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We have households all over the world where the day doesn’t officially start till caffeine has been consumed. Coffee is an element that is considered as comfort for some and critical for many others. Jumping out of bed to run out of the house every morning to your closest barista is not a practical long term plan. Coffee companies have been offering an at-home solution for years. The market is flooded with coffee machines, every one promising something more than the one that came before.
Our contender for your kitchen counter space today is the Calphalon Temp IQ Machine.
We’re here to take a deep dive behind the scenes with you and find out the who, when, what, how and more about this beast.
About the Brand – Calphalon
The Calphalon company was first introduced to the world as Commercial Aluminum Cookware fifty-seven years ago. It was launched in the city of Perrysburg, by a mister Ronald M. Kasperzak; the man who led the culinary world to discover hard-anodized aluminum cookware. Kasperzak christened this contribution to the world of cookware; Calphalon.
While Calphalon Cookware first entered the market with a targeted approach towards the professional restaurant industry, through the years it managed to garner a lot of fans and support in varying industries and even amongst home cooks. The admiration and demand became so severe that Kasperzak decided to change the name of his company. In 1992, twenty-nine years after it was launched, Commercial Aluminium Cookware was renamed Calphalon.
Since then the company has only grown passing both geographical and industry borders. Calphalon today stands synonyms for durability, innovation, and quality. They offer everything in the range of baking, cookware, and cutlery, to kitchen electric appliances.
Now we know some tidbids about the brand, let’s move our focus to the machine we have interest on.
About Calphalon Temp IQ Espresso Machine
This sleek-looking barista-quality machine houses a 15- bar Italian pump ensuring it delivers the highest quality espresso every day. The Calphalon Temp IQ Espresso Machine has a simple yet efficient display. It allows even a novice taking his or her first steps into the coffee world to navigate their way to a delicious cup of coffee. The machine is BPA-free ensuring no harmful chemicals interfere in the construction of your drink.
The removable water tank can house up to 2.8 liters of water at a time. The 58-millimeter filter baskets can take on competitors from any cafe-quality machine. It guarantees the grinds are evenly wet wrestling out a better extraction each time. Be sure you use the tamper provided to level out the coffee with the top of the filter. The machine also has a cup warming tray to preheat the cups, so that your coffee stays at the optimum temperature.
The machine comes with a stainless steel pitcher which we can use for milk frothing in case you’re planning to treat yourself to a latte, cappuccino or other caffeine drink which claims milk as one of its ingredients.
Cleaning is no one’s favorite part of the job. Luckily though along with the purchase of the machine, you also gain access to the cleaning brush, cleaning disc and pin to help make the process a little easier.
How To Use The Calphalon Temp IQ
So you’ve decided to take the plunge and bring one home. It’s time to attempt to create a delicious cup of coffee.
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The Requirements
- Whole coffee beans – Make sure you’ve your hands on some freshly roasted coffee beans. Needless to say the fresher the beans, the better. Once you’ve opened your bag of beans, be sure to store any excess in an airtight container in a cool space.
- Water – The quality of the water used will honestly affect the taste of your coffee. Tap water at times can contain flavor altering impurities. The safest and smartest bet is to opt for filtered water for your drink.
- A tamper
- Milk – You can pick between whole milk, two percent, coconut milk, almond, or whatever else suits your taste buds.
- A pitcher – For milk frothing
- Your go-to coffee mug
The Steps – Process
- Fill the grinder at the top of the coffee machine with fresh espresso beans. Decide if you want a finer grind size by turning the dial on the top of the machine clockwise. If you’d rather your coffee grows from a coarser grind, turn the dial anti-clockwise.
- Fill the water tank at the back of the machine with filtered water
- Once you’ve ground the beans, allow them to pour out into the coffee filter. The quantity you choose to fill into the filter will depend on how strong or light you prefer your coffee to be. The people at Calphalon suggest pouring out roughly 13-15 grams of ground coffee for one shot of espresso, and anything between 20-22 grams of ground coffee for two shots of espresso. If your taste tests have another preference, however, allow yourself a few attempts and experiment till you the size of grind that seems right to you.
- Press the grinds in the coffee filter with a tamper.
