Our top picks are from Baratza and Mazzer. Espresso is all about control. When you start an espresso machine, around 600 pounds of pressurized water streams against the coffee in the filter basket.

We'll even show you how to pull a shot, step-by-step. Building a home espresso bar can be intimidating—aside from figuring out which machine and grinder to buy, there’s a bevy of other espresso tools ...