In an era where a cup of milk tea is generally $20 or more, a cup of coffee is no longer a representative of a modest lifestyle. While a convenience store or unmanned coffee vending machine is a great option when you’re on your way to work and home, a home coffee machine is the best option when you want to have a cup of coffee at home.
A home coffee machine is simply positioned to make it easy and simple for any family member to make a cup of coffee.
It is important to understand that we are not professional baristas and do not delve into the quality of the coffee beans; we are not professional engineers and do not delve into the performance of the coffee system; we are just an ordinary consumer who wants to make a cup of coffee for himself at home, that’s all.
I. Types of coffee
Espresso
Every time, someone will say that it was the impatient engineer who created espresso, because he discovered that pressure not only shortens the extraction time but also causes a layer of oil to form on the surface of the coffee, and it is this layer of oil that gives espresso its unique taste.
American style coffee
The larger cup size and the lack of a greasy layer are the characteristics of American-style coffee. In a home coffee machine, if it is a high-pressure extraction machine is often the practice of an espresso plus a lot of water, low-pressure extraction machine will flow directly out of the coffee without the grease layer, the extraction time is also longer.
Second, the purchase of home coffee machines
1. Home machines for making espresso
1.1 Portable manual coffee machines
From 2013, Wacaco first launched a portable coffee maker, a version filled with ground coffee, although it is positioned for outdoor use, in fact, due to the limitations of hot water, but more suitable for use at home or when traveling to stay in hotels, but the first generation of products in the design of the pressure is a defect, often due to excessive pressure and lead to water flowing from the handle, and there will be a strange noise. The current generation of products on the market have indeed improved.
There are various manual versions of coffee makers on the market today, Wacaco is not the best choice, other manufacturers have introduced products that have their own advantages
1.2 Semi-automatic coffee machines (pump-press)
Pump-press semi-automatic coffee maker systems are generally the currently common heating block + induction pump, and usually this type will have both coffee extraction and steam milk frothing functions.
How espresso coffee machine works?
Features of home coffee machine
1. The heating block will usually be arranged on top and has two benefits.
● Cup warming function.
● The residual heat from the heating block is transferred to the metal aluminium handle, which is helpful when extracting coffee.
2. the steam function is carried out entirely by hand
● the depth of the steam tube into the milk of the pull-out cup is adjusted by the user
● The system pressure relief process requires the user to relieve pressure through the steam tube after the milk has been frothed.
3. Cleaning problems
● The extraction unit cannot be completely cleaned due to the residue of the coffee powder.
● If the milk residue is not wiped off the steam tube with a rag in time, the milk will dry up and adhere to the steam tube in a short time.
At present, the following two models of Delonghi semi-automatic coffee machines are popular in China and sell well for consumers who want to experience coffee making at home during the holidays.
1.3 Capsule coffee machines
The capsule coffee machine has been in China for about 15 years, from the beginning of the jungle to Nestlé now occupies most of the territory, this result is also related to Nestlé’s global strategic layout.
While the coffee market is now market-driven, Illy is still extracting the purest espresso, maintaining its unique position in capsule coffee, which no other brand can replace, and is the capsule coffee brand I admire most.
There is also a capsule coffee machine with a milk frothing function, this type of machine tends to integrate the coffee system and the milk frothing system in the same machine, capsule coffee machines with a milk frothing function
1.4 Fully automatic coffee machines
Fewer people in the home will choose a fully automatic coffee machine, and even fewer consumers will choose a fully automatic coffee machine that can only extract coffee.
Features.
● The possibility of using beans of various styles and origins, with higher convenience than semi-automatic coffee machines and lower than capsule coffee machines.
● The height of the cup holder cannot be adjusted, but the height of the coffee outlet can be adjusted.
● generally larger in size, occupying more space in a domestic environment both in the kitchen and the living room.
● Coffee beans that are not used up will remain in the bean bin and will overflow with oil over time.
The coffee extraction unit will leave a large amount of coffee powder residue, which can be troublesome to clean.
Brand introduction
The Swiss brand Jura is arguably the most expensive and best quality automatic coffee machine for home use today.
The same German brand Melitta, a company that started with coffee filters, has its fully automatic coffee and Jura designed and produced on behalf of the same Swiss manufacturer.
The more popular ones in China at the moment belong to Delonghi and are more cost-effective.
2. Home machines for making American-style coffee
2.1 Drip coffee makers
The first choice for many consumers entering this field of coffee is a drip coffee machine, perhaps influenced by the appearance of drip coffee machines in many films and TV programmes, or attracted by their cheap price.
The drip coffee machine is one of the simplest and earliest types of product to enter the domestic market, for a detailed description of the drip coffee machine see the following article.
Coffee Machine Chat, Part I of the purchase of a drip coffee machine creation background Many people get rid of instant crossover into the first attempt at coffee powder usually from the drip coffee machine, buy a drip coffee machine, and then buy a packet of coffee powder, or buy a regular bean grinder with coffee beans, and then start a beautiful life of petty. The premise is to state that the drip coffee machine extracts American style coffee without the greasy layer, in a large cup, which is durable. Not the kind of espresso that Europeans use in small cups 1.Drip coffee machine basic principles of coffee stalls|Likes4Comments7Collections15View Details
2.2 Semi-automatic coffee machines (steam pressure)
Through the steam pressure extraction of coffee semi-automatic coffee machine in fact from the strict sense of the coffee produced is not espresso, the surface of the coffee is only a thin layer of foam, not yet considered a grease layer.
Features.
● Only Americano can be extracted, with a large cup size, usually by manually turning off and stopping to control the cup size of the coffee.
● the large volume boiler also functions as a water tank, by heating the water in the boiler, the heated water is squeezed into the extraction unit and the extraction pressure is usually only around 2 Bar.
● the steam will be drier and more stable than that of a heating block system
● When water has been added after the extraction of coffee or milk froth, opening the boiler lid is a risk of scalding due to the residual heat of the boiler and the pressure relief.
2.3 Capsule coffee (Keurig)
One brand in capsule coffee that specialises in extracting American-style coffee and is currently the dominant player in the North American market is Keurig, known as Green Mountain Coffee in Chinese, and the capsule system is known as K-cup.
Green Mountain Coffee’s coffee machine extracts a large amount of coffee cups, one capsule can extract a pot of American style coffee, very much in line with the coffee drinking habits of North America.
It is very difficult to buy a Keurig with the right voltage in China, they all need an external transformer to convert 220V to 120V, plus overseas pounded machines are not cheap, so there will also be consumers who will look to domestic coffee machines that are compatible with K-CUP capsules.
The coffee machine (606C) launched by Ningbo St. Leda is arguably the best performing domestic machine at the moment, because instead of using a boiler or heating block to heat it, it uses the latest film heating technology, a film layer coated on a glass tube that can truly reach 3 seconds to complete heating, and no other manufacturer has yet been able to apply this technology to a coffee machine.
This was the company’s first coffee machine and it has been one of its best, after all the company, which was facing disappearance due to various disputes, has struggled to continue in its former glory.
