Coffee machines ?
Discussion
Quite happy with my Gaggias. One is a bean to cup one, Gaggia Synchrony Logic press the button job done. Only hassle is filling the water tank up and sticking some beans now and then. Think it cost about 300 quid but you can get reconditioned ones at discounted rates. I'm not sure they still do them as it's a few years old now, so probably been replaced. It also does ground coffee, so if you run out of beans or forget to pick them up it's worth keeping a bag of ground in the cupboard for emergencies. Well worth it, but you'll never want to drink instant again.
Sure there are plenty other machines out there that do just as good a job, bean to cup is nice though.
Bean wise I normally use Lavazza, Illy are a smidgen better but I don't feel they warrant being twice the price because they come in a fancy metal tin. If I can't find either the sainsbury's taste the difference type ones aren't too bad.
Sure there are plenty other machines out there that do just as good a job, bean to cup is nice though.
Bean wise I normally use Lavazza, Illy are a smidgen better but I don't feel they warrant being twice the price because they come in a fancy metal tin. If I can't find either the sainsbury's taste the difference type ones aren't too bad.
You need a Nespresso machine 
Make sure you get one with a milk frother arm, rather than an 'aeroccino' which doesn't make proper steamed milk, just slightly frothy hot milk. The coffee is great and it's quicker than making a cup of instant. I know this because I make a coffee for myself and a tea for my OH in the morning and the Nespresso machine has heated up and produced me a delicious espresso before the kettle has managed to boil enough water to make one cup of tea.
I say this millions of times on here but I'm going to say it again, but I have a Gaggia machine in France and with freshly ground good quality beans it does make better coffee than the Nespresso, but the Gaggia used to live in Oxford and only ever got used at the weekend. Now I have a Nespresso machine I have a proper coffee every single morning and don't even have instant coffee in the house.
Make sure you get one with a milk frother arm, rather than an 'aeroccino' which doesn't make proper steamed milk, just slightly frothy hot milk. The coffee is great and it's quicker than making a cup of instant. I know this because I make a coffee for myself and a tea for my OH in the morning and the Nespresso machine has heated up and produced me a delicious espresso before the kettle has managed to boil enough water to make one cup of tea.
I say this millions of times on here but I'm going to say it again, but I have a Gaggia machine in France and with freshly ground good quality beans it does make better coffee than the Nespresso, but the Gaggia used to live in Oxford and only ever got used at the weekend. Now I have a Nespresso machine I have a proper coffee every single morning and don't even have instant coffee in the house.
right
i think a tenative exploratory period is the best idea
i'm going to pick up a cheap Gaggia classic on ebay (they seem to be a fair bit more reliable than nother gaggia models if amazon reviews are anything to go by)
I will get a cheap grinder, maybe the emanual one listed up above and then see how i get on with it all and how much faff it is
if it works well and i'm using it everyday (i imgaine i will cos i drink coffee every morning) then i'll maybe re-ebay it and go for an expensive bean to cup number
i think a tenative exploratory period is the best idea
i'm going to pick up a cheap Gaggia classic on ebay (they seem to be a fair bit more reliable than nother gaggia models if amazon reviews are anything to go by)
I will get a cheap grinder, maybe the emanual one listed up above and then see how i get on with it all and how much faff it is
if it works well and i'm using it everyday (i imgaine i will cos i drink coffee every morning) then i'll maybe re-ebay it and go for an expensive bean to cup number
I've had a Gaggia Classic for about five years. I use it pretty much every day and have been very pleased with it. It's simple to use, reliable & makes a cracking espresso.
I'd recommend Has Bean Coffee for beans, they roast all their coffee to order so it's guaranteed fresh. It's reasonably priced too & they have a huge selection of beans.
I'd recommend Has Bean Coffee for beans, they roast all their coffee to order so it's guaranteed fresh. It's reasonably priced too & they have a huge selection of beans.
WTD said:
I've heard good things about the nesspresso http://www1.nespresso.com/ machines, think they aren't too dear and the capsules means it's very easy and clean to use!
I Have one of these, Brilliant things STOP!!!!
Save yerself a few hundy and get a jar of instant Moccona Intense and see what you think.
You're obviously no expert, you've been throwing down cheap Nescaff for donkeys. Maybe you don't need to get into the whole shiny coffee machine aggro.
Go spend 2 quid and see for yourself.....
Just my 2 quids worth.........
Save yerself a few hundy and get a jar of instant Moccona Intense and see what you think.
You're obviously no expert, you've been throwing down cheap Nescaff for donkeys. Maybe you don't need to get into the whole shiny coffee machine aggro.
Go spend 2 quid and see for yourself.....
