Tchibo Coffee Machine Review: Is This a Joke?

To understand my Tchibo coffee machine review, you really need to understand my relationship with Tchibo: it’s a bit of back and forth. After all, it is the father of German coffee bar culture, and sometimes what it produces is reasonable.

So, naturally, that’s why my hair falls out when the company proudly announces it’s lowering its coffee prices — the world market price for coffee is already at a historical low, which isn’t good for farmers.

Because Tchibo manages to situate itself so “inconspicuously” somewhere in between, the specialty coffee world doesn’t even bat an eyelash at what Tchibo does — at least not like they do for Lavazza, Jacobs Krönung or even Starbucks. In other words, most of the time, Tchibo doesn’t do anything well but also does nothing terribly wrong, either. Perhaps they are like the question often asked about a tree falling in the woods when no one is around: does it make a noise?

Then, out of the blue, it suddenly comes out of the woodwork with a bang and presents the Tchibo Esperto Caffè — affectionately known in the United States as “The Tchibo,” which is available for $N/A. Tchibo claims it’s the brand’s “first fully automatic coffee machine.” The company even wanted to provide me with a Tchibo coffee machine for my super automatic coffee machine guide, but what can I say? It’s obviously convinced it has a winner!

Even though Tchibo’s logo is a coffee bean, I prefer to support smaller private roasters over large corporations. That’s why I’m a big proponent of the fair trade coffee movement.

I won’t go into all of the reasons why, but I bought the Tchibo coffee machine I reviewed in the store, as opposed to allowing the company to provide me one. I guess I figured I could be more objective in my review. That said, my evaluation wouldn’t have changed anyway.

While the Tchibo does alright at making espresso for an inexpensive machine, it delivers practically no proprietary value at all — well, outside of the stylish bean emblem printed on the machine. Plus, buying the machine myself alleviated any sense of guilt I would feel for having to say what you are about to read.

Firstly, making the Tchibo coffee machine without a milk frothing system is just copying the ideas of something like the Jura ENA 4. I mean, if you’re going to copy another brand’s idea, at least do it better! Secondly, Tchibo claiming to have designed this machine isn’t exactly true. The Tchibo coffee machine is nearly 100 percent identical to a Severin machine that has been around for quite a while.

There are also other white-label variations from Espressione, Grundig, Caso and Beko. All of them are based on the Severin KV8090 machine. Some, such as the Espressione Concierge, even include a steam wand. The Espressione Concierge sells for $549.95.

Does this white-label approach make the Tchibo coffee machine bad? No, but I have more confidence in manufacturers when they are transparent about key details.

Popular coffee purist

Tchibo Espresso Machine

New branding for a white-label machine

Compact footprint

Beautiful design

Clear functionality

Good value for the money

Drinkable espresso

No new value

Grind is too coarse

CHECK PRICE

An Overview of the Tchibo Coffee Machine

I didn’t want to make public my suspicions that this German coffee maker is a white-label version from Severin without supporting evidence. So, I wrote to Tchibo for more information. The response was simply: “no comment.” That said, and since we have no contrary evidence, my vote is a resounding “yes” in response to that question. Yes, the Tchibo coffee machine is a white-label product.

A Need for Transparency

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against white-label products. It’s the lack of transparency that bothers me. I find it similar to what some coffee bean brands claim when they say, “Crafted for super automatic coffee machines.” There’s simply no truth in such statements.

At Tchibo in Germany, it sounds like this:

The first Tchibo fully automatic coffee machine is here! Developed by our coffee experts, specially adapted for Tchibo coffees.

No one at Tchibo has developed anything here — and I’d also like to know how a machine is “specially” tuned for a whole range of beans.

What Tchibo did right with the U.S. marketing is attack the prolific waste of plastic coffee pods by Keurig, positioning the brand as more “green.” That makes a lot more sense! So much so that I’m surprised more super automatic coffee machine brands don’t follow suit.

