What's the Difference Between Manual Press and Semi-Automatic Espresso Machines? Is the Xingli San Manual Press Espresso Machine Good?

Introduction: The Rise of Manual Espresso Machines

As is well known, manual espresso machines have become remarkably popular in recent years. While they cannot match the comprehensive functionality of semi-automatic espresso machines, they are capable of extracting similarly high-concentration coffee! Moreover, with their affordable prices and the convenience of not requiring electricity, manual espresso machines have successfully carved out a niche in the coffee world.

So many friends have become curious: manual and semi-automatic espresso machines differ in price by at least 10-20 times. With such a significant price gap, can the coffee extracted by these machines really not have substantial differences?

FrontStreet Coffee's Comparison Test

So today FrontStreet Coffee will conduct a comparison! Let's see how much difference there really is in the espresso extracted by these two machines that differ in price by 20 times! (FrontStreet Coffee needs to emphasize here first: this is entirely unsponsored and not an advertisement!) For the manual espresso machine, FrontStreet Coffee is using an old vintage purchased in '22, the Starling Three! As friends who frequently visit our shop remind us, FrontStreet Coffee's model has already been discontinued;

While for the semi-automatic espresso machine, FrontStreet Coffee uses the Lelit V3, which is what our shop uses for all espresso production.

Testing Methodology

The comparison content is quite simple: FrontStreet Coffee will extract 3 coffees each using the Starling Three and Lelit V3, then measure their concentration and extraction rates respectively, taking the average values for comparison. Finally, we'll taste them to examine the flavor differences. The coffee beans used today remain the same as those used in our shop: Warm Sun Blend. The extraction parameters are as follows: 19.5g coffee dose, ground at 1.0 setting on the Galileo Q18, with a target liquid weight of 38ml.

Results: Concentration and Extraction Rate

We'll skip directly to the extraction process! After FrontStreet Coffee extracted the coffee, we immediately conducted tasting and then measured concentration and extraction rates respectively, taking their average values. Let's first look at the concentration and extraction rates: the average concentration of coffee from the Starling Three was 10.04%, with an average extraction rate of 20.27%; while the Lelit V3 had an average concentration of 10.60% and an average extraction rate of 21.41%.

Taste Comparison and Analysis

In terms of concentration and extraction rate, they are quite close. The same is true for taste! Through tasting, FrontStreet Coffee found that there are only slight differences in flavor and mouthfeel between the two. The coffee extracted by the Starling Three feels slightly thinner in texture, but otherwise everything is quite good. The flavors are all well presented: whiskey, butter cookies, and berries. The taste is also quite balanced, neither overly acidic nor burnt bitter! Additionally, it can extract relatively rich crema, which sufficiently demonstrates that manual pressing can provide adequate pressure! Can you guess which crema in the following picture was extracted by the manual espresso machine and which by the semi-automatic one?

Answer revealed: the right side was extracted by the semi-automatic espresso machine, the left side by the manual espresso machine—did you guess correctly?

Conclusion: Value and Considerations

In summary, we can learn that setting aside other functions, the coffee extracted by manual espresso machines can indeed compete with semi-automatic machines in both taste and mouthfeel. However, given the significant price difference, manual machines cannot be as versatile as semi-automatic ones, and their stability is also somewhat lower. But if your output volume isn't high and you don't have extremely particular requirements for coffee, then a manual espresso machine would be an excellent budget-friendly alternative! (Note: FrontStreet Coffee here refers to the affordable hundred-yuan manual machines that aren't too expensive! And again: this is not an advertisement!)

Common Challenges with Manual Espresso Machines

Many friends reading this have probably accumulated quite a few questions! Because if you've searched online for related reviews, you might have found that many bloggers have had disappointing experiences when using these types of manual espresso machines (budget machines under a thousand yuan). Either the extracted coffee concentration wasn't sufficient, or there was no crema! Even when there was crema, it was mostly just coarse bubbles squeezed out. The main reason for such disappointing experiences lies in not using the right parameters! Pressure, water temperature, grind size, water amount, and coffee dose are all important parameters that shape a cup of high-concentration, rich-crema coffee. If not used correctly, the resulting coffee will be as thin and bland as water, with crema that looks artificial and rough.

FrontStreet Coffee's Tips for Manual Espresso Success

Don't worry, FrontStreet Coffee will share some details to pay attention to when using manual espresso machines! First, we need to understand that manual pressing differs from coffee machines—its pressure and extraction method are quite different from those of coffee machines! Without converting to a pneumatic manual press, the pressure used during extraction isn't as stable. So if you don't plan to modify your manual press, then other parameters need to be slightly more extreme! FrontStreet Coffee chose a relatively extreme water temperature of 95°C, which increases the efficiency of hot water dissolving substances! Then, because manual pressing requires us to add water manually, we need to prepare an additional water heating tool to heat the water before adding it. However, it's worth noting that when first using a manual espresso machine, we should first preheat the water chamber with hot water, then pour in the water for extraction. The purpose of this is to reduce the temperature absorption of the water chamber from the hot water, allowing the water temperature during extraction to be more stable.

Grind Size and Distribution

As for grind size, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using the same fineness as with coffee machines! Because pressure formation requires resistance, when the resistance provided by the coffee puck is higher, we can apply more pressure during extraction. Therefore, when extracting with manual espresso machines, we should make the grind as fine as possible. Then, similar to extraction with coffee machines, to avoid channeling, we should distribute and tamp the coffee grounds as evenly as possible after filling.

Pressure Settings

Manual espresso machines generally have an adjustable pressure valve, such as the Starling Three which is controlled by a dial at the bottom. For regular use, FrontStreet Coffee generally recommends turning the dial to the lowest setting to maximize pressure.

Water Amount and Ratios

Finally, there's the water amount—the quantity of water determines the coffee's concentration. If we want to extract a cup of high-concentration coffee, then FrontStreet Coffee recommends strictly controlling the amount of water used or the extracted liquid weight. We use a coffee-to-liquid ratio of 1:2 when extracting a shot of espresso. If you want the coffee extracted by a manual espresso machine to have a similar concentration to espresso, we can use the same ratio, which converts to a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:3.5~4.

That concludes our content. If you're interested, you can research different brands of manual espresso machines on your own—FrontStreet Coffee won't go into further detail here~

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473