One Touch Coffee Machines – One touch vs Two Touch Coffee Machines

Automatic coffee machines are categorised as any coffee machine which makes use of only fresh ingredients, namely fresh milk and coffee beans. Vending coffee machines are any hot beverage dispensers which make use of at least one powdered ingredient (like powdered milk or powdered/instant coffee). Automatic coffee machines are then further divided into one touch coffee machines and two touch coffee machines. In this article we will explain the differences and pros and cons of each.

A one touch coffee machine is any automatic coffee machine which is able to make a cappuccino or latte at the touch of one button. All bean to cup coffee machines can make espressos and Americanos by pressing only one button but only one touch coffee machines can make lattes and cappuccinos by pressing one button.

One touch vs Two touch coffee machines

There are three primary differences between a one touch and two touch coffee machine:

1. One touch coffee machines are simpler – A one touch coffee machine has two thermoblocks as well as the cappuccino and espresso spouts in the same position. A two stage coffee machine has only one thermoblock and the milk spout and espresso spout are not always in the same position.
2. One touch machines (because of the fact that they have two thermoblocks) are often 20% more expensive than their two stage counterparts.
3. One touch machines are quicker  – Because one touch espresso machines have one thermoblock always at the espresso making temperature and one thermoblock always at the milk steaming/frothing temperature, they takes less time to produce milk based drinks like cappuccino and lattes.

What are the milk storage options on 1 touch and 2 touch espresso/cappuccino machines?

There are four milk storage options for automatic coffee machines.

1. The Built in Carafe – A built in carafe, as seen on the Delonghi coffee machine below, is part of the coffee machine but is removable so it can be stored in the fridge during times of non-operation. The benefits of storing milk in this way is that it is probably the most aesthetically pleasing configuration of all as there are no milk pipes protruding from the coffee machine and the milk unit is essentially part of the machine. The downside of this setup is the milk carafe needs to be constantly removed and stored in the fridge as the plastic container has no insulation and the plastic container is relatively small holding only about 1 litre of milk. The other problem that is common in the milk carafe built in system is the potential of forgetting the milk in the plastic container which can lead to a less than pleasant off-milk smell which is hard to get rid of.
2. The insulated flask connection – This is the most popular option and is shown to the right. The pipe and flask system is a signature look of all Jura coffee machines. The advantages of this milk setup over the carafe system, featured by Delonghi, are two-fold: The flask can be as big as you want meaning you can store as much or as little milk as you would like in the flask.  The second benefit of this system is that the flask is insulated whereas the milk carafe in the Delonghi coffee machines, are plastic and therefore needs to be constantly removed and stored in the fridge. The flask can typically be left out the whole day and placed in the fridge at nights. The downside of the flask system however is that some people don’t like the look of the milk pipe sticking out the side of the coffee machine.
3. The Cool Control System- This is probably the best looking milk storage system of all and the most practical way to store ones milk. The cool control system is identical to having a flask system except the flask is placed into a refrigerated surrounding which essentially turns the flask into a fridge. The cool control can then be left next to the machine indefinitely with the milk stored inside as pictured below. The negative of this approach is the cost however which Jura cool controls costing around R1500. Cool controls come in 2 sizes (0.6l and 1l flasks) Because they are essentially fridges in the shape of a milk flask they do require their own power. They come in three colours to match your coffee machine as well as having a clear option allowing one to see how much milk is left in the flask.
4. The last option is the cheapest but probably the worst of the bunch. Many users of one touch machines simply dip their milk pipe into an open milk jug. Besides for the fact that this is incredibly unsightly, the milk is prone to going off as well as being vulnerable to little bugs looking to take a swim. A fly with your coffee? No thanks! There are many cheap options of flasks available so even if you decide not to go for the cool control option you should be able to find a low priced flask to avoid this option 4 at all costs. Nothing spoils the image of a fancy espresso machine, like a pipe hanging off the side dipping into an open flask of milk.

What is the price of a one touch coffee machine?

One touch coffee machines cost around R2500 more than their two touch counterparts. The most economical one touch coffee machines on the market are the Delonghi one touch options albeit that they are only suited to domestic use.

An entry level one touch Delonghi costs around the R6,500 mark.

An entry level commercial Jura One touch coffee machine costs closer to the R16,000 mark due to the fact that it is made to withstand much more rigorous use.

Saeco and Sprada one touch coffee machines are similarly priced to the Jura range.

Verdict

A one touch coffee machine provides the easiest operation of all automatic bean to cup machines but it does come at a cost. The guidelines we usually suggest are as follows:

• if the same people will be using the coffee machine every day then save yourself some money and opt for a two touch espresso machine
• If you require people to use the machine who have never operated the machine before (customers and guests) then a one touch option is probably worth the extra cost.

Prices,specs and rental terms were acquired at the time of the writing of this posted and can vary from company to company. Each supplier or DeLonghi operator reserves the right to vary prices, terms and conditions to his/her own discretion. DeLonghi is not a brand of Aquaspresso or affiliated to Aquaspresso in any way.