Miele - CM 6160 White Lotus

What drinks can you make with the CM6160 ?

• Espresso Based: Ristretto, Espresso, Coffee, Long Coffee, Americano
• Milk-Based Coffee: Cappuccino, Cafe Latte, Latter Macchiato, Espresso Macchiato, Cafe au Lait, Flat White
• Milk: Hot Milk, Milk Froth
• Tea: Japenese, Black, Herbal, Green tea and White tea.

Some of the standard features inherited from the last generation model :

• Made in Switzerland
• 300g Bean Container
• 1.8L water container. 
• 10 capsule waste container
• Height adjustable central spout of 14cm
• Self rinsing system
• 5 Grinder Setting: The finer the grind, the stronger the drink. When the beans are ground correctly, the coffee or espresso will flow evenly into the cup with a good crema. The crema should have an even nutbrown colour. The grinder setting you select will be used for all coffee drinks.
• Parameter Control: You can control:
  • Amount of Coffee: The coffee machine can grind and brew 6–14 g of coffee beans per cup. The greater the quantity, the stronger the coffee.
  • Pre-brewing ground coffee: When the pre-brewing function is turned on, the freshly ground coffee is first moistened with a little hot water. This helps release the flavour of the coffee. You can set pre-brewing for a normal length of time or an extra-long length of time. Alternatively, you can turn off the “Pre-brewing” function. The machine is supplied with the “Prebrewing” function turned off.
  • Portion size: The coffee's flavour depends not only on the type of coffee but also on the amount of water used. You can program the amount of water for all coffee drinks and hot water to suit your cup's size and the type of coffee you are using. This does not alter the amount of coffee used.
  • Brew Temperature: You can set your ideal brew temperature. Choose from Minimum, Low, Medium, Hot and Maxiumum Brew temperature settings.

So, Whats New? Old (CM6150) vs New (CM6160) comparison.

As stated, the CM6160 is replacing the CM6150. But, it has changed or should we say grown up a lot. Let's see what is new with the CM6160 that wasn't available with the previous model:

• Completely New Milk Froth System for improved milk froth. you get a much more fine, close textured, silky froth that is hotter than before. Also, the frothing system in the old generation produced better results with colder temperature milk, right out of the fridge, but the new system is completely capable of producing the same results with room-temperature milk.
• Hot Water spout. For making tea or true AmericAno
• 4 Additional coffee drinks. 
  • Espresso Macchiato
  • Cappuccino Italiano
  • Cafe Au Lait
  • Flat White
• 3 different temperatures for 6 different varieties of teas. The CM6160 gets a hot water spout. This model was reserved for the top-of-the-line model (CM6350) until now and this means, the CM6160 is now capable of supplying hot water for tea. You have 3 different temperatures for at least 6 different varieties of teas.
  • Japanese tea 65 °C
  • White tea 70 °C
  • Green tea 78 °C
  • Black tea 78 °C
  • Fruit tea 78 °C
  • Herbal tea 78 °C
• DoubleShot
• Expert mode: This allows you to change the parameter of the drink on the fly.
• Performance mode: Performance mode consists of 4 options:
  • Eco Mode: This is an energy-saving mode: The System only heats up when the user starts making a drink and Switches-off 20 minutes after the last beverage
  • Barista Mode: This is basically your standard mode. Perfect for espresso and coffee Coffee machine stays heated up Extraction times are
    optimized for the perfect crema
  • Latte Mode: Perfect when you need to make lots of drinks with milk/froth, this mode offers quicker heating up Shorter waiting times
  • Party Mode: Uninterrupted enjoyment with the Timer deactivated  and Cup lighting set to maximum brightness
• Wifi Connect/Mobile Start
• New Interface: The new CM6160 gets a new face control with some improvements to the old design. This allows you to control so much of the features of the machine without having to go into menus and sub-menus. For example:
  • You now get 7 quick drink options displayed versus the 4 in the previous generation. On the left side, you get to choose from, Espresso, Coffee, Cappuccino and Macchiato and on the right side, you get to choose from Long Coffee, Espresso Macchiato or a selection of teas.
  • You now get a Double Shot option right on the main interface. This is a brand new feature with the CM6160.
  • Navigation buttons have moved to the bottom of the interface
  • You now have a "mobile start" option that allows you to interact with the machine via the Miele app.

Should you buy the CM6160 or consider the next model up ?

CM6160 (middle of the line) and CM6360 (top of the line) comparison :

As mentioned, the CM6160 is the middle of the line model in Miele's coffee machine lineup. However, its the same exact size and has the same exact capacities as the higher-end model (CM6360). That is a 1.8 Liter water tank, a 300-gram bean hopper and a drip tray that can hold up to 10 drinks worth of excess water and ground coffee pucks. You also get the same drink selection and most other features. So what is missing in the CM6160 compared to the top-of-the-line CM6360? 

• Heated cup warmer
• Brilliant light
• Glass Milk Flask
• 4 user profiles versus 8 use profiles
• The CM6160 is only available in Obsidian Black whereas the CM6360 comes in Silver and Bronze.