Automatic Espresso Machines – Set it and Forget It

This is a Krups "Vivo F880" espresso...

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Most espresso machines on the market offer a great number of features and deliver delicious tasting espresso. They also have one problem…most espresso machines operate manually. Enter the automatic espresso machine. Automatic espresso machines will grind the coffee beans, put the grounds in the hopper, then fill the reservoir with water, heat the water and then force the heated water through the grounds to produce a perfect cup of espresso every time. Some high-end machines will even dump the used grounds from the hopper when finished so that the machine is ready for the next brewing cycle. [Read more…]

Espresso Machines

Coffeemaker

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Baristas are trained in the art of making the perfect espresso. It requires a lot of patience and practice and is not easy to master. However, there is an easier way. An espresso machine. Espresso machines make espresso a much simpler beverage to create by controlling the temperature precisely.

There are several different types of espresso machines available, each functioning in a different manner. There are piston-driven espresso machines, semi-automatic machines, and automatic espresso machines.

In the Beginning

Espresso came into being when people were looking for a quicker way to make their coffee. In Italy, around 1901, Luigi Bezzera found a way to make hot pressurized water and its steam push through a bed of finely ground coffee. The result was a quick, individual cup of highly concentrated coffee that came to be known as espresso. Bezzera acquired a patent for his machine and in 1903 these first espresso machines were sold in Europe.

These machines were not easy to use. There was no consistency to the espresso produced because the temperature and steam were controlled by the operator, leaving room for a large amount of diversity in the resulting beverages.

In 1935 Illy invented a coffee maker that used compressed air instead of steam, thus solving the problem of exploding espresso makes. His machine gave a more favorable, stable result.

The lever action espresso machine was invented by Achille’s Gaggia in 1945 and still today bears his name. Both the Illeta and Gaggia versions of espresso machines are available on the market today.
Illy continued to expand and simplify his espresso machine by combining the best parts of other makers. [Read more…]

An Introduction to the Tassimo Hot Beverage System

An Introduction to the Tassimo Hot Beverage System

Author: Stephanie Larkin

When discussing the Tassimo hot beverage system, one thing should be made clear: Tassimo is not a single-serve coffee maker. There is a reason that they call it a ‘hot beverage system’ rather than a one-cup coffee machine. The Tassimo Hot Beverage System may just be one of the most versatile beverage makers on the market today.

The Tassimo hot beverage system is designed by Kraft, a multinational food and beverage company, and is manufactured by Saeco, which makes the highest quality coffee and espresso in the world. Distributed by Braun, the Tassimo uses a proprietary T-disc design to brew just about any type of beverage that uses hot water, and brews it perfectly every time.

The T-Disc and What Makes It Unique

Most one cup systems use little filter packets stuffed with pre-measured and firmly packed coffee called ‘pods’. There’s a wide range of espresso systems and coffee maker systems that use E.S.E. (Easy Serving Espresso) pods, which are standardized in size and volume to fit E.S.E. machines. Pods are essentially the same, no matter what their size – they consist of a pre-measured portion of coffee compressed into a puck and covered with a paper filter.

Tassimo’s closest competitor, Keurig, uses a proprietary coffee filter and holder all in one called a K-cup. The K-cup is designed to be a mini-brewer, similar to Tassimo’s T-disc, but there is one major difference.

  • The bar code
  • The true innovation behind the T-Disc, and the thing that makes every beverage brewed in the Tassimo consistently good – is the bar code technology. The Tassimo system is a smart machine. Each T-Disc is marked with a bar code that tells the machine how much water to use, what temperature to heat the water to and how long to brew the beverage before releasing it. The bar code reader gives the Tassimo system its major advantage over other one cup beverage makers – consistency. The tasters at Kraft work to find the perfect combination of water, heat and time for each new beverage – and once that’s found, every single cup of that beverage brewed in the Tassimo will always be perfect. [GO TO TASSIMO STORE] [Read more…]

Brewing Great Coffee

Brewing Great Coffee

Only a few can disagree that a great day starts with a cup of rich coffee. A great flavored cup of hot coffee is a perfect way to begin your day. And most of the readers interested in this article like it that way only. The most important part in getting close to the perfect cup of coffee is brewing. This part is quite crucial once you have selected and grinded the fine gourmet coffee beans. Of course, brewing only starts after you have grinded the coffee well. For those who know less about brewing let us make it clear that the basic principal which is common to all methods brewing coffee is to immerse ground coffee in hot water to extract the flavor and aroma of the coffee so that the drink you get is rich in both mentioned above. So lot many things are to be understood with absolute clarity if you are planning to brew the coffee all by yourself.

While brewing the coffee, the coffee maker also plays an important role. The most commonly used coffee maker is the one which uses drip method and so it is essential to understand how to brew the coffee using it. The least bothered about element while brewing coffee is water. But a bit consideration to this element can drastically change the flavor of your coffee. We suggest you to use fresh filtered water for brewing. Always add fresh and cold water to your coffee maker. It is a misconception that it is better to add hot water for brewing coffee. Adding hot water directly to your coffee make not only changes the overall flavor of the coffee but can also ruin the coffee maker. So better add cold water only. Another factor is cleaning the coffee maker. Always ensure that your coffee maker is absolutely clean as the unwanted elements like water sediments and coffee oil can add to the brewing process and will change the taste of the coffee for the worst of it. That is why it is very essential to clean your coffee maker regularly so that nothing gets mixed up with the process of brewing coffee. [Read more…]