I am an absolute fan of coffee, although the enjoyment for me is always in the foreground. That means I'm not a drug-drinkers, the daily minimum of 10 cups must tilt caffeinated black broth in his neck, anyone alleged by the office, it was supposedly coffee. According to my friend, I am a coffee-nerd and since we were privately and at the office for nearly 20 years continuously in the possession of various fully automatic machines and are, I say now just a little idea to have. ;-)
There is by now a vast mass of fully automatic by an almost as endless supply manufacturer. Until a few years ago but I was not aware that the Melitta coffee machines brand sells. I was attentive to the device during stroll in the city. The looks and features have approached me immediately. "You get what you see": When you look the formula applies. For the functions that is however always another matter. Many machines are crammed with useless features that take the enjoyment of coffee, only the maintenance and repair intervals screws high. In addition, there is the fully automatic coffee machines, a bit like a football and because I follow "Adi" Preißler and King Otto (who Preißler quoted): "It is important to place on the field!". So you could say, the coffee I am, in spite of high affinity for gadgets, strictly oriented towards the result. ;-)
Ok, the actual star: The Caffeo CI.
First was and am always surprised how simple and reliable the machine completes its service, despite the above-mentioned in the text, generally maligned something many functions and settings. Which I perhaps should rephrase: The machine has many functions, but none of them is useless frills. Rarely does one find these devices, in which the functions follow the user and not vice versa.
On the front you will find a bar with buttons, each for a specialty coffee, or an order and another to obtain hot water for milk froth and hot milk. If you want to coax the machine a drink, so you have to simply press the appropriate button. Who the preset parameters of the individual drinks not satisfied, has the ability in a manageable menu on the display, adjust the settings according to your preferences. In this menu you can find the machine in the first place, the said coffee options, all of which are Preloaded in their quantity, brewing temperature, etc. and quite simple (here are z. B. the "memory slots" for personalized Coffee find -Specialities "my coffee"). This is followed by a range of nursing programs, which can be triggered at any time 'manually', but this is unnecessary because the machine at the appropriate time and occasion of self-reports. Finally, there are a few energy options - here you can see the standby time and a switch-off time or set duration. The default setting is aimed at maximum energy economy, the machine goes after 5 minutes "sleep" and turns off completely after 15 minutes. This can be changed in an instant, I had the basic settings here too short. Really great is the possibility to intervene even during the preparation in the "manufacturing process". In other words: If you want to, for example, a shot more foam on the cappuccino, you simply rotate fix the multifunction knob to the right and you can see how the display increases the amount.. Mag is less, turn the knob just to the left. The same also works with the coffee quantity.
The care programs are, are, as with all fully automatic, fixed, but can at any time (as already mentioned) also be triggered manually. The CI has Caffeo here on a normal wash program (for the coffee leading part) and an "Easy Cleaning" program (for the portion of the milk leads). The two programs are the "everyday" programs, since they are triggered depending on the specialty coffee, several times a day automatically. The normal flushing is automatically activated always at the start and shutdown of the CI, while the Easy-Cleaning program reports after every coffee variation with milk. Do not worry: you do not have to rinse after every milk specialty - you're hosting only your guests. "Easy-Cleaning" announces Although immediately after the first cup / glass, it can, however, easily ignore - without the hassle Tastengedrücke. Simply select the next coffee variation and on it goes. In the end is still the message "Easy-Cleaning?" the display and reminds you to make the short (and important!) rinse the milk portion.
At this point it is essential to mention how this "Easy-Cleaning" works because the cleaning of "milk-department" is the crux of most coffee machines. Here are cleanliness and hygiene, the top priorities and, frankly, this is the weak point at 95% of the machines on the market. Most cleaning is too complicated, costly and in the end often still insufficient. Other machines with automatic cleaning, however mess up a complete machine and half the kitchen. Melitta dissolves the story very simply. Because all drinks come from the central dispenser at the CI, just sitting there and the milk frother. For a milk drink simply plugs in the supplied suction hose for milk frother to and so will connect the supplied milk container ago. Alternatively, you can also simply plug the hose into a milk carton (I prefer the container, as this method is the cleanest). After you finished with the preparation, so you pull the hose from the milk container and Stoppers him into a mating connector on the drip tray. You now confirmed that you want to run "Easy-Cleaning". The machine asks again whether you have connected the milk hose to the drip tray and by pressing a button to confirm the machine the milk part begins only with hot water and then steam clean. The whole process takes about 10-15 seconds and is really simple to implement. The fact that the milk part of the machine is built so simple, there are no "hidden" angle, in which milk residues could collect. Only the connection of the milk hose to the drip tray must be freed from time to time with a damp cloth of a few milk-Krümmelchen. For a very thorough cleaning of the milk system small brushes are for silicone cables and the lid of the milk container with. The milk container is otherwise clean from tasteless and odorless plastic and very light.
Why do I so in detail tell: Because, as I said, the crux of many machines. ;-) Either the preparation of milk drinks can be expensive and if that fits, it's usually the care of the milk part of a macchiato the fun bar and verhagelt Co.. The CI makes all drinks in one go and also keeps the correct order of ingredients in the preparation of a. Such programming is not a magic plant. Finally, someone has gone times and has made it easy.
