Author Topic: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?  (Read 14299 times)

Furious

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Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #50 on: 01 February, 2011, 11:12:46 am »
I have a delonghi machine in the loft. Free to a good home.

*pricks up ears*

An espresso machine...?

They are good. Take a while to get up to pressure and loose pressure after a couple of cups but hey how many do you want instantly you aren't running a cafe. Not tamping too tight seems to be the secret with these. Well it is with mine. Firm but dont ram it down.


I have one of these. It's a bit noisy and I sometimes have to hold the cups to keep them from vibrating off the tray, but it makes perfectly fine espresso.
I agree, the tamping down is the secret... Not grinding too fine also helps.
Wer sein Fahrrad liebt, der schiebt.
He who loves his bike, will push it.

Furious

  • Pedal Head
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Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #51 on: 01 February, 2011, 11:22:20 am »
Damnit I am having trouble finding the Dualit grinder for less than £79 anywhere!

You can get a decent burr grinder like the Krups GVX2 for around £35.
A burr grinder grinds the beans instead of chopping them and, IMHO, produces a better ground with less heat.
Wer sein Fahrrad liebt, der schiebt.
He who loves his bike, will push it.

Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #52 on: 01 February, 2011, 12:05:24 pm »
I really just want to make nice coffee, latte or the stuff with cream floating on top. I don't think I even like expresso, I tried to drink some in France once many years ago and had to spit it out! It tasted thick and gloopy and bitter. I like my coffee to be not too strong and smooth and mellow tasting really. For that reason I am not really looking for a machine that specialises in expresso.

Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #53 on: 01 February, 2011, 12:06:55 pm »
Damnit I am having trouble finding the Dualit grinder for less than £79 anywhere!

Why do you want a Dualit and what are you trying to achieve?

Ural has recommended the Dualit, and the consensus seems to be that grinding your own beans is the way to go for nice coffee.

Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #54 on: 01 February, 2011, 12:10:21 pm »
Get yourself a Bodum milk frothing jug. Great for lattes and the like. That combined with an aeropress will serve your needs. The milk will mask a lot of the bitterness of a bad coffee, so you don't need to get anything flash.

Rhys W

  • I'm single, bilingual
    • Cardiff Ajax
Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #55 on: 01 February, 2011, 12:44:39 pm »
I really just want to make nice coffee, latte or the stuff with cream floating on top. I don't think I even like expresso, I tried to drink some in France once many years ago and had to spit it out! It tasted thick and gloopy and bitter. I like my coffee to be not too strong and smooth and mellow tasting really. For that reason I am not really looking for a machine that specialises in expresso.

 :facepalm:

Just buy a Nespresso.

Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #56 on: 01 February, 2011, 12:47:06 pm »
Nespresso could be an overkill, as that's more about espresso. The Dulce Gusto is the version for the milky coffees.

Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #57 on: 01 February, 2011, 12:55:20 pm »
Senseo for the win...... ;)

simonp

Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #58 on: 01 February, 2011, 01:03:38 pm »
How many different answers can we get on one topic? :)

My vote: NESCAFÉ Cappuccino

IGMC.

Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #59 on: 01 February, 2011, 01:06:12 pm »
Damnit I am having trouble finding the Dualit grinder for less than £79 anywhere!

Why do you want a Dualit and what are you trying to achieve?

Ural has recommended the Dualit, and the consensus seems to be that grinding your own beans is the way to go for nice coffee.

For me it couldn't grind fine enough so I got a Kitchen Aid. The Gaggia grinder seems quite good. However, I will warn you that all this is a faff royale. I've got beans,grinder,machine,cafetiere,stovetop pots and the machine is great but you will faff about trying to get the right grind for what you want then the right tamp and the right volume. My recommendations on this if you just want a cup of coffee? Use a stovetop moka pot and a decent coffee from the supermarket (espresso blend) or get a Nespresso machine esp. if the family want to mess about. You'll notice that this coffee/grinder thing is the area that blokes get into because they have nothing else to do. The Nespresso will get you a decent coffee every time. Remember that you will prob. be the one emptying the cartons.