The Tchibo U.S. site says it like this:

For fresher coffee. And a fresher planet. Meet The Tchibo, the eco-friendly, bean-to-brew coffee machine. Single-serve. No pods. No waste.

Merit Based Evaluation

Country-specific marketing aside, we need to evaluate the Tchibo coffee machine on its own merits and not just look at how it compares to models from other brands. For starters, Tchibo can definitely score some points when it comes to first impressions, as the Tchibo coffee machine has a lot of stainless steel decorating the housing. You just don’t see this much stainless steel on a device in this price range.

Analogous to Melitta’s Caffeo Solo, the Tchibo coffee machine doesn’t have a built-in milk frothing system. On top of that, it offers only three beverage styles: espresso, regular coffee and large coffee.

Then again, these variants are actually the only clearly defined styles that a fully automatic machine can manage. Everything else is just a variation of these three styles of coffee. Take the ristretto, for example. It falls in the espresso category.

In this respect, I find this minimalist functionality quite sensible. This minimalism is also skillfully expressed with a very small and tidy display that has a few simple touch icons on it.

Then there is the water tank and drip tray. As one would expect from a pared down design, the water tank and drip tray are rather small. Being that the machine is meant for one person, though, you need less water anyway. Well, that and the fact that you don’t need to create steam for frothed milk. I have no issues with this minimalism.

Moving on to the bean hopper: it can expand from its capacity of 5.6 ounces (160 grams) to 10.6 ounces (300 grams). However, it’s rather unsightly once expanded and even looks thrown together by amateur designers. Besides, you rarely need the Tchibo’s maximum capacity of beans in one go anyway. So, it’s safe to say that the Tchibo coffee machine is not designed for offices.

The “Intense+ technology” is still touted as a great, special feature and even has its own Boost button. I have to say, though, it’s kind of magical. At the push of a button, you can make your coffee stronger and more aromatic. Who wouldn’t want that? Spoiler alert: this button will become your new best friend when you use it!

A stepless, stainless steel coffee grinder rounds out Tchibo’s efforts to make a successful first impression — especially at this price. Ultimately, it’s the marketing absurdity that overshadows everything. At least in my opinion.

When the Grinder & Espresso Adjustment Button Are All You’ve Got to Offer

For the sake of efficiency, I used my freshly acquired Tchibo coffee machine for our big caffeine test the same day I purchased it. After all, we needed a fully automatic machine of some sort.

While I was busy fidgeting in front of the camera and pouring various coffee samples, a friend from a local coffee shop agreed to get the machine ready to go. She adjusted the settings to optimize the grind for brewing espresso and worked hard — drank a bunch of samples — to find the right balance for the test beans.

Unfortunately, this process didn’t really go all that smoothly, and she was quite annoyed afterward. However, she was able to adjust the grind to the finest level without any problems and appreciated the option of lowering the minimum espresso volume to an optimal 0.85 ounces (25 milliliters).

Let me tell you, it wasn’t pretty to watch. All that ever came out was a mess. The processed coffee quality from the Tchibo coffee machine is always too weak without the Boost button. The problem is, you don’t have the option to change this in a more subtle way. Instead of “Boost,” the button should be called “Normal,” or something else that means regular strength.

The grinder’s “finest” level is also still too coarse for solid results. Affordable models from DeLonghi and Philips certainly fare better.

Is Espresso From the Tchibo Coffee Machine What Consumers Really Want?

Despite our use of the Boost button, a minimum quantity of water, the finest grind and dark roasted coffee beans, the espresso was not particularly full-bodied. There was a clear watery impression greeting the palate with every sip.

Certainly, the espresso wasn’t a disaster, but it wasn’t convincing enough to make it memorable. Then again, maybe I should have used Tchibo beans. After all, that’s what the machine is for — wink, wink.

The large coffee reminded me of grandma’s old dishwater coffee. So, for the sake of thoroughness, I also tested a small coffee, which was not only hotter than the rest but also brought a bit more flavor into play.

