ᐅ Is a Built-In Fully Automatic Coffee Machine Recommended?

Created on: 29 Jul 2020 19:01
S
Shiny86
I am currently focusing a lot on kitchen planning.
I am considering an integrated automatic coffee machine.
Do you have one, and would you choose it again?
Can you recommend a specific model or share tips on what to look out for?
And the most important question: how is maintenance and cleaning handled?
For example, does it need to be removed once a year for servicing?
P
pagoni2020
30 Jul 2020 15:12
Curly schrieb:

Well, whenever I buy beans other than our usual "Malabar beans," people immediately complain here. I don’t even bother buying beans from discount stores because no one likes the taste.

Best regards,
Sabine

People who complain? That definitely shows poor upbringing.
I would love to attend this test personally, and it would probably end as humorously as most of these tests do.
But if it’s your favorite brand, that’s great, and it would be silly to buy something else—just like the Lidl shopper or the person who talks to every single bean.
It has to taste good—
Pinky030130 Jul 2020 15:30
@Shiny86 We don’t have a built-in fully automatic coffee machine, but a freestanding unit from Bosch on the countertop. It has been working flawlessly for a few years now.

We buy beans for €10/kg (about $11/lb) from Lidl; we actually prefer the taste over the more expensive supermarket brands.

Is it necessary to have a fully automatic coffee machine professionally cleaned at some point?
S
Shiny86
30 Jul 2020 16:04
opalau schrieb:

No, nobody needs to come for service. Basically the same as with any fully automatic machine:
  • Descale every x cups and run a cleaning cycle every y cups, roughly once a month with about 5-10 cups per day
  • Regularly remove the drip tray and clean it in the dishwasher
  • Regularly take out the brewing unit and wash it

Sounds doable. I thought someone would have to come regularly for maintenance or that you’d have to remove the machine...

To those with integrated fully automatic coffee machines: which model do you have exactly?
Tarnari30 Jul 2020 18:37
We are now on our third one, as the previous two broke down over time.
1. DeLonghi
Terrible device. At some point, there must have been an electronics failure. When you turned it on, the circuit breaker would trip.
2. Bosch (identical to Siemens)
Also terrible. Especially very difficult to clean and poorly made. After a while, the locking pin became warped, and you could no longer properly insert the brewing unit.
3. For about half a year now. It needs to be cleaned very often, but this model is very easy to clean. No hard-to-reach corners and almost entirely smooth surfaces inside.
So far, we are satisfied.

When I imagine if we had the third one permanently built in... what would that have cost!
My parents-in-law have a permanently built-in one from NEF and are very unhappy with it.
S
Shiny86
30 Jul 2020 18:47
Tarnari schrieb:

My in-laws have a permanently installed unit from NEF and are very unhappy with it.

Why is that?
Tarnari30 Jul 2020 19:15
I can’t give you the details on that. They mention it repeatedly, but I don’t remember the specifics. Things that come to mind are things like hard to clean, small water tank, something already broken after just six months, and so on...