Recommendations for a coffee machine

pan280

Our Nespresso machine finally stopped working and i am looking to replace it with something better.
The coffee from Nespresso was average and i am hoping to improve my mornings with a bean to cup espresso machine.
Only needs to make espresso, not lattes etc, budget is around 200-300GBP.
Any recommendations?

Matthewfalle

Moka pot

varying sizes, varying colours, all well within budget.

Job jobbed.

meanredspider

Have you used a bean-to-cup before? I used to work for Philips that make Saeco/Gaggia and bought a Saeco machine. They're very complex and, unless you're making lots of coffee throughout the day, they're probably not worth the hassle - they flush water on start-up and shut-down which you need to empty. They need regular cleaning and emptying and the killer for me is that I couldn't get my go-to Illy coffee to taste right. Besides that, due to their complexity, bean-to-cup aren't very reliable. I now use a Nespresso for my convenience needs (and a manual Gaggia for more fussy needs).

pan280

My last workplace used to have one, but I didn't worry about its maintenance.
I used to have a manual espresso machine but it can bit a bit tricky to get the coffee just right, and it was messy.
So I thought bean to cup would be simpler, maybe not?

meanredspider

pan280 wrote:

So I thought bean to cup would be simpler, maybe not?

Bit simpler than manual but I didn't think the taste benefit over Nespresso (and the zillions of pods available now) was worth it. I don't think there's a shortcut to a properly good cup of coffee. And a lot of people who think they make a good coffee manually simply don't.

Garry H

Moka pot or Aero Press.

I think that to really benefit from a machine you need to spend a fair bit of money and time.

jgsi

Aero press is ok for emergencies ...but you can get the De Longhi single espresso machine for £60 which does a competent job...but falls away because it cannot create the super pressures of the machines that cost above the £400 level.

kajjal

I use an illy capsule machine as it is easy to use and produces coffee I like the taste of. Only bought it as a local café does illy coffee and I preferred it.

solosuperia

Go for a Bialletti Moka pot.....
Some words of advice( Blind leading the blind)!
Only get a Bialletti don't be seduced by the cheaper imitations. They just don't work as well.
Think carefully what size you want, I have in the past made the mistake of getting one to big.
The coffee produced by the pot is strong espresso insert "very" in there, not to every ones taste can be diluted for those with more delicate taste buds.
I have two at the moment, a 2 cup and a 3 cup for me that combination works.
Enjoy

type:epyt

Saeco (let's at least pretend it's a bike forum) …

Garry H

SoloSuperia wrote:

Go for a Bialletti Moka pot.....
Some words of advice( Blind leading the blind)!
Only get a Bialletti don't be seduced by the cheaper imitations. They just don't work as well.
Think carefully what size you want, I have in the past made the mistake of getting one to big.
The coffee produced by the pot is strong espresso insert "very" in there, not to every ones taste can be diluted for those with more delicate taste buds.
I have two at the moment, a 2 cup and a 3 cup for me that combination works.
Enjoy

Sage advice that. Anything else I've tried has been shite, most of them leaked.

rick_chasey

type:epyt wrote:

Saeco (let's at least pretend it's a bike forum) …

http://www.faema.com/products/traditional-machines/e61

This Faema makes rather nice coffee.

Yours for the price of a decent bike.

photonic69

I've a cheap Ikea stove top coffee pot. Makes great espresso. Always pre heat bottom with hot water and fill with boiling water from kettle. Quick, easy and cheap. Makes very strong coffee. Dilute with boiling water for an Americano. Neat for those "productive" days. I'd never use a capsule system due to their really bad environmental impact.

FatTed

Rick Chasey wrote:

type:epyt wrote:

Saeco (let's at least pretend it's a bike forum) …

http://www.faema.com/products/traditional-machines/e61

This Faema makes rather nice coffee.

Yours for the price of a decent bike.

I prefer this one
http://www.bezzera.it/index.php?option= ... 66&lang=en
but rather OT, I use an aero press and buy a cup of coffee from my favourite coffee shop as required.

part time waster

De longi , Magnifica seam 2600. Does a good job , usually £270 ish.
You can adjust for strength and grind level.

Matthewfalle

PhotoNic69 wrote:

I've a cheap Ikea stove top coffee pot. Makes great espresso. Always pre heat bottom with hot water and fill with boiling water from kettle. Quick, easy and cheap. Makes very strong coffee. Dilute with boiling water for an Americano. Neat for those "productive" days. I'd never use a capsule system due to their really bad environmental impact.

I'd never use capsule system because the coffee isn't as nice as a Mika pot and the capsules cost a billion pounds.

Matthewfalle

SoloSuperia wrote:

Go for a Bialletti Moka pot.....
Some words of advice( Blind leading the blind)!
Only get a Bialletti don't be seduced by the cheaper imitations. They just don't work as well.
Think carefully what size you want, I have in the past made the mistake of getting one to big.
The coffee produced by the pot is strong espresso insert "very" in there, not to every ones taste can be diluted for those with more delicate taste buds.
I have two at the moment, a 2 cup and a 3 cup for me that combination works.
Enjoy

You can never have a moka pot that is too big. That is an utterly incorrect view. Sorry.

pinno

Bialetti stove top.

