AUTOMATION FEATURE
Top of the class MELITTA PROFESSIONAL IS RAISING CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS ON THE QUALITY AND VARIETY OF MILK TEXTURES THAT AUTOMATIC COFFEE MACHINES CAN OFFER WITH ITS XT-RANGE AND THE TOP FOAM MILK SYSTEM.
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ith age brings wisdom, and total solutions provider Melitta Professional carries more than a century of global coffee knowledge. Melitta was created in 1908 when founder Melitta Bentz invented the modern filter paper to remove coffee grinds from the beverage. In the out-of-home sector, Melitta Professional has expanded its portfolio to offer fully integrated solutions that meet new consumer demands and desires. Its successful innovation, the Top Foam system, with the ability to customise milk options, is one such example. Sven Eikelmann, Product Manager at Melitta Professional, says the popularity of milk-based coffee beverages has skyrocketed over the past 20 years. “Consumers don’t just want more coffee types, be it a flat white or a chai, they want options in the type of milk they can use, dairy or plant-based, in the textures this milk creates, and whether it has hot or cold foam,” says Eikelmann. To create its Top Foam milk system, Melitta has built upon its Cafina XT fully automatic coffee machine range. Entry models Cafina XT4 and XT5 use Melitta’s standard milk system which relies on its foaming technology using a milk pump and steam to produce hot and creamy milk foam. Users of these models are also given the option to froth milk manually using a separate barista-style steam wand, and can dispense warm or cold fresh milk. “Above the standard milk system, used by XT4 and XT5, our XT6 model sets a higher level, using the Professional Milk System. This automated the process of steaming milk to produce fine, pourable microfoam that is barista quality,” says Eikelmann. “We also introduced a homogeniser Melitta’s milk systems help baristas to create beautiful latte art.
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that helps to stabilise different milk types, even at high temperatures.” Another advancement in this system is its ability to produce cold milk foam through the same valve technology used to add air into the milk. “This opened the door to a new range of cold beverages that, especially in Asia and countries with hotter climate, is very popular,” says Eikelmann. While these models successfully meet the B2B segment’s demand for a high volume, quality-driven, and customisable machine, Melitta drove onwards, creating the Cafina XT7 and its “bigger sister”, the Cafina XT8. It was here that Melitta’s newest and most innovative milk frothing system, the Top Foam system, was created. Eikelmann says with this system, the brand has found a way to create its most stable, solid foam that holds its shape long after it has been created. “We developed a technology using a combination of milk pumps and advanced valves which indirectly heat the milk without steam. With no steam and water to dilute the milk, it creates a texture which is more superior, creamy, and stable,” Eikelmann says. “With traditional milk foaming, the barista will steam the milk and by the time they have delivered the coffee to the customer, the foam has already collapsed because of this injected water.” In addition to its texture, Stefanie Heidemann, Manager of Training and Market Intelligence of Melitta, says Melitta’s Top Foam system creates foam with a more intense flavour thanks to its indirect and steamless heating, which results in a stronger taste caused by the natural sugar in the milk foam.
