Which Coffee Machine?

[Jameshow]

Go for Nespresso virtuo, they are the dome shaped pods. They mage bigger cups than the traditional Nespresso ones do. Nespresso will deliver to your door and then collect the used pods from you

Our one is Luke warm tbh.
Tassimo gives a nice hot coffee!

 

[RobinBHM]

I am middle class and read the Guardian

oh look we’ve found a new friend for Jacob, thats provided you have no sharpening jigs, just an old dished oilstone.

 

[Luckosaurous]

Our one is Luke warm tbh.
Tassimo gives a nice hot coffee!

Think you must have a duff machine, mine come out piping hot every time.

I used to have tassimo and never got on with it. Terrible for the environment as their pods are plastic and not recyclable, and you had to go out to the supermarket to buy pods (I’m lazy) also significantly less choice with tassimo.

 

[Vulcan]

I bought a Lidl espresso machine many years ago and have been using it happily several times a day every day. I used to use my mother's old spong hand grinder but my daughter bought me a fancy electric grinder (which cost more than twice as much as the espresso machine) and that does speed up the process. It is quicker to make an espresso (and clean up) than to make a properly brewed cup of tea!

From what I’ve read recently, some “grinders” cut, rather than properly grind the beans. A proper fine grind is apparently essential for a good cup of coffee.

If I decide to go down this route I’ll probably get this one.



https://www.amazon.co.uk/Barista-Co-Electric-Grinder-Settings/dp/B08LMH6C9J/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1IRW66EHBJSRL&keywords=Barista&Co+Core+Electric+All+Coffee+Grinder+-+Grinder+Machine+for+Kitchen,+Office,+Cafe+with+Container,+Measure+Scoop,+Cleaning+Brush+-+Black+Burr+Coffee+Grinder+with+40+Settings+Coarse+to+Fine+Grind&qid=1700671162&sprefix=barista&co+core+electric+all+coffee+grinder+-+grinder+machine+for+kitchen+office+cafe+with+container+measure+scoop+cleaning+brush+-+black+burr+coffee+grinder+with+40+settings+coarse+to+fine+grind,aps,252&sr=8-1

29 Best Coffee Grinders. Kev's 2023 UK Reviews

 

[Not-Entirely-Useless]

From what I’ve read recently, some “grinders” cut, rather than properly grind the beans. A proper fine grind is apparently essential for a good cup of coffee.

If I decide to go down this route I’ll probably get this one.



https://www.amazon.co.uk/Barista-Co-Electric-Grinder-Settings/dp/B08LMH6C9J/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1IRW66EHBJSRL&keywords=Barista&Co+Core+Electric+All+Coffee+Grinder+-+Grinder+Machine+for+Kitchen,+Office,+Cafe+with+Container,+Measure+Scoop,+Cleaning+Brush+-+Black+Burr+Coffee+Grinder+with+40+Settings+Coarse+to+Fine+Grind&qid=1700671162&sprefix=barista&co+core+electric+all+coffee+grinder+-+grinder+machine+for+kitchen+office+cafe+with+container+measure+scoop+cleaning+brush+-+black+burr+coffee+grinder+with+40+settings+coarse+to+fine+grind,aps,252&sr=8-1

29 Best Coffee Grinders. Kev's 2023 UK Reviews

Gs do indeed come in 2 types:

- Blade grinders simply have 2 (sometimes 3) spinning blades that chop the beans. Your only control is how long you grind for - longer grinding time = finer coffee. If you want a fine grind (needed for espresso), the long grind time can generate heat which impairs the flavour of the coffee.
- Burr grinders grind the beans between two burrs (grinding surfaces). You control the grind by how far apart the two burrs are. You get complete control over how fine you want to grind the coffee. Espresso grind takes around 10-15 seconds.

Burr grinders are much much better if you want a good cup of coffee. Honestly, if a blade grinder is what you go for, you might as well buy pre-ground coffee and save the money and time.

The one you linked to is a decent grinder - can't speak for its longevity, but it should do a decent job.

 

[John Brown]

oh look we’ve found a new friend for Jacob, thats provided you have no sharpening jigs, just an old dished oilstone.

I'm Spartacus, and I read the guardian!

Used to have a bean to cup thing many years ago, but firstly there were too many possibilities for mistakes when setting it up after a beer or two, and secondly, I was up earlier than expected, I never got used to the noise when the grinder started up in the morning and it made me jump out if my skin.

 

[Adam W.]

oh look we’ve found a new friend for Jacob, thats provided you have no sharpening jigs, just an old dished oilstone.

You can fantasise all you wish, but you're right I have no sharpening jigs, although I flatten my oil stone on a regular basis.

I do this because I want to, but I'm not evangelical about it and if you want to do otherwise, be my guest.

EDIT: Shonky spelling.

