decent coffee machine?

dihaz

Any ideas on a decent coffee machine not costing too much(spent £45 and it only lasted a few months).
I would like to know which ones people have used and find the best to make cappacinos(i hope i spelt that right!).
I am spending a fortune at coffee shops and would like to treat myself to a machine for xmas!
i look forward to your replies! :beer:

emg

I would also love one of these machines but I always think they look like they would be hard to clean (same thing puts me off those smoothie makers). It'd be good to hear about peoples experiences...

hereistheguy

Hey, i got my coffee machine (its an espresso maker and filter coffee!) off ebay, but it was one of the ebay shops. It was one of them ex-catalogue thigs. I got it for £35 and it retails at £89!! Dont forget though, you can still buy all your coffee beans (ground or unground!) from the coffee shops (hint, i work for a major chain of one! :P )

Benmollymoo

We got a reconditioned one from Gaggia with a 12 month warranty- they have a Gran Gaggia in white for £50 at the moment. We've been really please with our Gaggia. (No I don't work for them!) and normally they're pretty expensive
http://www.gaggia.uk.com/

smallblueplanet

If you want to make cappucinos you need a machine that makes decent espresso and also steams/froths milk properly.

We bought a recon Gaggia classic and its great (but maybe a bit pricey for you). Check Bens link, then 'shop' icon http://www.gaggia.uk.com/gran.htm

dihaz

smallblueplanet wrote:

If you want to make cappucinos you need a machine that makes decent espresso and also steams/froths milk properly.

We bought a recon Gaggia classic and its great (but maybe a bit pricey for you). Check Bens link, then 'shop' icon http://www.gaggia.uk.com/gran.htm

They look lovely but sooooooooooo expensive:eek: The only cheap one is £50 and i dont think it froths the milk.
Any other makes that are any good?
Thanks:beer:

smallblueplanet

Couple of machines here - Briel machines you need to do a bit of research in your price bracket.

smallblueplanet

gaggia gran it appears to froth milk - here's a review of the gaggia gran - they don't get quieter, well the classic isn't and it is a bit basic/leaks! Oh well, makes great coffee though.

pennypuppy

another thread here talks of discout at john lewis on coffe machines sounds good

Debt_Free_Chick

If you want an espresso machine (these generally froth milk as well) you need to look at the pump pressure. Espresso is made by forcing hot water through the ground coffee and you need decent pressure to do this efficiently. The same pressure also froths the milk.

Anything less than 10 bar pressure is pretty useless. I think the Gaggia have 15 bar and few machines have that much.

I also have a Gaggia Classic. Had it for about 4 years and it gets heavy use - still as good as the day I bought it. You can get spares for it easily too - Gaggia sales/customer services are excellent. Why did I need spares? I managed to flush part of the milk frother down the sink

As for coffee, the espresso at Lidl is excellent and very cheap! The Lavazza is horribly expensive in Sainsbury etc.

I don't think they make the Gran Gaggia any more, but I seem to recall it sold for about £150-£200 - so that recon model is a real bargain. Comes with a warranty too

ajr

Got oh a woolies own brand one last year,going strong still and works brilliantly