How to get a coffee machine with 2 expresso shots?

CharliePtr

Has anyone tried a Dedica or any manual coffee machine, I like the idea of a nice espresso but as a newbie I wonder if I can get it right and worth it?

Exodi

PLRFD said:

In the long run bean to cup is the way to go it works out cheaper and the coffee is wonderful our Delonghi has been worth its weight in gold.

I mean a lot of bean to cup machines cost several hundred if not thousands of pounds, so I'm not so sure about cost effectiveness being used as a selling point - though maybe if you looked over the very long term.

blackstar said:

All I want is 2 or 3 expresso shots coffee? Is there any cheaper way of doing this maybe by buying some instant coffee satchets? Without any milk etc. And then I can just add my own dairy free milk?

Instant coffee? Won't taste at all similar. If you plan to use instant coffee you have kind of lost your original goal of "replicate the coffees from starbucks".

blackstar said:

In terms of starbucks, could I just buy a black coffee with two shots and then add my own lactose free milk at home and turn it into a lattee? Or would it need be a different type of black coffee?

No because they use a steaming wand to heat and aerate the milk (unless you got your own milk frother - which is an option as they're not expensive and easy to use).

A latte is a combination of espresso and steamed milk (with a small amount of water used to extract the coffee from the grounds). If you were to grab a carton of milk from the fridge and add it to an espresso, not only would you miss out on the taste and texture of steamed milk, but as a latte is 80-90% milk you'd also have an un-drinkable lukewarm concoction as you'd be mostly filling your cup with a cold liquid.

Emmia

blackstar said:

All I want is 2 or 3 expresso shots coffee? Is there any cheaper way of doing this maybe by buying some instant coffee satchets? Without any milk etc. And then I can just add my own dairy free milk?

I think if you want a machine that will essentially do it for you at the touch of a button, the Dolce Gusto or the newer Nespresso vertuo with a separate milk frother device might be the solution. They use proprietary capsules though

Or a original Nespresso capsule machine with a separate frother would also probably work.

Cornucopia

As above, I think we need to know what kind of budget you are working to.

Your Lattes and Capaccinos are not just coffee and milk, but require processing of the milk to get to the end result.   This can be done separately in large coffee machines, or with a separate gadget or automatically in pod-based machines.   

The other issue is if you have a requirement for non-dairy milk.   You'd need to investigate whether your chosen large machine can process non-dairy.   Nestle do have non-dairy pods for Dolce Gusto machines, but they are unlikely to be available in your local supermarket (they have a mail order facility).    You can also recycle most of the pods, now.

Savvy_Sue

Personally, I think THE most convenient way of getting a 'proper' shot of 'real' coffee at home is with coffee bags. After that, it's pods in the Tassimo machine, but their latte and cappucino options are a long way from anything I can get in my local cafe. 

Disclaimer: I am not that fussy, but honestly if I want a latte or cappucino I go out for it rather than use pods. It's just not the same. 

itsthelittlethings

Dp you ever drink their filter coffee? If so, you can make a much better filter coffee using a plastic filter. Two tablespoons of coffee (adjust to taste) in a paper filter. Pour over boiling water. You'll never look back.

Emmia

Savvy_Sue said:

Personally, I think THE most convenient way of getting a 'proper' shot of 'real' coffee at home is with coffee bags. After that, it's pods in the Tassimo machine, but their latte and cappucino options are a long way from anything I can get in my local cafe. 

Disclaimer: I am not that fussy, but honestly if I want a latte or cappucino I go out for it rather than use pods. It's just not the same. 

I've personally not managed to get a fairly authentic espresso using a coffee bag, but they're fine for a filter / americano type of coffee.

The Phillips Senseo pads (and the machine) are a similar idea, but whilst they produce a good strong coffee, it's also not really an espresso in the Italian way. Pods get closer to a good espresso in my experience.

BlueonBlue

I think the question or want/need is unrealistic unless you buy expensive coffee equipment that helps do it right and also requiures practise or at least some experience 

They say its all in the grind !

So I bought a conical burr grinder in good used  cond and do as the poster above " itsthelittlethings " does with a plastic filter leftover from the 3 coffee macines that all broke after a short while .
You can buy good stainless filters though .

