Crema Count compares home espresso machines and grinders from the figures their makers and U.S. stores publish, then does the arithmetic. This page sets out exactly what we read, when, how models are sorted and picked, what is missing, and what we never do.
What we read, and when
- 11 stores and brand shops, 118 models in stock (92 espresso machines, 26 grinders), read by script on November 7, 2026, from each store's public Shopify catalog (
products.json) and each brand's product pages: Whole Latte Love (90), Seattle Coffee Gear (67), Majesty Coffee (30), Clive Coffee (30), Espresso Outlet (21), De'Longhi (16), Gaggia North America (14), Chris' Coffee (13), Breville (10), Flair Espresso (4), Fellow (1). - Specifications from the specification tables of Whole Latte Love and Seattle Coffee Gear, Breville's product data and De'Longhi's technical data, and for the rest the product page of the store that sells the model.
- Coffee beans: 1,291 in-stock whole-bean bags at Seattle Coffee Gear, Clive Coffee, Espresso Outlet and Chris' Coffee, same day. Coffee and milk: Bureau of Labor Statistics average prices, series APU0000717311 and APU0000709112. Electricity: EIA Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A, residential, August 2026 (released October 23, 2026). Dose: Blue Bottle's espresso brew guide. Cabinets: Wikipedia, Kitchen cabinet.
How specifications are chosen when sources disagree
- Width, depth, height: the labeled table of Whole Latte Love first, then Seattle Coffee Gear, then a product page that labels each figure. Brand stores print three numbers whose order changes between their own pages (Breville labels them "W x D x H", De'Longhi "L x W x H"): we show them as "order unclear" and our cabinet checker puts those machines in "check".
- Net weight: the brand, then Whole Latte Love. Seattle Coffee Gear publishes a shipping weight: shown only when nothing else exists, labeled "shipping".
- Pump pressure, water tank, power: the brand, then Whole Latte Love, then Seattle Coffee Gear. A tank figure outside 10 to 200 fluid ounces is treated as an error of the page and not used (De'Longhi's own page for its Classic EM450M prints 1,943.63 oz).
- Boiler design: as Whole Latte Love or Seattle Coffee Gear classify it, else the brand's description of its heating system.
- Every value we keep is in our data files with its source and the date we read it. 39 disagreements between sources are listed on the cabinet page (dimensions) and kept in our files (tank, weight, power).
What is not covered
- Models out of stock at every store we read on the day: De'Longhi Magnifica Plus ECAM32070, De'Longhi Dinamica Plus ECAM38085.
- Stores we could not read by script: 1st-line.com (blocked), Miele USA (access refused), Prima Coffee (its catalog is not a public Shopify feed), and big-box stores (Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Williams Sonoma), whose prices we do not copy by hand. The same model may be cheaper there.
- Brands with no in-stock model at the stores we read, or that we left out: La Marzocco (Linea Mini and GS3, above $6,000), Ascaso, Ninja, Nespresso and every pod machine, commercial machines, refurbished and open-box units.
- Color and wood-trim versions sold at a higher price: we list the cheapest in-stock version and say "from".
- Figures a page does not publish: shown as "not published", never estimated.
How tables are sorted
By lowest in-stock price, cheapest first, unless the column says otherwise (payback months, height). For each model, stores are listed from the lowest to the highest price; out-of-stock stores come last. A commission, present or future, never changes an order.
How each pick is chosen
"Our picks in 30 seconds" boxes follow one written rule: the cheapest model in stock at any store we read that meets the stated condition, at its lowest in-stock price. A model picked once is not picked again in the same box. The conditions are written on each badge:
- Comparison: Cheapest pump machine in our check; Cheapest with a built-in grinder; Cheapest super-automatic; Cheapest dual boiler; Cheapest manual lever.
- Under $500: Cheapest espresso machine under $500; Cheapest under $500 with a built-in grinder; Cheapest super-automatic under $500; Cheapest under $500 with a boiler, not a thermoblock; Cheapest lever under $500.
- Beginners (up to $1,000): Cheapest all-in-one: grinder built in; Cheapest super-automatic: one button, no barista skills; Cheapest pump machine with a 50 oz tank or more; Cheapest under 15 in tall (fits under most cabinets).
- Boiler types: Cheapest single boiler; Cheapest heat exchanger; Cheapest dual boiler; Cheapest thermoblock.
- Super vs semi vs lever: Cheapest super-automatic; Cheapest semi-automatic with a built-in grinder; Cheapest pump machine (add a grinder).
- Grinders: Cheapest espresso grinder in our check; Cheapest with flat burrs (published); Cheapest with 64 mm burrs or larger; Cheapest with conical burrs (published).
The main button of each card goes to the store with the lowest in-stock price, whether or not that store has an affiliate program.
Calculations
Both calculators run in your browser and show their formula under the result. Results marked [calc] are our arithmetic: price gaps between stores, cost per drink (beans, milk, electricity), months to break even, space left under a cabinet, median price per pound of coffee beans.
What we do not do
- We do not test, use or own these machines, and we never write "tested" or describe a shot we did not pull.
- No star ratings, no scores, no customer reviews written, quoted or imported by us.
- No discount percentage computed by us: a struck-through price appears only when the store shows a compare-at price.
- No fake urgency or stock counters.
How we are paid
We intend to apply to the affiliate programs of the stores and brands we list (among them De'Longhi, Breville, Seattle Coffee Gear and Clive Coffee). If they accept, some links may earn us a commission when you buy, at no extra cost to you. Commissions are not part of any rule above. As of November 7, 2026, no program has accepted the site. Details: affiliate disclosure.
How often we update
Prices and stock are read again at least once a month, and after the Black Friday and holiday sales; BLS and EIA prices when a new month is published. Each page shows the date it was last changed, and each price the date it was read.