Guide to electric coffee makers: from capsules to super-automatic ones, how to choose the best one for your home

The café It stopped long ago being just a functional drink to become a ritual, a hobby and, in many homes, also a technological object.

The proliferation of specialty coffee shopsthe rise of capsules and the appearance of increasingly sophisticated machines They transformed the way Argentines relate to drinking and opened a range of options unthinkable until a few years ago.

“The idea was established that coffee is the new wine“, resume Nicolás Artusijournalist, writer and one of the main disseminators of coffee culture in Argentina. As he explains, together with the specialty coffee shop boom and the arrival of international chainsmany consumers began to try to bring that more sophisticated experience to the home.

The pandemic accelerated the phenomenon even more. “For the first time in history, more espresso makers were sold than filter coffee makers for home consumption,” says Artusi. And defines it as “the definitive breaking point” in the relationship of Argentines with coffee.

The transformation is also reflected in consumer habits. For Camila CarpanettiCoffee Ambassador of Nespresso Argentina“the home is positioned as the main coffee experience space.” The executive maintains that today the consumer is more informed, more demanding and seeks to combine ritual with practicality.

Las social networksIn addition, they added a new ingredient: the possibility of replicating at home the drinks and preparations that previously seemed exclusive to a coffee shop. Cold drinks, viral recipes, syrups and milk frothing accessories are part of an ecosystem that continues to grow.

In this scenario, everything from classic capsule machines to equipment capable of grind the grain and prepare a cappuccino practically with just touch a button.

Las capsule machines They were one of the great gateways to the best quality coffee in the home. The system is based on individual servings of coffee sealed which are inserted into the machine and prepared automatically.

Within this category there are two big families.

On the one hand, espresso-oriented machines, such as Nespressowhose most accessible models (Essenza Mini or the discontinued Inissia) start from around $200.000 and can exceed $700.000 in more equipped lines such as Vertuo Pop, which uses different capsules and other extraction technology.

The segment also evolved towards more complete equipment, such as the Nespresso Gran Lattissima (from $600.000), which incorporates a milk tank and allows you to automatically prepare drinks such as cappuccinos and lattes, providing an experience closer to that of a cafeteria without abandoning the capsule system.

On the other hand there are the multibebidalike the Dolce Gustowith models such as Piccolo XS or Mini Me, whose prices range approximately from $150,000 to $300,000. Designed for a broader and family-oriented audience, Dolce Gusto stands out for offering everything from espressos and long coffees to Cortados, cappuccinos and other milk drinks ready in seconds.

Its main advantage is the simplicity.

“There are a thousand ways to ruin a good coffee,” says Artusi. The capsules, he explains, They eliminate virtually all the variables that can go wrong. “You just have to be able to put a capsule in a slot and press a button.”

The experience is also extremely consistent. “Is practically impossible that one coffee comes out different than the other,” he adds.

At Nespresso, precisely these attributes stand out. According to Carpanetti, capsule systems played a central role in the last decade because they offer a preparation “very fast, consistent and simple”with high levels of convenience and customization.

Las limitations They mainly go through the cost per cup and because it is a relatively closed ecosystem. The original capsules of Nespresso cost today between $2,000 and $3,000while those of Dolce Gusto they hover between $1,000 and $1,500. And, although the coffee offering is wide, the user has few possibilities to intervene in the preparation.

Las manual espresso machines They are the gateway to the universe of more artisanal coffee. Equipment like the Oster Compacta or the De’Longhi Dedica are available today between $300,000 and $800,000 and allow you to use ground coffee (grinder not included) and recreate the coffee shop preparation system at home.

Its operation is relatively simple: A pump pushes hot water under pressure through a basket with ground coffee. But the result depends much more on the user.

“If you control those variables, you will have a very good experience“, says Artusi. The problem is that you have to learn to handle them.

The barista and trainer Valentina Barrionuevo agrees that these systems are more versatile because they allow temperature, grinding and extraction times to be modified to achieve different results. “With a good coffee and a little knowledge you get excellent cups,” he says.

