Coffee is one of the most loved beverages around the world, and it largely influences our daily habits and social culture. With expanding population of coffee lovers and rising disposable income, there has been an increase in demand for coffee machines among residential and commercial sectors. The growing popularity of instant non-alcoholic beverages among millennials, busy work schedules, changing consumer taste are also positively influencing the global coffee market growth. However, for a perfect blend of coffee, it is necessary to find the right coffee making equipment. With rising demand for coffee, the coffee manufacturers are innovating ways to offer an improved taste and quality of coffee to consumers incorporating advanced technologies.

Types of Coffee Making Machine

• Drip coffee machine
• Espresso coffee machine

Drip Coffee Machine

A drip coffee maker is a simple coffee making machine that does not require much assistance. It is one of the widely used coffee making machines due to its ease of application and relatively inexpensive price. The basic components of the machine consist of a reservoir, a showerhead, a drip area, a heating element, and a sensor. 

Reservoir is a container that holds water when you are starting to make coffee. The reservoir has a hole at the bottom and a white tube is connected from the reservoir base to carry hot water to the drip area of the coffee maker. In some coffee makers, you might find the option of removing the white tube. The showerhead receives the water carried up by the hot water tube and its function is to spray water onto the coffee to make it saturated. Drip area is a plastic disc with small holes which allows the water from the white tube to flow through its hole to coffee grounds, but the feature is not available in all drip coffee makers. The heating element is a simple wire made of coiled aluminium wire that might look like a bulb filament. The main purpose of the heating element is to transfer electric energy into heat energy to make the water hot enough for brewing coffee and keep it warm. Some specially designed outdoor coffee machine might not require electricity for its functioning. Sensors maintain a steady temperature of the heating element and prevent overheating beyond the design temperature of the heating element. The switch connected to the electrical fuses automatically cut off the power when it detects high temperature.

Coffee Machine Making Process

• Pour cold and filtered water in the reservoir and close it up.
• The water moves from hole in the bottom of the reservoir into the cold-water tube, which further passes the water into the aluminium tube beneath the heating   element.
• When you turn on the coffee maker, the water contained in the element starts to heat up and a few minutes, it gets all boiled up.
• The boiling water creates big bubbles that push the hot water through the hot-tube water all the way up to the showerhead.
• The showerhead sprays the hot water so that it can drip over the coffee grounds, saturate them, and carry their flavours down to the coffee pot.

Espresso Coffee Machine

Some people like to enjoy a strong and freshly brewed cup of coffee to start their morning with a punch for which espresso coffee machine is the ideal option. Espresso machines have their own unique way of making coffee to deliver the extra kick of caffeine in your coffee cup. The basic components of an espresso machine include a reservoir, a pump, a heating chamber, a steam wand, a grouphead, and a porta-filter.

The reservoir stores the water to make coffee and the size of the reservoir can vary from one model to another. Large espresso machines used in commercial places are usually hooked to a water source that supplies a steady stream of water. The pump is an essential component of a coffee maker that applies pressure necessary to push the water through the coffee. The two types of pumps available in espresso coffee machines include a vibratory pump and a rotatory pump. The vibratory pump pushes the water through the machine at 60 pushes per second whereas rotatory pump utilizes a motor that spins a sectioned disk and creates the needed pressure to push water out of the chamber. Vibratory pumps are inexpensive but rotatory pumps last longer. The heating chamber is made up of resistive heating element embedded in a plaster at the bottom and its function is to bring the water to boil when electricity is applied. Some espresso machines work on an internal thermostat that prevents the heating element from overheating. More advanced espresso machines contain an outward heating control to adjust the temperature better. The function of steam wand is to steam and froth milk when the valve is turned on. The grouphead in the espresso machines carry water from the heating chamber to the porta-filter and into your cup. It is generally located behind the panel of the machine. The portafilter is a metal filter with a handle where fine coffee grounds are placed and pressed down with the tamp to compress them firmly. The portafilter is then put back into the machine under the grouphead and locked in.

Coffee making process

• Fill the reservoir with water and turn on the machine.
• The machine heats the chamber and lets you know when it reaches the perfect temperature.
• Take out the portafilter out of the machine, fill it with an appropriate amount of coffee, tamp it down and lock the portafilter into the machine.
• The pump will activate and begin to pressurize the water to force it out of the portafilter and out of the spout into your cup.

According to TechSci Research on, “Global Coffee Machines Market By Product Type (Drip/Filter Coffee Machines, Espresso Coffee Machines and Pod/Capsule Coffee Machines); By End User (Residential Vs. Commercial), By Region, By Company, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2024”, the global coffee machines market is forecast to cross $17 billion by 2024 owing to rising demand for smart kitchen appliances in households and expanding working class population base. Additionally, rising trend of social gatherings among millennials in cafés and restaurants, growing inclination towards technologically advanced appliances in hotels, restaurants and cafés coupled with rising demand for espresso coffee machines is expected to drive global coffee machines market in the coming years.

Coffee and connectivity

Multiple breakthrough technological developments can be contributed to the expansion of connectivity. The advancements in technology have made coffee-making experience effortless and convenient. Coffee-making process is a culmination of art and science, which depends upon variables such as coffee origin, quality of roast, humidity, temperature, etc. Innovation in coffee makers have helped to control and manage these variables better, enhancing the coffee experience. The addition of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity does not influence quality or taste of the coffee produced, rather makes the whole process of making coffee a lot comfortable providing ease of customization, maintenance, and ordering.

The Wi-Fi enabled coffee machine comes with a manufacturer-designed software that can be connected to the phone through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. They allow the user to set a brewing schedule or adjust it according to the requirement from the smartphone. In some coffee machines, you can also manage the grinding of the coffee beans, adjust the strength of your coffee customizing the amount of milk, coffee, or portion size, and decide on whether to brew one cup or twelve cups without being physically present near the coffee machine. Some smart coffee makers have the application that can save user preferences remembering the previously chosen settings. Some smart coffee machines also offer both Google Assistant and Alexa integrations, which can make your coffee maker smarter.

Touchless Coffee Machines

With safety becoming paramount to today’s consumers, there have been a rise in demand for touchless equipment solutions. Touchless coffee makers eliminate the need to touch the handle by simply pressing the cup against the dispenser. The coffee consumers can select their drink without touching the machine itself as the touchless coffee machines have distance selection technology. The advanced technology allows them to order their drinks from a special screen technology where one can select their drinks from 2 cms away from the screen.

According to TechSci Research on “India Coffee Capsule Market By Type (Open System, Closed System), By Material (Conventional Plastic, Bioplastics, Others (Fabric, etc.)), By Distribution Channel (Supermarket/Hypermarket, Specialty Store, Online Retail Store, Others), By Region, Forecast & Opportunities, 2026”, India coffee capsule market is expected to grow at a steady rate during the forecast period. The India coffee capsule market is driven by increasing coffee consumption, particularly among millennials and growing installation of coffee machines in hotels, restaurants, and office premises.  The ease-of-use of coffee capsule products and single-serve portions are leading to their increasing demand in Indian market. Additionally, market leaders are launching coffee capsules in recyclable and biodegradable packaging, which is fueling the market growth. Manufacturers are also launching new flavors and new & innovative formulations which are acting as a primary growth factor for India coffee capsule market.