Capsule coffee machines, an overview of which will be given in this article, burst into our lives rapidly. Their popularity among lovers of a fragrant drink is growing at the same rapid pace. Sales of these devices are growing quite fast, and therefore among their users serious disagreement erupts: “Do I need capsule coffee machines for the home, and which manufacturer is best to choose?”
Appearance story
The inventor of the capsule coffee machine is Eric Favre. The new device was patented by him in 1978. Soon, unusual coffee brewing machines began to be produced by some companies. However, the first models of such devices, according to their characteristics, were far from ideal.
Capsule coffee machines gained their popularity only in the late eighties of the last century. Then some models of these devices appeared in mass production.
Distribution in the Russian market
In our country, unusual devices for brewing coffee have appeared relatively recently. However, customers quickly appreciated their convenience and ease of use. And today, capsule-type coffee machines that are relatively affordable for a wide range of consumers help many Russians perfectly prepare a fragrant drink. Such an appliance independently brews unsurpassed coffee, and does it in a matter of seconds.
Today in the consumer market you can buy such devices from dozens of well-known manufacturers. These include the largest concerns that produce not only devices for brewing a fragrant drink, but also coffee capsules for them.
It is worth noting that the manufacturers of such equipment do not stop there. That is why the technology of the process produced by such a coffee machine is constantly being improved. As a result, customers are happy to use the equipment they offer.
Making a Flavored Drink
How does a capsule coffee machine work? Instructions for its use indicate that the process of preparing a fragrant drink is impossible without the use of special capsules. These are small packages in which ground natural coffee is located. Other ingredients may be included. Capsules are packaged in such a way that the volume of each of them is enough to prepare a portion for one person.
The package with ground grains is placed in the machine and punctured using a special device. Hot water passes through the openings thus obtained, the pressure of which ranges from fifteen to nineteen bar. At this time, coffee is brewing. Moreover, the duration of this process is only a few seconds. In addition to the convenience of brewing, user reviews also note that the coffee machine does not need to be washed after the work it has done. To clean the device, simply remove the packaging that has already been used.
Advantages of coffee makers
All capsule coffee machines, the review of which is on the websites of their companies, are convenient devices that allow users to prepare a fragrant drink very quickly and without any extra effort. In addition, the main advantages of a number of models available on the consumer market include the fact that:
- for the preparation of a fragrant, tasty and high-quality drink does not require any special skills;
- it is possible to easily obtain such complex drinks as latte and cappuccino, mokachino and many others;
- the device works much quieter than classic coffee machines;
- such devices have an affordable price, affordable for a wide range of customers.
Disadvantages of capsule machines
Customer reviews point to some negative aspects of the device for brewing a fragrant drink from special packaging. The most important of these is the limited choice of coffee. So, a person who has in his arsenal a classic device has the ability to brew various drinks. They will differ in strength, cooking methods, as well as varieties of coffee. All this cannot be done with a capsule machine. Of course, manufacturers produce various types of single-serving packages of coffee for such devices. But, despite this, their range is still limited. This leads to the fact that the user can prepare only what the manufacturer intended.
Another negative side of the capsule coffee machine is the high cost of consumables. This significantly increases the price of one cup of aromatic drink.
Despite the weaknesses of capsular coffee machines, buyers choose these units. Users prefer the guaranteed taste of their favorite drink. But before buying such an easy-to-use device, it is worthwhile to consider in more detail capsule coffee machines offered on our market. An overview of the main such systems is necessary for study in connection with a large assortment of goods and various operating principles.
Nespresso
These systems of machines for making a fragrant drink were developed by the Swiss company Nestle Nespresso SA. Moreover, such a name has become a household name throughout the world, as well as “Xerox” - according to the name of the manufacturer of copy machines. This suggests that the Nespresso capsule coffee machine is the ancestor of the genre. The production of such systems was started back in 1986.
