coffee machine

moneylover

Am thinking of getting my husband a coffee machine for Christmas. Am not very knowledgeable about them and have no idea what is a reasonable amount to spend or whether to get one that uses 'pods' or better to have one that grinds the coffee
Want something that looks nice on worktop, isn't too cumbersome and cleans easily
All thoughts welcomed! Cannot believe that you can pay up to £1500 but would pay up to £500 if that would mean that my retired husband was not walking down the high street quite so often to Caf! Nero etc, although, of course, the exercise is good for him! Am not a coffee drinker myself but if we have a guest or two nice to give them a cup so a machine that isn't too slow to produce a cup.
Maybe with a short list could go into John Lewis and give one or two a try!
Thank you

jenniewb

I was pretty hooked on Costa coffee and was buying a coffee a day at one point! I was sent an offer for a Tassimo machine from Costa and there was a code on here and cashback...I think it worked out to around £25 and then I had another £20 off coffee...

The Tassimo machine is a pod machine, there are machines that use grounds rather than pods but I've no experience of them or how easy they are to use or to look after/clean etc.
I did a little research and apparently Tassimo seem to be the most cost effective but it really depends on what you're looking for, what sorts of coffee you like and if the machine you opt for isn't up to scratch it's not going to make a dent on your partners coffee habit.

Luckily for me, my coffee machine totally helped me get over a very expensive habit. I've not bought a coffee out for a very long time (unless you count the freebie Waitrose or O2 app coffees!)

I would also for that reason talk it over with your partner, Nescafe's machine's have a few stores and if you are near to one you could sample the coffees? Otherwise places like John Lewis and so on offer similar but the choice of what to sample is more limited.
I think it depends on your taste. If you are opting for a pod machine have a look on the websites (which seem to offer more than the supermarkets do in terms of choice) to help see what is available. If you're looking at grounding beans then I'd suggest looking for professional reviews, not just consumer reviews, but I'd bet you're way ahead on me with that one

philhoggins

I've used all sorts of coffee machines over the years, bean2-cup machines included but for sheer ease of use, inc cleaning I totally recommend Nesspresso. The 'Pixie' is a good kitchen friendly machine and does all you need, it makes espresso, anything else is just a variation on an espresso, Lattee, Mocha etc. Ok you have to buy the pods from Nespresso and the cost is an average of 30p per cup of coffee and this is about to come down a little. Delivery is free and usually next day. I order 200 capsules at a time and re-order when I get down to around 50.

Rgds

benjus

Depends on what kind of coffee your husband likes, really.

If he's into espresso, IMO there's no substitute for a separate grinder and espresso machine. I've tried the output of various pod-based machines and they just don't compare in terms of quality. You can get a passable espresso from a pod machine, but if you want to really enjoy it you need to buy good espresso blend coffee beans and grind them freshly. Pod machines restrict you a lot in terms of selection of coffee and control over the brewing process.

My own home setup is a Gaggia Baby and De Longhi KG79 (tweaked to grind more finely), which cost me about £140 all in all when I bought it. It works well and makes a nice espresso.

The Gaggia Classic is also a nice machine. If you want to spend a bit more, the Rancilio Silvia gets good reviews, although I don't know if it's still the best in its class. You would probably want a better grinder to go with it, though...

If he's more into milky coffee drinks or prefers convenience and a lack of mess, the pod based machines may be more suitable.

Bagpuss741

I've just bought this and love it:) http://www.johnlewis.com/lavazza-a-modo-mio-favola-milk-coffee-machine-by-aeg/p231782166?colour=Metallic%20Red

theGrinch

I use a £15 turkish pot and boil it. makes lovely strong black coffee. lots of these other machines are over priced and underwhelm

moneylover

thanks everyone will have to give all this some thought. Husband doesnt drink expresso but Americano (spelling) if in a decent coffee shop otherwise cappucino if its something like the Waitrose freebie.

