Creating barista-style coffee at home – Miele CM5 coffee machine review [spon]

The Miele CM5 coffee machine was kindly gifted for the purposes of a review

I love my coffee and I’ve developed a taste for the proper, decent stuff! At first I was content with instant capsules; when I was working full-time it was quick and easy before dashing out of the door for the office. But now that I work from home everyday, I want to savour and enjoy that moment when you pause and take in that first cup of the day. Instead of getting into a cycle of popping out to the local cafe for a ‘posh’ coffee, I want to make the best barista-style coffee I can at home, with ease and simplicity.

And conscious of the amount of waste little me was producing from having two cups of capsule coffee a day, I also wished to reassess how I made coffee. We’re lucky to have a couple of independent, small batch coffee roasters near us so the quest for better coffee also tied in with a desire to live better and more consciously.

That’s where the Miele CM5 coffee machine comes in – a ‘bean to cup’ machine that grinds and brews coffee beans to get the best results in minutes. It basically does everything in one, neatly contained unit – even frothing the milk – which is perfect in a small, compact kitchen like mine where a coffee grinder, kettle, milk frother and whatever else could take up much-needed worktop space. You can make everything from intensely flavoured espressos, even stronger ristrettos and piping hot, long coffees to creamy cappuccinos, macchiatos and frothy lattes.

And my, the difference. It’s almost life changing-ly good, if that’s possible or even a word. I really noticed the difference when I went to my mother’s after having the machine for a week and had what would have been my usual black coffee. My reaction was something like this – ‘what, you call this coffee?!’. The coffee that the Miele CM5 makes is rich, deep in flavour, strong, intense, fragrant and aromatic. And I think that’s largely down to the beans and the fact that they’re freshly ground every time. The smell is divine and the results impressive.

The Miele CM5 coffee machine is minimally designed and fits neatly into my simple, Scandinavian-inspired kitchen. It comes in black, red or rose gold. The silver central spout, where the coffee comes out, can be adjusted for different cups and mugs, while the display screen is easy to use with the light touch of a couple of buttons. A water container fits into the back and the coffee beans are poured into the top of the machine. The bottom part of the machine, with the draining panel, can be slid out and completely removed to get rid of excess water and for cleaning.

You can tailor your drink as you like and save it as a profile, so you get the perfect coffee every time. I’m a creature of habit so I always have a strong, black coffee, often without milk or sugar – ready for me in the morning with a press of a button. But the machine also has a ‘OneTouch for Two’ function, which allows you to make two coffees at the same time, in minutes with minimal fuss. Just right for when there’s two of us.

It really is as easy as that, I didn’t even need to spend hours pouring over the manual; the machine feels intuitive and uncomplicated to use.

The Miele CM5 coffee machine comes with removable milk pipework, which makes it much easier to clean properly than if it was inbuilt into the unit. Milk is drawn into the machine through a pipe that is slotted into the central spout panel; this can either be done from the milk carton directly or from a small jug. It is then heated by steam and frothed if needed. With other machines I’ve had the frothed milk has been quite loose and watery, the cappuccinos this makes have a firm but fluffy layer of foam that’s more akin to what you get in a cafe.

The Miele CM5 coffee machine is priced at £799 but I think the price tag is worth it for the rich quality of the coffee, especially if you’re turning into a bit of a coffee snob like me! People ask me what my favourite object in my home is and this is easily up there at the top now. I get a simple sense of enjoyment out of it daily. Yes, it’s got the functionality, but it’s also goes beyond that – for me decent coffee is an everyday luxury; an indulgence, sure, but a part of my day that I want to savour and enjoy. I’m slowly filling my home with quality objects that are useful and make me feel good. And a strong cup on a Monday morning like today certainly helps!

*** You can get 10% off all Miele freestanding coffee machines purchased at Miele.co.uk using code ‘cate10’ ***

All images Cate St Hill