Having thoroughly road tested a bean-to-cup coffee machine I can give you the good, the bad and the ugly on the Siemens TK58001GB model.

As bean-to-cup coffee machines go, this particular Siemens model was nice and compact – becoming an accent to the worktop, rather than the main feature. This machine also got bonus points for its stylish and simple design. The day-to-day maintenance is kept at a minimum and it scored top marks for its ease of use.

On the flip-side, the frother was somewhat temperamental, sometimes producing great results and at other time not so great results. You need to make sure that you select the correct type of water that your machine will be supplied with. Select the wrong type and the guidelines for descaling will be incorrect (not really a negative if you read the instructions!) On that note, the documentation that comes with the machine could do with being a little clearer in places. Cups do need to be warmed, especially for espresso-style shots but this applies to most bean-to-cup machines anyway. If you happen to pick up a pack of beans which has a lot of oil, the beans tend to stick in the silo but a bit of gentle tapping sorts out the issue.

A little tip is to thoroughly read through the initial start-up instructions as they do need to be followed to the letter to ensure your machine works correctly. This should go without saying but sometimes it’s all too tempting to plug ‘n go if you are a little too eager to try it out without reading the instructions first.

All-in-all, this is a great little machine and any issues are quickly resolved with experience on using it over time.