Coffee machine or OS?

mikenolan

If you want the convenience of pods without being locked in then look for an espresso machine that can take ESE pods (aka "Easy Serving Espresso" - an open standard that lots of manufacturers make) - they're like compressed round teabags (with ground coffee in, obviously) that fit in the portafilter of a coffee machine. Buying them in bulk works out at less than 25p per pod and of course you still have the option of buying ground. I have a cheap Argos machine that was a best buy before being discontinued - works great and proves you don't need to spend a fortune.

I have a few other coffee making devices too which might be of interest:

SwissGold Filter (Amazon: B0056ZVVHA) - dead easy to use and better than faffing around with paper filters.
Stellar Cafetiere (Amazon: B00022BPLY) - have one at home and one at work which gets used 4+ times per day. Eye wateringly expensive for just a cafetiere but it's built to last!
Aladdin Aveo Flask With Cafetiere (Amazon: B003TYB4E0) - good for coffee on the go!

cherryblossomzel

I have a Philips Senseo pod machine, with which I use refillable pod thingies that I bought off the internet (they are not made by Philips). This means I can use any coffee I like and as much of it as I want. I like my machine. Two minutes to make a pretty decent cup of coffee.

I'm also debating getting an aeropress, they're easy to use and make a good cup of coffee, much smoother and more delicate than cafetiere.

daisefair_2

Being a bit of a coffee snob, I tried a coffee from a Tassimo machines when they were demonstrating it in Currys, as I was thinking of buying one. It definitely put me off - the coffee was thin and the milk was obviously from a powder mix. I stuck with my a stove top coffee pot and a cafetiere, both of which give reasonably good coffee. It would be nice to have a proper coffee machine, which grinds the coffee, but I haven't the space or the money to splash out.

ash28

We have a tassimo machine, and I find it adequate for me - I drink latte and hot chocolate. The coffee isn't fabulous but it's quick and easy.

We also use a cafetiere and grind the beans every time we make a pot of coffee (OH won't use or drink anything else - no pre ground coffee), however I'm a tart when it comes to coffee, I drink anything, instant coffee, tassimo, cafetiere, percolator, granules, ready ground or beans.

h15t0r1an

I'm a coffee purist preferring the Bialetti stovetop espresso method above all.

I don't mind a cafetiere either.

However recently I've realised cleaning the grounds out of the Bialetti or a cafetiere can be a messy pfaff when I'm rushing out the door in the mornings. So for the moment I've gone right back to the Melitta method. I pour hot water over ground coffee in a filter in a filter holder over a jug. Then I just toss the filter with the used grounds in it. This is a lot simpler than washing out a cafetiere or each piece of the various Bialetti-type pots that I have.

I have to say I'm really liking the results with the Melitta method although I will never lose my taste for proper Bialetti espresso when I have more time. And after trying to many bean to cup machines the only one I'd still be interested in trying is probably a Jura !

Coffee grounds put around rose bushes in the garden seem to help keep the bugs off though....

commuterGranny

I have a Moka. An electric one, deLonghi Alicia, but there is also a Bialetti Timer. Picked it up on my hols but have seen them online for about £50. I find it brilliant as we can fill it before we sit down to dinner and then just set it going with a press of a button. Will even keep it warm for half an hour. It also takes up very little space, a bonus in our small kitchen. I also bring back as much coffee as I can when I go to Italy, as even decaf only costs about £1.50 (for 200g)

lostinrates

h15t0r1an wrote: »

Coffee grounds put around rose bushes in the garden seem to help keep the bugs off though....

That's what we do, for slugs. Just empty on to beds near house, fill with water swirl. re empty. Not too faffy, but we have an out side tap and can loiter outside doing that while monitoring the dogs in the garden

prowla

I've had a Dolce Gusto machine and the number of flavours are a bit limited. I've also got a friend who has a Tassimo, and it's alright but not great.

I've got a Nespresso, and there is a huge range of flavours and they are really good.

I've tried a couple of 3rd party Nespresso compatible cartridges (Dualit, and one from the supermarket), and they are not as good as the own brand.

Nespresso works out at around 35p a cup, and I'm also going to try out some refillable pods which I've seen on ebay.

patchwork_cat

We have a Bialetti Moka - a stainless steel one and a milk frother jug ( which has just smashed) have tried pod machines, but this is definitely the way to go - Moka all the way. In fact bought 2 others as Xmas presents this year.

peachyprice

Frugalsod wrote: »

Yes I think that sums up the attitude of us all to pod machines. I was reading somewhere that in America one of the pod manufacturers was looking at putting bar codes on the pods so that the machines would not be refillable by third parties and so allowing them to sue anyone for copyright infringement if they did so. Basically jacking up the price of the coffee that you had to pay.

If I were ever to get a fancy coffee machine it would have to allow me the flexibility to use third party filters and coffee.

The Tassimo pods you buy here have bar codes on them already.