Tone Unveils First Espresso Machine Prototype, the Tone Touch E

A prototype of the Tone Touch E commercial espresso machine last month at the HostMilano trade show in Italy. Daily Coffee News photo by Nick Brown.

Swiss commercial coffee brewing equipment maker Tone Kaffeemaschinen last month revealed its first machine designed for espresso: the Tone Touch E.

Following Tone’s existing bent for boiler-free, heat-on-demand brewing technology, the Tone Touch E was rolled out for the first time at the HostMilano trade show in Italy.

Like the Tone Touch 04 batch brewer revealed at the SCA Expo last April and the smaller-batch Tone Touch 03 revealed in 2021, the Tone Touch E is designed with no boiler. Water destined for each of the prototype’s 58-millimeter groups is flash heated on demand. 

Tone Managing Director Jörg Krahl told Daily Coffee News the Touch E is capable both pressure and flow profiling, programmable pre-infusion and low-pressure brewing for “coffee shot” and other creative extractions in commercial environments.

Shot profiles will include the ability to mimic the performance of a manual level espresso machine, Krahl said. 

The sensitive flash-heating system can also perform temperature profiling within the length of a single espresso shot, according to the company. Buttons on the face of the machine can be programmed for different shot profiles and volumes.

Daily Coffee News photo by Nick Brown.

“Installation is easy and simple as there is no pump underneath,” Krahl said, noting that the machine could easily be installed in mobile coffee setups. “Pumps are built in. It heats immediately, like the T03 and T04, and also we can do ‘cold’ espresso extraction, at ambient room temp, that is, since we have no cooling device inside.”

Designed and built by Tone in Switzerland, the Touch E prototype featured wood collected from Swiss forest maintenance projects that was treated for enhanced water resistance and longevity. The machine will ultimately be available in different colors.

Krahl said a 2-group version will be the first to enter production, with the first units expected to ship overseas by the end of 2024, and to the U.S. in 2025. Prices have not yet been determined. 

See more of DCN’s coverage of HostMilano 2023. 

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