Beko CaffeExperto Bean To Cup Coffee Machine with Integrated Milk Jug CEG7384X review

Design and Features

• 18 drink options
• Can make two non-milk drinks at one time
• Removable milk jug

The Beko CaffeExperto Bean To Cup Coffee Machine is brimming full of features that you wouldn’t think it had to look at. Designed with a silver hue and black trim, it measures H34 x W27.5 x D40.5cm and weighs 12.9kg so it takes up little space on the kitchen countertop.

It has space for two, 350ml mugs so you can brew some of your favourite coffee drinks for a friend too. This includes all the drinks that do not require milk such as Espresso, Americano, Lungo, Ristretto, Doppio, Iced Americano, Cold Brew and Surprise Me (if it doesn’t require milk!).

This leads us on to the other drinks that the CaffeeExperto can also make. The CaffeExperto can make the following milk-based coffee drinks: Caffe Latte (my fave), Cappucino, Latte Macchiato, Ristretto Biano, Flat White, Cortado and Iced Latte.

In total, this bean to cup coffee machine can brew 18 drinks, all of which are customisable. This means that you can control how much water is added, milk quantity and the brew temperature, either by using the touch screen control panel or the HomeConnect app.

In using, I found the touchscreen responsive and intuitive to navigate. It has a touch button for each of the 18 drinks with six of the most popular (I guess) to the right side of the screen and then, to the left, is a two-drink wide scrolling menu of other drinks to choose from. On the app, all the drinks were accessible but I found that it was a lot easier to use when I had set up a profile set with my favourite drink or drinks – it would be even easier if a mug was placed into position for me too!

You can brew either type of coffee drink from whole or ground beans. The hopper can hold 200g of whole beans and the ground coffee cavity can hold one scoopful (use the pre-ground coffee spoon). It’s easy enough to access by simply popping off the lid to top-up or refill.

The removable 0.6-litre milk jug, located around the front of the appliance, is easy to be kept clean, and useful for keeping milk cold and fresh because you can remove it and stow it in the fridge for safe keeping. The milk jug has a foam adjustment knob at the side so you can control how much foam lands on top of, or underneath, the coffee.

Around the back of the machine is the removable 2-litre water tank which although feels a little small and flimsy, is sturdy and slim enough to securely slot into position. The drip tray and waste container (accessed behind the coffee spout) is also removable for cleaning.

A nice little touch to the design of the CaffeExperto is that it has a light turn on when brewing. This means that you can see all that delicious liquid gold pour out of the spout and into the cup.

Performance

• Fully automatic
• Makes delicious coffees
• Voice & app control

The Beko CaffeExperto Bean To Cup Coffee Machine comes equipped with everything that you need to start brewing your favourite coffees from the point of delivery. Inside the box with the machine you’ll find a: pre-ground coffee spoon, water filter, cleaning brush, cleaning needle, water hardness stick and instruction manual. This is all alongside the machine and all of it’s removable components.

Before first use I washed and rinsed the water tank, milk jug, coffee ground (residual) container and drip tray in warm soapy water. All these parts are also dishwasher safe but I prefer to wash by hand because it’s quicker, and doesn’t take up valuable space on the plate racks.

It’s also advised to test the water hardness so that you can customise the settings on the machine. We have a water softener installed at our property because the water hardness is so hard in our area, and even with that it was indicated that we are level 3. To adjust, toggle to “Settings” on the touchscreen and select “Water Hardness”.

The water filter will need to be submerged in cold water for 10 minutes until no more bubbles come out before vertically inserting into the water tank, too. The use of this water filter is to extend the lifespan of the coffee machine, improve coffee quality and protect the machine from any build up of limescale.

And you’ll need to choose either ground or whole beans to fill your cup. I opted for coffee beans because since using the KitchenAid Semi Automatic Espresso Machine my coffee game has gone up a level, and it’s been “bye bye” to instant coffee and, I’m afraid, ground coffee. I also topped up the milk jug with oat milk.

Within 15 minutes the Beko CaffeExperto Bean To Cup Coffee Machine was ready to use for the first time.

My first coffee that I made with the machine just had to be a Caffe Latte (it’s one of my favorites). I used the preset settings for water quantity, milk quantity and temperature.

