My first experience with a Nespresso machine was funny in many ways. I still don’t know where that pod ended up in my hotel room in Barcelona. That was almost 15 years back, and I was a novice when it came to any form of coffee other than my daily black coffee with its chicory mix. Now, I have extreme tastes when it comes to my coffee, and this is the only poison I spend good money on. I prefer to grind my medium roast beans fresh every morning and then let them brew in my French press for a few minutes. And this is also why I wanted to know if the new Budan One Touch Coffee Machine could meet my expectations and requirements.
The Budan One Touch is a very compact coffee machine that could even find a place in your office cabin. It has a water tank at the back, separate options to slip in a coffee pod or ground powder, as well as a milk container in case you are looking to brew a latte or cappuccino. On the front, you have three LEDs that offer you two sizes of brews and an option for milk-infused coffees.
Inserting the coffee powder attachment into the Budan One Touch Coffee Machine. (Image: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
The process is simple. Once the machine is plugged in with the water tank full, you decide what type of coffee you prefer. If you are going to use powder, then you use that attachment, fill it to the point mentioned, and press it in with the spoon in the box. Then you slip the attachment into the machine—it will not go in if you have more powder than recommended—keep a cup below and start to brew by pressing the button as per the size you want.
What impressed me most about the machine is how quickly it heats up and readies to brew. In a few seconds, you see coffee start to drip out of the machine, and your cup is ready in under a minute. But remember, the large size is not much more than a large double espresso. If you want to use a large coffee mug to brew, then you have to take off the base and make more space.
Brewing a cappuccino with freshly frothed milk using the Budan One Touch’s milk container. (Image: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
The coffee machine comes with a milk container that plugs in as an appendage. If you press the third cappuccino button, then the machine pulls in frothy milk from this can along with the decoction.
I am not a big fan of milky coffee and hence use the appendage very rarely. A small issue is that at times, the cappuccino button does not light up for you to press. I was not sure why this was happening. But you can use this to make different types of milk coffee.
For black coffee drinkers like me, just the base machine is enough. I tried it with both my regular ground coffee and Blue Tokai’s pods. The former works well, though I prefer a stronger brew. There is only a limited amount of powder you can add here; I felt I needed more. The pods make a much stronger coffee and are perfect for those who love espresso.
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Loading a coffee pod into the Budan One Touch Coffee Machine for a quick brew. (Image: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
The Budan One Touch Coffee Machine is easy to manage, as cleaning is a simple process, and there are no complicated parts here. It is only with the milk container and its pipes that you will need to be a bit careful, by cleaning them soon after use.
At Rs 15,999, this is a good machine for those who love espressos and other machine-made types of coffee. This is compact enough to be used at homes as well as offices, and this is why there could be many buyers for this. As for me, I prefer my French Press and will stick to that for my daily brew.
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