Capsule coffee machines are becoming increasingly popular in the homes of Italians, as is the idea that these machines that cost a few tens of euros (or hundreds of euros if designer) can have performance equal to the professional machines we find in bars (and that cost several thousand euros).
Certainly capsule coffee allows you to extract at home a very high quality coffee that comes close to that of the bar, but it retains its differences. To get as close as possible to a good bar espresso, however, there are some tips/considerations to keep in mind:
1) The capsule coffee machine should be turned on one/two minutes before using it: it usually contains a heat exchanger (thermoblock) inside, which does not need to stay on to stay at temperature like a machine with a boiler.
2) Before brewing the first coffee it is advisable to draw a cup of hot water in order to better heat the internal components (which are often made of plastic) and the ceramic cup as well.
3) Capsule machines usually have a working temperature close to 82/85 degrees: this is reached at the second pour-over, so it is a good idea to use the precaution of point 2 in order to heat the machine as best as possible.
4) The vessel one uses causes the temperature of the coffee to drop: a cold ceramic cup can "steal" as much as 10/15 degrees from the coffee, while a ceramic one heated as point 2 only 8/10 degrees.
Next, always keep in mind false expectations: these come from previous habits, that is, from what you used to drink coffee before you bought the capsule machine. In fact, it should be kept in mind that any capsule machine on the market will never reach the temperatures of coffee made with a mocha (around 90 degrees) or coffee from the bar (93 degrees max), so those who like coffee that burns the throat are warned.
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