Capresso Café TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine: A Feature-Packed Option for Home Baristas

Published on July 16, 2023, 8:42 a.m.

The Capresso Café TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine is an intuitive, compact espresso maker ideal for home use. With a sleek stainless steel design and intuitive touchscreen interface, this machine allows you to brew cafe-quality espresso drinks with ease. In this review, we’ll take a close look at the design, features, performance, and overall value of the Capresso Café TS.

Overview

The Capresso Café TS has a compact footprint measuring 10.5” x 8” x 11.75”, making it a great size for small kitchen counters. The stainless steel housing gives it a sleek, modern look. The touchscreen display features four preset buttons for brewing single or double shots of espresso, steaming milk, frothing milk, and dispensing hot water.

Capresso Café TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine

Key Features

One-Touch Brewing: Easily brew espresso, cappuccino, or latte with a single touch.
Powerful Steam for Microfoam: Create barista-quality latte art with rich, creamy milk froth.
Pre-infusion for Flavor Enhancement: Optimizes espresso extraction for maximum flavor.
Generous Water Reservoir: Brew multiple drinks without refilling.
Energy-Efficient Design: Automatic shut-off and efficient heating system.

Capresso Café TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine

Design and Appearance

The Capresso Café TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine has an attractive stainless steel exterior with black accents on the touchscreen and dials. The machine looks elegant and high-end. The frothing wand folds away neatly when not in use. The warming tray on top provides space to pre-heat cups and the integrated storage area allows you to stow accessories under the lid. Overall, the machine has a smart, minimalist aesthetic perfect for modern kitchens.

Ease of Use

Despite the lackluster manual, the Capresso Café TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine is fairly straightforward to operate. The learning curve is minimal thanks to the pre-programmed drink options. Once you understand the basics, it’s simple to pull consistent shots and froth milk. Keep in mind that making layered drinks like cappuccinos does take some technique.

Touchscreen Interface

The Capresso Café TS’s 4.3-inch touchscreen interface is designed for user convenience. It features intuitive icons and pre-programmed settings for espresso (single or double), steam, froth, and hot water. This simplifies the brewing process and makes it easy for beginners to create café-quality drinks at home.

However, some users have reported that the touchscreen can be unresponsive at times, requiring multiple taps or a firm press. While this does not appear to be a widespread issue, it’s worth noting for those who prioritize seamless user experience.

Pressure System

The Capresso Café TS boasts a 15-bar pump pressure system, which is the industry standard for optimal espresso extraction. This high pressure forces hot water through finely-ground coffee, resulting in a rich, concentrated shot with a thick layer of crema.

However, user reviews suggest that the machine may struggle to consistently maintain this pressure, leading to variations in brewing time and espresso quality. Experimenting with grind size and tamping pressure may help achieve more consistent results.

Pre-infusion Cycle

The Capresso Café TS features a pre-infusion cycle, a process that briefly wets the coffee grounds before the full brewing pressure is applied. This allows the coffee to “bloom,” releasing trapped gases and helping to ensure even extraction for a more flavorful espresso.

While the pre-infusion cycle is a desirable feature, some users have found it inconsistent. The duration and intensity of the pre-infusion can vary, impacting the final flavor of the espresso.

Hot Water Function

The Capresso Café TS features a dedicated hot water function, accessible via a button on the touchscreen interface. This allows you to quickly and easily dispense hot water for making Americanos, tea, or other hot beverages.

The hot water function adds versatility to the machine, making it a convenient all-in-one solution for your beverage needs.

Cup Warming Tray

The Capresso Café TS comes equipped with a cup warming tray on top of the machine. This feature helps to maintain the temperature of your espresso cups, ensuring that your coffee stays hot for longer. While a seemingly minor addition, pre-warmed cups can significantly enhance the flavor and aroma of your espresso.

However, the warming tray’s effectiveness has been questioned by some users. They report that it does not get hot enough to make a noticeable difference in cup temperature.

Smart Folding Handle

The Capresso Café TS’s water tank features a smart folding handle that enhances user convenience. This ergonomic design allows for easy and comfortable filling of the tank, as well as effortless transportation. The handle folds neatly against the tank when not in use, maintaining the machine’s sleek profile.

This feature is particularly beneficial for users who may have difficulty lifting or carrying heavy objects, as it reduces the strain associated with handling a full water tank.

Commercial-Style Spouts

The Capresso Café TS’s portafilter is equipped with commercial-style spouts, a feature often found on higher-end espresso machines. These spouts are designed to create two distinct streams of espresso, which helps to ensure even distribution in the cup and prevent dripping.

The commercial-style spouts contribute to a more professional brewing experience and can help you achieve a more visually appealing espresso shot with a well-defined crema.

Capresso Café TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine

Milk Frothing

The steam wand can produce froth but has limited power. Stretching the milk to get microfoam takes practice and results are just decent rather than silky smooth. The metal cup can get very hot.

