Today, the market offers a huge selection of coffee machines for home and office. What, as a rule, focuses on the average buyer? There are three main parameters: ease of use, relative compactness and affordable price. Capsule coffee machines have an excellent balance of these characteristics. But how to choose them correctly? What is the difference between expensive models and cheap ones? We will talk about this in our material.
What is a capsule coffee machine
Capsule coffee machines do not use regular coffee beans for preparation. They make a drink from special capsules. A variety of ingredients are hermetically sealed in them: coffee, cocoa, tea, milk, sugar… In the coffee machine, the capsule is pierced by a hollow needle. Hot water vapor is released through it, which passes through the capsule and creates a drink.
In use, this type of coffee machine is practical. Models take up little space, have a relatively simple design. In addition, capsule machines need to be washed infrequently, and there is no excess debris left after making coffee. You can read more about the difference with classic automatic models here.
Choosing a capsule
Suppose that you have decided on the type of coffee machine — you decide to take a capsule. What should you look out for when buying? First of all, from the capsules used. The consumable is not the most typical, although it can be found in most specialized stores. Above all, it is worth thinking about this moment: without suitable capsules, the machine will not work.
Some coffee machines are multi-capsule — they can work with several types of consumables at once. Of the minuses: high price, the quality of the drink is not always up to par.
Nespresso
Nespresso capsules are made from ground coffee beans. Sometimes flavors are added to the composition. There are both disposable and reusable. The usual weight of coffee in aluminum capsules is 5 grams. This is below the accepted standard for espresso (7-9 g of coffee per 30 ml of drink). «Underweight» is leveled by the quality of raw materials, and the taste is not very affected.
For Nespresso coffee machines, you can take not only capsules from the official manufacturer: alternative brands are also suitable. The choice is quite large.
Coffee machines for such capsules are made by two companies — Delonghi and Krups. The principle of their work is simple. The capsule after installation is pierced and processed. Then water is supplied to the heating element under high pressure. The machine prepares the required amount of drink for exactly one cup.
The price range is quite large. Here you can find both budget and quite expensive options. Models are ready for use right out of the box. You install the capsule — you get delicious coffee. No additional knowledge is required (although, of course, it is better to read the instructions).
All coffee machines are configured for servings of 40 and 110 ml. The main plus of the Nespresso system is the number of flavors with different strengths and aromas. There really is plenty to choose from (a lot of options can be found even on Chinese Internet sites)
Dolce Gusto
Capsules of this brand are cheaper, however, coffee from them is less strong. Dolce Gusto has a lot of coffee flavors — taking into account tea, there will be more than 20 options. But with the availability, everything is a little worse: it is difficult to find a store in which more than 8 — 9 flavors are present at a time.
Dolce Gusto capsule coffee machines consist of a water tank, an internal water pump and an electric heater. The dispenser is at the top where a lever lowers the plate with one needle onto the capsule holder.
The machines are equipped with the patented smart capsule system. It can prepare hot or cold drinks. Please note: for cold drinks, the water must be manually cooled in the ice water tank.
The first capsule machines operated at a standard pressure of 14 bar. Current models operate at a pressure of 15 bar.
Since September 2010, one of the most advanced series of Dolce Gusto coffee machines, Creativa Melody2, has been released. It has an LCD display on which you can program and configure the device. For example, set it to automatically turn on at a specified time and brew the capsules already in the holder. There are also pre-programmed settings for different types of capsules. They can be further customized.
Tassimo
Tassimo capsules are inexpensive, but contain only coffee in their composition. If you want to make coffee with milk, for example, you need to use a separate milk capsule. Or add dry or liquid milk separately. No two-in-one and stuff like that! In addition, coffee machines for Tassimo are a little more complicated than those for the previous two brands. Only Bosch makes them.
They are quite affordable. Their most expensive model costs only 17 thousand rubles. It is distinguished by the presence of a water filter that softens the water in the built-in tank. In cheaper options where there is no filter, you can use bottled water. The most significant disadvantage of the Tassimo capsule coffee machine is the presence of a barcode scanner, which requires constant care.
Form factor and «stuffing»
Once you have decided on the type of capsules, you can move on to other characteristics. What is the price of capsule coffee machines? First of all, from the quality of the technical component. In cheap coffee machines, as a rule, they put the simplest pumps.
Flow boilers are small. Of course, you should forget about additional features. This limits the number of drinks that the coffee machine can prepare. On the plus side: cheap models tend to have a fairly reliable capsule punching system. This is easily explained: they install simple systems that break less often.
The more expensive the capsule coffee machine, the wider its functionality. Cappuccinatore, automatic cleaning, descaling mode, a wide range of drinks — you will have to pay extra for all this. In expensive models, as a rule, a fairly roomy boiler.
It allows, for example, to heat steam for the preparation of milk drinks. In more expensive models, additional fuses and sensors are often installed. They provide better survivability of the device.
After all, really advanced capsule coffee machines have good electronics. They allow you to program your favorite drink, for example.
Remember: in a capsule coffee machine it is difficult to adjust the taste and saturation of coffee. Too much depends on the capsule. Of course, the price is affected by the performance of coffee machines. First, the cheaper the device, the smaller it is. Larger machines can accommodate more additional components — for example, a water tank. Secondly, more expensive models use better materials. Yes, and the design there will be more interesting.
How not to make a mistake when choosing a capsule coffee machine
First of all, choose modern models (and preferably from a popular brand). Firstly, from time to time, manufacturers change old-type capsules to another one (as a result, some machines turn out to be out of luck). Secondly, capsules from little-known companies can not be found everywhere. In both cases, you will simply be left without coffee for your car.
Decide in advance what you will drink every day. Whether it’s espresso, americano or lungo, even the simplest model will suffice. But in the case of the same cappuccino, it is already worth considering. You need to either look for a model with a built-in cappuccinatore, or buy additional equipment for heating milk.
Most coffee machines are small. Small coffee makers from one full tank of water prepare a small number of cups. Pay attention to this if the device will be used by several people.
Helpful Hints
Most capsule coffee machines do not have a water filter. Therefore, it is recommended to use bottled water. It is quite soft, devoid of extraneous odors. Even in tap water, there may be elements that, when heated, remain scaled.
Do not leave water in the water tank for too long, such as all weekend at the office. Water will begin to stagnate, which can spoil the taste of the drink. Do not reuse the capsule — it will not have a rich aroma and taste.
Capsule coffee machines need to be cleaned. For this, special capsules and brushes are used to clean the coffee maker. It is necessary to do manual cleaning of dirt once every couple of weeks. Expensive coffee machines have an automatic self-cleaning system. This prolongs the life of the equipment — and helps maintain the quality of the coffee.
Do not forget that any capsule coffee maker can manually adjust the volume of drinks. You can always choose a portion according to your taste. Before brewing the capsule, make an “empty” drink — this way all the components of the machine will warm up to medium temperature. This will positively affect the quality of the coffee.
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