Today we are going to delve into the exciting and fascinating world of coffee machine technology to find out which ones best fit our tastes and consumption habits. And also to see if the light illuminates us, that we are still in time for the Three Kings to put a coffee pot in the saddlebag of the camels.
Types of coffee machines
Although there are some quirky coffee machines out there, such as vacuum or cold-brewed coffee machines, the most common types of coffee machines are:
Italian coffee maker or Moka
Coffee makers 2 1
It is a very popular coffee maker in Italy, Spain, and other Mediterranean countries, since it is technically capable of preparing espresso, since the steam inside it reaches 1.5 bar pressure, but even so its operation is very simple.
It is made up of two bodies shaped like the trunk of an octagonal pyramid. In the lower body the water is poured and a small funnel-shaped saucepan is placed, where the ground coffee is put. When heating the coffee maker, and therefore the water, it rises to the top, infusing the coffee along the way.
Coffee machines 3
The success of these coffee machines lies in their simplicity and small size. In addition to that they are really cheap and produce a very good coffee if we prepare it correctly (the amount of coffee and its pressing in the pot determine its flavor).
For around 20 euros we can get one of the Bialetti brands. Why that brand? Well, because its inventor was Alfonso Bialetti (who devised it 80 years ago imitating the operation of a washing machine of the time ) and also because it has a retro charm, with that Omino coi Baffi (little man with a mustache) asking for a silk-screened coffee on his body.
Another advantage of Italian coffee machines is that they can prepare several coffees at the same time, it all depends on the size of the coffee machine. There are coffeemakers from a single cup to nine cups or even 12 cups, although the most common are three and six cups. The downside, that if you have too big a coffee left over, then reheated is not the same.
Its technology is simpler if possible than that of the Italian coffee machine. The water in the tank is heated and passed through a filter (usually paper) where the coffee is located. Being a fairly dense filter, the water passes slowly, drop by drop (hence its other name), depositing in the aforementioned jug once the coffee has been infused.
This mug is placed on a metal plate with a resistance that keeps the coffee hot, although you can imagine that if the coffee has been brewed for a long time, and has been cooled and heated several times, it will not be particularly good. Of course, it is not that these coffee machines are not characterized by giving too intense or full-bodied coffee.
However, American coffee machines have their advantages: you should not be aware of them and we can even leave them ready at night and schedule them to make us coffee just when the alarm clock rings. So we will wake up smelling like coffee in the morning.
In addition, they are quite inexpensive, being able to find models from 13 euros, such as the Tristar KZ-1223, or around 20, such as the Ufesa CG7231. If we are looking for something with a more striking design and with a programmer included, then the Unold 28605 Bola (47 euros) or the AEG KF7500 (59 euros) are interesting options.
French or plunger coffee maker
The French coffee machine is one of the simplest coffee machines of all, and also one of the most valued since it offers a coffee with a good flavor and great body. On the other hand, it has a slightly more complicated preparation process.
French coffee maker
The mechanism of the coffee maker is extremely simple. A cylindrical container, usually glass, and a plunger with a filter. In a saucepan we heat water and pour it into the cylinder, where we will have placed the ground coffee. We cover the coffee maker, but without lowering the plunger, and let infuse 4 or 5 minutes. After that time, we lower the plunger, bringing the ground coffee to the bottom and leaving us a delicious coffee to drink.
As you can imagine, they are not especially expensive, and their price varies mainly depending on their size. The smallest is available for around 10 euros, while the largest and most designer ones, such as the Tescoma Teo or the Bodum Chambord, are around 25 euros.
We come here to the queen category of coffee machines, or at least the most successful in recent years: espresso coffee machines, which are those used in bars and coffee shops, but that we can also have at home.
Its operation is both easy to explain and complex to execute. Basically, water must be heated to reach a high pressure (12-15 bars) and pass it through the pan with the filter where the coffee is. Water at such a high temperature and pressure quickly extract all the flavor of the coffee and we obtain a short, creamy, intense, and full-bodied drink.
The problem is that heating water and bringing it to such high pressure is not so easy to achieve, and that is why domestic espresso machines are still moderately bulky and require more maintenance.
Its price is slightly higher than other types of coffee machines and varies mainly depending on the amount of pressure they are able to get or if they can grind coffee beans. In the environment of 70 euros we can get the Ufesa CE7141, with 15 bars of pressure. If we are looking for something with a more attractive design, the DeLonghi EC680 (144 euros, 15 Bars) will surely meet expectations.