- When tamping, don’t be afraid to use a little pressure. If you will not press the grind in well, or if you pack the grind in too hard, the taste and quality of your coffee is will have an impact. You’ll get the hang of it with a little trial and error.
- Lock the filter in place by moving it towards the right-hand side. Based on the amount of coffee in your filter, press the function for single or double shot espresso and let the coffee extract. If you’re someone who likes their coffee to cover a thick comforting layer of creamy milk and froth, add the next steps to your daily brewing routine.
- Fill the pitcher out with the milk you need. Turn the knob at the top of the machine to the steam-setting, and froth away. Once you think you’ve done enough, tap the pitcher down on your contour top to level the milk out before you pour.
- Sit back, relax and sip at your coffee.
Noticeable Features
Heating Element
The Temp IQ machine contains a thermo-block heating technology and PID temperature control.
They work to monitor the temperature throughout the entire process of creating your coffee. The system ensures that every step from the moment the water evenly passes through the coffee grinds, through to it allowing pre-infusion for a beautiful bloom and eventually to the extraction
process is controlled and conducted at the optimum temperature to provide the best results.
The Grinder
The Calphalon Temp IQ Espresso Machine comes with its own coffee grinder saving you from the additional expenditure you would otherwise have to endure. It also saves on counter space which would otherwise need to be sacrificed to any external grinder. The conical burr grinder allows you the option and opportunity to choose between a whooping thirty grind settings. You can navigate through the options easily on account of the labels letting you know the coarser and finer side along with which way to turn faster or slower extraction option.
The Steam wand
The machine comes with a sturdy steam wand that allows you to incorporate the element of milk into your drink. The powerful wand can be maneuvered according to your comfort to produce a creamy froth to tie into the perfection of your morning cup.
Price Point
It is one of the best espresso machines that costs around $500 budget giving a solid feel of owing something good at that budget. It fairly competes with Gaggia Classic Pro and Breville Infuser as they also cost around the same price bar.
The Results
Once you’ve got all your preferences locked in, the result will appear in the face or a rich golden caramel color cafe-quality espresso shot. Don’t miss the much sought after, a sinful layer of crema on top. The Calphalon Temp IQ Espresso Machine allows time dedicated to both pre-infusion and coffee blooming. The result is reflected in the taste of the drink. It is what helps put this machine ahead of other similar offerings on the market. Calphalon predicts the extraction process with the best results should take anything between twenty to thirty seconds. If however, you find your favorite cup reflecting a different number, don’t worry about it. Do what works best for you.
What we didn’t Liked
Most coffee machines that come with a steam wand, bring with them an element of noise. The Calphalon Temp IQ Espresso Machine is no exception to this rule. The steam wand when in action, will increase the decibel level of the coffee-making process at home.
While no one can deny the machine delivers some great tasting coffee, there are also other machines in the market that do a good job too. It is fair to note, those machines might not be as heavy on your wallet as this one is.
The Calphalon Temp IQ Espresso Machine is perfect for anyone who wants to be part of the coffee making process, there are however others who find it too much work. It could get a bit annoying for some; trying to figure out the right grind size and grind amount for your version of a perfect cup of caffeine. While the machine does most of the heavy lifting, there is a human element involved in the process that is absent from fully automated coffee machines.
Calphalon Espresso Machine with Coffee...
- 15-Bar Italian pump delivers the right amount of pressure...
- Freshly grind your beans to your preference With the...
- Pre-programmed settings for single and double shots, and...
- Includes single- and double-shot single wall filter Baskets
To Sum It All
Entering the coffee world can leave a lot of people confused. The sure volume of options you have to navigate through to arrive at the right type of bean, the right type of roast, and ultimately the right type of machine that results in a coffee that best suits your taste can be exhausting.
Once you’ve finally taken the plunge and brought the base of your daily coffee creation operation home; the process mustn’t be a tiresome one. As a semi-automated machine, the Calphalon Temp IQ Machine draws a fine. It allows you the creative freedom to experience the coffee-making process but is also careful to not make it too complicated. Once perfected, the result will leave you with a cup that can put a few baristas to shame.