There are several different types of espresso coffee makers on the market and many will help make a perfect shot of coffee. However, there are a few that have more bells and whistles than the average consumer will need in a home espresso machine. Depending on the type of espresso coffee the person desires, some of the available features on an espresso machine will be a waste of money and will remain unused. Differences between the number of shots the machine can brew at one shot at a time as well as whether it can also heat the milk to steam into the drink are all available. The first thing to consider is that an espresso machine is designed to take a portion of finely ground coffee beans in a holder and force hot water through the grounds. Espresso is considerably stronger than regular coffee and, due to the fine grind of the beans, will require pressure to push the water through the ground beans. The water will not simply drip through like on most coffee brewers. Since everyone's tastes as well as their expectations as to how the perfect cup of espresso will taste leaves some room for mistakes, even with a home espresso machine. The quality and grind of the beans will be the main deciding factor as to whether the user achieves the perfect shot of espresso, as will the number of beans used to make each shot. Learning To Adjust Machine To Meet Individual Taste Learning to make the perfect drink, even with an espresso machine can be a matter of trial and error as the user adjusts the amount of grounds to put into the holder. Most machines will heat the water to the required temperature, especially the automatic espresso machine, and will provide the appropriate amount of pressure to force it through the grind. Many types of espresso machine will also have a separate area in which milk is heated to nearly burning for injecting into the completed brew to make latte and some will have separate chambers in which different flavors can be added. One key feature that many look for in an espresso machine is a recipe that instructs them on how to make different flavors of their favorite drink. The quality and freshness of the beans will however, affect the taste of the drink from the espresso machine the most. If the user is not going to make a large number of shots, they are better off buying beans in small quantities to insure freshness before they are ground and used in their espresso machine to make shots at home.