Commercial espresso machine brands are something different than your small home coffee brewer.
These companies produce top-class espresso makers for the growing needs of the coffee market.
Countless espresso machine makers exist, and it can be hard to choose the best one.I will present you the five best commercial espresso machine brands, along with their catalog of models.
But first, how to choose the right one?
By Jozo Salmanić – Croatian barista with 15 years of experience.
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How To Choose Between Commercial Espresso Machine Brands?
If there is only one good-for-all machine (or a brand), our article would be a two-liner.
However, every coffee shop has unique needs, as Lightspeed points out.
Here are some of the things you need to consider when choosing the best coffee maker for your business:
Space – The Final Frontier
Smaller coffee shops or pop-up shops mean your counter space is limited.
Hence, you will need a single-head machine that can fit.
Forget about four-head behemoths.
Those machines are suited for larger premises with lots of extra space.
Budget – Can You Afford The Best Commercial Espresso Machine Brands?
If your budget is tight, sometimes it is better to choose a more economical solution.
However, start saving for a high-end espresso machine, as you will need it in the future.
Water Supply
Do you need a machine with an in-built reservoir, or do you plan to connect to the water main?
Some espresso makers even give you both choices, which, of course, costs extra.
Machine Options
Pick a machine for the workload you have, not the one you want.
Sometimes simplicity is better, especially if you start your coffee business from scratch.
When you have a steady flow of caffeine addicts, you can always get a better machine.
User-friendliness
Having extra features on your espresso maker can be interesting.
However, if the machine is hard to operate, you will lose money.
Before buying a commercial espresso machine, you should always consult your baristas and hear their opinion.
5 Best and Most Useful Commercial Espresso Machine Brands
Here is a short list of the five best commercial espresso machine brands.
Every single one of these brands excels in design, durability, and high-end solutions.
Whichever you pick, you can’t go wrong.
From small shops to large establishments, these brands offer solutions for everything.
La Marzocco – The Italian Beauty
La Marzocco espresso machines are the Rolls Royce of the coffee world.
These machines are famous for their sleek design and notorious for their high prices.
Are these prices justified? In my opinion, very much so.
These coffee makers are built to last, and only the initial investment is high.
With proper maintenance, the La Marzocco machine lasts for decades.
La Marzocco company started in Italy in 1927., and has a rich history of innovation.
The horizontal boiler – now an industrial standard – was their patent in 1939.
La Marzocco company always meets the needs of the times, and they keep applying for new patents.
La Marzocco has operated in the States since 1979.
The company offers six standard bar machines, one under-counter machine, and two home/small shop machines for the US market. The commercial machines are:
- KB90
- Leva
- Strada
- Linea PB
- GB5 S
- Linea Classic S
All these machines come with different configurations and group numbers to fulfill every need of your coffee shop.
For something unique, the Modbar AV model is the under-the-counter solution.
For your home, GS3 and Linea Mini are the best choices.
La Marzocco espresso machines have a reputation.
I have seen a decent amount of coffee shops advertise themselves with the sign – “We have a La Marzocco coffee machine.”
However, these espresso makers are not cheap. No top-quality product is.
Slayer – Seattle Product, Born and Raised
Slayer is a commercial espresso machine brand from the USA.
It’s one of the youngest brands in the market – they started making espresso machines in 2007.
But that doesn’t mean they are inexperienced. On the contrary, this Seattle company already has a name.
The Slayer espresso machines take pride in flavor profiling by flow rate control.
Patented needle valves allow ultra-slow pre-infusion.
Pair it up with independent brew tanks and unlimited steam capacity, and you have one of the best brands for specialty beans.
Their offer consists of four different models:
- Steam EP – best for specialty coffee
- Steam LP – advanced brewing techniques
- Espresso V3 – their flagship product, a manual espresso maker
- Single group – smaller version for home or office
If La Marzocco is a Rolls Royce of the coffee world, Slayer machines are Cadillacs.
The beautifully elegant design also comes with a hefty price tag.
You don’t buy these machines if your baristas are not top-class.
Slayer espresso machines require some skill.
Rancilio – User-friendly and With a Plethora of Models
Rancilio is an Italian brand founded in 1927. They manufacture and sell commercial coffee machines in more than 115 countries.
Their catalog includes:
- traditional espresso machines
- fully automatic espresso machines
- home line of products
- coffee grinders.
Rancilio has 21 models of commercial espresso machines, divided into six classes.
All Rancilio models have a modern design and various technological innovations that modernize coffee making.
Their pride and joy is called Rancilio Specialty RS1, an accessible and feature-packed espresso machine.
Advanced temperature profiling, automatic dosing, pre-infusion, and post-infusion are just some of the options this beauty offers.
Rancilio machines are fast, reliable, and perfect for crowded coffee shops.
They are also cheaper than the competition and user-friendly, even for inexperienced baristas. However, lower end models lack some functions most coffee shops need.
Nuova Simonelli – Top Quality For Your Money
Nuova Simonelli is an Italian brand with more than a rich history.
The company was founded in 1936 in Italy. Now it operates worldwide (125 countries!) and its US headquarters are in Ferndale, Washington.
The company produces professional and superautomatic coffee machines, home coffee machines, and coffee grinders.
As for the commercial espresso machines, it has two main lines, Aurelia Wawe and Appia Life.
Aurelia Wave comes in three versions – UX, Vol, and Semi. All the models are high-tech, yet easy to use. Brew groups are independent, and menu options for different drinks execution are beyond rich.
Aurelia Wave comes with two or three group heads.
Appia Life is an advanced, cost-effective, and efficient line of products. You can choose between Appia Life (one, two, or three groups) and Appia Life XT (two or three groups).
Both models take pride in high performance and quality while consuming less energy.
Nuova Simonelli commercial espresso makers are designed for crowded cafes, as they are highly effective due to their automation features.
Smaller models are a good fit for slower coffee shops. These machines vary in price, depending on the model size and purpose.
Victoria Arduino – A Masterpiece of Design
Victoria Arduino is also an Italian company founded in 1905. The company produces real masterpieces of design and technology, and it’s known for top-tier commercial espresso makers.
In 2001, Victoria Arduino became a part of the Nuova Simonelli Group.
The company offers seven different models:
- E1 Prima – fully digital one-head espresso machine
- Black Eagle Maverick – their most intelligent and user-friendly model
- Eagle One – designed for specialty coffee
- White Eagle – futuristic and eco-friendly espresso machine
- White Eagle Leva – machine with traditional lever extraction
- Adonis – best suited for coffee chains and crowded shops
Besides commercial espresso machines, Victoria Arduino makes coffee grinders. They also make two traditional espresso machine models:
- Venus Bar – vertical coffee machine
- Athena Leva – Traditional lever machine
The Black Eagle model was the official coffee machine for the World Barista Championship 2015-2020.
Their grinders, Mythos One and Mythos Two were the official grinders for the 2018 – 2020 UK Barista Championship.
All Victoria Arduino models will amaze you with the traditional and timeless design intertwined with modern tech solutions.
But beauty always comes with a price. In this case, the price is high, and you usually won’t see these machines in small coffee shops.
To wrap this up
These five brands excel in the market through the power of quality, design, and innovation.
However, many good brands exist there, like Jura, La Cimbali, San Remo, La Spaziale, and many others.
Always research your options.
When choosing your next commercial espresso machine, choose one that will best suit your type of business, your baristas, and most of all, your customers.
Photos by Studio South Korea and Diana Smykova
