever we can.

I started my web site LatteMaestro.com after buying a new espresso machine Lelit PL0 42 LET last year. Like many of you, we went through the extensive research online, tons of reviews, browsing local malls, and exhausting comparison after comparison of the different models.

While there are a dozens of espresso machines in all shapes and sizes and in every price range you can imagine (ranging from $100 to $4000), we needed an espresso machine that had news features (without confusing you), was reliable, and, most important, not breaking our wallet while making great espresso and cappuccino. We are glad we found Lelit.

I arranged to sell espresso machine manufactured in countries with the strictest health rules in the world. These countries are Italy, Spain and Portugal. I sell espresso machines that entirely manufactured and assembled in these three countries with all components from the same manufacture as well. With all the health scares out there today, we proudly display our business credo: “Quality of Espresso Means Safety and Peace of Mind”.

New England Coffee Company, a full service center in Medford MA, is our affiliate that works with us on warranty service and repair.

Again, welcome to LATTEMAESTRO. We hope you will visit our blog often and share your testing, brewing and grinding experiences. Who knows, you may even buy an espresso machine.