Buying a Coffee machine? It’s confusing! There are so many models to choose from, so many brands, and all at different prices! How do you know which one will suit YOUR needs best?

 The following information will guide you towards deciding what type of coffee machine best suits your lifestyle.

 1.       What coffees are you going to make? For what purpose? How many coffees are you going to make per day?

For yourself…If you are buying a machine to make a few cups of good espresso every day, then you probably don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on a commercial grade machine. A good basic machine for around $600 will suit your needs.

 To entertain… on the other hand, if you are looking for a machine which will give you café quality coffee to use for dinner parties, you should consider a commercial grade machine. This will give you quality, speed, consistency and long term durability.           

2.   What is your budget?

If your budget is under $100, get a stove top or buy instant coffee.  

If your budget is under $600, you can buy a basic coffee machine that produces reasonable coffees. If you are not too fussed about cafe quality coffees, they are fine. The are likely made out of plastic materials and will last a few years before you will need to repair or replace.

If your budget is between $600-1000, you can purchase a good machine that produces good coffees if selected carefully.  I recommend you take a look at the Gaggia Classic at $639 and Gaggia Baby twin for $839. They are both good choices for yourself and for up to 8-10 guests.

Over $1500, you can purchase a quality commercial grade machine which will enable you to produce café-grade coffees, and it will last lifetime.Test drive the Expobar ranges that deliver coffees look and taste great for 2 to 20+ people. Starting from $1750 including a FREE Home Barista course and DVD valued at $185, it represents extremely good value.

For the ultimate showpiece and performance for your kitchen, you can’t go pass the Barista Minore 2 and ECM Giotto. You can now test drive both in our coffee training room.

 3.         Try before you buy?

If you buy a new car, a dress or a pair of shoes, you’ll want to try before you buy. The same applies with a coffee machine. You need to go for a test drive, be certain you are happy with it and be confident that it is able to produce quality coffees.

Home Barista Institute is the only place where you can "Try before you buy" for your coffee machine. Test drive the coffee machines in our training room and make your informed decisions from there. You will also receive practical advice from our coffee course instructors rather than from a sales person, who is just looking for a $ sale.

 4.         How difficult are the instructions to follow? How would you receive support in operating the machine?

Some instruction manuals are so complicated to read that it takes an engineer to work it out. And what if you still have questions after reading the manual, where would you go for answers? Is there a phone support line available?

 Any coffee machine package you buy from Home Barista Institute comes with a complimentary coffee course valued at $150 and a Home Barista DVD valued at $35. You receive hands on instructions on how to operate the machine, how to achieve the best results and how to look after your machine. If you still have questions after you take the machine home, you can receive ongoing telephone support.

 As a customer of HBI, you receive the added benefits of being automatically included in our Home Barista Club. As a club member, you will receive our regular newsletter full of useful practical tips, and be invited to our close-door private functions. At these exclusive events you will see demonstrations of latest machines and technology releases, hear talks from guest speakers who are leading the industry, and to network with other coffee lovers.

 5.              Any Warranty? What about after sales service and support?         

If your machine breaks down within the warranty period, what is the process to have it repaired? All machines purchased at HBI come with a 12-month warranty. In the event of malfunction within the warranty period, we’ll organise for the machine to be repaired or replaced.

6.                   What about coffee accessories and coffee beans?

Once you buy a machine, you will need milk jugs, a thermometer to measure correct milk temperature, a knock box, machine cleaners, and of course, coffee beans! Are you able to buy them as a kit or you will have to go to several different shops to buy them? And what coffee beans would suit your taste the best?

Home Barista Institute is a one-stop shop for all your coffee needs. We stock machines, grinders, all coffee accessories, coffee beans, coffee classes and much more. You can also come in to our café to try our different blends of coffee and decide which blend suits your taste the best. You can purchase coffee beans in 500g or 1kg bags, and also buy all your coffee machine accessories such as milk jugs, chocolate shakers, knock boxes, tampers, thermometers, machine cleaning kits, stop watches, coffee storage canisters and coffee books, etc.

 7.                   Don’t forget the grinder!

One thing to remember when choosing a great espresso machine is that it is equally important to choose a good grinder. Coffee is a perishable food product and the Purists say ground coffee will lose its flavour within an hour. All good cafes use dose grinders to serve an optimum freshly ground coffee according to their customer base. At home, you don’t have a continual flow of customers so grinding fresh coffee to order is probably more important.