Bean-to-Cup Machine

A bean-to-cup machine, also called a super-automatic, makes espresso-based coffee from whole beans at the touch of a button. It has its own grinder, a built-in brewing unit that doses, presses and brews the coffee, and a container for the spent grounds. Many also froth milk, so one button can make a latte. Saeco says it launched the first one for the home, the Superautomatica, in 1985. Here’s how they work and how to get the best from one.

The short version

• Whole beans in, coffee out: it grinds, brews and empties itself.
• Espresso-based drinks, often with milk at a button.
• Any beans you like, unlike capsule machines.
• Better coffee: fresh beans, a fine grind and a clean brewing unit.
• Saeco’s Superautomatica, 1985, by Saeco’s account the first for the home.

How does a bean-to-cup machine work?

1. The grinder grinds a dose of whole beans from the hopper.
2. The brewing unit takes the grounds, presses them and brews them under pressure, like a small automatic espresso machine.
3. The coffee runs into the cup, at the strength and size you chose.
4. The spent puck is dropped into the grounds container.
5. For milk drinks, a steam wand or an automatic milk system froths the milk.

Premium machines let you adjust the grind, the strength and the length of each drink.

How do you use one, step by step?

1. Fill the hopper with whole espresso beans and the tank with fresh, cold water.
2. Choose a drink, and its strength and size.
3. Let it grind and brew.
4. Froth milk for milk drinks.
5. Empty the grounds and drip tray when the machine asks, and rinse the milk system after use.

How do I get better coffee from a bean-to-cup?

• Fresh beans. The machine grinds for you, so fresh, recently roasted beans make the biggest difference.
• Grind finer, as far as the machine allows without the coffee choking or dripping.
• Choose a stronger setting for short drinks, which uses more coffee.
• Keep it clean. Rinse the brewing unit, if it’s removable, and the milk system regularly, and descale as the instructions say.

A short history of bean-to-cup

• 1981: Saeco’s account says an Italian businessman, Sergio Zapella (Wikipedia spells it Zappella), had the idea for a fully automatic home machine, and found a Swiss engineer, Arthur Schmed, to build it with him.
• 1985: Saeco launches the Superautomatica from Gaggio Montano, near Bologna, which it describes as the first fully automatic coffee bean machine for home use. Around the same time the Swiss company Jura, founded in 1931, moves into espresso machines.
• 1989: Saeco’s Electronic Twin Superautomatica can make two cups at once, and adds the option to use pre-ground coffee.
• 2009: Philips buys Saeco. Its home machines now belong to Versuni, a Philips spinoff.
• Today: many makers, including Saeco and Jura, sell bean-to-cup machines.

The “first” comes from Saeco itself, and I haven’t found independent confirmation.

Bean-to-cup vs other machines

	Bean-to-cup	Nespresso Original	Espresso machine
Coffee	Whole beans, ground fresh	Sealed capsules	Fresh grounds, by hand
Effort	One button	One button	Grind, dose, tamp
Control	Settings	Little	Full
Cleaning	Grounds, brewing unit, milk system	Used capsules	Portafilter, wand

General guidance only. Follow the maker’s instructions for use, cleaning and descaling, and keep hands away from the grinder.

Bean-to-cup vs other methods

• Espresso: the shot a bean-to-cup automates.
• Nespresso Original: capsule espresso.
• ESE pods: paper espresso pods for compatible machines.
• Spinn: another machine that grinds whole beans for each cup.

Explore every machine method in the machine chapter.