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The difference between Rotary pump and Vibration pump
An espresso machine needs a certain amount of a stable water pressure (9bars) to create a perfect espresso. To achieve this, you need a rotary pump. These kind of water pumps are also a crucial part of professional espresso machines. The rotary pump is quiet, stable, builds up the pressure slowly and is sustainable because of its long lifespan. However, rotary pumps are large in size and need some space to be installed in the espresso machine. They are also quite expensive.
Unfortunately, many espresso machines manufactures chose to install their semi-pro machines with a cheap, very noisy and unstable vibration pump. These kind of water pumps provide the desired pressure by vibration, therefore it can’t provide the stable 9 bars during the extraction time. Indeed, they are very small in size, this make them attractive for producing a compact espresso machines. If the quality of your extraction matters, always choose a rotary pump over a vibration pump.
Boiler volume
The MAKINA consists of a large, 3 liter insulated copper boiler. Combined with a PID, a 1800 W heat exchanging system and strong heating element. This guarantees the stability of the temperature, the quality of the extraction as well as the strength of the steam output power. These kind of boilers are much better than small boiler and even better than double boiler systems.
Whether you are an espresso freak, cappuccino lover ore a tea fanatic, the MAKINA will sure meet or even exceed your expectations. The MAKINA can produce up to 200 cups a day without any problem.
Single boiler, dual boiler and heat exchanger (HX)
Single boiler
Single boiler espresso machine only contain one boiler to distribute both hot water and steam to the brew group and steam pipe. The desired brew temperature of an espresso shot is 92 ° C. To produce steam, the water temperate should be higher than 100 ° C. This means you need to switch the temperature and wait for a couple of minutes before you are able to froth milk after you’ve pulled your espresso shot.
Dual boiler
Espresso machines with double boiler system contain two separate boilers, one for boiling water and one to produce steam. Both boilers have their own desired temperatures, which are perfectly tailored to the respective purpose (brewing water or steam). The downside of two boilers in household machines, is that both their sizes can’t be really large. Otherwise they would take up too much space in the machine. This causes the boilers to be a lot less stable in temperature than large boilers with a heat exchanger.
Double boilers are of common use in large, multi-group machines in the professional industry. The boilers of machines of this size have a significantly larger capacity, which means, much more control on the boiler temperature specially when the machine is occupied with a PID. But this isn’t the case for smaller machines that need to fit into any kitchen.
Heat exchanger (HX)
HX machines make it possible to use brewing water and steam simultaneously without waiting times. The steam comes out of the boiler, which has a total temperature of more than 100 ° C, making it perfect for using the steam lance. The brewing water is pumped directly from the fresh water tank through the boiler to the brewing group. By running the water through the boiler, the water reaches a temperature of over 100 ° C and is brought to the perfect temperature of approx. 90 ° C on its way to the brewing group. The two most important advantages are the high temperature stability and the low maintenance costs. Optimal for home baristas as well as for offices.
PID & Thermostat
The water temperature is very important to brewing coffee. There are two ways to control the temperature of the espresso machine:
Traditional thermostat
A thermostat heats the boiler until it reaches the desired temperature. When the temperature rises above its target, the heating element will be switched off. This process is constantly repeated. The result is inconsistent extraction quality.
PID
PID stands for Proportional-Integral-Derivative. Stability is key for espresso machines controlled by a PID. The PID evaluates and measures the three states of the boiler temperature; the current temperature, the values of the measured temperatures in the past and the temperature needed. In other words, the PID continuously examines the three states to reach the desired heat temperature value.
PID controllers are used in a wide range of industrial devices. The MAKINA S7 Pro-PID is provided with a PID system to ensure the stability and the quality of the temperature control. This allows you as a home barista to experiment different roast profiles and temperatures.