How do we measure the difference in ease of maintenance per fully automatic machine?
In short
| Guidance during cleaning | In the best case scenario, the machine will guide your via the display or app with an automatic program. This will tell you what to do step by step. That way, you don't need a manual. | |
|---|---|---|
| Clean the milk system | A coffee machine without milk system requires a lot less maintenance. Compared to machines with a milk system, a coffee machine without milk tubes and separate parts offers the most convenience. | |
| Dishwasher-safe parts | A fully automatic machine consists of a number of separate parts, like a drip tray, coffee grounds container, water tank, and milk reservoir. It saves you a lot of cleaning work when these separate parts are dishwasher-safe. | |
| Brew group maintenance | A lot of coffee residue and grease remains in the brew group, so you need to clean it on a weekly basis. An automated cleaning feature is the easiest way to do this. | |
| Replace water filter | Some machines indicate when the water filter needs to be replaced, while you have to remember this yourself with others. | |
| Descale | Some machines need to be descaled more often than others. A water filter even makes descaling unnecessary for some coffee machines. This saves you a lot of work. | |
| Degreasing | You have to degrease some machines too, to remove oil rests from the pipes of the machine. This isn't necessary with a lot of machines. It can save you an extra task every month. |
Little effort
You don't have a lot of work with a fully automatic espresso machine with high-end ease of maintenance. These machines have an automated program with which you can easily clean the brew group. Because you have to clean the brew group on a weekly basis with other machine to keep it work properly, this saves you a lot of work. In addition, these espresso machines have a special smart water filter that keeps the machine free from limescale. Thanks to this, you no longer have to descale the machine yourself. As a result, you'll have more time to enjoy your cup of coffee.
Medium effort
A coffee machine with mid-range maintenance distinguishes itself from the basic models in the way the machine guides you during descaling. Via the display or in the app in some cases, you can see what to do step by step. This is a lot easier than having to grab the manual every time. These coffee machines also have dishwasher-safe parts. Especially the drip tray and coffee grounds container get really dirty, so you have to clean them regularly.
A fully automatic machine with mid-range maintenance has at least 50% of the maintenance specifications from the table above.
A lot of work
A basic fully automatic machine requires more maintenance. Especially the maintenance of the brew group will cost you a lot of time. You have to clean it manually with a brush and lubricate it often. In addition, you often have to run a cleaning program to remove coffee rests and grease. The machine doesn't guide you (properly) during these actions. These coffee machines are often better affordable, but you have to spend a lot of time on maintenance.
Conclusion
We recommend you to at least choose a fully automatic coffee machine with mid-range ease of maintenance. These machines are a lot easier to maintain than a basic model. Do you want to spend as little time as possible on maintenance and want useful functions that help you? Choose a fully automatic machine with high-end ease of maintenance.
