Espresso Machine Lingo

The language of the espresso machine is easy to learn. With a few basic terms and you can show the retailer that you know how many beans make five, and come away with the espresso machine that’s best suited to you.

Bar
A measure of the pressure the pump in the espresso machine can create. You need 8 to 10 bar to make espresso.

Boiler
One method of heating the water before it is pumped through the coffee. Another method is a thermoblock.

Bypass doser
Some automatic machines let you use two different types of coffee, e.g. arabica and decaf. The second coffee will generally have to be pre-ground.

Crema
The creamy brown foam on top of the cup of coffee.

Descaling
A process to remove mineral deposits from the inside of your machine. This needs to be done regularly, especially if your water is hard.

Filter
The filter fits into the portafilter. It holds the ground coffee and has holes in the bottom to let the liquid coffee — but not coffee grinds — through. Espresso machines usually have two filters, one for a single cup and one for a double cup.

Group head
Where the portafilter joins the espresso machine.

Portafilter (or group handle)
Holds the filter and attaches to the group head.

Puck
The used coffee left in the filter. If the coffee is tamped properly, the puck should be dry and easy to knock out.

Tamping
Pressing the ground coffee into the filter. If the coffee is not tamped enough, the cup of coffee will be watery with a poor crema. But if it is tamped too tight, the water will take too long to pump through and the coffee will be bitter.

Thermoblock
An alternative to a boiler. The water or milk is passed through a metal block to reach the required temperature.

Water reservoir
The tank where water is held before heating.

You can read more about espresso machines at http://espressomachinecenter.com

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