Insert the coffee beans into a super automatic espresso machine, and it will take care of the rest. It will grind, dose, tamp, dose the water and brew. It also provides hot water and steam through a steam wand.
Super automatic espresso machines fall into different price ranges. The difference depends on additional features> Does the machine have a bypass doser? Are the heating elements the single, or dual type? Does the machine feature a digital display, or indicator lights? How advanced is its programmability? Can you adjust the coffee dose? Does it warm our cup? Does it filter water? We will try to explain each one of these additional features. You should also consult the table below to see which brands have specific features.
Bypass doser
We mentioned before that a super-automatic machine grinds the coffee beans, puts them in the brew group, tamps and brews. But sometimes you need to brew a different type of coffee, for instance, decaffeinated or another roast type. This where the bypass doser proves useful. You put in the ground coffee for one shot and brew your espresso or cappuccino, without removing the coffee in the main doser. The bypass doser uses only pre-ground coffee and, depending on the model, sometimes you have to brew twice to make a double shot. That happens when the capacity of the bypass doser is six to nine grams.
Single or dual heating?
As we have seen in the semi-automatic section, the espresso machine is able to produce hot water to brew the espresso and then (pressing a switch) steam for the cappuccinos and lattes. The regular machine needs 20-23 seconds to switch from brewing to steaming temperature. Super-automatic espresso machines use thermobloc heating elements. If one thermobloc is added, the gap between the two processes changes to a few seconds. With two thermobloc elements, there is practically no waiting time.
Digital display
We think this feature was meant to 'pamper' the sensitive user type. Usually when something goes wrong, the machine displays (in capital letters) all this information on a small screen.
Programmability
Every sub-feature becomes more complicated at this point. For example, a super-automatic machine not only brews espresso, but also sister-drip coffee. However, it is known as 'cafe crema'.
The temperature control is also useful when you want to brew cafe crema, as drip coffee requires hotter water than espresso. Another reason you should set a higher temperature for the brewing process is to avoid low temperatures in the cup after you pour the coffee in. Even with the cup-prewarming option, some users still consider their coffee goes cold too quickly.
The pre-grinding option prepares the grind for the next double shot and eliminates some waiting time. The pre-brewing option moistures the coffee bed before brewing, allowing the coffee to fully release its flavors.
Adjustable dosing allows you to fine-tune the strength of the coffee. While the espresso standard is seven grams of ground coffee for a single shot, super-automatic machines allow you to vary this from six to nine grams.
Cup warming
Either the machine features an active warming system (meaning that it has a separate heating element for this function), or a passive system, using residual heat from other processes. Active warming is the preferable system, although there are arguments for each feature.
The water-filtration system
Espresso requires pure water for two reasons: to improve the flavor of the coffee and, at the same time, to keep the machine 'alive' for a longer time.
| Feature | Brands |
|---|---|
| Bypass Doser | Jura / Capresso Espresso Machine, model S9; Saeco Magic Deluxe; Gaggia Syncrony Compact |
| Heating Elements | Solis Espresso Machine, model Palazzo; Saeco Vienna Deluxe; Jura / Capresso S8 |
| Digital display | Gaggia Syncrony; Capresso C1300; Saeco Vienna Digital |
| Programmability | Jura / Capresso S9; Gaggia Syncrony; Saeco Magic Comfort + |
| Cup Warming System | Saeco Magic Comfort +; Gaggia Syncrony |
| Water Filter | Capresso C1000; ; Jura / Capresso S9 |