Spec me: A coffee machine

fieldy

fieldy

fieldy

Soldato
Joined
10 Mar 2004
Posts
3,461
Morning all, me and the missus have recently been drinking a lot more coffee and have started to appreciate decent coffee more and more. However this means we are making a lot of trips to local coffee shops and spending a small fortune in the process!

Yesterday my other half mentioned that we should probably invest in a semi decent coffee machine as it would stop us spending so much on coffee and it would be more convenient for us, at this point I realised I know absolutely nothing about coffee machines i.e. brands, what machine will make a good coffee or what I should be paying.

This is where I turn to you, the good people of OCUK to advise me on what coffee machines are out there and what ones are half decent. We're looking to spend about £70, so over to you thanks in advance for the recommendations ;)
 
Prepare to be told that £70 will not get you a decent coffee machine, in fact that will barely get you a burr grinder worth having, followed by recommendations for Tassimo machines on sale and then a big argument about real coffee vs pod coffee before you give up and just revert to Nescafe Gold Blend of a morning and your regular trips to the coffee shops again.
 
Do not get a Tassimo machine. They used to be OK but have recently 'improved' the recipes to their coffee line up. You only have to look at the Tassimo Facebook page to see that people aren't happy about it.
 
If you want convenience then pod systems may be the way to go but would advise visiting a store that allows you to taste a small variety before investing.

Full on coffee machines will produce a better cup of coffee but they do take effort and time.
 
Kenai said:
Prepare to be told that £70 will not get you a decent coffee machine, in fact that will barely get you a burr grinder worth having, followed by recommendations for Tassimo machines on sale and then a big argument about real coffee vs pod coffee before you give up and just revert to Nescafe Gold Blend of a morning and your regular trips to the coffee shops again.
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Right, wasn't sure what the right amount to spend was, if needs be we could stretch a bit but I don't think i would spend anymore than say £120 :confused:

Cheers for the other reply by the way :)
 
There's quite a few coffee/machine threads in La Cuisine if you want to have a look through other people posting similar questions :)
 
The first thing you ought to decide is what you are actually looking for, as there are many different types before you get into specifics.

Filter coffee, simple filtered into a jug, replacement for instant.
Pod machine, quick and easy but many will argue not real and not fresh etc
Bean to cup espresso, pour beans in the top, get espresso, quick and easy, needs more looking after, not cheap
Espresso, pack it with grounds, make espresso. Buying grounds isn't fresh, so generally add a grinder too. Typically most faff but ultimately best results. Not exactly cheap either
 
fieldy said:
Right, wasn't sure what the right amount to spend was, if needs be we could stretch a bit but I don't think i would spend anymore than say £120 :confused:

Cheers for the other reply by the way :)
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What kind of coffees do you want to make? Latte, espresso, americano, etc?
 
After spending large amounts of money on coffee machines, I now use a simple AeroPress.
Try one. If you don't like it, it will only have cost ~£22. Makes great coffee, it's quick and is simple to clean. :-)
Alternatively, a Bialetti Moka is also a good choice.
 
FrenchTart said:
There's quite a few coffee/machine threads in La Cuisine if you want to have a look through other people posting similar questions :)
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Thanks i'll take a peek, mods sorry if this is the wrong place, completely forgot about LC lol

Kenai said:
The first thing you ought to decide is what you are actually looking for, as there are many different types before you get into specifics.

Filter coffee, simple filtered into a jug, replacement for instant.
Pod machine, quick and easy but many will argue not real and not fresh etc
Bean to cup espresso, pour beans in the top, get espresso, quick and easy, needs more looking after, not cheap
Espresso, pack it with grounds, make espresso. Buying grounds isn't fresh, so generally add a grinder too. Typically most faff but ultimately best results. Not exactly cheap either
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From what you say probably a pod machine

FrenchTart said:
What kind of coffees do you want to make? Latte, espresso, americano, etc?
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Mostly Latte's
 
I've personally got a Nespresso pod machine, it's good and the aerocino thing for frothing milk is good too. I got it as I had a pile of vouchers burning a hole in my pocket, I wanted convenient so espresso wasn't a real consideration and bean to cup was too expensive. The range of different coffees with Nespresso rather than 'flavours' with something like Tassimo appealed to me more.

It's very much a pod espresso machine though, so it only does convenient espresso style pours, rather than makes drinks like other pod machines can. You have to do the rest, with help from the aerocino, if you want a latte or cappuccino or americano etc.

It makes coffee good enough for me, though I'm under no illusion it's the best you can get it's considerably closer to espresso than to instant or filter.
 
what are you getting from the coffee shop? if its black coffee a porlex hand grinder, good beans and an aeropress may be the best option.

if its lattes/cappuccinos you need to look into steaming the milk or a unit that steams if for you... i.e. tassimo/dolche gusto/nespresso (with milk attachment)

we got my dad a dolche gusto last year and he still uses it daily and it produces a much better drink then instant.

further on from there you then look into manual "real" machines, the recommended ones start around £150 for a gaggia classic but they don't seem to be the hit they once were as it seems they have changed some of the design.

as for grinder, a porlex hand grinder is a good start and for a electric one the Ibertal MC2 is the usual starting point at just over £100

my advice would be to start with a budget around a gaggia classic or similar and start with a hand grinder (porlex is a very good start) but don't be tempted with a blade grinder, the grind is very important - a £1000 machine with a crap grinder will produce worse coffee then a £150 machine with a good grinder.

check silicolneslaves espresso thread in la cuisine for some good starting tips... just be aware about 7 years ago I started on this route and my current machine and grinder are nearly 3 years old... with the cost of beans, milk, cleaning products etc... I am not sure I would have made back the initial outlay if I went to a coffee shop for each drink but being able to have great coffee in your own home is worth it.

edit: I forgot about bean to cup... I have had some nice bean to cup drinks but none compare to doing it the long way :)
 
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FrenchTart said:
I'm also a coffee snob but I don't imagine the OP or his misses are so a pod machine could work. Alternatively, something potentially better would be using an aeropress to make a strong coffee and then something like the below to froth milk.

https://www.nespresso.com/uk/en/pro...act_Milk.Frother_nespresso.milk.frother_Exact
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true. but even compared to your generic coffee shop a pod system wont taste as nice.

an aeropress is a good purchase though, its my go to coffee device for a quick morning cup. with the chemex being the weekend option where a bit more time is available.
 
I've got a Dolce Gusto for Christmas. I've used it every single day and am very happy with it. I've got a full on latte in the time it takes to boil the kettle to make a cup of tea for the kids/wife :)

It might not please snobs, but for convenience it cannot be beaten.
 
Bean to cup machine is where it's at and I was thinking that it was going to cost me a fortune however after a bit investigation ended up buying a machine from Andrew James.
Expected it to be crap for the price but have been nicely surprised.
The only problem I have with it, is if we have a power cut in the night and I just press go without taking any notice of the settings... It defaults to ten cups. :eek:

Must have put 20 odd bags of beans through it by now at least. Still consistent as the day it arrived.
(I always refill it from a "brita filter" jug to help prevent scaling)

I took a chance on it for £70 but nope it's been brilliant.
https://www.andrewjamesworldwide.co...8sD54piAW4hy9PjHu2833AUv7cVUPeRgoEaAoja8P8HAQ

HA. :D
Oh look it's now No1. best seller on Amazon too :D
beantocup_zpsybtda8z6.png
 
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