Coffee machines have come such a long way in recent years, and the models you can get to use in your own home are pretty incredible. There is a lot to be said for learning how to be your own barista. Having a coffee machine can save you money in the long run if it prevents you from going to the coffee shop and paying over the odds for a hazelnut latte.
Coffee machines also allow you to be as creative as you like when making your own coffee beverages, with some having features that can allow you to do everything a barista would be able to do in your local coffee shop, or even more. In this guide, we’ve explored some of the coffee machine features that let you experiment and test your creativity.
Milk frother or steamer
If you often go to the coffee shop and like to watch your barista while he or she makes you a cup of coffee, such as a latte or a flat white, you will notice that they use this piece of kit. The milk frother or steamer, sometimes called the steam arm, is a way to heat and steam your milk to create coffee drinks including flat white and cappuccino, along with lattes.
Different levels of frothing and steaming prepare different drinks. On top of that, you can even learn how to do some really cool latte art, you might even be able to make those little swans on the top of your coffee that you pick up from the local coffee shop.
Milk container in a Nespresso machine
A lot of pod and capsule coffee machines have traditionally used water and some sort of powdered milk in the pods to give them the creamy texture. This is fine, but it is certainly not the very best solution possible for making coffee that tastes authentic. Fortunately, a lot of the newer models such as the Nespresso Lattissima have addressed this problem by adding a milk container.
This means you can use milk to create barista-style drinks, but you can also experiment with different types of milk such as oat milk, almond milk, and whatever else you want in your barista-style drink. Even vegans can enjoy the taste of barista coffee drinks, and oat lattes are becoming one of the most in-fashion drinks at the moment. You can experiment with whatever kind of coffee you like.
Strength settings
Different coffee machines do this in different ways. Some simply have a button that you can press to make your coffee stronger.
In this scenario, what is usually happening is that the extraction time is being increased so that the water is in contact with the coffee for longer, imparting a much stronger taste.
In some coffee machines, especially high-end models, there is every chance you may even be able to digitally set the extraction time yourself, choosing how long you want the espresso to “brew” for and therefore hugely impacting upon the flavour of your coffee.
Either way, it is great to have a way to alter the strength of your drink, so those people who claim they like their coffee strong can really be put to the test.
Types of coffee beverage
Experimentation comes in many different forms, and with a lot of different types of coffee machine, you can just press a button to change the setting of your machine and make a different drink entirely. Some of the top bean-to-cup coffee machines allow you to change the type of milk, but they also let you alter things like the type of drink you want. All over the world people prepare coffees in different ways and more of these are being programmed into coffee machines for you to experiment.
By the time you consider all of the options you have when it comes to coffee beans, coffee machines, milk, and more, you will see just how many choices you actually have. You may never make two cups of coffee that are the same again.
Further experimenting – pods, capsules, and syrups
If you use a pod or capsule coffee machine then you have the chance to change your supplier, as well as companies like Nespresso making many different models with their own unique flavours, there are companies making compatible coffee pods and coffee capsules too, which allow you to enjoy different types of drinks.
There are also syrups that you can add, just like the ones you would see used in the coffee shop if you ask for a hazelnut latte, for instance. Caramel and other syrup types are very popular and can be purchased for use with your coffee machine, giving you even more chance to get creative when making your coffee drinks.