The espresso is the basis for all the coffees. You want a latte or a capuccino and you'd prob.like flat white. You can read about all this online but on reading your OP I'd really advise going for Nespresso.

Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #60 on: 01 February, 2011, 01:07:39 pm »
You'll notice that this coffee/grinder thing is the area that blokes get into because they have nothing else to do.

Nonsense.  I spend quite a bit of time fixing bikes too!  ;D

Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #61 on: 01 February, 2011, 01:10:18 pm »
You'll notice that this coffee/grinder thing is the area that blokes get into because they have nothing else to do.

Nonsense.  I spend quite a bit of time fixing bikes too!  ;D
Apologies I should have said or for between bike fettlings

Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #62 on: 01 February, 2011, 01:10:58 pm »
Instant coffee (whatever the brand) = carling black label
Nespresso = Stella
Pre-ground coffee made with a decent coffee machine = marstons pedigree cask conditioned
Own-ground, freshly roasted beans made with a Gaggia = Mordens Newcastle Coffee Porter (or substitute any very, very good real ale)

The latter is hard to get hold of and a lot of effort, but worth it IF you have the time & inclination. Number 3 will give very palatable results that will taste infinitely better than number 1 and much better than number 2. You'll get a shot of caffeine with any of the above, but a darn sight more pleasure out of 3 and 4.

Over-simplified? Maybe, but it gives an idea of the gaps in quality between some of the choices you have.
Haggerty F, Haggerty R, Tomkins, Noble, Carrick, Robson, Crapper, Dewhurst, Macintyre, Treadmore, Davitt.

Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #63 on: 01 February, 2011, 01:13:24 pm »
That Nespresso machine seems to think 40ml is a large cup of coffee  :o
I think my smallest mug is about 200ml.

Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #64 on: 01 February, 2011, 01:19:57 pm »
The rest is milk.

Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #65 on: 01 February, 2011, 01:25:14 pm »
How many different answers can we get on one topic? :)

My vote: NESCAFÉ Cappuccino

IGMC.


LOL! Someone once made me one of those at work and it was a bit  :sick:
I am looking to improve on the coffee my Cafetiere used to make rather than go for the true BSO of coffee  ;D
As you have all probably noticed I really know SFA about coffee at the moment.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #66 on: 01 February, 2011, 01:44:45 pm »
I really just want to make nice coffee, latte or the stuff with cream floating on top.

This is what I have for making coffee at work:

   Swissgold KF300 Permanent Coffee Filter - One Cup


I love it. Simple but effective. Highly recommended. (Unlike paper, gold filters don't affect the flavour.)

For me, the quality of the beans is more important than spending a fortune on machinery - especially if you're not a fan of espresso. I've had some phenomenally good coffee out of my filter recently, simply by virtue of spending a bit more on top quality beans. I buy it in small batches, ground to order, from Monmouth, which is on my way to work - a 250g bag lasts about a week for me, so it's still reasonably fresh by the time I get to the bottom of the bag. And even if I spend £13 on a 250g bag, as I did recently*, it's still cheaper than those ridiculous pod coffees (which aren't really any better than instant IME), or buying by the cup from St*rb*cks.

d.

*It was very good, though by far the best coffee I've had lately only cost £8 for a 250g bag.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #67 on: 01 February, 2011, 02:15:51 pm »
Good call there altho'never used one myself. I was going to suggest that site. To OP. I'd suggest that if you want to stick to your cafetiere but improve the taste you need to go to a quality single-estate bean that is coarsely ground and don't use boiling water. You are actually infusing using a cafetiere whereas espresso uses pressure to get the water thro'the coffee.

I use Roberts and Co in Lancs for my single estate and they are v.good at advising on the different ones they have in but any good coffee vendor should be able to advise you. Espresso is actually a blend of beans which the seller hopes will make a good tasting coffee after roasting.

Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #68 on: 01 February, 2011, 02:22:18 pm »
Yeah, I am considering spending on good beans and a good grinder and using a cheap filter cup thing on top of a mug for now and then see how I get on with it. I don't want another cafetiere because of the messy clean up issues. I can always microwave milk to get it to go frothy to add to my coffee. If I find I get 'into' the whole proper coffee making lark I can then look at the spendier machines. I might even have to try drinking expresso again, my taste buds might have changed in the past 20 years since I last tried one.

Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #69 on: 01 February, 2011, 02:49:06 pm »
If you think a cafetiere is messy wait until you get a machine. You have the residue from the grinder that will be on the kitchen unit and eventually you will need to brush the grinder out. You have the machine itself which you will need to backflush (special bits/powder needed), the drips from the portafilter into the tray and the pucks of ground coffee into your knock-box (ooh-er). You have getting the coffee into the portafilter and tamping and any other family members who try this will leave a mess. Occasionally, you will have to remove the group-head and showerplate (bits the hot water comes thro) and clean and/or replace. The showerplate gums up quite quickly. Gaggia portafilter handles break after a while with the heat/cooling/attaching. Better you know this stuff now than spending money and having a cupboard full of stuff 18 mnths from now.

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #70 on: 01 February, 2011, 03:02:27 pm »
I might even have to try drinking expresso again, my taste buds might have changed in the past 20 years since I last tried one.

It's also possible that what you had before just wasn't very good espresso. Probably not in the same league as the lovingly hand-crafted artisanal espresso made by Messrs Tewdric or Kunst, anyway.

Or it could just be that you don't like the French roast. One of the things you'll quickly realise when you start delving into the world of fine coffee is the wide range of subtle differences between different beans and different roasts. It's like wine in that respect. I'm no connoisseur but I know that I like a bright, zesty, citrussy coffee. The stuff I tried last week was more smoky and sweet - still very good coffee but not really to my taste and I won't be buying it again.

d.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #71 on: 01 February, 2011, 03:31:42 pm »
I might even have to try drinking expresso again, my taste buds might have changed in the past 20 years since I last tried one.

It's also possible that what you had before just wasn't very good espresso. Probably not in the same league as the lovingly hand-crafted artisanal espresso made by Messrs Tewdric or Kunst, anyway.

Or it could just be that you don't like the French roast. One of the things you'll quickly realise when you start delving into the world of fine coffee is the wide range of subtle differences between different beans and different roasts. It's like wine in that respect. I'm no connoisseur but I know that I like a bright, zesty, citrussy coffee. The stuff I tried last week was more smoky and sweet - still very good coffee but not really to my taste and I won't be buying it again.

d.


Yeah you could be right there, it was one of those occasions where I just asked for a 'coffee' and they brought out a tiny tiny cup with what appeared to be a noxious substance in it. I asked where the milk was and they ran off to fetch some but there was no room in the tiny cup to get much in. It was truly  :sick: I stuck to tea after that!

Charlotte

  • Dissolute libertine
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Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #72 on: 01 February, 2011, 03:34:44 pm »
If you just want to make simple, non-espresso coffee - I really enjoyed this article:

CoffeeGeek - How to Use a Pour Over Brewer

Also, this:

My quest for the ultimate travel coffee setup - Boing Boing
Commercial, Editorial and PR Photographer - www.charlottebarnes.co.uk

Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #73 on: 01 February, 2011, 04:36:46 pm »
If you just want to make simple, non-espresso coffee - I really enjoyed this article:

CoffeeGeek - How to Use a Pour Over Brewer

Also, this:

My quest for the ultimate travel coffee setup - Boing Boing

Thanks Charlotte, those are very interesting reading  :thumbsup:

It seems the gold filters offer an advantage over the paper ones. I was shocked to read I shouldn't even start grinding the coffee until the kettle is nearly boiled  :o

Charlotte

  • Dissolute libertine
  • Here's to ol' D.H. Lawrence...
    • charlottebarnes.co.uk
Re: Can anyone recommend a coffee machine?
« Reply #74 on: 01 February, 2011, 04:37:50 pm »
I was shocked to read I shouldn't even start grinding the coffee until the kettle is nearly boiled  :o

Yeah, well you're supposed to let red wine breathe as well I'm told.  Most of us aren't that fussy  :)
Commercial, Editorial and PR Photographer - www.charlottebarnes.co.uk