Tchibo Automatic Espresso & Coffee Machine with Built-in Grinder, No Coffee

4 reviews for Tchibo Automatic Espresso & Coffee Machine with Built-in Grinder, No Coffee

1. 

   Jeffrey H. Stiverson – 12 December 2024

   How did I live without the Tchibo?
   This is my 3rd full auto coffee maker, and I have enjoyed all of them. I have had a Saeco and a Phillips, but my favorite is definitely my new Tchibo! I wanted a machine that would not only make a great espresso shot, but also a delicious cup of coffee. The Tchibo has settings for 6 and 8 ounce coffees ( which you can customize to different sizes), and I found that the 6 ounce size makes the best tasting cup of coffee I’ve ever had out of a machine ( which includes not just the Saeco and Phillips, but also K Cup and Nespresso machines). The espresso shots are fantastic, too. There is just no substitute for freshly ground beans. It is a beautifully designed German machine. Compact, simple to use, and comes in nice colors- I got the red (which is actually more of a burgundy color). The Tchibo coffee that came with the machine was also delicious, and I just ordered 4.5 pounds of Tchibo Espresso beans to try-can’t wait! All for under 500 bucks- its a great deal.

2. 

   Lifeon2wheels – 12 December 2024

   Excellent coffee, well made, no plastic waste!
   Update! After 90 days of life with this machine, I absolutely love it. I’ve already saved half the cost of the new machine by not buying Nespresso capsules and the coffee is excellent. Highly recommended. Read on for my entire review and please click the “helpful” button if it helps you.30 days of Life with a Tchibo Automatic Espresso Coffee MachinePros:• Nice looking.• Very easy to use.• Feels and seems very well made.• Creates excellent coffee smells when brewing.• Has a cool light that illuminates your coffee cup while brewing.• Makes a very flavorful espresso or cup of coffee with a nice amount of crema on top.• The coffee is hot, hot enough for me anyway. I don’t need or like very hot coffee, and often let mine sit to cool or, if I’m in a hurry, even drop an ice cube in it to cool it off (sacrilege for many, I know). When placed in a travel mug, the coffee remains very hot for several hours.• Bean hopper holds a large amount of beans, especially with the extension piece.• Bean hopper is nicely sealed to keep beans fresh.• Controls are nicely illuminated, are clear to use, and consist of a lit area to push like a touch screen phone computer screen. This makes the buttons super easy to “push.”• Tray that holds spent grinds and excess water is easy to remove, clean, and reinstall.• Brew unit is easily accessible from the side and easy to remove, clean, and reinstall.• Water container is easy to remove, refill, and reinstall.• The height adjustable brew nozzle is a nice feature that moves in its up and down travel with a feeling of high quality.Cons:• As many have said, water container is a bit on the small side and needs to be filled often if you are making coffee. Espresso drinkers won’t have as much of an issue, but I end up filling my water container after every use when making coffee.• Machine is too tall to remove and refill the water container if there are cabinets above the machine. Machine must be moved forward of cabinets to remove water container, refill, and reinstall. I placed the machine on a large trivet with sliding felt pads mounted underneath it which makes things much easier to move around and I highly recommend that approach.• The machine is a bit heavy (not a bad thing as it indicates it is well made in my book), but it makes it more difficult to slide it in and out from below cabinets.• If water runs out during brewing or when warming up at first start, and water is re-filled, one must be ready for the machine to continue immediately…this is challenging since when I slide the machine forward to refill the machine, it is on the edge of my counter and there is not room to place a cup. A way around this is to slide the machine sideways while refilling (which is easier for me on the felt bottomed trivet I describe just above). While the instructions specifically say not to do this, another way around this problem is to refill the water container by pouring (just enough) water to finish the brewing process directly into the container without taking it out – again, not easy unless one moves the unit forward of the cabinets above.• Crema could be a bit thicker and a little more flavorful (again, compared to the Nespresso Intenso), but this could also be a function of the beans chosen.• Grind setting can only be adjusted when the grinder is running. This isn’t a terrible problem for me since I have set it on the finest setting and haven’t changed it since because I like a strong brew. However, if different people are using the machine in the same household and each prefers a different strength brew, it is something to keep in mind.• Oily or flavored beans with a coating cannot be used or it will damage the grinder. I prefer non-flavored beans so this isn’t a big deal for me. I’ve also not had a problem finding “dryer” beans (the Tchibo coffees work well, and Peet’s “Major Dickason’s” is also purported to work well though I haven’t tried it yet).• It’s not quiet. I don’t find this to be a problem, and I kind of like the sounds it makes. It crunches the beans and makes a whirring sound which is probably the brew unit moving along its track. Just keep in mind that if your significant other is sleeping, that person will likely be awakened.Things to keep in mind:• As I mentioned above, the buttons are super light and easy to touch. This is a nice feature, but they are easy to hit inadvertently when load the bean hopper or even if one brushes the “buttons” by accident. I have adopted the approach of turning off the machine when re-loading the hopper.• I plan on running a descaling cycle monthly using an espresso machine specific de-scaler (as opposed to vinegar). I only say this because I think with any higher pressure machine, de-scaling is important to maintain the machine. I have run the de-scaling cycle once during this review time and it is simple to follow the directions in the manual.My background – I’ve tried many ways to brew coffee including: drip, Nespresso, Keurig, percolated, a “true” espresso machine, stove-top espresso machine, pour-over, cold-brew, and French press. I prefer a very strong coffee, but do not like bitterness.I used my Nespresso for more “special” occasions (mostly weekends) and liked the coffee it makes. My favorite flavor capsule was Intenso, and I also liked the Stormio and Odacio flavors but not as much. I never liked the capsule approach as think it’s wasteful and has too much of an impact on the environment. While I applaud that Nespresso minimizes the impact of the capsule approach by providing free recycling bags which saves the aluminum and composts the coffee, I think that process creates a large carbon footprint. The final straw for me though was the machines don’t last. My first one died within a year. Nespresso was great in replacing it for me. The second one died after about two years, and Nespresso repaired it for me free of charge. I don’t use the machine enough to have it die so soon – at the most 100 cycles per year. Nespresso has great customer service, but when I saw the Tchibo, I found it very appealing because it doesn’t use capsules.My opinion on the other methods is as follows. It’s not even worth talking much about Keurig in my humble opinion. The plastic waste is inexcusable and the coffee it makes is simply not good – it’s better than instant, which isn’t saying much. I love pour-over coffee, but it’s a fair amount of work and I just don’t want to spend the time in the morning, especially during the week when running off to work. French press is a bit too much work too, and I don’t have a grinder which is needed to be able to make a course grind to effectively use a French press. Percolated coffee is too much effort too. Ditto for a true espresso machine and stove-top espresso machine. Drip coffee is a nice staple, but it’s not “special” in that it doesn’t create crema and it can be bitter depending on the beans used. I love my cold brewer for the summer (a simple filter inside of a mason jar), but when it gets cold outside, I want a hot coffee.Beans used: Tchibo Classic Blend – using these beans, the coffee is flavorful and pleasant, but even in the finest settings with the boost function, I long for a bit more punch. My old Nespresso machine when using Intenso made a stronger cup, but it was also more bitter, so there is a trade-off. I would liken the Classic Blend in the Tchibo to the Stormio or Odacio Nespresso Capsules. I’ve also tried the Tchibo Röstmeister beans which are a dark roast and they yield a lot stronger flavor which is more akin to my preferred Intenso Nespresso brew. I also plan on trying Peet’s Major Dickason’s blend as they have confirmed for me that these are non-oily (see above, oily or flavored beans are not recommended for this machine as they gum up the grinder).I used the machine a lot (at least once a day, sometimes more) during these first 30 days and am quite happy. The pros of the machine definitely outweigh the cons. I remain hopeful that the machine will remain reliable, and I will update this review once more time passes.In conclusion, I do highly recommend this machine and I hope this review has been helpful! If so, please hit the thumbs up!

