There are very few aspects of our lives that don’t rely on technology in some way.
Of course, bean to cup coffee machines have a lot of technology built in even if you just opt for a basic option. You need to consider the sort of features you are looking for and the specific type of bean to cup coffee machine.
At the top end of the market, technology plays an even bigger part in the way the machines work, with manufacturers all trying to outdo one another when it comes to creating their flagship new products.
Photo: coffeefriend.co.uk
How bean to cup coffee machines work
To understand the technology behind your coffee machines it helps to know how they work. Though there are slight variations depending on which model you purchase, there are also some specific features that tend to be the same no matter which coffee machine you buy.
There is a hopper where the coffee is kept, and when the user chooses the type of coffee they want, the right volume of coffee beans are deposited and ground, usually based on the extraction method needed.
You may have an option to alter things like the grind settings. The coffee is then tamped by a disc inside the machine. You will have seen baristas do this when you order from a coffee shop.
The hot water is then pushed through the ground coffee, and the machine will have presets for the length of time needed to create espresso, based on strength too.
Depending on the type of coffee machine you have there may also be some options to alter the settings and to get the type of espresso or grind type you are looking for.
A milk steamer is often part of the coffee machine and while it is possible that you potentially have to do this yourself, others have a carafe and automatically do the job for you. The idea is that with a bean to cup coffee machine there are very few things you need to do manually.
There are sometimes specific and customisable settings. It really depends on what kind of option you are looking to buy but some will give you the option to froth milk differently, choose different types of milk, and even set things like the temperature.
Even some of the very basics of how the machines operate can vary depending on the manufacturer. While it varies, there is a correlation between how much you spend on your machine and how many features there are, such as customisation choices.
Photo: coffeefriend.co.uk
Other technology you may see in your bean to cup machine
With so many manufacturers looking to give their customers different options, there are quite a few different options for technology that may be included.
Save your preferences
Some bean to cup coffee machines give you the option to save your own preferences, so as well as altering the controls you can actually have a profile within. This is ideal for the sort of workplaces and homes where a lot of people use the machine and would like to save their own specific settings ready for next time.
Timers
Some can be set to make coffee on a specific timer which is ideal for the mornings, for instance.
App control
A lot of coffee machines on the market now can even be controlled from an app. This means that there is an option for saving profiles on an app and even starting the brewing remotely. The app control function may also extend to smart home control, meaning you can use voice controls to create your ideal cup of coffee.
Make multiple coffees at once
A lot of the bigger options on the market allow you to make more than one coffee at once. This means that they are ideal for workplaces or even big families where there is often a clamour to use the coffee machine.
Cleaning functions
One of the biggest areas where companies are continuing to make progress in bean to cup coffee machines is cleaning. It can be one of the difficulties and potential downsides to having a bean to cup machine, but actually with a few additional features it becomes a lot more straightforward.
Some modern machines have options for descaling as well as cleaning the milk carafe. This takes a lot of the downside to owning one of these machines off the table completely.
So, as technology continues to grow and improve throughout every aspect of daily life, expect bean to cup coffee machines to gain even more features, and some you may not have even imagined.
For now, there are plenty of impressive machines that allow you to create high-quality drinks and even control from an app or with your voice control setup. All the while, the key is that they provide you with excellent coffee.
