Which cappuccino machine suits you?
The similarities
With every cappuccino machine, you can easily make milk specialties with fresh milk. Fill the milk reservoir with milk or put the milk tube in a carton or pitcher of milk. The machine does the rest for you. That's useful, because the machine froths the milk for you. With cappuccino machine, you can also make a regular coffee or espresso.
Making a cappuccino
Fully automatic coffee machine: coffee beans and fresh milk
When you make a cappuccino, you need coffee beans and fresh milk. With fully automatic coffee machines with a milk reservoir, simply fill the reservoir with milk. Do you have a model with a milk tube? Put it in a carton or pitcher of milk. Then, press the button to make a cappuccino. The built-in bean hopper grinds the exact right amount of beans for the coffee specialty. The coffee machine froths the right amount of milk.
Nespresso: coffee capsules and fresh milk
Do you want to make a Nespresso cappuccino with your Nespresso machine? You need a capsule and fresh milk. The coffee capsule contains freshly ground beans. The capsules are sealed airtight, so the coffee stays fresh. Put a capsule in the machine and fill the milk reservoir with milk. does your machine have an automatic steam wand? Put the milk pitcher under the machine. Press the button for a cappuccino. Pour the milk into your espresso and your cappuccino is done.
Milk foam and settings
Fully automatic coffee machine: adjustable volume and intensity
With a fully automatic machine, you can adjust the flavor of the coffee you like in multiple ways. For example, you can make the grind size of the beans more fine or coarse. You can make the flavor of an espresso more or less intense. It's also possible to adjust the amount of milk and the strength of the coffee per cup.
Nespresso: less setting options
A Nespresso machine has fewer settings to adjust the flavor of a cappuccino. Only the Creatista models with an automatic steam wand allow you to adjust the coffee strength and amount of milk. These models also allow you to change the temperature of the milk foam per coffee. The steam wand of these models froths the milk for you. The result is a cappuccino with a sturdy milk foam layer. With models with a milk reservoir, the milk foam is similar to that of a fully automatic machine.
Maintenance
Fully automatic machine: a lot of work
The maintenance of a fully automatic machine consists of multiple jobs. You have to clean the milk system and the coffee grounds container daily. The milk reservoir consists of a few parts that you have to clean separately. Clean the brew group weekly and descale the machine every 3 months.
Nespresso: little work
Maintaining a Nespresso machine doesn't require a lot of work. You can rinse the milk reservoir with the clean function. Rinse the automatic steam wand with water and wipe it down with a cloth. You only have to descale a Nespresso machine once every 6 months.
Conclusion
Do you like to accurately set the strength of your coffee yourself? A fully automatic machine is the right choice. The maintenance does take a bit more time. Do you prefer easy maintenance and preset coffee strengths? Choose a Nespresso cappuccino machine.
