Coffee machines - whaddaya know?

[andy_s]

I've got one of these babies, good for making coffee at the table while you chat, everyone getting more and more nervous...then the gasp as it all gets sucked back into the bottom glass

[Piglet]

We have a shiny new delonghi magnifica as recommended on here. It's fab - you put beans in one side and water in the other and wiggle the buttons dependant on whether you want a short or a long coffee - push a button and it makes a (lot of) noise and produces coffee. Neither of us drink milk so I can't comment on the milk heating bit. I rarely used the gaggia that we had previously as I couldn't be bothered to mess around putting coffee in it and I'd never quite worked out how to make long coffee with it.

It's been well worth the money and it appears to me that it uses less coffee than we were putting in the Gaggia Cubika previously.

I dislike cafetiere coffee so we don't use one of those. We do use a very cheap filter machine for bulk coffee and until we got the Delonghi, I used a filter cone to make coffee during the day

We also have old fashioned perculators for camping and kayaking use

[Shaw Tarse]

Piglet said:

We have a shiny new delonghi magnifica as recommended on here. It's fab - you put beans in one side and water in the other and wiggle the buttons dependant on whether you want a short or a long coffee - push a button and it makes a (lot of) noise and produces coffee. Neither of us drink milk so I can't comment on the milk heating bit.

I can't add much to this. I bought my machine from Best Buy when they were closing down, so a decent price
It's dead easy to use just top up water & beans daily, and empty the "bin"
OP you may also want to take a look at http://www.smokeybarn.co.uk/ (fellow PHer who sells some nice beans)

[Opara]

Why can the cafetiere be used on an induction hob? I own neither but i'm interested.

[rsv696]

LordGrover said:

TheHeretic said:

I use one of these.

For lazy weekend morning espresso

Rest of the time a simple cone filter: click.

A spoonful of coffee, hot water, throw away filter and grounds, rinse.
Job-jobbed - enjoy excellent particulate-free filter coffee.

+1. Every coffee machine I've had has lasted 12mths tops before giving up the ghost. This is the same arrangement I've settled on, although I use one of these instead of the filter paper jobbie (mine was about £8 from Whittards) :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/SwissGold-Coffee-Filter-re...

I keep one espresso pot in the kitchen & one in the camper van

[dave_s13]

Opara said:

Why can the cafetiere be used on an induction hob? I own neither but i'm interested.

Because they are generally made from aluminium I think, which isn't magnetic; induction hobs use magnetic fields to "induce" current in the base of the pan which in turn creates heat, very quickly too!

Saying that I've just found you can buy these
http://www.whirlpool.co.uk/buy-accessories-1/cooki...

Which means I could in fact dust off the old stove pot maker, but it would be more cost effective to just buy a stainless steel one probably.

[CAPP0]

Having had two Kenwood Cafe Retro machines (proper 15 bar, ground coffee jobs) which both failed, I recently bought a DeLonghi machine; can't remember the model but it was £150-ish.

I always use the same coffee (Lavazza Qualita Rossa) and have done for donkey's years, and the espresso quality from the Kenwood machines was just as I like it, strong, full-bodied, "thick" even. However, the DeLonghi machine seems to be making espresso which is slightly watery, a bit wishy-washy. Given that they're both 15 bar machines, and apparently Kenwood & DeLonghi are made by the same people, can anyone suggest why this might be?

I know I could spend £500, £1500 or more on a machine, but I'm on 1 or 2 (double) espressos a day and I just can't justify spending massive money.

I'm half-tempted to look out for another second-hand Kenwood.

[cornet]

I've just bought a Gaggia Classic off ebay for £70 including postage, was sold as not working but just needed a good clean. Keep an eye out and there are plenty of working ones going for sub £100.

Then get some un-pressurised baskets from here http://www.happydonkey.co.uk/gaggia-and-italy-filt...

Finally a good quality hand grinder such as http://www.coffeehit.co.uk/hario-mini-mill-slim/p4...

[Oakey]

andy_s said:

I've got one of these babies, good for making coffee at the table while you chat, everyone getting more and more nervous...then the gasp as it all gets sucked back into the bottom glass

I assume that once you've made everyone coffee with that you all then proceed to smoke weed through it?

[Pothole]

http://coffeegeek.com/reviews/consumer?Page=1&...

[andy_s]

Oakey said:

I assume that once you've made everyone coffee with that you all then proceed to smoke weed through it?

What goes on around the dinner table, stays around the dinner table...

[Watchman]

andy_s said:

I've got one of these babies, good for making coffee at the table while you chat, everyone getting more and more nervous...then the gasp as it all gets sucked back into the bottom glass

That looks great. What is it? We had less interesting science experiments at school than that (although I was at school in the middle ages - seems a loooong time ago).

[LordGrover]

Looks like a poncy/modern version of the old Cona coffee maker of old. We certainly had similar in the sixties and I'm pretty sure they weren't new then. I don't remember if the coffee was any good though. I was only a sprog.

[andy_s]

It is indeed LG, vacuum coffee pots have been around since the early 1800s, popular in the thirties and sixties.
Cona did one, which was a great design as well, but many people made them.

Cona:



A 1925-ish Sintrax (designed by Gerhard Marcks of Bauhaus fame):



Watchman: The one I have is a Bodum Santos.

I think after a half-dozen stove-top espresso makers and a few vacuum pots I'm tempted by the Atomic espresso makers:



A mate collects vintage coffee makers, he's got a garage full of this st.

Edited by andy_s on Wednesday 7th November 09:51

[devnull]

dave_s13 said:

I've got one of these

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001HZE7VU/ref=asc_df_B...



Makes 2 cups at a time no problem and with a bit of practice is very nice indeed.

Depends on your budget though - you can spend millions!!

What coffee do you put it it? I've got one of these and it can be a bit hit and miss on taste.

[nick_j007]

I thought that most folk were in agreement that the Nespresso machines were excellent overall?

[Piglet]

Paddy_N_Murphy said:

Am I allowed to recommend my Delonghi Beans to cup yet ?

Too late! You've converted me and I plugged it earlier but someone else had got in first anyway!

[carreauchompeur]

Jura Impressa:



Very expensive new, about £800, but I got a good s/h one on eBay. Beans in one side, water in the other, lots of settings and makes amazing coffee..

I like gadgets

[Glassman]

TheHeretic said:

I use one of these.

Also had this Nespresso machine bought for me.

Love it.

[Flibble]

nick_j007 said:

I thought that most folk were in agreement that the Nespresso machines were excellent overall?

We are? News to me. I thought they were rather average.