 

[Grandad455]

You can keep all your BTC machines, the ULTIMATE machine is the Rocket R58 from Italy, separate boilers for steam and water, 9 Bar brewing and 2 Bar steaming. I bought mine 7 years ago and apart from an annual service, almost trouble free. I just need a bigger kitchen to put it in and a workshop nearer the house for a quick one. As regards bean grinding, the Sage grinder is very good. I was dubious about it as there are no spare parts available and it only had a 2 year warranty, but my friendly barista said he had one at home and highly recommended it. 7 years on and still working. I have to admit though, that after 7 years, I still cannot get the hang of making pretty patterns on the froth.

 

[Luckosaurous]

You can keep all your BTC machines, the ULTIMATE machine is the Rocket R58 from Italy, separate boilers for steam and water, 9 Bar brewing and 2 Bar steaming. I bought mine 7 years ago and apart from an annual service, almost trouble free. I just need a bigger kitchen to put it in and a workshop nearer the house for a quick one. As regards bean grinding, the Sage grinder is very good. I was dubious about it as there are no spare parts available and it only had a 2 year warranty, but my friendly barista said he had one at home and highly recommended it. 7 years on and still working. I have to admit though, that after 7 years, I still cannot get the hang of making pretty patterns on the froth.

Maybe, but does it clean itself? I just stick a pod in and press a button on mine and coffee comes out. Then occasionally I empty a bucket into a recycling bag, and that’s it.

Yours probably makes better coffee than mine, but I wouldn’t ever makie it through the learning phase of a machine like yours as the effort of cleaning up weighs heavier than the desire to drink the coffee.

 

[Not-Entirely-Useless]

You can keep all your BTC machines, the ULTIMATE machine is the Rocket R58 from Italy, separate boilers for steam and water, 9 Bar brewing and 2 Bar steaming. I bought mine 7 years ago and apart from an annual service, almost trouble free. I just need a bigger kitchen to put it in and a workshop nearer the house for a quick one. As regards bean grinding, the Sage grinder is very good. I was dubious about it as there are no spare parts available and it only had a 2 year warranty, but my friendly barista said he had one at home and highly recommended it. 7 years on and still working. I have to admit though, that after 7 years, I still cannot get the hang of making pretty patterns on the froth.

Great machines, but no-one who’s unsure what kind of machine to buy should be lured into spending £3,000. Especially when you can get a very good dual boiler for a lot less than that and even more especially when a dual boiler is overkill for most people. Even people keen on good coffee. Like me.

I’ll give you the grinder - best available under £500

 

[Grandad455]

Maybe, but does it clean itself? I just stick a pod in and press a button on mine and coffee comes out. Then occasionally I empty a bucket into a recycling bag, and that’s it.

Yours probably makes better coffee than mine, but I wouldn’t ever makie it through the learning phase of a machine like yours as the effort of cleaning up weighs heavier than the desire to drink the coffee.

Actually, cleaning is not much of a problem, 10 minutes once a week and now I have a knockout drawer under the machine, emptying the filter is easy. Mind you, when there is a problem with the machine, it is usually when I am cleaning it. Still need a bigger kitchen.

 

[Grandad455]

Great machines, but no-one who’s unsure what kind of machine to buy should be lured into spending £3,000. Especially when you can get a very good dual boiler for a lot less than that and even more especially when a dual boiler is overkill for most people. Even people keen on good coffee. Like me.

I’ll give you the grinder - best available under £500

I started with a Woolworths Espresso machine my darling daughter bought me and then graduated to a Baby Gaggia followed by another Baby Gaggia. My first sight of the Rocket was in a series of pictures on a screen in my adopted coffee shop. Having seen it, I sat and waited for the pictures to cycle round again and decided there and then I was having one. It took me two years to save up the money and if they now cost £3000 over 7 years later, I'm glad I bought it when I did. Each to their own, me and my wife do not take any holidays, so I guess we have to spend the money on something. (Still need a bigger kitchen)

 

[Not-Entirely-Useless]

(Still need a bigger kitchen)

Any kitchen big enough for a decent coffee machine is as big as it needs to be

 

[HamsterJam]

I had a Krups coffee machine, not B2C but an espresso and I bought it because I have a Krups blender which is excellent.

I was very disappointed with the Krups coffee machine though, and eBayed it.

I now have a Kitchen Aid one. It's good, but as it's not used every day, the frother sometimes takes a bit of persuading to get going properly.

I think coffee machines are a slope akin to woodworking.

Cheers
Steve

I just fixed my almost 30year old Krups Espresso machine after my lad broke it
Hopefully it’s good for another 30 years
This one was made in Switzerland. I doubt any of the current machines are.

 

[RobinBHM]

You can fantasise all you wish, but you're right I have no sharpening jigs, although I flatten my oil stone on a regular basis.