The sake of completeness: The remaining (intensive) Reiniungsprogramme and descaling Report without saying as well as the prompt to change the water filter, if one uses a. Melitta recommends (what a surprise), of course only the Melitta-cleaner and filters. Furthermore, one can provide the "my coffee" -Speicherplätze with profile names. The coffee options within these profiles can be programmed at will, that is the coffee and possibly the milk and foam quantities of a drink in ml, as well as the brewing temperature in three stages can be set here. The grinding of the grinder can be adjusted at the back of the machine, Melitta recommends these not to change, because it factory ensures an optimum setting. This is absolutely ok. Perfect would be natural to customize the grind to the particular bean (or coffee-variation), but that's now complaints on a very high level, after all, this is a review on a fully automatic coffee machines and not to Eierlegenden-Wollmilchsau machine. Many very special coffee varieties for which a coarse or fine grinding degree is required are, anyway not in the fully automatic machines. I have yet dared to experiment with Jamaica Blue Mountain. Normal this bean is only coarsely ground (rather broken even more) and prepared in the French press method. I ground the beans in a mill on the right grind and added to the coffee chute the CI. The result is a very "civilized" Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee: You can see the bean, the (slight) Crema and however strong the taste betray the preparation method. As I said, only one attempt. Let's call it a nice feasibility study ... ;-)
This brings us to the core discipline (ie encouraging place): Taste of coffee?
The way the coffee is of course dictated by the special Preparations method of fully automatic coffee machines. This is based on the portafilter principle why the CI, as all fully automated, produces a rather strong, coated with a (promotionally effective) Crema coffee layer. No, not 15, 17 or 19 bar pressure, the quality of the crema layer and also a very strong taste define per se a good coffee. This is simply to brew the "most Italian" method of coffee. In other countries, however, also had coffee already for thousands of years, the technology of modern fully automatic accesses only this one special way of making up. This should only be mentioned because I have found that many people have a misconception of what a fully automatic and can afford to look like a good coffee and has to taste. The Crema also strongly depends on the bean and its freeness used and even a coffee without Crema (z. B. Omas unbeatable fragrant filter coffee in the morning) can delicious Munden.
Grandma's coffee does not get the Caffeo CI towards. However, this is the ristretto or espresso this machine an eye and palate friends. The CI generated, provided the correct bean and settings, a Ristretto / espresso that can withstand comparison with a Ristretto / espresso portafilter from the machine. The taste is as it should be and visually comes the "little black dress" with a finely-structured, solid and depending on bean type nut until golden brown crema from a vending machine. I've known such a Ristretto / Espresso only portafilter machines!
Speaking Ristretto - here there is a small Grump-point (but only a tiny and at very high levels). Traditional measures but a Ristretto only 20-25 ml The CI gets going at 30 ml. Simply call it a "Ristretto XL". If, in addition to the freaks, eh no to. ;-)
Also Outrageous conjures the CI to Cafe Creme and the whole milk specialties at your fingertips. At Cafe Creme crema layer is optimal, so that here the eye with relish "with drinking" must and will. The strength of the coffee can be had choose 4 stages. Here you change the amount of coffee used. Combined with a slightly larger amount of water (setting z. B. 2 beans / quantity 130 ml), you can actually produce a great, "lighter breakfast coffee", which is larger and less vigorous and so rankommt almost at grandma's filter coffee. The default setting is obtained, however, a pure-bred Cafe Creme, with strong flavor which produces all taste nuances of the bean and the self-representation.
Also, do not preprogrammed specialties very simple "magic". Since all liquids come from the central dispenser, you can let the cup stand comfortably while z. B. for an Americano simply still the desired amount of hot water to flow into the cup. Without any "cup Slide", turn knobs and baggy orgies.
The milk frother makes a very good milk froth. This one is of course always a bit depending on the milk used. The result of the CI is almost at the level of "froth" the one the Nespresso Aeroccino knows from devices such. As. Thumbs up!
The "Bean Select" function works quite well so far. It should be noted that a rest of the previously ground coffee powder still remains lying in the feed. Who needs to pay it (intolerance), eighth want (a caffeine-free Käffchen before going to bed) or simply fussy is (like me) who should not drink after the first coffee beans moving the lever for the election.
For me, the Melitta Caffeo CI currently one of the best fully automatic machine on the market. Especially in the current price range. Brews a cup of coffee, as I've found out from him none of the premium machines from Saeco or law and have even without long fumbling. For those who still like to fumble something like me, there are meaningful ways to adapt. Your additives and cleaning functions are simple, logical and above all they are doing what they should, without confiscating the user for hours.
Perhaps the brand new Melitta F731 Caffeo Barista even better machine, because it represents the next evolution of Caffeo series. But that will only show the time. The Caffeo CI has been proving for years their skills and after everything I have heard their durability.
From me there is a very clear, thick recommendation! :-)
Short Update 03/23/2015: We are still completely satisfied with the machine. She makes coffee so delicious as the day and with the milk preparation is everything super okay. Everything Coffee recommendation I can give the Espresso Nannini Miscela Bar, the GEPA Chiapas Mexico or Luccaffee Classic. Especially the Nannini it did to me: As a Ristretto with 30 ml and 4 beans on the strength scale ... quite simply: How should a Ristretto / Espresso be!
Best Regards!
