Caporegime
My previous cheapo delonghi magnifica was very consistent.
I kind of miss it actually. I might sell my Sage and go back to a bean to cup.
What I will say is the first cup of coffee it does is really delicious.
Bean to Cup Coffee Machines 2021
I kind of miss it actually. I might sell my Sage and go back to a bean to cup.
What I will say is the first cup of coffee it does is really delicious.
There are certainly machines out there for everyone. If you're not weighing your coffee and water then a bean to cup like the DeLonghi Magnifica will probably be good for you since it is programmed to take care of that aspect.
I'm about to stick my BE on to warm up for our morning espressos.
I'm about to stick my BE on to warm up for our morning espressos.
Soldato
If you get a moment (can be arsed) could you video a pour? Mine splutters a lot and would like to compare.
Also, when pulling a shot now the pressure gauge doesn't move until 5 or more seconds into a shot. I'm sure it used to hit the correct pressure area before anything came out.
Soldato
as in liquid is pouring and it takes 5 seconds? The be pre infuses so shouldn’t start pouring for 5 or so seconds.
Does it sputter out like it’s struggle to pour or pouring too fast and splashing?
There is a hundred issues you could be facing. What bean? What does your grind look like? How many grams in? How long is your pour?
I'll try and get you a video of a shot but it doesn't sound like anything is particularly wrong with yours. The BE pre-infuses at a lower pressure, as @Snookums mentioned.
How high does the pressure gauge go? When I was reading up on it, I came to the conclusion that the pressure gauge isn't much more than a novelty on the BE. It's an OK indicator that a shot is pouring well, but there can be so many other factors impacting shot quality. My shots always fire the pressure gauge needle to max. They do get a bit splashy but I could fix that by sitting the espresso cup on something to get it closer to the portafilter.
Soldato
I will do, but away at the moment.
Associate
Still love my esam 4200 delonghi, on the finest grind setting. Tempted to upgrade but no real reason to. The dude that makes a proper self cleaning bean to cup will be a very rich person
Man of Honour
I’ve had a Nespresso machine for about 5 years and its died in the last week and I’m now looking around for a replacement.
I had thought I would just pickup a new Nespresso machine but I’m wondering if some kind of bean to cup machine might be more efficient given space isn’t really an issue.
I don’t mind paying more for a machine, I assume that buying beans is cheaper than buying capsules?
I had thought I would just pickup a new Nespresso machine but I’m wondering if some kind of bean to cup machine might be more efficient given space isn’t really an issue.
I don’t mind paying more for a machine, I assume that buying beans is cheaper than buying capsules?
Caporegime
Cost wise, it depends on the beans. It can be like £15 for 225g a bag or £3.50, and at 18g a cup, you get 12 cups from a bag, so that is as little as 30p a cup or like £1.20. That's the beauty of it, you are not at the mercy of the pod manufacturer. I can go through a bag as fast as a week so it's easy to try out lots of different ones with very little cost penalties or waste.
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Man of Honour
Thanks Raymond - thats quite a bit cheaper than buying Nespresso capsules - especially as there doesn't appear to be any 3rd party options at this point for the new "Vertuo" Capsules.
Are there any reccomended "Starter" Machines - I'm probably looking at spending up to £400
Soldato
Vertuo was released as the patent on the orginal pod lapsed so they made Vertuo to be the sole supplier again.
By starter machine do you mean a full bean to cup machine or wanting to learn espresso and get something with more of a manual input like a sage BE or standalone machine & grinder
I personally have a refurbed sage BE and its never skipped a bit, it's a good inbetween for learning coffee and being guided. I know Raymond has a Gaggia and a niche zero which is much more of a learning curve due to no real feedback. I've used a Gaggia with a niche in the past and no doubt its a better coffee but you need to understand it a lot more to be good at making a drink.
Realistically for up to 400 you could go for a refurbed Sage BE or a 2nd hand Gaggia Classic with maybe an mazzer super jolly/eureka mignon/ibertial mc2
Man of Honour
To be honest I probably mean a full bean to cup machine; I guess I used "starter" as I'm assuming anything in my price range will be more basic!
Caporegime
Full bean to cup?
Personally, I am not a fan of them because for me, coffee is like a little hobby so I like to control the little aspects of it so a Bean to Cup isn't my thing since I can't control anything in between. So I can only go by the recommendations from others. Like I said in my calculation with 18g per shot, I actually use 15g per shot, both to lower my personal caffeine intake and also that 20% saved in beans brings the cost down quite a bit. The only thing I needed to do is get a basket suited for 15g and pour shots for that weight. Everything still tastes great and I save money in the process.
James Hoffmann recently made a video comparing a few, He like the DeLonghi on the lower end, and I would trust him and that would be the one I go with.
Machines like the Sage BE is not really a bean to cup, it's more an expresso machine and grinder in the same shell but you still have to do all the work. If you are doing that, then you need to look into similar aspects in espresso making, such as baskets, tamping, retention, etc.
I am still very happy with the Gaggia and Niche combo. Another YouTuber compared the Gaggia with something 10x the cost and he picked the Gaggia after some simple mods like changing out the basket and the spring inside, both using the same Niche Grinder.
p.s. a Gaggia/Niche combo will set you back about £900.
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Thinking of getting a bean to cup machine, nothing fancy being my first and have seen above that some recommend a automatic one so you don't need to weigh stuff etc.
Which of the automatic ones would people recommend, seen the De'Longhi Magnifica mentioned above but looking on Amazon there seems to be a couple of them, is there much difference between them? Also any notable difference in the De'Longhi ECAM, worth the extra 50 quid?
Or any other makes better etc. for the price. Around 400 pound is my budget.
Which of the automatic ones would people recommend, seen the De'Longhi Magnifica mentioned above but looking on Amazon there seems to be a couple of them, is there much difference between them? Also any notable difference in the De'Longhi ECAM, worth the extra 50 quid?
Or any other makes better etc. for the price. Around 400 pound is my budget.
Wife has given me the go ahead for a Sage Barista express.
However, I have a 25% code for sage direct meaning I can pick up the barista pro for £547.
Would I be stupid to skip on this price for a new Pro, as it's about what I'd have to pay for a new express elsewhere (Jesus these have gone up in price)
However, I have a 25% code for sage direct meaning I can pick up the barista pro for £547.
Would I be stupid to skip on this price for a new Pro, as it's about what I'd have to pay for a new express elsewhere (Jesus these have gone up in price)
That's a bargain! Is that an exclusive code you have? Oh man I'd be tempted to upgrade for that.
nah it's for the London coffee show - LCF25
It should have died 3 days ago but is still live.
I'm torn about pulling the trigger - it's the most I've spent on a single kitchen appliance!