Very confused about what a machine that uses grinding rather than capsules would produce - more expensive - better? I dont think there is much point me getting anything that does not more or less replicate the Cafe Nero type experience.. am sure there is better coffee around but that is the benchmark for this exercise!
Thanks everyone, more comments welcome.

jenniewb

moneylover wrote: »

thanks everyone will have to give all this some thought. Husband doesnt drink expresso but Americano (spelling) if in a decent coffee shop otherwise cappucino if its something like the Waitrose freebie.

Very confused about what a machine that uses grinding rather than capsules would produce - more expensive - better? I dont think there is much point me getting anything that does not more or less replicate the Cafe Nero type experience.. am sure there is better coffee around but that is the benchmark for this exercise!
Thanks everyone, more comments welcome.

I don't know if you can even go as far as to equate more expensive with better because it's so open to taste. Eg I like coffee from anywhere but not Starbucks. (My best rated is Monmoth's in Covent Garden/Borough and also Hotel Chocolat who use their coffee) but I just can't stand the taste of Starbuck's coffee. I do know though that their machines and coffee works out to being more expensive than what I already use.


Best thing to do is to try to sample them, both for ease of use and cleaning and in the taste they produce.
Also maybe think about it being as a sort of "experience" buying coffee from a coffee shop. It can feel like a meditative ritual for some and cutting that out can be as hard as cutting out the coffee itself. Especially on a freezing cold day when you have little if any excuse to go somewhere warm or get something to drink if you've cut out buying coffee. Not having somewhere of solace to go to because you're trying to cut out buying coffee can feel like a bit of a wrench.

philhoggins

Another point, I noticed that Carte Noire now do Nespresso capsules, available in the supermarkets (tesco & sainsburys ) Sainsburys have them 2 packs for £4 which makes it 20p a shot which is a very good price. I bought some yesterday to try. They don't have the rounded taste of Nespresso pods but are acceptable (is acceptable an allowed word for coffee ??) I tend to make mainly Lattee and Frapps from my machine machine and it's always a nice consistant cup.

As others have said, a fresh grind is a better cup, but it takes a lot longer to make and learn, the coarseness of the grind has a big impact on coffee and how firmly you tamp the coffee. The reason a coffee shop coffee tastes so nice is because it is fresh coffee, the beans and grinds are not sitting in a fridge for days, it's fresh. I used to buy 6Kg of beans a time and you knew when you were getting close to the end of the bag as the flavour changed.

Again, I think pod machines go a very good job for the money and if your husbands requirements are like mine (switch on make coffee, drink) then he will not want to grind his own, I've been there and it takes to long and there is a lot more cleaning involved.

benjus

It takes me about 3 minutes to make a double espresso, including grinding the beans, making the coffee and cleaning up any mess. So it's not as quick or easy as a pod machine, but not a major issue.

Also, if you want total control as to what coffee you use, you can't get that with a pod machine. For example, while visiting Canterbury a few months ago I discovered this place: http://www.microroastery.co.uk/coffee-beans/ - I now buy their coffee regularly, usually the minimum amount for free delivery (only 300g) bought frequently to make sure it's always fresh.

terra_ferma

I've bought this one, Nespresso with cappuccino maker.http://www.johnlewis.com/nespresso-citiz-and-milk-coffee-machine-by-krups/p1219176?colour=Titanium
(it comes with 3 x £25 vouchers to use on the nespresso website)

After many year of making espresso, to quite demanding specifications, I was really happy when my OH liked the espresso made using a nespresso machine in our hotel room.
I never thought I'd see the day when we could stop messing with ground coffee and the inevitable De Longhi coffee machine. Using only one type of coffee that comes directly from Italy, of course....

Carte Noire are 20p each right now, and still decent. Nespresso own capsules are supposed to be the best, but 29p each is quite a lot.
We are going to try Lidl capsules, and also there is much more variety that one can buy online directly from Italy or France, that will work out cheaper even with postage costs (google translate is your friend, Paypal buyer protection will cover you if stuff is lost in the post).

The whole marketing a and branding of Nespresso is a bit pretentious in my opinion, lots of gimmicks to make if more desirable hence expensive, but the system is really good.