3. 

   andrew oliver – 12 December 2024

   The details that I wanted to know – hopefully this helps you!
   Love this machine. Hopefully, these are the missing details you need – I was concerned about the answers to these questions, but, with the exception of the small water tank, I am very, very happyDisclaimer: I only wanted a machine that made coffee without the waste of pods, not espresso.1. Height: Yes, at 12.4 inches in height, it will probably fit under your kitchen cabinets. However, the absolute minimum you’ll need is just over 20 inches (and you’ll have to be extremely dexterous). Ideally you’d want 22 inches or more, because you will need to take the water tank out often (see pics). So either you need a spot with no cabinets, or, as another reviewer pointed out, you can buy the “Nifty medium appliance rolling tray”. This device allows you to slide the unit out very easily (by pressing down the button of the tray) to refill the water tank (which you will need to do often if you are buying this for “large coffee”). The nifty’s button gets covered by the drip tray of the Tchibo: voila! If you’re overly concerned with looks, then this tray may not be for you, but i definitely lean towards being an aesthete, and it looks fine to me (though i have just ordered the pure black one as the silver of the tray vs the chrome of the Tchibo is a bit bothersome!). I would not recommend buying this machine if you’re going to be bothered by the looks of the nifty tray AND you have to have it under a cabinet because, well, see #3. See photos for tank extraction and nifty appliance tray2. Coffee size. I like my coffee black and want it to fill a regular mug, so I was wondering whether 8oz was enough liquid. At the end of the day, the size is just fine for a regular mug – I don’t feel as though I’m being short-changed3. Water tank. This is laughably small and the most problematic issue. As above, I only use this machine for 8oz coffees. You could probably make three 8oz cups on one tank IF you make them all in a row. If you don’t, then the machine will send some water through for a self-clean after it has shut off after a few minutes. In this case, you can only make two 8oz cups before refilling, and, as others have pointed out, the machine will just stop midway. Why they include an optional expansion compartment for more coffee beans when the water tank makes less than 3 cups is one of life’s mysteries.For me, neither 1, nor 3, are problems. If you are ok with the looks of the nifty rolling tray (and presumably there are better lookers out there too), and you only make a couple of cups a day, then it is no problem to slide out the unit nightly to refill the water tank (obviously, if you’re an espresso drinker then the water will last a lot longer).What does the coffee taste like? It’s absolutely brilliant. Foam, and everything. All-in-all there are a few foibles, but as I wrote at the start, I am very, very happy!

4. 

   Hanmark – 12 December 2024

   So far it’s working great! Small and maintenance free,