We Asked Coffee Pros to Blind Test Coffee Machines. The Results Were Surprising
We Asked Coffee Pros to Blind Test Coffee Machines. The Results Were Surprising
我们邀请咖啡专家对咖啡机进行盲测，结果令人惊讶
What do you love about coffee? Is it the caffeine boost in the morning, the creamy sweetness of a cappuccino or latte, the bucket of filter coffee you can sip on all day, or the quick kick of a good espresso? Or is it the zen-like ritual of it all, the measuring of beans and the precision of the perfect extraction? Good thing it’s much better for you than science previously realized.
你喜欢咖啡的什么？是早晨那杯提神的咖啡因，卡布奇诺或拿铁那奶油般的甜美，可以喝上一整天的滤泡式咖啡，还是浓缩咖啡带来的瞬间冲击？又或者是那种禅意般的仪式感——称量咖啡豆和追求完美萃取的精准度？好消息是，咖啡对你健康的好处远超科学界此前的认知。
If the marketing hype is to be believed, you can have it all, thanks to the best in fully automatic coffee machines. These compact countertop cafés promise to deliver a vast menu of drinks at the touch of a button, all with no barista prowess needed. But are the brews actually any good?
如果营销宣传可信的话，多亏了顶级的全自动咖啡机，你可以拥有一切。这些紧凑的台式“咖啡馆”承诺只需按下一个按钮，就能提供种类繁多的饮品，完全不需要任何咖啡师技巧。但这些咖啡真的好喝吗？
WIRED tests a lot of coffee machines—productivity would grind to a halt if we stopped. But for this group blind test, we wanted to see what coffee professionals thought of the drinks produced by the “best” in fully automatic machines, without being influenced by any fancy design or brand awareness. We’re not judging the machine’s usability here, the app’s interface (there’s always an app), or how easy it is to clean. We only want to know about the Joe.
《连线》（WIRED）测试过很多咖啡机——如果我们停止测试，工作效率恐怕会停滞不前。但在这次集体盲测中，我们想看看咖啡专业人士对这些“顶级”全自动咖啡机所制作的饮品有何评价，且不受任何华丽设计或品牌认知的影响。我们在这里不评判机器的易用性、应用程序界面（总会有个App），也不评判清洁的难易程度。我们只想知道咖啡本身的味道如何。
By the end of our experiment, it was clear that while money can buy you endless choice and push-button convenience, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee barista-grade, café-quality coffee at home.
实验结束时，结果显而易见：虽然金钱可以买到无穷的选择和一键式的便利，但这并不一定能保证你在家就能喝到咖啡师级别、咖啡馆品质的咖啡。
Our Experts / 我们的专家
Adam Cozens is the cofounder of Perky Blenders, a UK specialty coffee brand from coffee-shop-dense, hipster-populated East London. He was joined in WIRED’s test café by his business manager and coffee aficionado Calum Hunt. Launching in 2015 from a three-wheeled coffee cart, they now have multiple cafés and more than 100 retail partners across the UK.
Adam Cozens 是英国精品咖啡品牌 Perky Blenders 的联合创始人，该品牌来自咖啡馆林立、潮人聚集的伦敦东区。与他一同参与《连线》测试咖啡馆的还有他的业务经理兼咖啡爱好者 Calum Hunt。他们于 2015 年从一辆三轮咖啡车起家，如今在英国各地拥有多家咖啡馆和 100 多家零售合作伙伴。
For this test, they chose their Forest Blend beans, noted for their dark chocolate, molasses, and walnut notes, creamy body, low acidity, and a sweet, lingering finish. Crucially, Cozens and Hunt know implicitly how the Forest Blend beans should taste, and they are ideally positioned to decide which of our machines produces the best coffee with the most accurate flavor profile from the beans provided.
为了这次测试，他们选择了自家的“森林拼配”（Forest Blend）咖啡豆，这种豆子以黑巧克力、糖蜜和核桃的风味，奶油般的醇厚口感，低酸度以及甜美悠长的余韵而闻名。关键在于，Cozens 和 Hunt 非常清楚“森林拼配”豆应该是什么味道，他们是判断哪台机器能用这些豆子制作出风味最准确、品质最好的咖啡的最佳人选。
The Test / 测试过程
Each of the machines we chose is a fully automatic bean-to-cup behemoth capable of producing upwards of 50 types of coffee drinks at the push of a button; everything from espresso and cortado to iced lattes with syrup or a simple long black.
我们选择的每一台机器都是全自动豆到杯（bean-to-cup）的庞然大物，只需按下一个按钮，就能制作 50 多种咖啡饮品；从浓缩咖啡（espresso）和短笛咖啡（cortado），到加糖浆的冰拿铁或简单的美式咖啡（long black），应有尽有。
WIRED chose the latte—America’s most popular steamed-milk coffee order—and a classic espresso to blind taste test. The latte allows us to test the milk-heating, frothing, and steaming mechanisms, while the espresso reveals any weaknesses in extraction and coffee flavor. Per Cozens’ instructions, we used organic whole milk.
