Beko CEG5331X Freestanding Bean-to-Cup Coffee Machine - Stainless Steel

Product Information

There’s a good richness to the espresso, with the pronounced acidity of my test beans coming through. The shot is, perhaps, a touch more bitter than from the best coffee machines, but there’s really nothing to complain about. Milk frothing Create the perfect blend thanks to the internal milk frother. Both space and time saving, the internal frother draws milk from an external container and heats it internally to offer perfectly frothed milk to top your cappuccino. By virtue of having so many features built in, bean-to-cup coffee machines tend to be a lot larger than their manual counterparts. Since the Beko Bean To Cup Coffee Machine CEG5301 is a far simpler beast, it’s also much smaller. At 380 x 236 x 436mm, it isn’t much bigger than a large capsule machine, such as the Nespresso Vertuo Next. For your first use, you’ll need to pull a shot of coffee and throw it away; the first one was a bit watery. Once the grinder is primed with beans, the second shot onwards is good, although I found that I needed to put the grinder on its finest setting to achieve the best coffee.

Auto Rinse. Keep your Bean To Cup Coffee Machine at its best with our automated cleaning programmes. When the machine goes into standby mode, select the auto rinse to wash it through. Prevent any build up by rinsing and using the descale cleaning programmes on a regular basis. The milk wand works okay too, although I haven’t got it to work as well as a good non-automatic machine yet (only got it yesterday).Delivered at 66.6ºC, the final temperature of my coffee was a tad warmer than what you’d want from an espresso, but not too hot. Pouring out the final drink, you can see from the image above that the milk still contains a few larger bubbles. Overall, though, it had a fine texture with lots of microbubbles. Again, you can do better if you upgrade to a more expensive machine, such as the manual WPM KD-270S. Maintenance This makes this the easiest bean-to-cup coffee machine to use; the controls are very similar to those on the Nespresso CitiZ machine. After being impressed by the simple Beko CEG5301 for making espresso, I now have the Beko Bean To Cup Coffee Machine with Steam Wand CEG5311 in for review. Effectively the same machine, this one adds a steam wand into the mix for frothing milk. The Beko Bean To Cup Coffee Machine with Steam Wand CEG5311 can pour a very good shot of espresso. The crema is a little bit foamy; the best espresso has a more oily texture to it. However, given the price of the machine, the results are impressive.

Once a month you’ll receive a notification that it’s time to clean the machine using the powder that’s supplied in the box – you get three sachets to get you started. It’s worth doing this when prompted to keep the Beko Bean To Cup Coffee Machine CEG5301 in the best shape. The spout at the front slides up and down to allow for mugs of up to 12.7cm tall, which covers larger mugs with ease. Once you’ve powered on the machine, you’ll see the touch controls light up. For regular coffee, this machine is as easy to use as a pod machine, such as the Nespresso CitiZ. There are buttons for strong espresso (a regular shot) and mild espresso (a double shot in terms of volume, although the same amount of coffee is used). There’s also a button for topping up with hot water. The LCD touch control panel makes it easy to choose between functions and gives your coffee machine a sleek and professional edge. It’s very easy to use with a touchscreen on the top of the machine to select your coffee strength, and you can vary the amount of water dispensed with your coffee by holding down the on button. It remembers the amount of water you want in your coffee and will use that consistency each time you press the button to make another coffee.The main difference between the two is that this model includes a steam wand on the front, which you can use for frothing milk. Going for a steam wand, rather than an automatic system, makes a lot of sense on a budget coffee machine, since you’re more likely to get decent results.

The crema here had good colour, although its finish was slightly foamier, rather than the oilier finish of a more expensive machine. The taste, too, was decent: the richness and pronounced acidity of my test beans were present. A minor complaint is that the espresso was a little more bitter than that from the best machines, but the overall quality and result was certainly pleasing. Maintenance What makes the Beko Bean To Cup Coffee Machine with Steam Wand CEG5311 stand out from the competition, though, is how easy it is to use. There’s a simple bean hopper on top that holds 125g of beans (half of a normal bag), plus an adjustment dial to change the fineness of the grind. Once you’ve powered on the machine, the touch controls light up to display the options on offer: there are buttons for strong espresso (a regular shot) and mild espresso (the same amount of coffee but a double-shot’s worth of hot water) and a hot water button. That’s it. The Beko Bean To Cup Coffee Machine CEG5301 has default dispense amounts for each button, including the hot water button. You can override these defaults by pressing and holding each button and then releasing it once you have your desired amount of liquid. One touch LCD control. The LCD touch control panel makes it easy to choose between functions and gives your coffee machine a sleek and professional edge.The first shot of espresso made will likely be a little watery. The second shot onwards, once the beans are in the grinder, delivers the right amount of coffee. What’s important here is the length of time the coffee takes to pour and the colour of it as it comes out. You’re after a rich honey look to the stream and the slowest pour. For me, I had to tighten the grind up to get the desired result. Removable Water Tank. You don’t need to worry about refilling your coffee machine with a jug of water anymore thanks to the easy-to-use, removable water tank. It’s less hassle than a pod machine because you don’t have to recycle the pods. If you drink more than one coffee each day it certainly saves a lot of money ... Read more and will pay for itself in 12 months.

Quality drinks and espresso mixed with a small body and low price make this a great budget choice. Design and features If you want something a little more advanced, I'd recommend taking a look at the De’Longhi Dinamica Plus ECAM370 review to find something with automatic milk steaming and a lot more smart functions. If you're willing to skip out the in-built coffee grinder, take a look at my Breville Bijou Espresso Machine review for a capable espresso machine with a slightly better steam wand, that costs a lot less. About this review, and the reviewerMuch smaller than the competition and well priced, too, the Beko CEG5301 is a great choice for those who want their coffee simple but good. Design and features The advantage of this system is that you can set levels for your own mugs, making it easy to make an Americano (hot water with a shot of espresso added at the end), for example, with just a couple of taps. Bean-to-cup coffee machines may be the first word in simplicity, but many tend to be quite big in size and can be quite complex to set up and use. Not so with the Beko Bean To Cup Coffee Machine CEG5301: this appliance ditches milk frothing to focus on simple, basic espresso. The higher the pressure the deeper the aroma and texture of the coffee as the oils and fats remain in the brew. You get a faster, foamier espresso with a full-bodied taste.