I do this because I want to, but I'm not evangelical about it and if you want to do otherwise, be my guest.

EDIT: Shonky spelling.

I was only joking

 

[Alberto]

What's wrong with a little Krups grinder, a cafetiere and a kettle?

There is nothing wrong with that. This is rather similar to the method the professional coffee tasters use.

In short, you get a container (a cup will do), you put in some ground coffee (between 6 and 7 grams per coffee) and you pour hot water. Below is a Youtube video, the interesting part is at 1:06

That is the best method for testers but not for the ordinary drinker because you have to be careful otherwise you can drink some of the coffee powder. You can wait a little while to let the coffee settle at the bottom but at that stage, the coffee will be lukewarm.

A more practical way for coffee drinkers is this machine
https://www.maxicoffee.com/en-gb/di...oTfy30Xc-_SeUkdLhcvK4u4sovx_Rf5hoCoVoQAvD_BwEor if you can find it this one
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bialetti-E...d=3df8abefd2e8301d8efe082170e14ecf&th=1&psc=1The cafetiere mentioned above will be just fine too.
You will not have any of the drawbacks of the first method.

Costs
The first method has just the costs of the coffee, water, and energy to bring the water to a boil. In Tesco the average is £6.00 per 450g. If we use the recommended quantity of powder per coffee of 6/7 grams this equates to £6.00/450*6.5=8p per coffee approx.
The second method has the initial cost of one of the machines (around £ 20.00 each) and the costs of the coffee as above.

Maintenance
In the first method, there is no maintenance as you just wash all the containers.
The second method, you just rinse the machines with your fingers, no soap, no dishwasher. If you have flowers/plants you can put the coffee in the wase because it is a fertilizer.
The Bialetti has a rubber seal and you should replace it if it burns. This may happen after 10 years (I bought mine here in the UK in 2015 and it has still the original seal). The first machine has no seal instead.

My father had three Bialetti machines in all his life and he passed away when he was 86.
He changed the first one because he was tired of seeing it, and the second one was replaced because he put it on the stove, left it on for 20 minutes, and the handle burned.

As a side note, my father was a master coffee roaster by trade for over 40 years. I did the same job for 3 years.


Alberto

 

[TRITON]

Terrible for the environment as their pods are plastic and not recyclable

They can be recycled.

" Currently, pods from 11 coffee brands including Nespresso, Nescafé Dolce Gusto, Tassimo, L'OR and CRU Kafe can be recycled through Podback "

Are you aware we cut down trees to make into furniture

I've a Tassimo. On my 3rd in fact, i literally wear them out.
Currently my tassimo pod line is Lor macchiato caramel latte, Costa vanilla latte, Cafe au lait, kenco flat white, and cadburys chocolate, which goes well with either the caramel or vanilla latte milk pod, and creamer pods to bulk anything out a bit. I've an entire kitchen shelf dedicated to my coffee selection.
And a selection of Rum's as Rum goes ever so well with coffee.

Should the Tassimo machine ever go down or there be a power cut, I've an old French espresso stove top Moka pot kept aside for such emergencies.

 

[Luckosaurous]

They can be recycled.

" Currently, pods from 11 coffee brands including Nespresso, Nescafé Dolce Gusto, Tassimo, L'OR and CRU Kafe can be recycled through Podback "

Are you aware we cut down trees to make into furniture

I've a Tassimo. On my 3rd in fact, i literally wear them out.
Currently my tassimo pod line is Lor macchiato caramel latte, Costa vanilla latte, Cafe au lait, kenco flat white, and cadburys chocolate, which goes well with either the caramel or vanilla latte milk pod, and creamer pods to bulk anything out a bit. I've an entire kitchen shelf dedicated to my coffee selection.
And a selection of Rum's as Rum goes ever so well with coffee.

Should the Tassimo machine ever go down or there be a power cut, I've an old French espresso stove top Moka pot kept aside for such emergencies.

Yes but trees grow back, plastic dumped in landfill stays in landfill forevermore.

I wasn’t aware you could recycle tassimo, they didn’t used to be recyclable back when I had one.

The list of coffee you’ve outlined are all different shapes and sizes of the same actual coffee some with condensed milk pods, if you look at Nespresso’s range there are lots more flavours available as well as different sizes. I went with the virtuo range as that makes much bigger coffees that tassimo or the regular Nespresso machines do. It’s personal preference but I’m much happier with Nespresso than tassimo

 

[Not-Entirely-Useless]

This one was made in Switzerland. I doubt any of the current machines are.

Owned by a French company that does most of its manufacturing in China

 

[Spectric]

Interesting reading, I spent some time a while back looking for a decent coffee machine and brought several expensive models that were subsequently returned and I could not find anything that produced something I liked, I then realised that I did not really like coffee.