The first observation I had was that there wasn’t much coffee filling my 350ml mug. I poured it out and measured 100ml. I adjusted the settings to add 200ml milk and 90ml water, and the amount poured increased to just 150ml which, I know, doesn’t add up. This still wasn’t satisfactory enough for my caffeine appetite in the morning, especially since it’s a Latte (an espresso shot can be more easily excused.)

So with the settings adjusted I also added hot milk from the list of drinks on the left side of the touchscreen. This bought the total amount in my mug to 250ml, which was much better. Unfortunately I couldn’t bolt on this extra milk to my Caffe Latte saved under my “Orange” profile so the milk top up will need to be a manual add each time.

I also made Espresso’s, Cappuccino’s and Latte Macchiato, and tried the “Surprise Me” setting to try something new. For each of these drinks I customised the settings. Whether it was to increase the coffee strength, add extra water, add extra milk or increase the temperature, I adjusted each coffee drink to achieve perfection (which happened to be different every day). I also added an extra Espresso shot or more hot milk if I felt I needed it too.

And I didn’t just make myself a coffee either; I thought I’d share the love and make my husband a cup of Joe too, at the same time I was making mine. I opted for a non-milk based drink for the espresso shot, and then topped mine up with extra milk and topped up my husbands with hot water and cold milk.

When I kept the coffee temperature as default (which was perfect every time) I tested how hot it actually is. To do this I used a food-safe thermometer and dipped it in to my coffee. I measured a temperature of 75 degree C when coffee was dispensed, and 75 degrees C when milk was dispensed. The drink cooled quick and after sub-5 minutes, all was consumed.

I also adjusted the foam on the milk jug for all the milk-based drinks I tried but, to be honest, I didn’t notice a difference between the minimum and maximum settings – it poured the same.

During a spell of extremly hot weather here in the UK I lapped up the chance to try out the Iced Latte and Iced Cappuccino settings. This was a walk through the machine with clear steps to follow. To make either iced drink was to pour cold milk into a mug or glass, drop in some ice cubes, and then add a shot of espresso. I needn’t have pressed “Iced Latte” is all the setting is to brew an Espresso but, still, it was useful to have the step by step guide.

I could make all of the above coffees via the HomeDirect app. All that I needed to ensure was to have a mug in situ on the drip tray and the milk jug topped up and slotted in place. I found it responsive to use but you do need to make sure that the coffee machine is switched on, otherwise remote control won’t work. You don’t receive notifications when coffee is brewed, or if the drip tray needs emptying as part of the ongoing care for the machine (for example). So the HomeDirect app is purely for pouring, and customizing, your coffee drink.

However, the HomeDirect app does unlock the voice control. Connect the app to Amazon Alexa or Google Home Assistant and you can ask the CaffeExperto to make you coffee. I haven’t tested this because I do not have either of these smart devices but from using the app I’ve learnt that the machine will need to be switched on, and a mug will need to be in place.

The touchscreen displays notifications when the coffee dregs need emptying from the container or the drip tray needs pouring away. It also displays a series of prompts such as when the machine is auto cleaning, water tank is empty and milk jug is missing.

When creating your profile (orange, blue, green or purple) you can add your favourite drinks. However, if like me, you like to add extra milk to your Caffe Latte (for example) then just know that the machine won’t think to mix the Caffe Latte with Hot Milk into the same drink one after the other – you’ll still need to manually select this so it’s not fully automated, IMO.

The noise of the machine was consistent with all brew types. I used a decibel meter reader app on my smartphone to measure the noise and for grinding and brewing coffee, and steaming milk, it peaked at 82dB. This is equivalent to a lawnmower. Whilst it’s not the quietest this noise is short lived because it can make a decent coffee from scratch in sub-30 seconds.

One other thing to note: you can only select milk-based drinks when the milk jug is attached.

Regular cleaning involved: rinsing through the machine, rinsing through the milk cup, refilling the hopper, refilling the water tank and emptying the drip tray and coffee ground (residual) container. I did this every day to keep the machine is good working order.

As part of long-term maintenance, it is suggested to replace the water filter after using the descaling function. It’s recommended to descale the CaffeExperto between every 1 to 3 months depending on the water hardness. I’ve found a filter replacement on Amazon for £36.79 which is the price for just one filter so this is an ongoing cost to factor in to your purchase decision.

Should you buy it?