Copyright thescarboroughnews
Cuisinart has launched a new coffee maker, which promises to be a versatile bean-to-cup machine at a relatively affordable price. Bean-to-cup coffee machines are something of a holy grail when it comes to making the perfect brew, but prices can run to many hundreds of pounds. The new Cusinart Fully Automatic Coffee Machine claims to bring top-tier features to the market at the decidedly middle-of-the-road price of £399.99. I've been using it for a few weeks now and, on first impressions, it's refreshingly compact, smart to look at, and surprisingly simple, with just a handful of small buttons at the top and everything else neatly concealed. The water tank, which holds one and-a-half litres, sits at the back and it's easy to detach it for refilling, and at the front there's a pair of nozzles, a milk-frothing spout, a removable drip tray, and... that's about it. Making a brew is simple. You turn it on, let it go through a brief descaling cycle, top it up with beans, and press the button that corresponds to your chosen drink of the day. There are a lot of options to go at. You can choose Espresso, Double Espresso, Americano, or Cold Brew. Lattes and Cappuccinos are dealt with through an extra stage using the milk frother, but it's all worked out for you with the simple presets. And if you want to set up a drink choice you use regularly, there's a customisable favourite button. There's a lot to like about it, barring the simplicity. I love the removable drip tray, because it means there's space for large travel mugs. And, if you're switching straight back to a smaller cup, the nozzles glide down manually to get closer to the cup - eliminating the risk of any splashing. Spent coffee grounds are collected behind a neat flap on the side, and you can even just ask it to dispense hot water, if that's all you need. If I had to pick faults with it, I'd say it's a tad complicated to get used to. With just a small array of buttons, and no display, it's a learning curve getting the combination right. The instruction manual is decent though, which helps. Brewing up a big mug of coffee is an acquired skill, because you'll start with a short measure, and you can easily accidentally end up with three shots of coffee trying to fill it and be bouncing off the walls for the rest of the morning. The preset button takes care of this, and it's a great feature - once it's set up. It also gets through its beans very quickly. The bean hopper holds 150g, which sounds decent, but it's not enough to get my wife, a complete coffee addict, through her day at her chosen strength, so it needs to be filled regularly. Not that that's difficult, though. This is a machine that will suit people, like us, who don't have a lot of space to spare, thanks to its size. And although it takes a bit of time to grasp, it's very simple to make one-shot coffees once it's set up. Overall, it's hard not to become very fond of the Cuisinart Fully Automatic Coffee Machine. It has features you'd expect to see on much more expensive devices, and it makes genuinely nice coffees. What more would you want?
