Of course, I won't be able to answer this question for you - it's all a matter of personal taste! However, I can present both methods of preparation and you can form your own opinion.
Whether you have a portafilter or a fully automatic machine - you can buy both for little money or for huge sums with lots of fancy equipment. We'll explain what ultimately matters here in our blog post. Enjoy reading.
Your Kaffeebrewda
The fully automatic machine
Super easy: press the button - wait - drink coffee. Functionality is clearly the main focus here. The coffee beans are portioned and ground for you, the machine then presses the coffee powder into the brewing group, a little pressure and a short extraction time of around 20 seconds later: coffee in your cup. And with many fully automatic machines you even have the option of choosing whether you want black coffee, espresso, latte macchiato or cappuccino. A thick layer of milk foam is then added on top. Simple and quick, but not a great barista effort. But an absolute all-rounder.
Advantages
- Quickly make your morning coffee
- No dirt outside the machine
- You don't have to be an expert
- Short heating times and high comfort
Disadvantages
- High cleaning effort in the machine
- Mold formation in closed systems
- Whenever I want to make a coffee the rinsing program starts, the water tank or the bean compartment is empty
- Low flexibility
Which coffee is suitable for the fully automatic machine?
Filter coffee doesn't belong in a fully automatic machine - it has to be filtered somewhere and a fully automatic machine uses a pressure and a brewing group. So buy espresso or cafe crema.
Grinding level:
Most fully automatic machines set the grinding level themselves. If you do have to do it, make sure you use a particularly fine grind. The shorter the time the coffee is in contact with water, the finer the coffee powder needs to be!
My recommendation:
The search for the perfect fully automatic coffee is over. You may know what it's like to constantly try out which coffee is suitable for your fully automatic machine - that's why we have put together special coffee for fully automatic machines and perfected it in our BÄM , POW and WOW series. There's something here to suit your taste and how you're feeling on the day. Whether you prefer strong, spicy or mild, everyone will find their favorite. A little tip: don't pour the whole bag into your fully automatic machine, that way you can try out the different varieties more easily. Coffee beans also stay fresh longer in their packaging. In fully automatic machines, especially for people who don't drink much coffee, the coffee beans can lose their flavor or even go rancid.
Portafilter
You don't have to be a nerd to love the portafilter. But for us, it's the only way to make a decent espresso. From preparation to brewing to enjoying - the portafilter is an experience on all levels! You just have to decide whether you need a single-circuit or dual-circuit machine. The difference is that the single-circuit machine can really only do one thing: make espresso. The dual-circuit machine, on the other hand, can make espresso and froth milk. So think about whether you really only want to drink espresso in the morning or whether you don't want to miss out on your favorite coffee and milk specialties. And being able to pour a heart like that on your cappuccino also looks great - for your partner and for guests too.
If you have decided on a portafilter, then it is extremely important to also buy a coffee grinder. Please choose a conical or disc grinder. A built-in scale or timer is the icing on the cake, but can also be purchased separately. My recommendation is quite clear that the grinder should not be integrated into the portafilter - this way you have little opportunity to customize the espresso to your taste and cleaning leaves a lot to be desired. So don't skimp, the taste will tell you why.
Advantages
- The taste
- Flexibility
- Complete control in preparation
- Very good cleaning
Disadvantages
- Some skill is required
- Manual operation
Which coffee is suitable for the portafilter?
Only espresso belongs in the portafilter. Why? You only make an espresso, Americano or a milk specialty like a cappuccino.
Grinding degree
The rule of thumb also applies here: the shorter the processing time, the finer the coffee powder must be ground. This often needs to be adjusted and refined. It all depends on your personal taste and preferences. If you want to find out more about making espresso with a portafilter, then take a look at our espresso guide !
My recommendation:
Of course I recommend our espresso varieties Kaffeebrewda 1 - 4. Espresso No. 2 - Hello Awake with 50/50 Arabica & Robusta is particularly suitable for beginners. Earthy and nutty notes of dark chocolate are the perfect pick-me-up. Espresso No. 3 - Uganda Ngoma with flavors of dark chocolate, peanuts and honey also forgives some mistakes at the beginning. Our Espresso No. 1 - Italian Style is our best-selling espresso and the name speaks for itself. Espresso No. 4 - Ethiopia Guji was just named test winner by the trade magazine Crema as "a small espresso masterpiece".
As you can see, we have a large selection of espressos to suit your portafilter machine. If you need a little help preparing them, we also offer courses ;)
Conclusion:
Fully automatic vs. portafilter. A decision that is influenced by many factors: taste, time required, budget and passion for coffee. But no matter what you choose, we have the right coffee freshly roasted for you in our range!