Everything is connected to your phone these days, from your TV to the lights to the security system and more. DeLonghi’s latest take makes the coffee machine do that, too.
For so many of us, coffee is a requirement to make the day work. Whether it’s just part of your routine or a genuine necessity that has to happen before anything else, a cup of coffee can be the keys and ignition sequence that allow you to do whatever it is you have to do. Caffeine is good that way.
Deciding what you want is often the choice in all of this, and while encapsulated systems like the Nespresso pod machines have made that more or less picking the style of joe you want and popping it in, if you head down to your traditional coffee shop, it’s typically the style you’re after. Short, long, cappuccino, flat white, latte, mocha; you know the terms all too well, and your barista typically knows your order.
Back at home, making that style can take a little bit of extra work unless your machine already has the know-how to do so, which some do, but almost none let you do it remotely.
One of those fun additions made in modern devices, your phone can be a remote control for so many other devices in your home, be it controlling a smart TV, a WiFi-connected washing machine, using your phone with smart lighting, and so much more, so why not your coffee machine, too?
DeLonghi is trying that with its latest automatic coffee machine, the PrimaDonna Soul, which is one of those automated coffee makers complete with a bean grinder able to hold half a kilo of what you throw in, plus take control of milk, texturising and frothing using DeLonghi’s LatteCrema milk system, which can also be stored in the fridge when not in use.
While that’s about normal for automated coffee machines these days, DeLonghi is adding wireless connectivity to control the machine remotely. It means you can use an app to tell the machine what you’re in the mood for, and not just in a simple recipe. While you can pick cappuccino or latte, or even something else, you can also select the bean variety and roasting level to custom tweak a recipe to suit the coffee you’re intending to make, essentially creating a formulation for the coffee machine remotely.
There is a 4.3 inch touchscreen on the machine, as well, but given how often you use that phone, it’s possibly one that might be a touch less responsive than what’s on your phone, so to speak.
DeLonghi also says there are five user profiles, so the PrimaDonna Soul doesn’t just have to be a one person machine, but rather one that can be talked to using other people in your household or work environment as well. And after those five accounts have been made, anyone else can use the machine with the premade recipes on the machine, simply by selecting a coffee on the touchscreen.
At $2799, DeLonghi’s PrimaDonna Soul isn’t going to be a coffee machine for everyone, but if you’re looking for an automated cup without thinking, it might be the machine to look at. You’ll still need a cup in place, of course, otherwise there’s likely to be a mess, and you’ll have to start your day with that instead of that coffee you needed.
