The best espresso machines have come a long way in the last few years. The market has moved away from bean-to-cup machines, which deliver fresh ground coffee with the touch of a button, and instead has started to add automated settings to manual machines. It's all part of a push to make you feel like you've crafted a luxurious cup of coffee, even though the machine did all the hard stuff. From weighted dosing to grind size guidance, brands like Breville, De'Longhi and Ninja are rolling out increasingly innovative features with every new release.
However, in my opinion, the best feature has been the integration of temperature probes into steam wands.
My first espresso machine came with a milk jug that featured a temperature sensor. It was designed to prevent users from making one of the most common espresso machine mistakes — burning your milk. While you may want a piping hot latte in the morning, the truth is that milk shouldn't be heated over 160°F (71°C), or you'll risk burning it.
But if you don't know the tricks of the trade, burning your milk is all too easy. All it takes is some over-vigorous steaming for you to tip your latte from sweet and creamy to bitter and grainy. Here's why, after testing a handful of machines with integrated temperature probes, I'd never buy one without it.
It's a no-brainer
There are some automated features that coffee fanatics might find annoying. In-built tamping? What if I wanted to use a fancy distributor tool or weigh my coffee manually? Automatic milk steaming? But I wanted to feel like a fancy barista and do it by hand!
But no matter how you steam milk, we're all looking for the same outcome. Well-texturized and glossy finish, the consistency of melted ice cream. And crucially, at the ideal temperature.
I like getting hands-on with my machines, but I'm not going to turn down a helping hand. Especially as there's literally no downside to your machine warning you if your milk is getting too hot. Unless you love the taste of burnt dairy, of course.
It's ideal for non-dairy milk
The task of steaming plant-based milk is even more complicated than dairy. Because of the lower protein content, oat or almond milk will burn faster than cow milk.
One of the best ways of overcoming this is from Breville, which allows you to tell the machine what type of milk you're using, so it can stop steaming at the ideal temperature for every variety. It's a feature you'll also find in the Ninja Luxe Café Pro and De'Longhi La Specialista Touch.
How can I tell if I'm burning my milk?
When I went to barista school, I was taught to tap the side of my milk jug to test the temperature. If it's too hot to touch, your milk is too hot. That's because milk burns at roughly the same temperature as skin. It's an inexact science, but it's one that baristas have used forever.
There's also the option of buying a thermometer which can be hooked to the side of your milk jug, or a milk jug with an in-built temperature gauge — the sort of which is included with the Philips Barista Brew, or the Breville Barista Express.
Where to buy one
Which machines offer an in-built temperature probe? Actually, quite a few! Here's a non-exhaustive list of the models we've tested that offer a temperature probe. But there are some differences worth noting if this is a major factor in your purchasing decision.
Breville
Basically all recent Breville espresso machines feature a thermometer, but there are two types. In the Barista Touch Impress, the temperature detection only works using a sensor that sits underneath the metal jug when you let your milk steam automatically. That means when you steam it manually, it won't offer any insight.
On the more premium end of the scale, the Oracle Jet and new Oracle Dual Boiler integrate a thermometer directly into the steam wand, meaning you can track temperature when steaming manually and automatically.
These wands also purge automatically, which means they won't become clogged with old milk over time.
Ninja
Like the Breville Barista Touch Impress, the Ninja Luxe Cafe and Ninja Luxe Pro come with a jug base that tracks temperature. If you steam manually, you're on your own!
However, these machines do allow you to adjust for plant-based milk.
Meraki
Relative newcomer Meraki includes a temperature probe as standard with its wand, and will automatically shut off the wand when you hit your desired temperature. Unlike the Breville and De'Longhi machines, it won't allow you to select your milk type, but it's easy enough to change your target temperature using the touchscreen controls.
As an aside, this steam wand is insanely powerful. It's definitely the best wand I've used since I was trained on a professional machine!
De'Longhi
I tried and loved the De'Longhi La Specialista Touch, and one of the top features was the brand's new steam wand. This allows you to program both plant-based and dairy milk, and leave your wand to steam directly to your temperature and texture preference.
If you prefer to get hands-on, though, the attached temperature probe still does the trick because it sits directly next to the steam wand. This did get a bit annoying during testing as it slightly impacted my ability to position the steam wand in my jug, but if you're right-handed, this will prove less of an issue.
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