12 coffee machine reviews: Delonghi and Miele have slow production speeds and poor value for money

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Getting up early and drinking a cup of strong coffee to recharge your batteries for a busy day has become a habit for many urbanites. Coffee machines are becoming increasingly compact and easy to operate, and more and more families or offices are buying one.

1

4 brands and 12 espresso machines

In May 2016, the International Consumer Research and Testing (ICRT) conducted a comparative test on 12 espresso machines from four brands (including seven fully automatic machines, three semi-automatic machines, and two capsule coffee machines) at a European certification center.

Brands: Jura, De'Longhi, Nespresso, Miele

Test items: production speed, coffee temperature, power saving, milk frothing effect, instructions and ease of use, etc.

Evaluation results: The coffee making temperature of many products was low, and the coffee making speed of two Delonghi products was slow. Among the seven fully automatic coffee machines, Miele and Juris performed poorly, and Miele had the worst price-performance ratio.

2

Most coffee is cold

The ideal temperature for tasting espresso in Europe is 67°C, but the test results show that the temperature of coffee made by most coffee machines is too low. Among the 7 fully automatic coffee machines, the temperature of the first cup of coffee measured by JURA and Miele was as low as 51.3°C and 53.9°C respectively. (See Figure 1)

Miele Hong Kong said that Miele CM6310 has 5 different coffee temperature settings, and the original factory setting used in this test is the 3rd degree setting. Users can adjust the setting higher as needed.

Jura Ena Micro 1

The testers repeatedly measured the temperature of the coffee. When the coffee was served in a non-preheated coffee cup, the temperature dropped rapidly. It is recommended that if consumers like hotter coffee, they can use the cup warming function of the coffee machine to preheat the cup or rinse the cup with hot water.

3

Delong's two products are slow to produce

The coffee making speed of a coffee machine is undoubtedly a quality that fast-paced urban people value very much.

After the espresso machine is turned on, it needs to be preheated, so it will take longer to brew the first cup of coffee. Subsequently, because the coffee machine has been heated for a while, the time to make coffee will be shortened.

The time required to make two cups of coffee (one cup each time) in a row was recorded by the inspectors. The semi-automatic machine does not need to grind beans, and the time required from preheating to making the first cup of coffee should be faster than the fully automatic machine. However, the two Delonghi products may have lower power and longer preheating time (about half a minute), so the coffee making speed is slow. (See Figure 2)

4

Comprehensive evaluation: Miele has poor value for money

Miele CM6310

Considering the coffee making speed, coffee temperature, power saving, milk frothing effect, manual and ease of use, among the seven fully automatic coffee machines, Miele and JURA performed poorly, and Miele CM6310 had the worst price/performance ratio. (As shown in Figure 3)

Among automatic coffee machines, the Jura Z6 and Jura E6 performed best overall in the same group. The former is easy to use, and the latter's coffee temperature is close to ideal. In addition, the Delonghi ECAM23.120.SB is cheaper and is also worth considering.

Among the semi-automatic coffee machines, Delonghi EC680.M Dedica (HKD 1,988) performs well, and has a faster production speed and is more energy-efficient than other coffee machines in the same group.

In terms of operation and coffee making, most coffee machines are easy to operate, except for the Delonghi ECAM23.120.SB, whose switch button is difficult to identify, and the ECOV311.BK and EC156.B, which are not very convenient to operate in terms of quantity control. The Delonghi EC156.B has more obvious vibration when making coffee, so its score is relatively poor.

Consumers should be reminded that Eurasian Ena Micro 1 and Nestlé Nespresso Pixie products cannot make fresh milk foam, that is, they cannot make Italian foam coffee Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato, Cafe Macchiato, etc.

5

Not all coffee machines are suitable for you

Each coffee machine has different functions and specifications, and has different advantages and disadvantages in different testing items. Therefore, consumers are advised to carefully compare them according to their personal priorities or requirements to find the coffee machine that suits them.

Fully automatic coffee machine

A fully automatic coffee machine will automatically grind coffee beans into powder and then make coffee. It is easy to operate and is suitable for consumers who like to taste coffee made from freshly ground coffee beans and also require convenience.

Semi-automatic coffee machine

Semi-automatic coffee machines only allow coffee powder to be put in, and users are required to add and press the powder to make coffee. Therefore, the taste of the brewed coffee will vary depending on the amount of coffee powder and the strength of the pressing.

If consumers have unique requirements for coffee and like to grind, fill and press the beans themselves, they should choose a semi-automatic machine.

Capsule coffee machine

Capsule coffee machines are suitable for consumers who do not want to spend time and effort to brew coffee and clean the coffee machine. Nestlé Nespresso Lattissima Touch (HKD 3,688) is a one-touch fully automatic capsule coffee machine. After the user puts in the coffee capsule, he can press a button to select the preset coffee type, such as foam coffee, milk coffee, etc.

In terms of coffee tasting, Nespresso Lattissima Touch and Nespresso Pixie (HKD 1,988) both received good scores.

Among the three types of coffee machines, capsule coffee machines are generally cheaper, but they can only be used with coffee capsules with pre-set flavors. As for the cost of brewing coffee, the average price of each coffee capsule is HK$5, which is not cheap.

In contrast, users who choose fully automatic or semi-automatic machines can try different flavors of coffee beans or powders at will, which is more flexible. In terms of cost, based on the price of coffee beans or powders sold in supermarkets (average price per gram is HK$0.16 to HK$2.6), the material cost of each cup of coffee (about 7 grams of coffee beans) is about HK$1.1 to HK$18.

6

How to maintain a coffee machine?

Before brewing: clean the coffee nozzle and steam pipe first. You can press the button to spray water and steam to make the pipe unblocked, or clean it with a wet towel to prevent remaining impurities from affecting the brewing effect.

After use: After each time you finish making milk foam, wipe the steam pipe clean with a hot towel and spray hot water/steam to remove the remaining fresh milk to prevent the fresh milk from blocking the pipe or even breeding bacteria. Thoroughly clean the coffee machine after use to maintain the quality of the coffee you make.

Every 200 uses or when scale is observed, follow the descaling instructions in the manual and use the specified descaling agent instead of white vinegar to remove scale.

Coffee grounds can absorb moisture and deodorize

The residue left after brewing coffee can actually be used to practice environmental protection, and has the wonderful effect of deodorizing and absorbing moisture.

Coffee grounds have countless pores like activated carbon, and can replace commonly used chemical fragrances or dehumidifiers to absorb moisture and odors. Consumers only need to put dried coffee grounds in a small cup and place it in the kitchen, shoe cabinet or car to deodorize and absorb moisture. In addition, pouring a small amount of coffee grounds into the kitchen sink and flushing it with water can remove oil and odor in the water pipes, thereby reducing the use of chemical detergents.

Editor/Yang Zhuangrong Yang Yan