《连线》选择了拿铁（美国最受欢迎的蒸汽奶咖啡饮品）和经典浓缩咖啡进行盲测。拿铁可以让我们测试机器的牛奶加热、打奶泡和蒸汽系统，而浓缩咖啡则能揭示萃取和咖啡风味上的任何弱点。按照 Cozens 的指示，我们使用了有机全脂牛奶。
Our experts were blindfolded and then presented with one latte and one espresso from each machine. Labelled A, B, C, and D, the machines were visible to the testers, but they had no idea which coffee came from which. They then assessed each drink on looks, milk-steaming quality, crema (the golden aromatic foam on top of espresso), temperature, extraction, and flavor. The coffees were then ranked in order from best to worst.
我们的专家被蒙上眼睛，然后品尝每台机器制作的一杯拿铁和一杯浓缩咖啡。机器被标记为 A、B、C 和 D，测试者可以看到机器，但不知道哪杯咖啡来自哪台机器。随后，他们从外观、打奶质量、油脂（crema，浓缩咖啡表面那层金黄色的芳香泡沫）、温度、萃取度和风味等方面对每杯饮品进行了评估。最后，咖啡按从好到坏的顺序进行了排名。
To reiterate, this is not a test of the machine’s usability, desirability, or features. Each design can have every aspect of every recipe tweaked, but we’re not convinced the average buyer will want to dive deep into the settings. These are sophisticated push-button machines designed to take the faff and fiddle out of making good coffee at home—anything for an easy life.
重申一下，这不是对机器易用性、吸引力或功能的测试。每种设计都可以对配方的各个方面进行微调，但我们不认为普通买家会愿意深入研究这些设置。这些复杂的按钮式机器旨在消除在家制作好咖啡的繁琐和折腾——一切为了轻松生活。
The Coffee Machines / 咖啡机介绍
Machine “A”: Terra Kaffe TK-02
One of only a few machines capable of making espresso-based drinks and classic drip coffee, the TK-02, from NYC-based Terra Kaffe, is a gorgeous-looking piece of kitchen kit with premium components, a delightful glass milk carafe, a super-cool monochrome touchscreen, extensive personalization, and full app control.
机器“A”：Terra Kaffe TK-02 TK-02 来自纽约的 Terra Kaffe，是为数不多既能制作浓缩咖啡饮品又能制作经典滴滤咖啡的机器之一。它是一款外观精美的厨房设备，拥有优质的组件、令人愉悦的玻璃奶罐、超酷的单色触摸屏、广泛的个性化设置以及全面的 App 控制功能。
Machine “B”: Jura E8 Automatic Coffee Machine
Swiss brand Jura, founded in 1931, has built a reputation as one of the leading automatic coffee machine brands for home and corporate use. This fully automatic model has a 3.5-inch color display, is just over 10 inches wide, and has a glass milk carafe, 10 coffee strength levels, and the ability to make 27 different drinks. There’s even a removable syrup dispenser for sweeter treats.
机器“B”：Jura E8 全自动咖啡机 瑞士品牌 Jura 成立于 1931 年，作为家用和商用全自动咖啡机的领先品牌之一，享有盛誉。这款全自动机型配有 3.5 英寸彩色显示屏，宽度仅 10 英寸多一点，配有玻璃奶罐、10 级咖啡浓度调节，并能制作 27 种不同的饮品。它甚至还有一个可拆卸的糖浆分配器，用于制作更甜的饮品。
Machine “C”: De’Longhi Eletta Explore
De’Longhi’s latest machine can produce more than 50 “one-touch” drinks, including cold brew in just three minutes, via its scrolling 3.5-inch TFT touchscreen. Two separate milk jugs offer different milk textures for hot and cold options. The grinder has 13 coarseness settings, and, naturally, there’s an app for remote brewing and recipe customization.
机器“C”：De’Longhi Eletta Explore 德龙（De’Longhi）的最新机器可以通过其 3.5 英寸的滚动式 TFT 触摸屏，一键制作 50 多种饮品，包括仅需三分钟即可完成的冷萃咖啡。两个独立的奶罐为热饮和冷饮提供不同的牛奶质地。研磨器有 13 档粗细设置，当然，它也配有用于远程冲煮和配方定制的 App。
Machine “D”: Philips Café Aromis 8000 Series
The flagship of three new fully automatic machines from Philips promises 50-plus drinks, including hot, iced, and cold brew, with a 15-bar pump, 12 grind settings, and two-cup brewing. A 4.3-inch touchscreen runs a Virtual Barista Assistant and connects to the HomeID app for recipe customization. Like the De’Longhi, it comes with separate hot and cold milk systems.
机器“D”：飞利浦 Café Aromis 8000 系列 作为飞利浦三款全新全自动咖啡机的旗舰产品，它承诺提供 50 多种饮品，包括热饮、冰饮和冷萃咖啡，配备 15 巴压力泵、12 档研磨设置和双杯冲煮功能。4.3 英寸的触摸屏运行着“虚拟咖啡师助手”，并可连接 HomeID App 进行配方定制。与德龙一样，它也配备了独立的热奶和冷奶系统。