Blaupunkt CMP312 Black Coffee Maker

Product Information

Both the ease of use and the sheer quality of the drinks it produces are impressive. The 4.3in touchscreen interface works brilliantly, and the user profiles automatically prioritise each user’s favourite drinks so that they’re just a tap away. There’s plenty of adjustability if you want it, but it can be a one-touch process if you don’t.

Bean to cup espresso machines, as the name suggests, have an inbuilt grinder, so you put coffee beans in the top and espresso comes out of the bottom, at the touch of a button, basically.If you use the machine as is, with the pressured basket, you can't really dial in the grind, meaning to adjust the grind to work towards improving extraction and therefore taste. Pressured basket espresso for me tends to have quite a characteristic taste, and that's not a good thing in this case. I'm going to have to try very hard to not let this turn into an encyclopedia of the Bambino Plus! ;-). I've had this one for a bit now, I've used it a LOT as my day-to-day espresso machine, and I've done loads of video guides on it. If you just use the machine as it is out of the box, what I've found is that you get fairly inconsistent shots from one to the next, and some shots can be really, really poor. If you've started to develop your palate to any degree above the “normal” mainstream UK coffee drinker, then you may find that you're not consistently happy with the cup quality.

This model is quite a bit smaller than its predecessors and as such, some of the original assets have been tweaked. The water tank has been reduced to 600ml, while the capsule bin fits a maximum of eight used pods. Nespresso has also reduced the space underneath the brew head, meaning the tallest mug you’ll be able to fit below is 8cm, or 12cm if you remove the drip tray. Nonetheless, if space is your main concern and you’re happy to look past these minor grumbles, the Pop is a sleek and simple coffee machine providing excellent value for money. I spent a bit of time using this espresso machine for my video below, and I was relatively impressed with it for such a low priced option. Still, it's a very cheap machine, if you want far better potential cup quality, ease of use, and potentially way better long term value for money, I'd highly recommend scrolling down to the Gaggia Espresso.With modes for cappuccino, flat white, and even latte macchiato, the De’Longhi Dinamica Plus ECAM370 is a premium coffee machine that delivers on automatic systems with hands-free brewing. The menu allows you to adjust the drinks to different sizes and aromas, and you can completely customize the coffee-to-milk ratio by making a preset just for you. What thousands of people who do have this machine might not be aware of, though, is that this little machine is actually capable of much better espresso than they're actually intended to produce, with a bit of care. The boiler is still Aluminium, but instead of being Anodized, it's coated, with a highly durable food-safe coating called Exelia 3010-B242. If you're not bothered about upgrading the basket, then don't worry about it, just use great coffee beans and how impressed you are with the espresso it'll produce will just depend on your palate, and if it doesn't cut the mustard you can upgrade the portafilter, or upgrade the machine.