As you can probably tell, I love talking about coffee makers and today I’m going to continue that trend by talking about the Saeco Talea Touch. Saeco if you’ve read some of my other posts about the company such as the Saeco Magic Comfort, you’ll know that this is a company with a quick rise to fame in the coffee world. Like most of the great coffee makers and manufacturers, Saeco is or was an Italian company founded by two guys in 1981. By 1985 they introduced the first fully automatic espresso machine for home use and in 1999 they bought out Gaggia (of Gaggia Evolution fame)! Not bad considering that most of the other players in the coffee machine market have a much longer and storied history.
Alas, Saeco is now owned by Philips who make the Senseo coffee maker that takes the Senseo coffee pod. Philips bought them out in 2009. Not too long ago and they’re still run pretty much as an independent company. One of the major appeals to me of the Saeco Talea and the Saeco brand generally is their design. This should be of no surprise when you consider that they have partnered with BMW Designworks USA. In my humble opinion, the Talea Touch and let’s be honest, all the Seaco cappuccino machines are just eye candy, beyond what they offer in functionality.
Focusing on the Saeco Talea Touch
But let’s focus now specifically on the Saeco Talea Touch and the Talea line. This cappuccino machine is available in two versions. You’ve got the entry level Saeco Talea Touch and the upper market Saeco Talea Giro. You’ve heard me right about Saeco before. You can read some of my other articles including ones on the Saeco Odea, Saeco Incanto, Saeco Magic and the Saeco Odea Go. In that last article I write about the Giro of the Saeco coffee machines, but I’ll quickly mention it again here. The Saeco giro is the round knob that allows you to finely adjust the volume of coffee that you want in your cup. Unlike the Talea Touch which is programmable for a few different options regarding coffee volume, the giro allows for greater finesse in determining the amount of coffee or espresso in your cup.
Now this Saeco Talea Touch and the Giro are, like the Saeco Primea Touch Plus fully automatic espresso machines or as they say in the coffee biz, super automatic coffee machines. This means that the whole process of brewing your espresso is fully automatic. All you have to do it pour the beans into the hopper. The coffee machine will grind, tamp and pour your shots for you at the push of a button. Pretty nifty. Some of these super automatic espresso machines will also froth the milk for you and pour it into your coffee cup. The Saeco Talea Touch is one of those machines that will do this for you, but you need to purchase the Saeco Milk Island as an add on in order to have this extra convenience. These are truly bean to cup coffee machines.
Final thoughts on the Saeco Talea Touch
Now having said that, you can’t use coffee pods or espresso pods with these super automatic espresso makers and you can’t use Keurig coffee pods or Timothy’s K cups either. They don’t have a removable portafilter. But if that is not your thing, then you don’t need to worry about it. Do be forewarned however, that as with anything that saves labor, you will end up paying more. The Saeco super automatic coffee machines are no exception. As of this writing, I’ve seen them at around a thousand dollars or so. But again, you are getting a top of the line coffee maker. The Saeco Talea Touch, the Cadillac of coffee makers if you will.