In our home we have coffee on the daily… and often all day long. Our typical choice of brewing is pour over (or drip for ease), but sometimes nothing hits the spot like a hot or iced Americano – a rich drink that I prefer with nearly a 1:1 ratio of espresso and hot water. The problem for most of us is getting espresso at home. When a decent espresso machine can cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, it often feels like a luxury that is out of reach for the majority of us. So, instead we do with drip until we are out-and-about to hit up our favorite local shop. Yet, this also becomes costly over the years and is not always convenient. Fortunately, there are some good, affordable options.
Years before we started Cultivate Coffee…
Chris and I experienced a really unique time in our lives. We were both working for non-profits, while working on a startup on the side. We loved our work and were enjoying our newly married life when everything in our world changed within a few months time.
To our delight I got pregnant! To our surprise it was with twins. Around this same time, I lost my job due to lack of renewed grant funding. I was also hospitalized for 6 weeks because of the concern for premature labor. Our boys were born 10 weeks early and also spent another 6 weeks in the NICU as they finished growing and developing outside the womb. Between the loss of a job, the crazy housing market, and stacking hospital bills we found ourselves facing foreclosure.
Community building
Our Twin boys at about 8 months old.
Fortunately for us, we found an amazing opportunity to serve as the Cares team at an apartment community. Our role was to host events, welcome new residents, cultivate friendships within the community, and overall serve the residents and staff. We did all this for an extreme discount on rent, which was what we needed as we paid off medical debt and lived on a limited income. We found ourselves bringing treats to the staff and neighbors on a regular basis, as well as having friends in our home daily. Since we couldn’t afford to meet people at the coffee shop or pick up a simple latte to treat our manager, we needed to find a homemade and cost efficient way to bring caffeinated treats to our friends.
The hunt for an at-home espresso machine
We were shocked to see the average cost, but found there was a handful of cheap options. First, we tried the Mr Coffee home espresso machine simply because it was the cheapest on the market for about $50. What we found was the espresso never tasted quite right and was watery. So we decided to research some more to see if we could find quality without going into debt for our machine.
Different systems
As we researched, we learned that there were two different systems being used for countertop espresso machines. The Mr Coffee machine used a steam based system. Similar to the Moka Pot system, these machines bring water to a boil in a sealed tank. The steam creates the pressure to send the water through grounds in the portafilter. The problem is that these systems fail to produce the full 9 bars of pressure needed for a proper pour of espresso. In fact, they can barely do 2 bars of pressure. No wonder our coffee never tasted right!
The other system is a pump based system that is able to produce a minimum of 9 bars and also better controls the temperature. Most cheap pump based espresso machines start at around $200 and easily go up into the thousands. However, we found that De’Longhi makes a model for just about $100.
A great, affordable, at-home machine!
We love our De’longhi! It makes a nice, rich espresso with a beautiful crema on top. 
Even now that we own two different commercial quality machines, we still enjoy using this one at home, especially because it is a great size for small spaces. Our first one lasted about three years before it pooped out. We had another gifted to us and try to do a better job cleaning and descaling. It’s now been another 3 years and counting on this machine. We highly recommend this for home baristas. The steam wand can be a little finicky and needs careful attention when using it, but if you want a great cup of Americano at home, look no further.
One shot of espresso from our De’Longi machine
To learn more about different types of espresso systems, visit Kitchen Kaper’s blog. They explain these systems in more details, plus how the Moka Pot works, and other attempts at home espresso making.
Speaking of espresso, we are on the verge of releasing our espresso roast soon so be sure to visit the website!