To date, the Nespresso capsule coffee machine allows you to prepare seventeen varieties of coffee, three of which are caffeine-free. So many different types of packaging are offered for this unit by the manufacturer. 17 different flavors! This is a kind of record for coffee machines. It is worth noting the fact that all the coffee options offered for this device are classic espresso. In one capsule - 7 grams of ground grains, of which 30 ml of aromatic drink are made.
The Nespresso capsule coffee machine on the market can be produced by one of two companies. These are Krups and DeLonghi. Moreover, the range of such units is quite impressive for both one and another company. All these devices have excellent build quality and attractive design. Their working pressure can rise to 19 bar, and the cost falls within the range of 5000-45000 rubles.
The disadvantages of Nespresso capsule coffee machines are the high price of consumables. So, for ten original disposable packages with ground fragrant grains, you will need to pay 250-400 rubles. In addition, you can not buy these capsules everywhere. They are offered, as a rule, only in company departments.
The weaknesses of such coffee machines are the lack of hot chocolate and tea in the line of flavors. In addition, coffee lovers with milk will be forced to purchase expensive appliances equipped with a cappuccino machine.
Gremesso
This coffee brewing system has also been created in Switzerland. Its founder was Delica. The amount of tastes that this system offers is not too different from the “trendsetter”. It is equal to fifteen. Among them are four types of tea. Of coffee drinks, the manufacturer offers ristretto and espresso, macchiato and longo.
Each Gremesso coffee machine capsule contains seven grams of pressed, fragrant ground beans. The packaging shell is made of food grade polymer.
They release coffee machine data under a brand whose name is similar to the name of the system. However, finding them on the shelves of domestic stores is very problematic. This state of affairs does not please buyers. The fact is that Gremesso is the only system that has strict quality control and finely tuned production, which begins during the cultivation of coffee on plantations and ends with the preparation of a drink.
The operating pressure of units manufactured under the Gremesso brand develops up to 19 bar. At the same time, buyers are satisfied with the low power consumption and lightning-fast operation of the machine. The unit spends only 15 seconds to warm up. Serving the finished drink takes another half a minute.
Pleases buyers and the attractive design of such coffee machines. Many consumers note that in appearance there is simply no equal to such a machine. This fact is also recognized by the panel of judges of the Red Dot Design Award, the most prestigious competition in the field of industrial design. On it, Gremesso coffee machines received the Best of the Best Award.
Prices for such units are in the range of 5000-20000 rubles. The cost of consumables for making a drink is 25 rubles.
Dolce gusto
This capsule system was first launched in France. It was developed by specialists from Nestle Dolce Gusto, RPC. In fact, this system is similar to the previous one, but at the same time it is its competitor more accessible to customers.
All units and consumables for them are produced under the brand name "Krups".
Capsule coffee machine of this brand is much cheaper than its Swiss competitor. In addition, in the line of her tastes there are twenty different options. Among them - ten types of classic black coffee, as well as six - with milk. In addition, the Dolce Gusto capsule coffee machine allows you to prepare 3 chocolate drinks or 1 milk in the form of a latte tea containing spices in just a few seconds. Relatively affordable are the prices for one cup of the product that such a device has prepared. So, for a set of capsules of sixteen pieces, you will need to give only 300 rubles.
Pleases buyers and the cost of these units. The capsule Dolce Gusto coffee machine is on the market at a price of 5,000 to 15,000 rubles. This makes it available to a wide range of consumers. However, it should be borne in mind that the quality of these units corresponds to their cost. In these devices there is no exact fit of the internal parts. Their pump cannot give a pressure of 19 atmospheres, limited to only 15 bars. In addition, according to consumer reviews, such coffee machines often fail. Workshops often make repairs even within the warranty period.
The Krups capsule coffee machine has another weakness. The drink prepared by her will disappoint those who prefer strong and invigorating espresso. The fact is that disposable packaging for such units contain only 6 grams of ground grains. This is 1 g less than in standard packaging. In addition, it should be borne in mind that for the production of milk drinks in this case, milk powder is used, which is contained in a separate package. As a result, the product that the Krups capsule coffee machine produces is twice as expensive. And the presence of milk powder in a drink worsens its taste.
