Standard coffee has been a home-kitchen mainstay, for—well, for as long as there have been home kitchens. From percolators to drip machines, and French presses to pour-over setups, it’s pretty much always been possible to brew a quality cup of coffee at home.
But espresso drinks are a different story. Espresso consists of the same components as brewed coffee—hot water and ground coffee beans—but it has several additional demands. You need to get the timing, water pressure, and temperature just right, or your espresso will be … just wrong. Add expertly foamed milk to the equation for cappuccinos and lattes, and you get a sense of why your barista sometimes takes herself a little too seriously. You also get a set of beverages that, for years, were simply not accessible to the home connoisseur. They may have had the knowledge and the expertise, but they didn’t have the gear.
Smash cut to the 21st century, and the dawn of a bold new era for espresso drinks. Thanks to sleek home units like De’Longhi’s Magnifica Evo Espresso Machine, authentic, top-notch espresso drinks are now attainable at home. They’re not just attainable, they’re push-button easy.
With the Magnifica Evo, it starts with a built-in conical burr grinder. You simply pour fresh coffee beans into the top of the machine, and choose your grind setting, which is adjustable, enabling you to fine-tune your espresso. The conical burr grinder is superior to a blade grinder because it produces a more uniform grind. This allows the pressurized water to flow more evenly through the coffee grounds, creating an optimal flavor extraction.
If you’re making a latte, latte macchiato, or a cappuccino, you’ll use De’Longhi’s proprietary LatteCrema System[TM] to foam your milk. It works with regular milk, oat milk, and almond milk. Fill the container to the appropriate line for the drink you’re making. It’s marked for lattes, cappuccinos, and singles and doubles. Attach the container to the machine (it snaps in easily), make sure the frothing arm extends over your glass, and hit your beverage of choice on the panel above. That’s literally it.
The Magnifica Evo will then foam the milk to the froth level appropriate to your drink, and once that’s done, it will brew espresso on top of it to complete a delicious, creamy concoction.
The keys to this breakthrough in home espresso culture are precision and control. The built-in grinder produces a perfectly sized dose (single or double) that’s evenly ground, and brews a rich, beautifully extracted espresso with a perfect, nutty-brown crema. The LatteCrema System[TM] takes the guesswork out of foaming, creating rich, velvety foam every time out.
Machines like these have transformed the art of making espresso drinks into a science. You load the ingredients and press a button. The automatic machine does the rest, with astounding consistency and quality. Learn more here. The results are perfect for people with busy schedules who don’t have time to fight the morning rush for an authentic cappuccino. They’re also ideal for relaxing weekend mornings.
Just don’t tell your barista.