Coffee machines 9
In recent years, single-dose espresso machines have proliferated, with Nespresso at the forefront. They have the advantage that they are very easy to use (you put the capsule, you hit a button and you already have your coffee ready) and as a disadvantage that the coffee they prepare is much more expensive since the capsules are not cheap.
Its operation is similar to conventional espresso, except that they get enough pressure to make the coffee inside the capsule, and since this has a smaller volume, everything is simplified, allowing these coffee machines to be much smaller and have minimal maintenance.
These are the main single-dose espresso machine systems :
Nespresso: What am I going to tell you, they were the pioneers and the market reference. We can get a basic coffee maker like the Krups Inissia from around 70 euros, although the larger models (and larger water tanks), such as the Nespresso Pixie Titan, are around 100 euros. If we want them to include a milk frother to make cappuccinos and lattes, then the budget must go above 200 euros, which is what the Nespresso Lattissima costs.
Dolce Gusto: Also from the Nestlé brand. It offers, in addition to espresso coffees (with fewer varieties and lower quality than Nespresso), a wide range of drinks such as cappuccinos, mokachinos, chocolates ... all with capsules or a combination of two capsules. We can get a coffee maker for less than 50 euros like the Krups Oblo.
Tassimo: It is the Bosch manufacturer's alternative, with an interesting differentiating point. The capsules have a barcode and the coffee makers a reader that allows them to prepare the drink in just the right amount as appropriate. We do not have to adjust anything or be aware of stopping the machine when appropriate. We simply put the capsule and press a single button. It also offers a wide range of drinks, the price range of the capsules is similar and the coffee machines practically give them away, with prices below 40 euros, such as the Bosch TAS2002.
Senseo: In this case the manufacturer behind is Philips, which is looking for its differentiating factor in the price, with single-dose (they are not capsules) around 50% cheaper than the rest. It also has single pods to prepare various types of drinks in addition to coffee, although as we could see in the comparison of single pod coffee makers with a cappuccino , they were not so good. Of course, if we choose one of the models with milk frother, such as the Philips HD7853 (136 euros), the cappuccino comes out very well and automatically.
Illy Iperespresso: For me, the best coffee in capsules, something that I could verify when comparing them with Nespresso capsules. It has the disadvantage that the machines are not cheap (200 euros for the Illycaffé X7.1, almost 275 for the Francis Francis Y5 milk model ) and the capsules are more expensive than those of Nespresso, in addition to the fact that they only offer a smaller number of varieties.
And with this latest coffee maker we conclude our review of the exciting and fascinating world of coffee maker technology. As a brooch I would like to leave you a video with the operation of a vacuum coffee maker, which is one of the most impressive to see making a coffee.
Note: some of the links published here are from affiliates. Despite this, none of the mentioned articles have been proposed by either the brands or the stores, their introduction being a unique decision of the team of editors.
Another advantage of Italian coffee machines is that they can prepare several coffees at the same time, it all depends on the size of the coffee machine. There are coffeemakers from a single cup to nine cups or even 12 cups, although the most common are three and six cups. The downside, that if you have too big a coffee left over, then reheated is not the same.
Best coffee maker under 100
This is an easy to recognize coffee maker, because although it is not very common in our country, it is in the United States, and therefore we have seen it in hundreds of series and movies, with the protagonists pouring a coffee from their jug in the office or with a waitress offering to refill the cup at a roadside bar.Its technology is simpler if possible than that of the Italian coffee machine. The water in the tank is heated and passed through a filter (usually paper) where the coffee is located. Being a fairly dense filter, the water passes slowly, drop by drop (hence its other name), depositing in the aforementioned jug once the coffee has been infused.
This mug is placed on a metal plate with a resistance that keeps the coffee hot, although you can imagine that if the coffee has been brewed for a long time, and has been cooled and heated several times, it will not be particularly good. Of course, it is not that these coffee machines are not characterized by giving too intense or full-bodied coffee.
However, American coffee machines have their advantages: you should not be aware of them and we can even leave them ready at night and schedule them to make us coffee just when the alarm clock rings. So we will wake up smelling like coffee in the morning.
In addition, they are quite inexpensive, being able to find models from 13 euros, such as the Tristar KZ-1223, or around 20, such as the Ufesa CG7231. If we are looking for something with a more striking design and with a programmer included, then the Unold 28605 Bola (47 euros) or the AEG KF7500 (59 euros) are interesting options.
French or plunger coffee maker
The French coffee machine is one of the simplest coffee machines of all, and also one of the most valued since it offers a coffee with a good flavor and great body. On the other hand, it has a slightly more complicated preparation process.