A Kg of beans lasts me aprox 2 months but you could just buy pre ground coffee and most have a kettle at home .
Pour overs dont take up much counter space and are very low cost .

You dont have to buy into what the market is selling ie pod fads fashions etc .
A aeropress or moko pot is also very cheap ,simple and works for many .

If I was the OP I would probably look at or consider the simple Moko pot before any expensive purchase .

Exodi

BlueonBlue said:

A Kg of beans lasts me aprox 2 months but you could just buy pre ground coffee and most have a kettle at home .
Pour overs dont take up much counter space and are very low cost .

You dont have to buy into what the market is selling ie pod fads fashions etc .

But you're comparing filter/drip/brewed coffee to espresso when they're totally different things. I didn't want to respond to Savvy_Sue's suggestion that coffee bags are the most convenient way to get a 'proper' shot of 'real' coffee at home (when in reality I recoiled in horror in my chair reading it), and I don't want this to turn into coffee snobbery, but the difference between espresso and filter coffee is night and day. There's a reason Starbucks charge 50% more for an Americano compared to a Filter coffee.

This thread also does specifically ask for a machine that makes espresso in an attempt to replicate Starbucks espresso based drinks.

While you of course have the right to prefer filter coffee, it is weird to put down other types of coffee machines (presumably the likes of Nespresso, Tassimo, Dolce Gusto). I have a owned maybe 7-8 coffee machines in my life, and I settled on a pod-based machine (Nespresso Creatista Pro) in our kitchen after much trial and error. It wasn't because of 'fads' or 'fashion' (whatever that means? maybe the limited edition blends?), but it was because of taste and realising that convenience is king - I placed high value on not needing to mess about measuring anything, tamping, cleaning, etc. Pod in, milk in, press go, wipe down the steam wand and rinse the milk jug.

While it's undeniable these machines cost more per cup than a bean to cup machine (pods can cost anywhere from 10p to 50p per cup), bean to cup machines typically present a higher upfront cost and require the user to commit to the same coffee for 1-2 months. It's also fresh every time. Filter coffee is cheaper than both, but as above, it's comparing apples with oranges - you may as well add on that instant coffee is even cheaper than that.

Emmia

Exodi said:

BlueonBlue said:

A Kg of beans lasts me aprox 2 months but you could just buy pre ground coffee and most have a kettle at home .
Pour overs dont take up much counter space and are very low cost .

You dont have to buy into what the market is selling ie pod fads fashions etc .

But you're comparing filter/drip/brewed coffee to espresso when they're totally different things. I didn't want to respond to Savvy_Sue's suggestion that coffee bags are the most convenient way to get a 'proper' shot of 'real' coffee at home (when in reality I recoiled in horror in my chair reading it), and I don't want this to turn into coffee snobbery, but the difference between espresso and filter coffee is night and day. There's a reason Starbucks charge 50% more for an Americano compared to a Filter coffee.

This thread also does specifically ask for a machine that makes espresso in an attempt to replicate Starbucks espresso based drinks.

While you of course have the right to prefer filter coffee, it is weird to put down other types of coffee machines (presumably the likes of Nespresso, Tassimo, Dolce Gusto). I have a owned maybe 7-8 coffee machines in my life, and I settled on a pod-based machine (Nespresso Creatista Pro) in our kitchen after much trial and error. It wasn't because of 'fads' or 'fashion' (whatever that means? maybe the limited edition blends?), but it was because of taste and realising that convenience is king - I placed high value on not needing to mess about measuring anything, tamping, cleaning, etc. Pod in, milk in, press go, wipe down the steam wand and rinse the milk jug.

While it's undeniable these machines cost more per cup than a bean to cup machine (pods can cost anywhere from 10p to 50p per cup), bean to cup machines typically present a higher upfront cost and require the user to commit to the same coffee for 1-2 months. It's also fresh every time. Filter coffee is cheaper than both, but as above, it's comparing apples with oranges - you may as well add on that instant coffee is even cheaper than that.

I agree with this, the notion that a coffee bag is like an espresso is like saying Ben Nevis is the same as Everest - yes, they're both mountains, but one is substantially bigger than the other.

Personally I'm a fan of my pods for the convenience factor and taste.