The prevailing look in coffee makers tends towards the retro, curved and chromed. Miele’s are the aesthetic opposite: unashamedly squared off, modernist machines.
If you have a minimalist style – and a generous budget – and want a high-end bean-to-cup machine, one of the new Miele appliances could be just the thing.
If you haven’t used a bean-to-cup machine before, the difference between one and a classic espresso maker is all in the automation. With an espresso maker, you have to grind the beans first, carefully spoon your coffee into the portafilter, choose your dial settings and then froth the milk with a wand. It’s quite a lot of faff and it’s hard not to coat your kitchen counter in grounds.
A bean-to-cup machine takes the hard work out of the grinding and the mess out of the rest of the process. All you have to do is add beans, press a couple of buttons and your coffee is served.
With that level of convenience – plus a quality brew – comes a serious price tag. Miele’s machines start at almost £900. There are six machines in the range, with prices from £899 to £1,499.
The Miele CM5310 Silence Coffee Machine (£899) will be available in (obsidian) black and (tayberry) red and has a really cool feature. Called ‘one touch for two’, it allows you to make two cups of the same type of coffee (cappuccino, espresso, latte, macchiato) at the same time, so you and your other half can get your coffee in double time. The machine also has a coffee pot option: put a pot under the spout and get up to eight cups of coffee. It’s also got auto-rinsing and easy-clean programmes.
The CM5410 Silence Coffee Machine (£939) has all of the features of the above machine, plus two user profiles you can programme with personalised settings to get your coffee just the way you like it, instantly. For £949, you can get the CM5510, which is the same machine but in a rose gold or silver-pearl finish.
The MilkPerfection machines start at £1,249 and go up to £1,499. They have functionality to allow you to tailor your coffee more precisely, making adjustments to the amount of water, milk and foam. They also have a greater number of programmable user options and app connectivity for voice control, online ordering and cleaning status information.
The new machines will be available from September. We’ll update when they’re on sale.
It’s worth noting that a lot of those features are available in current models which you can buy now. The CM5500, which is in stock now on the Miele site for £849 in rose gold, has the ‘one touch for two’ feature, customised user profiles and self-cleaning systems.
If you’d like more buying advice on coffee machines, have a look at our round-up of the best we’ve tested. If you’re after barista accessories, check out this range of tools from Dualit.
Author: Emma Rowley, Home Tech Editor
Emma is Home Tech Editor at Tech Advisor. She covers everything from kitchen appliances to smart home devices, from floor care to personal care to air care technology. She’s particularly interested in environmentally conscious brands and products that save people time and money.