The other side is the learning curve. They require more dedication, more cleaning and require some patience until you find the right spot.

In exchange, the cost per cup drops significantly. According to Artusi, a good quality coffee prepared with beans or ground coffee can be around $1,000 per cupapproximately half of what an original Nespresso costs.

In recent years there has appeared intermediate category between manual and fully automatic machines: espresso with integrated grinder.

Models such as De’Longhi La Specialista, Breville Barista Express or Breville Barista Pro already incorporate the grinder within the equipment and allow you to use freshly ground coffee beans. Their prices start just above $1.500.000 and can approach the $3.000.000 in the most equipped versions.

For Artusi, it is “a 2.0 version of the common espresso machine.” The big difference is that the user can control a critical variable: the grinding.

The journalist maintains that this category responds to consumers’ growing interest in learning more about coffee and perfecting the experience at home. He even mentions a striking phenomenon: the emergence of “coffee corner“a specific space for preparing coffee that is beginning to displace the traditional domestic minibar.

Barrionuevo agrees that these machines offer greater possibilities for experimentation, although he warns that they also require extraction and calibration knowledge.

They are more expensive equipment and take up more space. But for many they represent the ideal balance between control and comfort.

If capsule machines eliminated brewing variables, the superautomatic They try to combine that convenience with the freshness of coffee beans.

Equipment such as the De’Longhi Magnifica or the Philips LatteGo integrate grinder, dosing and extraction in a single device. Depending on the model and level of automation, their prices range from about $1,200,000 up to more than $2,500,000.

According to Carpanetti, automatic and super-automatic machines constitute another great technological advance because they allow “replicate a professional barista experience at home” by integrating these functions into the same team.

Artusi also defends them. “The automatic coffee maker takes the best of the capsule system and makes it better with the espresso system. It combines them,” he says.

Its operation is simple: the user loads the coffee beans and presses a button. The machine takes care of the rest and, in many cases, It also allows you to prepare drinks with milk.

However, Barrionuevo considers that, although they represent an advance in terms of comfort, there is still an important difference compared to a traditional espresso machine. “There are as many variables as there are coffees in the world. If we cannot modify them, there is no chance to bring out the best and do justice to those coffees“, he claims.

The main obstacle remains precio. They are the most expensive machines in this guide, although they probably offer the best relationship between practicality and quality in cup.

For decades, the percolator It was almost a routine household appliance, present in Argentine offices and homes. But in recent years the method has been reinvented.

Models such as the Technivorm Moccamaster or the Breville Precision Brewer aim to offer a greater control over preparation and better water distribution. Their prices are approximately between $1,000,000 and $1,500,000. At the other extreme, traditional filter coffee makers from brands like Oster, Peabody or Philco can still be found for around $50,000.

The result is a completely different drink to that of the previous categories. Artusi explains: “It will give you a longer, lighter, smoother drink, with more caffeine and perhaps more aromatic components, but with less taste than espresso.”

Although he admits to being a fan of espresso, the journalist vindicates the method: “Filter coffee is the essence of homely coffee“.

Its main strength is that it allows you to prepare several cups easily and with a very low cost. The downside is that it does not offer the intensity of espresso or the possibility of preparing drinks with milk.

Beyond the available technology, specialists agree that the final quality of the coffee It doesn’t depend solely on the team..

For Barrionuevo, “the most important thing will always be coffee.” And then, the grinder: “It is of no use to us to have an incredible machine if we use poor quality grain”.

Artusi focuses on another frequently neglected aspect: the agua. Remember that coffee is made up of 98% of this ingredient and warns about the importance of using adequate water and respect the processes of cleaning and descaling of the machines.

There are coffee machines for practically all user profiles. From those who just want to press a button and get a consistent espresso to those who enjoy experimenting with each brewing variable.

Technology expanded possibilities and brought experiences previously reserved for coffee shops to the home kitchen. The final choice depends less on which is the “best” machine and more on how much time, money and dedication Each person is willing to invest in their daily cup of coffee.