The Best Coffee Machine For Coffee Beans
Previously the sole preserve of coffee shops, these bean-to-cup machines offer convenience and the ability to customize. They grind and brew beans according to your preferences, and some also allow you to steam milk for one-press lattes.
The best ones feature saved (and adjustable) coffee settings, as well as the ability to use ground coffee as a back-up option. They are also ideal for offices with a lot of traffic.
Grind & Brew Plus
This model comes with a built-in burr mill that automatically grinds whole beans prior to making coffee. This ensures the beans are freshly ground and are of a consistent size. This creates a pot of coffee with more flavor. It also comes with a permanent gold tone filter, which eliminates the need for paper filters, and eliminates impurities that can alter the taste of your cup of joe. Plus, it has a 12-cup thermally insulated carafe that will keep your coffee hot and ready for any time you require it. With its programmable timer that allows you to get up to freshly brewed coffee by pressing only one button. The brew strength control lets you to select between strong, medium, or mild coffee. It even has a convenient pause and pour function so you can take a sip prior to the brewing process has finished.
Another benefit of this model is that it's simple to use. Its large, well-labeled buttons make it intuitive to understand and use and the hopper that is removable and filter make cleaning easy. The machine can be put in the dishwasher, which will save you the hassle of washing off the dust from difficult-to-access areas.
Besides grinding and brewing bean to cup coffee machine can also brew K-cups and single-serve pods. This makes it a great option for those who want to switch up their coffee style often or needs to brew just one cup to carry in the form of a travel mug. It comes with a 12-cup carafe, which can be used to make an enormous pot of coffee. You can also set it up to brew smaller cups, such as 8- 10-, 10-, or 12-ounces.
While this model is a bit more expensive than other models we tested, it offers some extra features that make it worth the extra expense. It has a convenient 24-hour programmable timer, auto shutoff (0-4 hours), the ability to control the strength of the brew and a ready-to-go alert. It has a pause-and-pour function for those who are eager to see the whole brewing process complete. Also, the commercial grade coffee maker is constructed from stainless steel to resist stains and scratches. The charcoal water filters included in the package improve the quality of tap water, while also preventing limescale buildup. This model is only slightly loud and the display on the programmable device is difficult to read at night. It's a reliable and convenient coffee maker that comes with a top quality grinder.
Breville Smart Grinder
The Breville Smart Grinder Pro delivers the highest quality coffee experience, perfect for discerning coffee lovers. This model comes with a broad selection of grind sizes and precise dosing options with Dosing IQ technology. This grinder is more expensive than the entry-level models, but it provides higher performance and more advanced features.
The grinder's stainless steel burrs help minimize grinding heat and shield the beans' essential oils. This produces a smoother, more flavorful brew. It also comes with a handy portafilter that allows you to pour your coffee even when the grinder is in pause. This feature is particularly beneficial for espresso making.
This grinder comes with a one bean hopper weighing 1 pound that features the ability to lock it and has an easy-to-open lid that will ensure that your beans are fresh and ready to brew. The hopper can also be taken off and utilized as a container in which to store your grounds. This is a great feature if you plan on using the grinder to pour-over, French press, or AeroPress brewing methods.
The large LCD screen allows you to easily select and set the desired grind settings. It also shows the timer when the beans are ground, making it easy to determine the ideal amount of ground for any method of brewing. The Smart Grinder Pro has 60 precise grind settings, ranging from fine French press to coarse espresso. This allows you to modify the coffee you make.
The Smart Grinder Pro has a sleek design and a user-friendly interface that will complement any kitchen decor. Its top-quality materials and sturdy construction ensure this grinder will stand up to frequent use and various styles of brewing. The included brush makes it simple to clean and maintain the grinder. The manual is thorough and contains troubleshooting tips and tricks to solve common problems. It also gives the list of recommended parts and accessories, so that you can be sure that your new grinder is performing its best.
Breville Barista Touch Impress
If you're looking to tackle some work but don't want to pay the money for a professional espresso machine, Breville's barista Touch Impress is a good alternative. It's the machine the industry has been working on over the past few years, and it can take a lot of the learning curve out of making espresso manually while being aesthetically gorgeous to boot.
The machine is equipped with an extremely precise, high-end Baratza grinder, which is essential for espresso machines at home to ensure the best extraction and flavour. The machine is equipped with an intelligent auto-dosing feature and a the user-friendly assisted-tamping technology to make the most user-friendly, cafe-level espresso machine on the market. They even provide an online series of videos that help you master the skills required to get the most out of your machine and create amazing artwork with latte.
In addition the machine is equipped with intelligent milk heating and frothing capabilities as well, making it a fantastic choice for those who enjoy hot chocolate and flat whites as well. It has what they call Auto MilQ which is a fancy name for calibrated settings for milk texturing. It can be used with almond, dairy, or soy milk to create the micro-foam required for a great latte art. It's certainly the most advanced automatic milk heating and frothing system on any coffee maker out currently.
It is vital to keep in mind that even though the machine produces excellent espresso, the flavor tends to be slightly bitter and burned. This is due to the fact that the water is heated to a low temperature, which causes bitterness. However, it's simple to fix this by using a more powerful kettle, and then tweaking your grind coarseness and tamping to offset this.
The Barista Touch Impress is a stunning machine that looks like it was made to be the focal point of any kitchen. It's sleek and has a contemporary design that looks like furniture pieces and comes in three core colours that should fit with any style. If you're looking for something a little more colorful, there are some limited edition colors to choose from too. It's a bit of a purchase, but should you decide to take the plunge into manual espresso, it could be worth the investment. Even in the event that you save only $2 per cup, you'll be able to break even within the next year or so, possibly even earlier.