Coffee News: Deck the walls - with built-in coffee makers

"Quicker than you can say Starbucks, appliance-makers are heating things up in the kitchen with built-in coffee brewing systems designed for the homes of cappuccino- and latte-lovers everywhere.

European manufacturers Bosch and Gaggenau introduced sleek, stainless models, ranging in price from $1,099 to $1,999, earlier this year at the Kitchen and Bath Show in Chicago as the newest must-have equipment in the modern kitchen.

The upscale designs of these coffee-makers dovetail nicely with trends toward stainless stoves and refrigerators. Created largely as kitchen appliances, the machines could be installed by homeowners and set up as coffee bars in a dining room, home office, den or home theater, too.

The Bosch Benvenuto allows users to pour in whole coffee beans, set grind coarseness and return for a fresh cup of java only after "each freshly ground coffee granule is engulfed with water in a pressurized chamber." A removable water filter ensures that metallic taste and impurities are removed for a premium coffee experience.

For the hard-core coffee lover who's always in search of a higher-octane brew, this machine, complete with frothing attachment, also has espresso and cappuccino options. For those who want a lighter beverage, hot water for tea or hot chocolate is standard. The price tag for this digitized jazzy model: $1,999. A countertop version is available too for $1,499.

Gaggenau takes a similar approach with gorgeous brushed stainless or aluminum models, the CM 200. It too has six grind options and the company boasts an "aroma whirl brewing technique" that spins the drip grind so water reaches each coffee granule. A foaming dispenser steams milk for lattes to 110 degrees."

Full article here.

December 12, 2006

Coffee News: Deck the walls - with built-in coffee makers