Why (not) buy a lever coffee machine with a built-in grinder

Pouring beans into the grinder, which turn into a fluffy pile of coffee inside the portafilter. In comes a few taps on the side of the lever and a gentle tamping of the ground coffee with a tamper to a precise plane. Then it's just a matter of jamming the portafilter into the head of the machine. You press that magic button that starts the extraction. After a few seconds of straining, the coffee appears. In a moment, it's scenting the whole apartment, and in another moment, it's ready. You sip your chocolate-sweet espresso from the comfort of your couch.

HOW TO MAKE COFFEE AT HOME

This is whatyour coffee time at homecan look like . What do you need - apart from a packet of roasted coffee - to make it happen? First of all , acoffee machine and a grinder. Because you can only make a great espresso in a high-quality lever coffee machine and only with freshly ground coffee.

In our e-shop, when you search for these machines, you will find home coffee machines, espresso grinders, but alsocoffee machines with an already built-in grinder. So you are faced with the decision whether to buy two solitary machines or one combined one.

CHOOSING COFFEE MACHINES WITH A BUILT-IN GRINDER

Thefirst thing that comes to mind when you see a coffee machine with a built-in grinder is probably the happy thought that you won't have to find and choose a grinder. You only need to devote your energy to making a purchasing decision to thetypes of this combination coffee maker.

For Sage, a British company dedicated to the manufacture of quality home appliances, coffee machines with a built-in grinder are typical. They have many years of experience in the design of home coffee machines. Their coffee machines are designed for great coffee enjoyment in the home. You can have this from as little as 18,000 crowns. Asthe model number of their coffee makers increases, the price increases in line with the increase in features, automation and performance.

Even more popular are the Lelit coffee machines.

CHOICE IN TERMS OF PRICE

We will now focus on the often decisive factor when buying almost anything - price. Let's compare the price of a combi coffee machine to buying two solitaires, a grinder and a coffee machine. In order to make these two appliances fit together nicely for comparison, we will now look atLelit products .

The Italian masters of making coffee makers and grinders not only for the home, but also for the home, name their products somewhat romantically. One without the other, more precisely a coffee maker without a grinder, cannot be like a couple in love. That's why theLelitversions of coffee machines are labeled with female names. Their grinders are named after men.

IN A COUPLE OR SINGLE

If you buy a Lelit Annacoffee machine and get aLelit Fred grinder to go with it . We'll pay just over 22,000 for this beautiful, shiny pair . Compared to the Lelit Anita, which is a single girl, actually a coffee maker with a built-in grinder, buying the Anna and Fred is about a thousand more.

So, to recap, if I get a coffee maker with an integrated grinder, I'll save money. In addition, I don't have to search for information aboutchoosing the right grinder and think about buying one. I will also have everything together in one box. In one machine. So what's there to think about? Well this article would have to have two less letters in the title.

BENEFITS OF SEPARATE DEVICES

For he purchase of a coffee maker united with a grinder is not as clear cut a choice as it might have seemed until now. Combining a grinder and a coffee machine into one has its drawbacks. These can then have a decisive influence on the purchase of a coffee machine. Adding a grinder to the design of a coffee machine has the logical consequence ofmaking the machine larger. Thecombined coffee machine then gives a robust impression. You may therefore be more comfortable with the sight of, albeit two, less massive machines.

THE GRINDER AND THE HEAT OF THE COFFEE MACHINE

Apart from this aesthetic thing, which is more a matter of taste and space on your kitchen counter, the combination of coffee machine and grinder also has a negative effect on the quality of coffee preparation. Inside the coffee maker, the water used to make the coffee is heated. Thus, all coffee machines generate heat during their operation. The built-in grinder is then affected by this heat, resulting in:

heating of the stones and burning of the coffee during grinding,
heating the coffee in the hopper and damaging its quality.

The emphasis on these drawbacks when choosing a coffee machine increases depending on how much coffee will be brewed on the machine. The higher and more frequent the use of the machine, the more these negative effects on the quality of your espresso will be felt.

GRINDER ONLY FOR THE COFFEE MACHINE

The positive feature of combination coffee machines, described a few lines above, that they free us from the dilemma of choosing a grinder, may also seem like a negative. The selected coffee machine has the built-in grinder that its manufacturer has suggested. However, such a grinder may not meet all of our personal requirements, such as grind range.

We buy a coffee machine because we like espresso and morning cappuccino. But in the afternoon we prefer to have filter coffee . Of course, you need a grinder to prepare your "filter". But the range of grinding coarseness on the grinder of your coffee machine is not sufficient. It's only for espresso.

ONE UNIVERSAL GRINDER

Of course, it is convenient to have a separate grinder for espresso and a separate grinder for alternative coffee preparation methods. However, if you do not want to buy two grinders, whether for financial, space or other reasons, it is advisable to choose auniversal grinder. One that grinds coffee coarsely for French Press and very finely for espresso.

WHEN A COFFEE MACHINE WITH A GRINDER BREAKS DOWN

And finally, there's the thought of what happens when acombi coffee machine breaks down. A glitch can occur with even the most reliable things. Whether it's carelessly caused by you or a component has failed, it usually means you won't make coffee right away.

You send your coffee grinder to the shop and say to yourself, " If I had bought that coffee maker as a stand-alone back then, I'd just be grinding my coffee today in a spare grinder borrowed from a friend. Well, I can still enjoy my espresso today".

If the fault happens to be irreparable, you will have a coffee machine at home with a non-functioning grinder. Or a grinder with a broken coffee machine. So buying a solitary grinder, coffee maker or both won't get you out of here anyway. Alternatively, if you don't want to keep looking at your combo coffee maker after the stroke, you'll have to buy that combo machine all over again.