Wake Up And Smell The Coffee Machines

You’ll save money and impress her the morning after, but which one of these serves up a pro-quality cup?

The expert: Fabio Ferreira. Drinks six cups of coffee a day. Co-founder and head taster of independent coffee shops across UK, Fabio has tasted every variety of coffee bean on the planet.

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1. illy Francis Francis X7.1 (A-)

The brand: Franceso Illy invented the first automatic coffee machine in 1935. Since then, Illy has become one of the most respected names and is available in 131 countries. Price: ₹20,163

The machine: With its vintage style, this looks the coolest of the lot. It’s got one button to switch it on and one to make coffee, so it’s easy to use.

The coffee: Fabio: “Illy does a very good job, but these pods do create some of the smoky flavour you associate with lower quality beans. It’s quite rich.”

The verdict: A great looking, modern machine that channels old-school Italian style, and is super simple to use.

2. Lavazza A Modo Mio Favola Plus (C)

The brand: Three quarters of coffee-buying Italians choose Lavazza beans. They’ve teamed up with Swedish appliances giant AEG to challenge market dominators Nespresso in the pod-to-cup stakes. Price: ₹18,137

The machine: It may not look inspiring, but it’s a solid appliance and no hassle at all to use: drop in the pod and choose between short or long coffee.

The coffee: Fabio: “It tastes over-roasted, which gives it a slight rubbery flavour. But it has a good amount of crema — the foam layer at the top of an espresso.”

The verdict: It heats water faster than a kettle and will give you a cup of coffee in under 30 seconds, but it’s not the tastiest of the lot.

3. Gran Gaggia (winner, A+)

The brand: In 1977, Italian company Gaggia became the first to develop an espresso machine for home use. Now owned by Philips, its larger pro-use machines are still favourites with baristas. Price: ₹18,238

The machine: This takes ESE pods — like little teabags — or ground coffee, which gives you the option of using top quality stuff. It’s not automatic though.

The coffee: Fabio: “It’s fresh, the colour is nice and it tastes good. It’s not as good as a professional machine, but I’m pleasantly surprised by it.”

The verdict: As close as you’ll get to café coffee in your own kitchen. It requires a tad more effort, but it’s well worth it for the taste.

4. Nespresso U (B)

The brand: In the past decade, Nespresso has shifted more than 20 billion capsules – thanks in no small part to a certain George Clooney and a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign. Price: ₹12,057

The machine: It’s sleek, simple and would fit into the smallest of kitchens. You just drop in a capsule, which makes it easy to use, but gives you less control.

The coffee: Fabio: “It doesn’t have a rubber or smoky taste, which is good. I can see why people like it so much but it is quite watery and thin.”

The verdict: A nifty little device — especially at that price — and the massive range of flavours means there’s a pod to suit every taste.

5. DeLonghi Motivo (C-)

The brand: Making affordable appliances turned DeLonghi into a billion-dollar monster. It’s now got its sights set firmly on the home coffee machine market. Price: ₹13,172

The machine: This takes ESE pods or pre-ground coffee and comes with more manual controls than the others. It suggests using Kimbo coffee capsules.

The coffee: Fabio: “You know when you chew a paracetamol tablet by mistake? That’s what I’m getting. The coffee’s not great, but I think that’s down to the pod.”

The verdict: The manual controls mean you could potentially make a perfect cup of coffee, or end up with a thin, watery mess.

Know the lingo

Espresso A single shot of coffee, normally around 60ml.

Macchiato An espresso shot poured into a small layer of milk foam.

Cortado A single espresso shot, cut with warm milk.

Americano Espresso topped up with hot water, diluting the power of the coffee shot.

Latte A single shot of espresso topped up with steamed milk and a half-inch layer of foam.

Flat White Like a latte, but with a higher proportion of coffee to milk.

Cappuccino One third espresso coffee, one third hot milk, and one third steamed milk foam.

From the January 2014 issue of FHM India.