Stainless steel coffee machines are a sought-after group for many users in search of their ideal coffee machine. Not all models (not even all brands or manufacturers) offer this durable material in the body of their coffee maker, and sometimes it’s easy to get a little lost or think they’re more inaccessible than they are. It’s only necessary to know a little about the coffee machine market or read the excellent analysis we make at Coffeemaker.top.
Stainless steel is mainly present in the construction of espresso machines (both manual and automatic), but not so much in coffee pod machines.
The reason for this is usually economic, since capsule coffee machines are aimed at a wider public, perhaps less select (without intending to sound pejorative) and focus their efforts on the technology of preparing coffee in capsules and not so much on the characteristics of the machine itself.
Almost all capsule coffee makers are dominated by ABS or hardened plastic, and most of them have some chrome or metal finish, but not enough to be considered stainless steel coffee makers.
That’s why all the stainless steel coffee makers you’ll find in this article are Italian espresso machines.
Is an aluminium or steel coffee machine better?
As a general rule, a stainless steel coffee maker will always be better. However, aluminium ones are cheaper and, in many cases, can give you the same use (especially if you don’t have an induction cooker at home).
Stainless steel coffee makers have some advantages and some disadvantages compared to conventional coffee makers made of ABS or hardened plastic. And this article will tell you about them to try and clear up any doubts you may have about buying them.
Brands specialising in stainless steel coffee machines
There are some manufacturers of coffee machines that work in a specialised way, and almost exclusively, only stainless steel coffee machines, to the point of making this material their real sign of identity.
In this list, we attach some of the most outstanding and well known in Europe. If you are going to buy a stainless steel coffee maker, you can start looking here:
Advantages of stainless steel coffee machines
First of all, stainless steel coffee machines have a much more elegant and emphatic appearance than conventional coffee machines. They give the impression, so to speak, of higher class and distinction.
Besides, the durability of this material ensures that the coffee maker does not suffer external damage (knocks and bumps are common in kitchens) and that its internal parts are well protected. The quality of the materials of any product will always result in a higher quality of the whole.
It is very complicated to think that a stainless steel coffee maker can be damaged or have some component broken by transport or by some sudden movement in the shops or warehouses where they are kept.
We must also take into account that the quality of a material such as stainless steel is intrinsically linked to the quality of the rest of the coffee machine. Thus, it is common to find stainless steel coffee machines that are also accompanied by cast aluminium parts, or for example, that have the water boiler also built in steel.
Manufacturers do not usually make an effort to design a coffee machine with a stainless steel body and then make the rest of the components in any way.
Disadvantages of stainless steel coffee machines
However, despite being a superior material, not everything will be an advantage when buying a stainless steel coffee maker. There are details in which a conventional plastic coffee maker can be more practical. For example, its weight.
A stainless steel coffee maker will always be considerably heavier than a normal one, and this can be a problem when handling the coffee maker.
Not only when moving it, because at the end of the day a coffee maker is not usually moved from one side to another of our house or taken with us on a trip, but for example when turning it over to remove some component or practice some cleaning operation.
When buying a stainless steel coffee maker, you should also take into account that its price will typically be higher than a conventional material coffee maker that may have the same features or functionalities. The exceptional quality of the stainless steel housing is something you have to pay for.
To a lesser extent, cleaning is also a process that can be affected by the material in the coffee machine. Some users find stainless steel uncomfortable because the highly polished finish makes the fingerprints resulting from handling the brewer very visible. You have to be always on the lookout for cloth if you don’t want to have your brewer permanently decorated with fingers and fingerprints.
On the other hand, although they indeed need more frequent external cleaning, stainless steel coffee makers are usually more grateful to this process because just wiping them with a slightly damp cloth is enough to give them a shiny, glossy appearance, just like when they left the factory.
Coffee machines built with plastic materials inevitably lose their shine and aesthetic purity over the years.
How to preserve stainless steel
Stainless steel is a material with peculiar characteristics and therefore needs specific maintenance guidelines to make it look as bright as the first day. Here we attach an instructive video so that you can learn it in detail:
The best stainless steel coffee makers
Which is the best stainless steel coffee maker? To help you answer this question, we offer you a compilation of what we believe are the most outstanding stainless steel coffee makers on the market today. We’ve analysed them all here at Coffeemaker.top:
- Bialetti Venus Caffettiera in Acciaio Inox, Adatta all’Induzione, Inossidabile, Argento
- La Cafetiere ES000001 Classic Espresso Coffee Maker Percolator
If we were to single out one, in a combination of all the criteria, in our opinion, the best stainless steel coffee maker on the market is Delonghi EC-860. It’s a fantastic home espresso machine, but despite its appearance and premium features, it still retains a reasonable price when compared to other superior models.
To mention a few features not found on the other stainless steel coffee machines reviewed in this article, the Delonghi Ec-860 has a compartment for storing fresh milk and making frothed milk drinks on the go (you can make a cappuccino at the touch of a button!) and includes water filters to ensure you get the best flavour every time with every coffee.
And of course, with all the advantages and guarantees of being built-in stainless steel. A complete coffee machine that competes very closely with the segment of super-automatic coffee machines.
We have left behind some very high-end mega-automatic coffee machines, such as the fantastic Rancilio Silvia, the Sage coffee machines or the Delonghi Primadonna, to name but a few, which are also made of stainless steel but which we consider being at a much higher price level and perhaps beyond the needs of a domestic user. In any case, it is worth mentioning them.
We can also highlight the Rommelsbacher EKS 3000, although we have chosen to include the EKS 1500 in the above list because we consider it to be a much more attractive value for money.
Stainless steel Italian coffee machines
In the segment of Italian coffee machines, stainless steel is of paramount importance because parts made of this material can be used in induction cookers. Therefore, if you are looking for an induction coffee machine, you will need a stainless steel coffee machine. It’s that clear.
Here you can see a lot of references and models of this type.
Aluminium or stainless steel coffee maker? If you are going to use it in an induction cooker, choose the steel ones obligatorily. If not, you should already evaluate if the difference in price compensates for the evident advantages, in durability and aesthetics, that the stainless steel coffee makers have over the aluminium ones.
In this sector, almost all the brands offer in their catalogue Italian stainless steel coffee makers and some other more economical models of aluminium. So you will have no problem choosing the one that suits you best, regardless of the manufacturer.
