What Coffee Do 5 Coffee Machines Under $470 We Tested Make

By coffee machine we mean a model with a built-in coffee grinder, which allows you to make espresso and espresso-based drinks without having to load ground coffee into a horn or form a coffee tablet — the machine itself does all this. Choosing a quality model among expensive ones is not difficult, but this time we will focus on the impressive results of budget coffee machines.

• coffee grinder with metal conical burrs and mechanical adjustment of 13 grinding levels
• manual convenient cappuccino maker with automatic shutdown.
• double flow-through thermoblock for coffee and steam
• touch control buttons, no display
• the main panel has four buttons for making black coffee of different volumes in different modes
• access to «deep settings» — only with the help of the instructions, you can't figure it out on your own
  intuitive indication of modes and necessary actions
• brewing group holds 14 g of coffee
• can be made from ground coffee

With a background noise level of 35 dB, the coffee machine demonstrated a noise level of up to 62-64 dB during pouring and up to 85 dB when the coffee grinder was running.

Ready for use time:

• Warm-up and rinsing — 40 seconds
• Preparing the cappuccino maker — 30 seconds
• Making espresso — 50-70 seconds

• Espresso — 40 ml with real crema, temperature 81-82 °C in an unheated cup. It is designed to prepare from 20 to 80 ml of drink
• Coffee — 80 seconds, 190 g of drink, 88 °C, it is designed to prepare from 100 to 240 ml
• Long (lungo): 2 minutes and 30 seconds, about 170 g of drink, 81-82 °C. In fact, this is a double program, giving a very (but not over-) extracted aromatic and dense drink
• Americano: 1.5 minutes, 150 g of drink, 78 °C. The correct way to prepare Americano: first espresso, then hot water without pouring through the spent coffee tablet
• Milk foam: it turned out the first time

• external automatic cappuccino jug, preparation of coffee and milk drinks «at the touch of a button»
• the door of the brewing unit is completely removable with magnetic fasteners
• dispenser for one cup with adjustable height from 8.5 to 11.5 cm

• coffee grinder with steel conical burrs, 15 grinding levels
• no shaft for using ground coffee
• it is necessary to manually clean the milk foam supply system
• control panel with a number of touch buttons (with LED icons) and a number of indicators of possible problems
• separate buttons for milk foam supply, hot water supply, latte, cappuccino, americano, double espresso, espresso, coffee grinder cleaning
• the manufacturer does not provide information on the capacity of the brewing unit

Warming up takes about a minute, flushing the system takes a few seconds, and preparing for making milk foam takes 10-15 seconds.

The noise level at a distance of 1 meter from the coffee machine is up to 58 dBA when pouring water and up to 69 dBA when the coffee grinder is operating.

• Hot water is served at about 88°C.
• Espresso: 38g, 40 seconds, above average strength and richness, but lacking in temperature: 60°C in an unheated cup

• Americano: 1 minute and 40 seconds, correct method: first espresso, then hot water.
• Cappuccino: 1 minute and 10 seconds, espresso, then milk foam (correct method), good foam, 66°C
• Latte: 1 minute and 15 seconds, foam, then espresso, 73°C

• Possibility of working with grain and ground coffee
• Automatic removable cappuccino maker, the tube connects directly to the dispenser

• 4 customizable automatic recipes
• Minimum of «chips» and options
• Touch control, black and white slightly outdated LCD display with backlight

• Easy access to the brewing unit, waste coffee container and tray for ground coffee that spills during the brewing process
• The brewing unit resembles similar ones in Philips/Saeco coffee machines
• The brewing chamber holds 7-12 g of ground coffee (this is not enough, according to the canon, 18 g is needed for a serving of espresso)
• The height of coffee delivery from the dispenser is from 8 to almost 14 cm
• Coffee grinder with steel conical burrs
• Three stencils for latte art and a spare cappuccino tube are included

• Choice of drink temperature (75-78, 80-82 or 85-88 °C), choice of auto-off time
• Ability to set personal drink settings: volume, milk supply time, etc.
• Two flow-through thermoblocks: for water and for steam
• Need to clean the milk system after each latte or cappuccino preparation
• Three-year warranty

• According to our estimates, the brewing group still holds up to 14 g of coffee, but it all depends on the degree of grinding
• Noise level: 60 dBA when pouring water and up to 68 dBA when the coffee grinder is working. This is very little

• When changing the temperature mode to the maximum, we got a drink with a temperature of about 75-77 °C
• Espresso: 26 g, crema, rich taste with fine grinding and increasing strength
• Lungo coffee: 45 seconds, 62 g, you can pour more water, 75 °C
• Cappuccino: first espresso, then milk, 75 seconds, 125 g of drink with thick foam, 65 °C

Latte: first milk, then espresso, 145 g, 62 °C. A bit cold!

• Bean coffee machine with manual cappuccino maker, no shaft for using ground coffee
• Compact, high-quality case
• Flow-through thermoblock
• Coffee grinder with steel conical millstones, 5 grinding levels
• Small water container (1.1 l) is easily removed, the lid turns into a handle
• The control panel is located at the top of the coffee maker, touch control
• A button for preparing your favorite programmed drink, the ability to reprogram the Espresso and
• Strong Espresso buttons (change the strength and amount of water)
• You can select the volume of the drink from 30 to 270 ml
• You cannot change the amount of coffee beans per serving
• The access cover to the brewing unit is removable, on magnetic fasteners

• You can use a cup with a height of 8.5 to 14 cm
• Dispenser with one spout, you can’t pour two cups at once
• Illumination of the coffee preparation area

The noise level was 62 dBA when pouring water and up to 73 dBA when the coffee grinder was running: not much.

• Strong espresso (actually regular) 46 seconds, 36 g, 62 °C first, 68 °C second. There is crema
• Espresso: 50 seconds, 60 g, 73 °C. In fact, this is not espresso, but lungo. But it is hot

• Compact device with external cappuccino maker-jug with a capacity of 0.6 l, preparation of coffee and milk drinks “at the touch of a button”
• Small water tank: 1.1 l
• Touch control, improved control panel with bright icons and indicators

• Use only coffee beans
• Coffee grinder with steel conical burrs, 5 grinding levels
• Convenient magnetic fastenings of the thermoblock hatch

• Coffee cup height — from 8.5 cm to 14 cm
• Dispenser with one spout, you can’t pour two cups at once
• Coffee preparation zone lighting
• There is a milk frother under the dispenser lid
• Drink volume is programmable: coffee — 25–250 ml, milk — 140–250 ml

At first glance, the Garlyn L1000 looks almost identical to the previous model in the digest, except for the lack of an automatic cappuccino maker. At the same time, both devices can be found at a similar price, and sometimes the Redmond RCM-1517 is more expensive. There is nothing wrong with branded equipment: you can choose a device to your taste, compare prices and find a better deal.

• Noise level 61 dBA when pouring water and up to 71 dBA when the coffee grinder is running: sound insulation is good
• Hot water temperature in the range of 68-72 °C

• Espresso: 32 g, crema, 40 seconds, 67 °C
• Cappuccino: first coffee, then milk, 90 seconds, 150 g of drink 62-63 °C
• Latte macchiato: first milk foam, then coffee, 100 seconds, 150 g of drink 62-63 °C

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In this price segment, the choice of coffee machines is usually limited to De’Longhi models, which offer their own unique solutions, and OEM devices, when different brands order equipment from one manufacturer and sell it under different brands. We constantly monitor the budget coffee machine market in Russia, and this digest provides an overview of the models tested, as well as the general situation on the market.