Save $800 A Year On Coffee: Why An Espresso Machine Is A Great Investment
Yep, you read that right. The difference in making gourmet coffee at home with an espresso machine and buying these same drinks at Starbucks can EASILY be $800.
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I make iced caramel machiattos, pumpkin spice lattes, and so much more AT HOME with my Breville Duo Temp Pro espresso machine.
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What Kind Of Gourmet Coffee Can I Make If I Have An Espresso Machine?
The short answer: any and all!
The thing that got me looking into making my own espresso was a particularly slow morning at a coffee shop. Without the hustle and bustle I payed attention as my drink was made.
As I watched I thought “That looks so… simple?!”.
I couldn’t believe just 3 ingredients made up my $5 cup.
I began paying more attention at coffee shops.
I realized every one of the lattes I ordered was some combination of a shot of espresso, some kind of milk, and if desired, syrup to give a “pumpkin spice” or “creme brulee” (etc.) flavor.
Related: Protein Latte Recipe: 3 Ingredients, ANY Flavor!
See below what makes up your favorite drinks!
The Espresso Machine: A Great Investment For Coffee Lovers
That morning in the coffee shop was a “Hey, I can make that” moment. So began my quest for the machine to make it all happen.
Once I got into looking for an espresso machine, I won’t lie I was intimidated by some of the prices.
Sure, there were some around $100, but one of the big boy Breville machines is around $700!
While I detail below why these machines are so worth whatever you pay, some were more than we wanted to spend.
I knew there had to be a sweet spot, and for us it was the Breville Duo Temp Pro.
Comparing The Costs: Espresso At Home VS The Coffee Shop
We payed under $400 for our Breville Duo Temp Pro in an Amazon feature sale.
Of course I’d recommend checking for sales, but in my opinion it’s worth every penny! But If you’re having trouble deciding to invest hundreds of dollars in a small appliance like this, I was there too.
Want to spend less? You totally can. Want to spend more? Plenty of high end options too!
Skip To List Of Espresso Machines
Let’s look at the numbers. First, let’s do a comparison of what it would cost to make a caramel latte at home, and what it would cost to buy at Starbucks or a coffee shop.
Homemade Caramel latte: $0.80
Coffee Shop Caramel Latte: $3.75
Now let’s say you did that every morning before work, 5 days a week. Homemade, it adds up to $4.00 for the WHOLE week. If you get those from a coffee shop, you’re looking at $18.75 per week.
Thinking “Eh, $20? Who cares?”, the comparison over one year is a little more drastic.
Making a homemade latte 5 times a week for one year adds up to $208. Ordering a small latte at a coffee shop 5 days a week for one year adds up to $975! Almost $1000.
That’s enough for a full extra mortgage payment per year for some Americans!!
If you’re thinking “Well, I don’t get Starbucks 5 days a week because it’s too expensive“, that was me too.
Then I realized I COULD have a latte (or cappuccino, machiatto, americano, the list goes on) SEVEN days a week at home for around the price of getting a 16 oz coffee ONCE a week at Starbucks!
What Features Should I Look For In An Espresso Machine?
Your budget is up to you, but I’ll briefly detail some of the features that compound into price.
Decide what’s important to you, and what isn’t!
Frothing/Steaming Wand
This wand froths your milk, making foam. After a few seconds of making foam at the surface, you bury the wand in the milk to texturize and steam it.
Once the milk pitcher gets hot to the touch, it’s done. These wands are what make latte art possible!
You can buy these separate, but our Breville Duo Temp Pro has one built in, which makes it so handy for making drinks and cleanup.
Milk Pitcher
As mentioned above, I recommend one of these for use while frothing and steaming your milk.
It’s something small in the grand scheme (and price) of these machines, but it’s important to know if the machine you’re buying comes with one. They’re around $10 on Amazon if not!
Our machine came with a frothing pitcher.
Bars of Pressure
Another feature of espresso machines is “bars”.
For example, our Breville espresso machine has 15 bars of pressure. Extracting an espresso shot from the grounds requires pressure.
While it’s argued what the optimal pressure is, this is a factor in price!
Coffee Grinder
This feature is pretty self explanatory.
If a machine has a built in grinder like the Breville Barista Express line, you can have fresh espresso grounds pour out of your machine right next to where you’ll be making your shot.
While that sounds amazing, it wasn’t a priority for us since we planned to use grounds from a can.
Coffee grinders are available to buy separate in a myriad of price ranges if you later decide you want to grind fresh espresso!
If the Breville Duo Temp Pro is over or under your budget, below are different espresso machines in several price ranges. Keep in mind the features above and always read reviews!
A List of Espresso Machines From $50 to $1000!
More Coffee, Less Money
Its as simple as that. No matter what you choose to spend, making gourmet coffee at home is cheaper than getting it from a drive through, and completely customizable.
I use protein powder instead of coffee syrup to flavor my iced lattes! Skip the traffic, the plastic, and the bill.
Invest in an espresso machine!
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31
Did you get an espresso machine? I’d love to see how you like it! Snap a photo and share to Instagram; make sure to tag us at @recipesdunnright!