French coffee maker
The mechanism of the coffee maker is extremely simple. A cylindrical container, usually glass, and a plunger with a filter. In a saucepan we heat water and pour it into the cylinder, where we will have placed the ground coffee. We cover the coffee maker, but without lowering the plunger, and let infuse 4 or 5 minutes. After that time, we lower the plunger, bringing the ground coffee to the bottom and leaving us a delicious coffee to drink.
As you can imagine, they are not especially expensive, and their price varies mainly depending on their size. The smallest is available for around 10 euros, while the largest and most designer ones, such as the Tescoma Teo or the Bodum Chambord, are around 25 euros.
We come here to the queen category of coffee machines, or at least the most successful in recent years: espresso coffee machines, which are those used in bars and coffee shops, but that we can also have at home.
Its operation is both easy to explain and complex to execute. Basically, water must be heated to reach a high pressure (12-15 bars) and pass it through the pan with the filter where the coffee is. Water at such a high temperature and pressure quickly extract all the flavor of the coffee and we obtain a short, creamy, intense, and full-bodied drink.
The problem is that heating water and bringing it to such high pressure is not so easy to achieve, and that is why domestic espresso machines are still moderately bulky and require more maintenance.
Its price is slightly higher than other types of coffee machines and varies mainly depending on the amount of pressure they are able to get or if they can grind coffee beans. In the environment of 70 euros we can get the Ufesa CE7141, with 15 bars of pressure. If we are looking for something with a more attractive design, the DeLonghi EC680 (144 euros, 15 Bars) will surely meet expectations.
Coffee machines 9
In recent years, single-dose espresso machines have proliferated, with Nespresso at the forefront. They have the advantage that they are very easy to use (you put the capsule, you hit a button and you already have your coffee ready) and as a disadvantage that the coffee they prepare is much more expensive since the capsules are not cheap.
Its operation is similar to conventional espresso, except that they get enough pressure to make the coffee inside the capsule, and since this has a smaller volume, everything is simplified, allowing these coffee machines to be much smaller and have minimal maintenance.
These are the main single-dose espresso machine systems :
Nespresso: What am I going to tell you, they were the pioneers and the market reference. We can get a basic coffee maker like the Krups Inissia from around 70 euros, although the larger models (and larger water tanks), such as the Nespresso Pixie Titan, are around 100 euros. If we want them to include a milk frother to make cappuccinos and lattes, then the budget must go above 200 euros, which is what the Nespresso Lattissima costs.
Single-dose coffee machines
Dolce Gusto: Also from the Nestlé brand. It offers, in addition to espresso coffees (with fewer varieties and lower quality than Nespresso), a wide range of drinks such as cappuccinos, mokachinos, chocolates ... all with capsules or a combination of two capsules. We can get a coffee maker for less than 50 euros like the Krups Oblo.
Tassimo: It is the Bosch manufacturer's alternative, with an interesting differentiating point. The capsules have a barcode and the coffee makers a reader that allows them to prepare the drink in just the right amount as appropriate. We do not have to adjust anything or be aware of stopping the machine when appropriate. We simply put the capsule and press a single button. It also offers a wide range of drinks, the price range of the capsules is similar and the coffee machines practically give them away, with prices below 40 euros, such as the Bosch TAS2002.
Senseo: In this case the manufacturer behind is Philips, which is looking for its differentiating factor in the price, with single-dose (they are not capsules) around 50% cheaper than the rest. It also has single pods to prepare various types of drinks in addition to coffee, although as we could see in the comparison of single pod coffee makers with a cappuccino , they were not so good. Of course, if we choose one of the models with milk frother, such as the Philips HD7853 (136 euros), the cappuccino comes out very well and automatically.
Illy Iperespresso: For me, the best coffee in capsules, something that I could verify when comparing them with Nespresso capsules. It has the disadvantage that the machines are not cheap (200 euros for the Illycaffé X7.1, almost 275 for the Francis Francis Y5 milk model ) and the capsules are more expensive than those of Nespresso, in addition to the fact that they only offer a smaller number of varieties.
And with this latest coffee maker we conclude our review of the exciting and fascinating world of coffee maker technology. As a brooch I would like to leave you a video with the operation of a vacuum coffee maker, which is one of the most impressive to see making a coffee.
Note: some of the links published here are from affiliates. Despite this, none of the mentioned articles have been proposed by either the brands or the stores, their introduction being a unique decision of the team of editors.
related article best coffee makers under $100