Not to be rude, but perhaps the preferences of typical Tchibo buyers are quite different from mine. I don’t need to ask the manufacturer for its opinion, as this would fall into the “no comment” category again. In any case, users on Amazon appear to love this machine! Now, that’s an opinion to consider.

Best Coffee for the Tchibo Coffee Machine

We have developed a coffee blend for all super automatic espresso machines, including the Tchibo Coffee Machine. We tested espresso and black coffee, both of which displayed notes of chocolate and hazelnut.

It all depends on the beans: if you put something good in at the top, something good will come out at the bottom!

Coffee for Fully Automatic Espresso Machines

Our famous coffee beans are finally available in the US!

Freshly roasted

Notes of Chocolate

Quick delivery

Low acidity

Get it on Amazon

Here are the ideal settings for our coffee with the Tchibo Coffee Machine:

• Grind setting: Finest

• Attention: Only adjust when the grinder is running!

• Espresso volume: 0.8 ounces (25 milliliters)

• Temperature: Factory setting

• Coffee strength: Always use the “Boost” button

The Tchibo’s Smaller Size Makes Cleaning Convenient

The Tchibo coffee machine’s compact dimensions do mean that you’ll have to empty the drip tray more often. But otherwise, a small device offers advantages when it comes to cleaning and descaling.

Its small components can fit pretty much anywhere, even in full dishwashers. Plus, it’s also easy to run them under the faucet or clean them in the sink in no time. You can easily remove all of the essential parts on the Tchibo coffee machine — yes, including the brew group.

Though the parts are obviously much smaller than on many other super automatic espresso machines, the Tchibo coffee machine still does its job reasonably well. Because it’s so small, you can clean it perfectly from all sides when rinsing, brush it and dry it again quickly.

A direct comparison with DeLonghi only shows, once again, that spending a little more money also ensures higher-quality components. With DeLonghi products, I certainly never feel like I’m dealing with a toy.

To remove the brew group from the Tchibo coffee machine, you just need to open a service door on the side of the appliance. I would even recommend that when you rinse the brew group every day, you also clean the area behind the service door. A lot of coffee residue accumulates there quickly.

Tchibo Coffee Machine Specifications

Tchibo Coffee Machine Verdict: More Clarity, Fewer Milk Curds

Popular coffee purist

Tchibo Espresso Machine

New branding for a white-label machine

Compact footprint

Beautiful design

Clear functionality

Good value for the money

Drinkable espresso

No new value

Grind is too coarse

CHECK PRICE

I wonder why there is such an eagerness in the coffee world to be perceived as a private label. In the fashion world, for example, collaborations are the order of the day — and even exceptionally hip with the “Brand A x Brand B” label.

In collaborations, both brands benefit from the strengths of the other and become more popular as a result. Couldn’t a “Tchibo x Severin” collaborative machine have the same effect? What’s with all the secrecy? Is Tchibo’s image of Severin really that low? Why not work together to make the best home espresso machine in this price range?

Whatever the reason, it makes for harebrained marketing that often turns out to be an outright lie. This, in turn, leaves a bad taste in my mouth during a super automatic espresso machine review.

The Tchibo is really nice for a budget espresso machine, especially since it has a pleasant — and unusual — price tag of $N/A. I was actually rather impressed by its minimalist look and reduced functionality. The compact dimensions are also a big plus.

Given that, it would honestly look great in a university dorm room or even jazz up a vacation rental house at the beach. Being small in size, the options of where you could put this Tchibo fully automatic coffee machine are limitless. Along with the SMEG fully automatic, the Tchibo coffee machine is definitely one of the best budget espresso machines on the market.

Yes, the espresso could definitely be more full-bodied and hopefully tastes better to you than it does to me. And you’ll definitely need to buy a separate milk frother if you want to make a cappuccino or latte.

What is not a question of faith is that I would like to see more transparency when it comes to new products. Tricking customers doesn’t work. The Tchibo coffee machine could easily be advertised on the merits of its great price tag, sleek look or compact dimensions. In other words, Tchibo didn’t need to say it was designed by them.