Coffee Machines For Home – A Brief History and Selection Advice

Coffee Machines For Home

Wouldn’t you love to grab that monster of a machine from behind the counter while you’re waiting for your Mugg & Bean Latte? Just grab it, put it in the back of your car and head straight home – placing it in your kitchen with a sense of pride and overwhelming excitement that you can now make the exact coffee you ordered at Mugg & Bean?

Yes, me too.

But, there’s a few problems with that. Firstly, you’d probably have the police banging your front door down for theft; but aside from that – the chances are you’d tire of trying to figure out all the complicated mechanisms and working of the machine in the first week.

That’s why coffee machines have evolved in leaps and bounds over the last decade or so – and have somewhat sorted themselves into three main groups: Home, Office and Restaurant. Sometimes they can overlap, but there are fundamental differences in what each machine can do, why it can do it, and where it should be done.

I’m going to explain the main types of coffee machines that are going to work like a bomb in your home – and why.

Filter Coffee Machines for Home

This is the coffee machine type that has stood the test of time. Filter coffee is your first real step-up from instant coffee, and provides you with pure, real and tasty coffee with the least amount of work and maintenance.

The list of brands who make filter coffee machines is endless – you’re bound to find a filter coffee option in every single name brand available.

The differentiating factor between filter coffee machines is really between Domestic Coffee Machines VS Industrial Coffee Machines . There is a huge difference in price – because of the huge difference in functionality.

If you’re a coffee lover who appreciates “pure”, plain coffee with none of the frills and fuss – this is possibly a good fit for you in your home.

Capsule Coffee Machines For Home

Oh my gosh; almost every person I visit lately is sporting a brand new capsule coffee machine, in a pride-position for all to see when they enter their home.

I’m going to give credit where credit is due, and say I love visiting those people!

There’s something about having the aroma of Java waft through your home that just makes people want to be there; it’s homely and comforting.

The machine itself (in my opinion) is the next logical and financial step-up from a home filter coffee machine.

Why do I say that? Well, a filter coffee machine is a bit limited in terms of output. It makes filter coffee – that’s it.
A capsule machine allows you a certain extra amount of flexibility to now,make cappuccino’s at home (along with other ranges which include Chai Latte’s, Mocchachino’s etc.).

Don’t be fooled though. If you’re expecting a Seattle Coffee-equivalent to pour out the taps of your home capsule coffee machine – you’re in for a bit of a surprise.

Capsule Coffee machines use the same ground-up coffee you would add to a filter coffee machine.

The other drinks are made up of “Instant Ingredients” – like powdered milk, powdered hot chocolate and the likes.

If you have not yet had the chance to compare the taste of instant ingredients VS fresh ingredients – pay special attention going forward, because this is going to be an evident factor when you start to use a capsule coffee machine regularly. If you are in a position to afford a bit of a bigger expense – consider looking at the home capsule coffee machines that come standard with a milk frother. This up’s your capsule coffee game by about a hundred points 🙂
That being said, it’s a wonderful little accessory to have in your home, especially if you enjoy a nice Cappuccino before bed.

Easy to use and maintain, this might be a good fit for a coffee lover who is not opposed to using “non-purist” coffee types.

Bean to Cup Coffee Machines for Home

This is about as good as it gets; we’re talking some big(ish) money and the best quality coffee you could possibly get. This is the machine you should be keeping your eye on to grab from behind a counter and take home with you! (Disclaimer: no, I am not being serious!)

An automatic / bean-to-cup coffee machine (they go by both names) is basically a condensed version of that Mugg & Bean machine you so keenly had your hopes set on – but you don’t need a degree to operate it.

See, the automatic coffee machine was borne of the need for people to have quality coffee in a smaller amount, with a lot less effort required.

Did you know the first automatic coffee machine was invented in 1884, in Italy (no surprise there) – but the best part of all of this is what the machine was called when it was first patented.

Get this.

The first automatic coffee machine was known as  “New steam machine for economic and instantaneous confection of coffee beverage”.

 

That’s like calling a TV “A new machine box for making you stare at moving pictures with sound until you fall asleep”. “

It’s the small things in life we should be grateful for…

Basically, Italy had the right idea, centuries ago when they decided that older coffee brewing methods needed to evolve. We probably owe a very big thanks to these inventors who truly shaped the coffee world as we know and love it today.

The evolution of the Automatic Coffee Machine was spearheaded by the introduction of Espresso machines, like the one we just mentioned.

An automatic coffee machine for home will grind your whole coffee beans (which is the most crucial step to getting the freshest, yummiest coffee you can imagine), tamp the grounds (this is the process in which you flatten out the surface of the coffee grounds so that the water is pressured through it evenly, ensuring a proper extraction). It will then brew these coffee grounds and extract your coffee directly into your cup.

A beautiful advantage of this machine extracting your coffee is that gorgeous white layer of Crema that forms on each cup. Crema is the oil from the coffee bean which has been condensed into a rich foam, which floats on your coffee.

By having a milk frothing wand or frothing mechanism on your home automatic coffee machine opens up even more doors – into the world of speciality milk drinks (using fresh milk only).

All of this, without needing to know stuff that Barista’s do – like how to properly tamp your coffee, what temperature to brew at, how long to extract each cup, how to differentiate between a normal coffee and an Espresso; automatic home coffee machines do it all, but like we said initially, will cost a bit.

Keen to know the major difference between capsules and fresh beans? Check this out.

That’s our summary of the range you can look at for home coffee solutions, other than your regular French-Press or Instant Coffee (no; just no).

We would love to know what you would have called a coffee machine back in the day, if you were the inventor?

Get creative!

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