Tassimo
This system of capsule preparation of an aromatic beverage was invented in the USA. Its developer was the company Kraft Foods, which produces units in conjunction with the company Bosch.
The Tassimo system has significant differences from those described above. So, any Bosch Tassimo capsule coffee machine is equipped with a low-power pump, giving out only 3.3 bars. This does not interfere with the process of preparing the drink due to the fact that the capsules for Tassimo produce much larger sizes than their existing counterparts. Moreover, they have the form of a disk, in which there are nine grams of uncompressed coffee. In this regard, Tassimo capsule coffee machines do not need powerful water pressure to knock out the necessary aroma. An unpressed obsessed drive easily gets into your cup.
Capsule coffee machine Bosch Tas is presented by a number of models. Moreover, all units of this type have a winning price starting from 3000 rubles. But even the most expensive of these harvesters will not damage the family budget. Their cost will not exceed 9000 rubles.
The top Bosch capsule coffee machine is selected by the buyer according to his design, suitable for the interior of the room in which she will work. You should pay attention to the volume of the water tank, as well as to the presence of a softening built-in filter (when using bottled water, it will not make any sense).
Customer reviews point to some negative aspects in the operation of Tassimo devices. These units are quite capricious in operation and their reliability is lower than those coffee machines that were described above. For example, a consumer is forced to very often wipe a barcode scanner. This is due to the fact that the unit reads the parameters that are set for each capsule for preparing the drink. In this case, the device finds out information about the required volume of water, the desired temperature and time of the process.
The weak link in the Tassimo capsule system is a small variety of flavors. Only 11 are offered by their manufacturer. There are 3 types of classic black coffee in this list , the same amount is with milk, 4 tea drinks and one cocoa. As you can see, this list does not shine with diversity. In addition, there are only six real coffee drinks on the list. And this is quite a bit.
The prepared drinks have a low cost, since the price of 16 capsules for Tassimo is 300-400 rubles. It should be borne in mind that dairy treats are twice as expensive. This is due to the use of two drives. In one of them should be coffee, and in the other - liquid milk concentrate. According to user reviews, such a machine is very economical and attractive for the family budget. However, it is recommended to purchase it only if the coffee drinks prepared by it fully satisfy the consumer's taste, and he is not going to experiment with various varieties of aromatic beans.
The attractiveness of each system
As you can see, capsule coffee machines, a review of which was presented in this article, have their own advantages and disadvantages. Which of the existing systems should the buyer prefer?
If you take into account all the advantages and disadvantages, the Tassimo units will be the most advantageous. In addition, they are leaders in terms of accessibility of both devices and capsules. However, for some consumers, variety of tastes comes first. Then they should not buy such cars. If a person is completely satisfied with the palette of tastes of these devices, then the Bosch Tassimo Vivy T12 model will be the most wonderful option for purchase.
As for the Dolce Gusto system, we can’t say anything about it. On the one hand, it is economical and has a wide palette of tastes. However, in this case, the quality of the drinks suffers. This is due to the presence of powdered milk in capsules, which is unlikely to appeal to those who are serious about coffee. Those who are quite satisfied with this option are advised to pay attention to the Dolce Gusto Piccolo model.
Cremesso and Nespresso systems are recognized as leaders in capsule coffee technology. How to make a choice between them? Here you need to consider buying capsules. In the event that the nearest supermarkets have departments that sell Delica packaging, it is best to purchase a Cremesso system unit. At this company, the taste of coffee is the most noble, verified and will not deceive the expectations of even the most picky consumer. When choosing the instruments of this system, pay attention to the Cremesso Compact Automatic model.
If it is not possible to purchase Cremesso capsules in the nearest stores as an excellent option, customers are advised to use the Delonghi Nespresso EN 80 capsule coffee machine. This unit will delight its owners with a variety of tastes and their quality. Have a good purchase!