If you want good coffee, buy good coffee to put in it.

Matthewfalle

I've got one of these. It rocks.

https://www.google.je/search?q=bialetti ... wI986ieCGM:

I also have one of these. It too rocks.

https://www.google.je/search?q=pink+bia ... E2l5vnqNOM:

And one of these for when I am away from my stove stuck in some garratt somewhere

https://www.google.je/search?q=electric ... GabveNFPcM:

I like coffee, you see.

mr_goo

Coffee Beans/Bean Grinder/Kettle/Cafetiere/Mini Whisk (for frothy milk).
Still in search of the perfect cup of coffee.

Matthewfalle

Mr Goo wrote:

Coffee Beans/Bean Grinder/Kettle/Cafetiere/Mini Whisk (for frothy milk).
Still in search of the perfect cup of coffee.

Milk?


FFS.....

meanredspider

Matthewfalle wrote:

Mr Goo wrote:

Coffee Beans/Bean Grinder/Kettle/Cafetiere/Mini Whisk (for frothy milk).
Still in search of the perfect cup of coffee.

Milk?


FFS.....

Kettle and cafetière and you focus on the milk...... :roll:

davesnothere

Stove top aluminium pot for me as well.

Bought in France about 20 years ago, well travelled and well seasoned

rolf_f

Find decent beans, grind beans with hand grinder, put ground beans into pan of freshly boiled water, allow to sit for appropriate length of time, poor into mug. Quite simple but untrendy as the only fancy bit of kit required is a proper grinder.

veronese68

meanredspider wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

Mr Goo wrote:

Coffee Beans/Bean Grinder/Kettle/Cafetiere/Mini Whisk (for frothy milk).
Still in search of the perfect cup of coffee.

Milk?


FFS.....

Kettle and cafetière and you focus on the milk...... :roll:

Exactly, first 2 steps were fine then it all went horribly wrong. But each to their own, some people like coffee flavoured milk shake.

fat daddy

I recommend any of my setup :-

izzo vivi mk 2
La pavoni europiccola
Elektra micro casa a leva
La cimballi Microcimballi
Various French press, Aeropress and CCD

Gene Café 101 coffee roaster
11kg green unroasted beans
subscription to #sssss

Macap mdx, mc4 and a Lido E

really you just need a grinder, a container, water and GOOD QUALITY FRESH ROASTED BEANS. you don't even need heat .... cold brew !!!

rick_chasey

Matthewfalle wrote:

Mr Goo wrote:

Coffee Beans/Bean Grinder/Kettle/Cafetiere/Mini Whisk (for frothy milk).
Still in search of the perfect cup of coffee.

Milk?


FFS.....

There are certainly different tribes of coffee snob - different generation if you will.

I come from a snob group where anything that isn't like italian coffee is sh!te, so anyone who thinks a cappucino is a litre of milk with some coffee is a moron, and anyone who likes what acrid, acidic, nasty coffee the Aussie/Kiwi "baristas" sell as "real coffee" doesn't get it.

Doubly so if they put chocolate powder on it.

So I'd be arguing to make a coffee without milk in the morning is to not get it :P.

(though therefore, I wouldn't get a machine where I can't steam the milk).

rick_chasey

Basically, if your kit isn't compliant with this, it's not good enough.

http://www.espressoitaliano.org/files/F ... _hq_en.pdf

veronese68

Rick Chasey wrote:

I come from a snob group where anything that isn't like italian coffee is sh!te,

That's me.
But, each to their own as in my earlier post. I used to think I didn't like coffee then I realised it's just that I don't like long coffee flavoured drinks, or coffee flavoured anything. The only coffee I drink is espresso, although corretto is acceptable. With the rise of Starbucks and the American style coffees along with my becoming more of a curmudgeonly old git I enjoy winding people up about some of the more absurd coffee based drinks.

pan280

So i managed to crash during the sprint in the last lap (4th cat problems!).
I need a new helmet and rebuild my front wheel, not sure about the frame either.
So coffee budget has been adjusted!

These bialetti espresso makers look interesting.
I am thinking of getting the one that makes 6 cups.
Any recomendations for coffee beans that taste good with this sort of process?
I have a grinder, do you use a fine or a coarse blend?

Even though i don't like milk or sugar in my coffee, this site seems to suggest that milk is ok, but sugar+cream is not.

http://www.healthyfellow.com/607/coffee-milk-controversy/

rick_chasey

pan280 wrote:

So i managed to crash during the sprint in the last lap (4th cat problems!).
I need a new helmet and rebuild my front wheel, not sure about the frame either.
So coffee budget has been adjusted!

These bialetti espresso makers look interesting.
I am thinking of getting the one that makes 6 cups.
Any recomendations for coffee beans that taste good with this sort of process?
I have a grinder, do you use a fine or a coarse blend?

Even though i don't like milk or sugar in my coffee, this site seems to suggest that milk is ok, but sugar+cream is not.

http://www.healthyfellow.com/607/coffee-milk-controversy/

Lavazza is cheap enough and readily available.