Editorial Policy
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These are the standards that apply to everything Cup and Crema publishes. The working method is on How We Review, and the ordering criteria are on How We Rank.
Rules for numbers
A figure may appear in an article only if we can point to where it came from.
- Pump pressure, boiler type and volume, wattage, portafilter size, burr size, grind settings, dimensions, weight and warranty terms must trace to a manual, a maker’s page, a retailer listing or a named publication.
- A maker’s promotional claim is labeled as a claim. “Ready in 3 seconds” or “15 bar” is reported as what the maker states, along with any conditions the maker gives.
- When a manual and a listing disagree, we print both and say which one we relied on.
- If a figure is unpublished, we write “not listed.” We do not estimate it from a similar model.
- Measurements such as brew temperature, flow rate or particle distribution appear only when credited to the named source that took them.
What we can and cannot claim
We do not brew on or grind with the products we cover, and our writing cannot suggest otherwise. That rules out describing how a shot tastes as if we had tasted it, or how a machine feels as if we had used it. Taste and feel are reported only as what owners or named reviewers say.
Independence
We alone decide what to cover and in what order. No brand, seller or advertiser pays for coverage or position. Commission rates are not an input. Anything of value received from a company is disclosed near the top of the article it affects.
Balance
Each product section lists cons and a “Skip if” list. Each guide also says who would be better off with a different kind of machine, or with no espresso machine at all. Hollow superlatives have no place here, and we do not promise café results at home.
Prices, ratings and images
Articles carry no dollar figures and no star ratings or review counts. We do not display Amazon product images. Any illustration on the site is one we made or one whose license allows us to use it, and we do not take images from other sites.
Use of AI
AI tools draft our articles and assist with research. Key specifications are checked against their sources before publication, and that checking may itself be AI-assisted. A person does not read each article from start to finish. Responsibility for what appears here rests with the site owner. We do not publish batches of near-identical articles that differ only by product name.
Bylines
Articles appear under pen names used by our editorial team, listed on our About page. These names are not real individual people, and they carry no barista, technical or other professional credentials. Author images are initials, never portraits. Responsibility for the content rests with the site owner named on our About page.
Safety and health
Espresso machines involve scalding water, steam, pressure and mains electricity. Articles carry a safety note near the top, stick to what the manual allows, and do not explain how to open a housing, alter a pressure valve or bypass a safety device. We name a safety certification only when the maker lists it, and we look up each brand in the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall database.
We do not make health claims about coffee, caffeine, roast levels or water filtration. A water filter’s performance is reported only as the maker’s stated claim.
Corrections and updates
Send errors to us through the Contact page, with the source if you have one. When a correction changes an article’s substance, the “last updated” date changes too. Guides are revisited on a recurring basis and whenever a model is replaced, discontinued or recalled.