Are Bean to Cup Coffee Machines Any Good?
When it comes to brewing coffee people generally want a small coffee maker that’s affordable and able to produce a consistently good cup. In their effort to achieve a better cup of coffee, many people attempt to take shortcuts that ultimately lead to a reduction in cup quality. Although these people have good intentions, they are essentially short changing themselves with the type of machine they choose. One such example of machines that are designed to make things easier, but falls short in terms of performance are bean to cup coffee machines. For those that don’t know, a bean to cup coffee machine actually holds whole bean coffee inside of a hopper and doses it into a grinder on demand. Once in the grinder, the machine uses the coffee grounds to produce many different types of beverages depending on the machine.
So, are these machines any good? I suppose the answer depends on your perspective. For us, these commercial bean to cup coffee machines generally don’t produce the kind of beverage that we consider to be extraordinary. There are several reasons that we don’t necessarily endorse the “grind and brew” type of machines:
1. The Grinder is Normally Inferior – whenever we talk about great coffee we always mention the important role that the grinder plays in the process. In addition to the freshness of the coffee and the temperature of the water, the grinder is one of the most important aspects in the brewing process. The only grinder you need to know about is the burr grinder, since this type of grinder is the only type that will produce a consistent, quality grind. We have a problem with machines that use an integrated blade grinder, since the blades do nothing more than pulverize the coffee beans into a bunch of tiny particles, creating the opportunity for bitterness to creep into the final cup.
2. The Machines are Typically Automatic – although automatic features make our lives easier, they don’t necessarily make for a superior cup of coffee. There is a reason why the top coffee shops and baristas use manual machines exclusively, and it’s because pulling shots manually is the only way to produce consistently excellent results. Although an automatic espresso machine can produce something so-so, is this the type of result you’re really striving to achieve?
Ultimately, there is no secret to brewing great coffee. All you need is a quality small coffee maker, fresh roasted beans and a quality burr grinder. In fact, even the size of machine doesn’t make much of a difference as a 100 cup coffee maker can do just as decent of a job as a 1 cup coffee maker. Just as the best alcohol drinks aren’t made with cheap spirits, the most spectacular coffee isn’t achieved by taking shortcuts. Spending the money up front on a capable setup will allow you to achieve consistently superior results for years to come.
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