Beko 8814253200 Bean to Cup Coffee Machine CEG5311X 19 Bar Pressure-Stainless Steel, Includes Steam Nozzle for Milk Frothing, One Touch LCD Control & Removable 1.6L Water Tank, 1.6 liters

Product Information

It's got a small water tank, but on the plus side it's front-facing and incredibly easy to remove and refill. The same can be said for emptying the coffee grounds, and the display comes up with instructions and prompts to stay on top of maintenance. Our Sage Barista Touch Impress review has the full details. How we test the best bean-to-cup coffee machines By virtue of having so many features built in, bean-to-cup coffee machines tend to be a lot larger than their manual counterparts. Since the Beko Bean To Cup Coffee Machine CEG5301 is a far simpler beast, it’s also much smaller. At 380 x 236 x 436mm, it isn’t much bigger than a large capsule machine, such as the Nespresso Vertuo Next. Most bean-to-cup machines follow a standard layout. At the top you’ll find the hopper for the beans. Beko’s model can hold 125g, which is around half a regular bag of coffee. There’s a grinder adjustment here, too, which allows for a fine to coarser grind, depending on the beans you use. Pouring out the final drink, you can see from the image above that the milk still contains a few larger bubbles. Overall, though, it had a fine texture with lots of microbubbles. Again, you can do better if you upgrade to a more expensive machine, such as the manual WPM KD-270S. Maintenance

Only fill the coffee bean container with coffee beans. Ground coffee, instant coffee, caramelised coffee, or any other objects may damage the machine. Our reviewer rated the coffee from this machine an easy 10/10. Though it took a little getting used to at first, once set up with the perfect grind size and pressure level, the espressos that were made were perfectly well-balanced and creamy. The crema here had good colour, although its finish was slightly foamier, rather than the oilier finish of a more expensive machine. The taste, too, was decent: the richness and pronounced acidity of my test beans were present. A minor complaint is that the espresso was a little more bitter than that from the best machines, but the overall quality and result was certainly pleasing. Maintenance Much smaller than the competition and well priced, too, the Beko CEG5301 is a great choice for those who want their coffee simple but good. Design and features Once you’ve powered on the machine, the touch controls light up to display the options on offer: there are buttons for strong espresso (a regular shot) and mild espresso (the same amount of coffee but a double-shot’s worth of hot water) and a hot water button. That’s it.

Ground Coffee or Beans

You’ll have to wait for it to power up after extracting an espresso, and it only moves from side to side, but if it’s lattes or flat whites you like to start your day with, it will definitely please. The Beko Bean To Cup Coffee Machine with Steam Wand CEG5311 can pour a very good shot of espresso. The crema is a little bit foamy; the best espresso has a more oily texture to it. However, given the price of the machine, the results are impressive. When it came to making barista-style espressos, it didn’t drop a single mark. The extraction time was fairly average, but the shots stayed consistent and had a wonderful crema on top.

You can adjust the grind and also the length of coffee shots with this machine. If you want a longer drink you can top it up with hot water from the wand or hold one of the brewing buttons down to make the shot longer or shorter. And its pre-brewing system wets the dose of coffee for a richer extraction, releasing oils to maximise aroma and depth. When you do, it’s possible to get a nice foam on the milk, and warm it through – although it’s hard to get a swirling vortex going. Once I’d finished, I had to tap the jug to get rid of bigger bubbles and gave it a good swirl to mix. The main difference between the two is that this model includes a steam wand on the front, which you can use for frothing milk. Going for a steam wand, rather than an automatic system, makes a lot of sense on a budget coffee machine, since you’re more likely to get decent results.

Specifications

The advantage of this system is that you can set levels for your own mugs, making it easy to make an Americano (hot water with a shot of espresso added at the end), for example, with just a couple of taps. The first shot of espresso made will likely be a little watery. The second shot onwards, once the beans are in the grinder, delivers the right amount of coffee. What’s important here is the length of time the coffee takes to pour and the colour of it as it comes out. You’re after a rich honey look to the stream and the slowest pour. For me, I had to tighten the grind up to get the desired result. This coffee machine was super easy to use and impressed across the board in our lab tests. Everything from set-up to selecting your preferred beverage is simple and efficient. And if you do struggle to adjust the settings, the handy manual is easy to follow.