Red Green Repeat Adventures of a Spec Driven Junkie

Praise for: Fully Automatic Espresso Machines

I got a fully automatic espresso machine this summer and I am in love with it. I only have to put in whole coffee beans and water, espresso comes out at a touch of a button and I throw away ground beans and excess water.

It’s fantastic.

This machine making a complete espresso is quieter than my coffee grinder operating normally.

I got this machine because I wanted to enjoy espresso and espresso based drinks more without doing all the work myself.

Yes, espressos are a lot of work!

  1. Extra fine grind
  2. Tapping to the right amount of force
  3. Extract the right amount

I never got good results doing those steps manually, especially first thing in the morning when I wanted an espresso.

Increased Complexity: Bean Management

One thing I did learn: good espresso requires beans to be dark. I found any medium roasted coffee beans gave bitter espressos.

So this changes the amount of coffee beans I have in the house. I need to have medium roasted coffee beans for the normal drip coffee and dark roasted beans for the espresso - caffeinated and decaffeinated for each. That does take up more space and management.

Benefits - Drink options and Desserts

I wished I got the fully automatic machine earlier.

Wider Temperature Range

During the summers, I cannot handle drinking hot coffee when it’s over 80F/25C outside. (Somehow my wife can handle it!)

So, I want ice coffee - what do I do?

Espresso shot on ice - ice americano.

Now I’m caffeinated and cool.

Anytime

Not only do I have great espressos in the morning at a touch of a button (after filling the beans and water) - I can have espressos anytime of day.

Say, I want an espresso shot on my ice cream?

Done.

Now I have a coffee dessert.

Conclusion

Overall, I’m satisfied with my fully automatic espresso machine. They are expensive and take up additional counter space in the kitchen, for the machine and additional beans.

I would recommend it to enhance your coffee drink choices and dessert options.