Cappuccinatore coffee machines: what to look for when buying

Coffee machines with a cappuccinator (milk frother) are no longer a novelty for ten years. But from time to time, technical, structural improvements appear, and thus the automatic froth coffee machine itself becomes an innovation. With all this you have to understand, delve into and master the art of a barista. Let's figure out what you should pay attention to when choosing.

Device

The fluffiness of the foam and the strength of the coffee will depend on the ratio of sugar / milk and the degree of grinding of the beans. There are many grinding levels in such coffee grinders - up to 15. The more grinding is required, the more time is needed for this process. The machine has a dispenser, an on / off timer is provided, that is, the duration of grinding, whipping. The launch can be set according to the time of day, for example, in the morning: you woke up, and the coffee is already ready. To prevent the flavor from escaping, the lid of the container is equipped with a rubber or silicone seal.

The type of cappuccinatore, which can be both automatic and mechanical in the form of a manual panarello nozzle, can also have a significant impact on the quality of the foam.

Choice by functionality

Functions can be set separately, but in modern models, their combination is chosen by electronics. That is, you click on a certain type of coffee, and the machine itself connects the necessary functions to the process. The word "cappuccino" should not be misleading, since milk foam requires not only cappuccino, but also macchiato, latte. It's just that frothy coffee is mostly associated with cappuccino.

On the control panel there is a rotary knob for the strength of the drink. It is connected to both the cappuccinatore and the timer. Adjustment can be done manually, or set to automatic. In another case, the drink is prepared according to pre-set parameters. Electronics remembers all the settings, so coffee in different versions can be “ordered” with one keystroke. For convenience, the values are displayed on the LCD display.

As a "raw material" for a coffee machine, coffee beans or ground coffee is used. It is better to choose a machine that works with one and the other kind. Further, the system has a dispenser, which can also be put on the "automatic" and set the desired amount depending on the volume of the cup (15-250 ml). You can also set the temperature of the freshly brewed coffee (values from 70 to 98°C).

Inexpensive models use an LCD display, while those that are more expensive use a TFT touch screen. Management is like on a smartphone, therefore there are fewer buttons in such modifications. The screen type has little effect on the price, but the cost of coffee machines goes up due to the number of functions and the brand. European, American brands are more expensive than Chinese ones, but they are of better quality and last three times longer. So, for connoisseurs of quality coffee, automatic coffee machines can be used both with a built-in cappuccinatore, for example, Polaris PACM 2060AC, and with a manual panarello nozzle, which allows you to whip even cream and prepare a thick raff, which cannot be done in a conventional coffee machine. The most interesting models with a manual panarello nozzle are the PACM 2050 and PACM 2041 coffee machines.

The device can be designed for the simultaneous preparation of 2 cups of coffee with certain portions for hasty breakfasts. But the final choice of "automatic barista" depends only on the needs.