Just my 2 quids worth.........
cheddar said:
STOP!!!!
Save yerself a few hundy and get a jar of instant Moccona Intense and see what you think.
You're obviously no expert, you've been throwing down cheap Nescaff for donkeys. Maybe you don't need to get into the whole shiny coffee machine aggro.
Go spend 2 quid and see for yourself.....
Just my 2 quids worth.........
I worked in soho for 10 years though, Bar Italia, Flat Whites, Milk Bar etc. ... so whilst I might not know the names and the science behind it all, I appreciate a decent cupSave yerself a few hundy and get a jar of instant Moccona Intense and see what you think.
You're obviously no expert, you've been throwing down cheap Nescaff for donkeys. Maybe you don't need to get into the whole shiny coffee machine aggro.
Go spend 2 quid and see for yourself.....
Just my 2 quids worth.........
Mobile Chicane said:
However, I'm reliably informed that 95% of Italian households have the simple stovetop espresso pot.
(Which takes ages.)
Perhaps this is where their society has gone wrong. Or right?
No - they just can walk down, get around the corner to a bar (which will be open for almost 24 hrs) and have a proper coffee prepared by the barista for less then an Euro - so noth worth bothering then especially as at the same time they can check on the raggzae, peek in the paper, and sort a few appointments (so they tend to do this pretty much all the time whether they are at home or at work or in hospital....)(Which takes ages.)
Perhaps this is where their society has gone wrong. Or right?
Here on the other hand the only coffe bars that exist are either big chains with poorly trained teenagers or small private enerprises whith restricted opening times, so coffeconado needs prpoper machine
Nespresso is acceptable for what it makes but the real fan goes for a proper machine
LA Scala Butterfly for value for money
Electra Microcasa for design
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Job done
That's how my morning coffee is made anyway, takes less than 60 seconds to grind the beans and then a couple of minutes to brew on the stove while I'm organising my breakfast (hint: smaller stove top espresso makers brew much faster, only get one as big as you need)
Combined with freshly roasted beans from a local coffee vendor, it makes the best coffee I have ever drunk in this country. It's quick, easy to clean and gets used daily, even after several months.
Freshness of the beans is the most important factor in a flavoursome coffee really, whatever method you’re using to make the drink.
Freshly roasted beans, ground right before you make the drink, is the aim. So the ideal solution is to grab a bag of freshly roasted beans from your local independent coffeeshop once every week or two, keep them in a sealed container, maybe even in the fridge, and grind just enough for your cuppa each time you want to make one.
That aside, you can go French press (cafetiere) for black coffees, or choose between the simple stovetop and a full-on coffee machine for espresso based drinks.
You’ll never get the same results from one of those Nespresso machines, although you may get something that suits you perfectly well. They do not produce the same thing you get out of a proper espresso process, but nor are they as basic as an instant coffee. They’ve pretty much invented a new coffee type somewhere between the two.
Freshly roasted beans, ground right before you make the drink, is the aim. So the ideal solution is to grab a bag of freshly roasted beans from your local independent coffeeshop once every week or two, keep them in a sealed container, maybe even in the fridge, and grind just enough for your cuppa each time you want to make one.
That aside, you can go French press (cafetiere) for black coffees, or choose between the simple stovetop and a full-on coffee machine for espresso based drinks.
You’ll never get the same results from one of those Nespresso machines, although you may get something that suits you perfectly well. They do not produce the same thing you get out of a proper espresso process, but nor are they as basic as an instant coffee. They’ve pretty much invented a new coffee type somewhere between the two.
Edited by poprock on Tuesday 22 December 19:15
Just bought a Gaggia classic chaps and a Krups grinder.
We have a nice coffee shop in teddington as well that sells all sorts of beans.
I happened to have a feel of a few machines in John lewis the other day as well.
I was stunned just how plastiky the Delonghi items are.
The Classic however is a big old heavy retro thing and just up my street. Really solid and pleasurable to use.
Looking forward to brewing my first cup. If anyone has any bean recommendations then please pass them on.
We have a nice coffee shop in teddington as well that sells all sorts of beans.
I happened to have a feel of a few machines in John lewis the other day as well.
I was stunned just how plastiky the Delonghi items are.
The Classic however is a big old heavy retro thing and just up my street. Really solid and pleasurable to use.
Looking forward to brewing my first cup. If anyone has any bean recommendations then please pass them on.
jackal said:
If anyone has any bean recommendations then please pass them on.
The girl in the Teddington coffee shop will sell you 125g samples of the different beans, as well as advising you which one to try next based on the ones you had last time.It's where I've started buying my coffee from and I'm impressed so far!
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