Xiaomi launches expensive automatic coffee maker with whole-bean brewing and automated milk frothing

Xiaomi has announced a new coffee machine in China, but this one skips capsules completely. The Mijia Smart Italian Semi-Automatic Coffee Maker Pro costs 4,999 yuan (around $745) and is designed for people who want more control over their coffee. 

Unlike Xiaomi’s more affordable capsule coffee machines, this model works with whole coffee beans and handles grinding, dosing, extraction, and milk frothing in one machine. It was developed for Xiaomi by Ningbo Kunling Technology.

The machine has a built-in grinder that can measure coffee grounds down to 0.1 grams, so there’s no need to measure the beans separately with a kitchen scale. Xiaomi has also added a plasma-based anti-static system to the grinder, which is designed to reduce static and prevent coffee grounds from sticking together or making a mess around the hopper.

For brewing, the machine uses two separate water pumps and heating blocks. This allows it to extract coffee and steam milk without having to wait for one process to finish first. Xiaomi has also separated the hot and cold water paths, letting the machine handle hot espresso and cold extraction without one affecting the temperature of the other.

Five NTC temperature sensors monitor different parts of the brewing system, including the brew head. The data is used by a PID temperature control system to keep the water within the target temperature range during extraction.

The machine uses an imported ULKA pump, which is also found in Xiaomi’s portable coffee machine. It can reach up to 19 bar of pressure, and Xiaomi says it can make more than 10 cups continuously without a noticeable drop in performance.

Automated milk frothing

Milk preparation is also automated. You can select cow’s milk or different types of plant-based milk, and the machine adjusts the frothing process to produce the desired texture. For users who want more control, there are nine adjustable settings covering things such as grind size and milk temperature.

The Xiaomi Home app also includes hundreds of preset coffee recipes, so users can follow existing recipes instead of adjusting everything manually.

For beginners, Xiaomi has added a guided “first cup” tutorial in the app. It walks users through grinding, tamping, extraction, milk frothing, and cleaning step by step.

The Mijia Smart Italian Semi-Automatic Coffee Maker Pro is currently available in China for 4,999 yuan (around $745). Xiaomi has not announced plans to launch the machine in other markets yet.

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(Source)