Coffee is actually a very simple knowledge to learn but difficult to master. It comes down to grinding and water extraction, but there are so many variables that affect the quality of coffee: the quality of the beans, the quality of the grind, the temperature, the quality of the water, the stability of the extraction and so on, that it is not easy to make a good cup of espresso. For those who want to make espresso at home, I sincerely recommend a capsule coffee machine as it works really well. Here are three reasons why I would recommend a capsule coffee machine even more.

Capsule coffee machines have a reliable production

Firstly, the coffee beans are ground and encapsulated in a uniform vacuum, which guarantees the quality of the grind and delays the loss of flavour. Secondly, capsule coffee machines have very little independent operation, basically using a unified debugging and pump pressure, preset all the parameters, all you have to do is put in the capsule, press the button, a cup of rich espresso will be presented in front of you, is not very easy. It can be said that the capsule coffee machine eliminates all the factors that can affect the flavour of the coffee and ensures that each cup is consistent enough.

No need for additional appliances 

If you have a semi-automatic espresso machine at home, apart from the machine you also need to purchase a bean grinder, a powder press hammer, a powder dispenser, a milk jar, a grounds box …… and a bunch of other accessories. The capsule coffee machine, on the other hand, you only need to pay for this one, other things like the grinder, powder hammer, powder dispenser and so on are not needed, which in fact also invariably reduces the cost of coffee making, you just need to buy ready-made capsules and everything is OK.

Convenient to use

It’s even easier to use, firstly there’s no need to wait for a long time (café coffee machines take up to 20 minutes to warm up before they can be used), capsule coffee machines are basically ready to heat up, so you only need to wait a few minutes before you can make coffee, which is very convenient in a home context. Cleaning is also a very important factor, as there is no complicated cleaning process as with semi-automatic machines, the capsule coffee machine is very simple to use and easy to clean.

Capsule coffee machines are convenient, however, as each brand wants to create its own capsule system, this also results in the many capsule sizes on the market not being common to each other, and if you once choose a certain machine, it also means that you can only buy adapted capsules for making coffee in the future. So, choosing the right capsule coffee machine for you at the outset is a very important thing to consider. When selecting a capsule coffee machine, we actually have to consider whether it is right for us in two directions: the capsule system and the coffee machine features.

Capsule systems

In general, different brands of capsules have different shapes, which can lead to incompatibility between capsules and coffee machines, so be careful not to buy the wrong capsule when buying a capsule. When choosing a capsule system it is usually important to consider: the variety of capsule flavours available; the support of third party brands; and the availability of low caffeine capsules. Some capsule systems can also be purchased with reusable capsules to fill with your own ground coffee. If the rest of the family doesn’t like coffee, some brands now include not only coffee but also tea, milk tea and even soy milk.

The capsule coffee machine

Depending on the scenario, the coffee machine can be either a tabletop coffee machine or a portable coffee machine. Desktop coffee machines can be categorised into two groups according to whether they have a milk frothing system or not. Coffee machines with a milk frothing system can be divided into automatic milk frothing systems and manual milk frothing systems, depending on the way the milk is fused with the coffee. The automatic milk frothing system involves putting in the coffee capsules, water and milk and making the espresso fully automatically at the touch of a button. It is important to note that this type of coffee machine must be cleaned in time, otherwise the milk will create an odour in the piping, some models support automatic cleaning. The advantage is that you can practice frothing on your own, although there is a threshold, but it is really a great pleasure for espresso, and as the milk does not enter the machine it is very easy to clean.

The common capsule coffee machines on the market are all similar in terms of principle and based on my experience I would like to recommend the Nespresso and Dolce Gusto brands to you.