#35 - Cappuccino Machines
Franke Evolution 1-Step Espresso Machine
Price: $21,230
Coffee is the most popular beverage on the planet. I don’t know if that’s really true but it sounds believable. Coffee’s cheap, readily available and addictive, add socially acceptable to drink before lunch and it explains why alcohol is a distant runner-up. While most people have their favorite coffee shop, be it Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, MacDonald’s or the local beanery, rich people manifest their love for coffee with overpriced and overcomplicated espresso machines.
Cappuccino machines can rival NASA for technological advancement. Fully automated, these marvels of brewing achievement feature multiple grinders for different roasts, single touch brewing, hands-free milk steamers and auto rinse for the perfect double shot, latte or cappuccino. You may ask, what’s the point of having a state-of-the-art, barista-free coffee maker given that the cook, maid or nanny is undoubtedly responsible for brewing a fresh cup for them? It is this brand of logic that ensures you will never be invited to their home to find out. If you want to make friends, keep your cynicism to yourself.
In fact, the wealthy take great pride in owning top-of-the-line European coffee makers. While an architect and interior designer will be commissioned for new builds and home renovations, espresso machine selection is strictly off limits to anyone but the man of the house. Choosing the right model may take months of research; for this reason, always accept an offer of coffee. Complimenting your host on the outstanding flavor will act as a verbal diuretic for your host and lay the foundation for a lasting friendship. Be warned though, this isn’t your run-of-the-mill, watered down grande mild. Pace yourself or by your third cup, you’ll seem like an inattentive child anxiously wondering whether it’s too soon to revisit the Philippe Starck bathroom suite! The wealthy, after all, are rarely amused by the bursting bladder bounce.
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Stuff Rich People Love 
The super-automatic machines actually make excellent espresso and cappuccino. For those that need it they also make other coffee drinks. My machine is a Jura Capresso S9 and I enjoyed it so much at home I bought one for the office. They are about $2,300 but worth every cent.
Oh my, you interchange cappuccino and espresso as if they’re the same thing!! Blasphemy, darling!! You simply need a Bialetti stovetop device to make that quick shot of espresso to give you a mid-morning pickup.
http://www.bialetti.it/uk/catalogue/scheda.asp?id_cat=184
Oh, my!
You use “espresso” and “moka pot coffee” interchangeably.
Blasphemy, dear!
http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/machines/220503
Granted, Bialetti invented the moka pot at a time when espresso machines could only generate a small amount of pressure. And they still claim that their moka pots produce “espresso.” But that’s quite misleading, and causes a number of people to dismiss moka pot coffee as a pale imitation of espresso, instead of using it as part of coffee’s diversity.
At $21,000+ I’m betting the coffee shop industry is more the target market than the private home..
For those who don’t have pockets (and bank accounts) full of money, it pays to shop around and make sure that you get the best value for your money.
Unfortunately, these people tend to investigate machines more than taste. A superautomatic machine may be convenient, but the espresso itself doesn’t compare to what a trained barista could make.
Hopefully, rich people will start hiring trained barista and buying quality coffee beans.
Rich people love fair trade, right? Maybe they’ll eventually get into direct relationship coffee.