Water Tank

The Capresso Café TS has a 47-ounce removable water tank, a generous size that allows for brewing multiple drinks without frequent refills. The tank is easy to remove, fill, and reinsert, thanks to the integrated handle.

While the capacity is adequate, some users have expressed concerns about the tank’s design. The plastic feels flimsy, and the lid does not always seal tightly, leading to occasional leaks.

Cleaning

While some parts like the removable water tank and drip tray are easy to clean, the frothing wand and brewing system may require more effort. Descaling is recommended every 2-3 months to keep things running smoothly.

Noise Level

The pump and heating elements produce audible noise during the brew process. However, the sound is reasonable for a home espresso machine. Just don’t expect commercial café quietness.

Power

With a 950 watt rating, the Capresso Café TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine has ample power for fast heating without excessive energy draw. The 30-minute automatic shutoff helps conserve electricity.

Automatic Shut-Off

The Capresso Café TS includes a 30-minute automatic shut-off feature, designed to conserve energy when the machine is not in use. This is a convenient feature that can help to prevent accidental overuse and reduce electricity consumption.

However, some users have found the 30-minute timer to be too short, especially if they are preparing multiple drinks or taking a break between brewing.

Integrated Storage

The Capresso Café TS features a hidden storage compartment under the cup warming tray. This convenient space can be used to store accessories like the coffee scoop, tamper, and cleaning brush, keeping them within reach and preventing clutter on your countertop.

Users appreciate this thoughtful design element, as it helps to keep the brewing area organized and tidy.

Use Cases

The Capresso Café TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine is ideal for home use. It has the right features and capacity for 1-3 coffee drinkers. The espresso, frothing, and steaming functions allow you to make all the basics like lattes, cappuccinos, americanos, and more. While not a commercial grade model, it can handle daily home use well. It’s also compact enough to leave on the counter without taking up too much space.

Analyzing User Experiences

Reviews portray a mix of satisfaction and frustration with the Capresso Café TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine, highlighting several areas for improvement.

Regarding the instruction manual, owners widely agree it is woefully inadequate. The scant pages omit important details, leaving users baffled. Many have to find the full manual online or turn to YouTube tutorials just to operate their new machine. Capresso did a major disservice by not providing sufficient guidance upfront.

A common grievance is water leaks stemming from multiple points - the water tank, brewing head, steam wand. Troubled users end up with puddles on their counters, even when following the directions. The shoddy waterproofing spells a design flaw Capresso must quickly remedy.

Capresso touts the Capresso Café TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine as a milk frothing champion, but the diminutive stainless steel frothing wand tells a different story. While producing luxuriously smooth froth, it struggles to fully immerse in taller milk pitchers, requiring constant angling. The result is uneven heating and foaming. Latte aficionados may find it frustrating.

Brewing times are also hit or miss. Users report the pre-programmed times often yield low espresso volumes or weak flavor. The machine doesn’t consistently saturate the grounds properly before stopping. Dialing in the right grind size and dose helps, but inconsistencies remain.

For its attractive price point, the Capresso Café TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine delivers respectable performance when it cooperates. But lackluster instructions, leaks, finicky frothing, and off-the-mark brewing leave many owners with a bitter aftertaste. Capresso needs to smooth out these kinks for the Capresso Café TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine to earn high marks.

Pros

Compact size
Sleek stainless steel design
Easy to use touchscreen interface
Preset one-touch buttons for espresso, cappuccino etc
Quick heat up time
Removable water tank for easy filling
Lower price than many comparable models

Cons

Basic manual lacks key details
Frothing wand could be improved
Long term durability is uncertain
Some reports of leaking and other issues after months of use

Value

At an MSRP around $200, the Capresso Café TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine hits an attractive price point compared to similar semi-automatic machines that can run $400-600. For casual drinkers new to homemade espresso, it offers an approachable option. But frequent users making multiple drinks daily may find themselves frustrated by its limitations.

Given the mixed durability complaints, purchasing an extended warranty is advisable. When factoring in the added costs of descaling, replacements, and upgrades, the value proposition of the Capresso Café TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine diminishes somewhat. Spending more initially on a better built machine with fewer quirks can save money and headaches in the long run.

So in summary, while reasonably priced, the Capresso Café TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine’s budget build and operation come with compromises. It satisfies curiosity over convenience for infrequent espresso drinkers, but falls short for budding home baristas.

Capresso Café TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine

Conclusion

For its affordable price point, the Capresso Café TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine delivers solid performance and convenience. The intuitive interface allows you to brew high-quality espresso drinks with one-touch ease. While it may lack the build quality and longevity of pricier models, it’s a great budget-friendly choice for beginner home baristas. As long as your expectations align with the price, the Capresso Café TS Touchscreen Espresso Machine is a recommended product that makes crafting café-style drinks at home a breeze.