Beko CaffeExperto Bean To Cup Coffee Machine with Integrated Milk Jug CEG7304 Review

Introduction

After impressing with its budget-friendly coffee machines, the Beko CaffeExperto Bean To Cup Coffee Machine with Integrated Milk Jug CEG7304 sees the company take a step up.

This bean-to-cup coffee machine looks smarter, has simple controls and includes automatic milk frothing. It makes decent espresso, although the milk handling could be better.

Design and features

• Simple interface
• Easy to clean from the front
• Large water tank

The Beko CaffeExperto Bean To Cup Coffee Machine with Integrated Milk Jug CEG7304 is a step up from the Beko CaffeExperto Bean To Cup Coffee Machine that I reviewed in 2024.

The big difference is that the new model has a milk carafe and can automatically froth milk, while the previous model I reviewed had a manual steam wand.

The Beko CaffeExperto Bean To Cup Coffee Machine with Integrated Milk Jug CEG7304 is a smart-looking coffee machine that doesn’t take up too much space on the counter. As with the manual-frothing version, there’s a simple control panel that gives you access to all of the drinks you can make.

These include espresso (and double), Americano, ristretto, lungo, espresso macchiato, flat white, latte, cappuccino and latte macchiato. Usefully, each drink has a picture, so you can see what you’re making, even if you can’t quite remember what the name means.

There’s then an option to select standard or intense coffee bean selection, depending on how strong you like your final drink to taste.

All drinks are dispensed at pre-set volumes, but you can press and hold a button until you’ve got the desired amount of drink if you prefer to override the setting. This override is done globally, as this coffee machine doesn’t support multiple profiles for household members.

Able to take mugs, cups and glasses up to 14cm high, this coffee machine will easily accommodate everything from the smallest of espresso cups right up to tall latte glasses.

The Beko CaffeExperto Bean To Cup Coffee Machine with Integrated Milk Jug CEG7304 has two spouts so it can make two espressos at the same time. However, you can’t make two milk-based drinks, as there’s only one spout for this attached to the 0.6-litre milk carafe.

This carafe unplugs easily, so you can store milk in the fridge when you’re not using it. It also has an adjustment dial to change the amount of foam it produces.

A 250g bean hopper sits on top of the coffee machine, so you can easily fit a standard bag of coffee in. Inside the hopper is a grind adjuster, which is worth tweaking based on the beans you’re using to get the best coffee.

If you do have pre-ground coffee there’s a chute for this, but the results won’t be as good, and the Beko CaffeExperto Bean To Cup Coffee Machine with Integrated Milk Jug CEG7304, like all other bean-to-cup machines, is at its best when freshly grinding coffee.

It’s good to see the cup warmer on top, which you should use to pre-heat your cups before pouring coffee.

Water is provided via the large 2-litre tank, so you shouldn’t have to refill it often. When you do need to refill, the lid lifts up into a handle, so it’s easy to remove and refit the tank.

Coffee quality

• Flavoursome espresso
• Nice crema

Core to any bean-to-cup machine is its ability to pour a decent shot of espresso, and I’m happy to say that the Beko CaffeExperto Bean To Cup Coffee Machine with Integrated Milk Jug CEG7304 achieves this.

I roasted some Fairtrade Peruvian coffee beans, which I typically use for testing coffee machines.

I found that this coffee machine poured a great shot of espresso, that came out at just the right temperature of 66°C.

The crema was just about right, with a nice colour and oily finish. It’s hard to get a bean-to-cup coffee machine that will do a lot better.

I found that the taste was spot on, too, with the bold acidity of the beans coming through in the final shot of coffee.

Milk frothing

• Very foamy milk
• Hard to get ratios right

Automatic milk frothing is hard to get right, as there are a lot of variables that have to be taken into account. This is the area that the Beko CaffeExperto Bean To Cup Coffee Machine with Integrated Milk Jug CEG7304 struggles with.

Making a cappuccino in a standard-sized glass, I found that the defaults didn’t fill the cup up, and it was a bit tricky to program the coffee machine to do more.

Adjusting the manual dial to change the amount of foam produced didn’t quite have the effect I’d hoped for. Using whole milk, this coffee machine produced quite frothy milk with lots of air bubbles.

Overall, the taste wasn’t too bad, but the bubbly milk didn’t look very good. I got much better results with the Beko CaffeExperto Bean To Cup Coffee Machine by using the manual steam wand in a standard milk jug.

Maintenance

• Automated descaling light
• Brew unit and coffee ground accessible from the front

Automatic rinsing helps keep the machine in full operating order, although there is a button to start a clean cycle manually.

The Beko CaffeExperto Bean To Cup Coffee Machine with Integrated Milk Jug CEG7304 does its best to warn you when it’s time to clean up. When the indicator light turns on at the front (this happens after ten coffees), you know that it’s time to empty the coffee grounds container.

This container is accessible from the front, with a swinging door. It’s easy to remove the container and tip the coffee out, giving it a rinse or a wash with soapy water.

As you empty the coffee grounds, it’s worth removing and cleaning the drip tray, too. Again, this can be done using soapy water.

It’s good to see that the brew unit is accessible from the front, making it easy to remove and clean when required.

Should you buy it?