Coffee machine

[tenohfive]

I've got some gift vouchers to use up and am looking at a coffee machine. I'm not overly fussed on filter or pods (bean to cup etc likely to be out of budget) as long as it can do a strong black coffee. Far and away the most important coffee of my day is the one in the travel mug for the commute, so best case would be something that'll accommodate a travel mug and works quickly or has a timer so I can set it up the night before. I don't care about milk frothing stuff.

I like my coffee but I'm not a snob - I just want something that'll be a noticeable step up from instant coffee and which tastes good (and strong), and is minimal faff when trying to get out of the house first thing.

Budget wise, up to £120 - but I've no objection to paying less if it cuts out features I won't use.

There seems to be too much choice; this has caught my eye though:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Melitta-Machine-Insulated...

Can someone give me a bit of a steer on either specific models to look at or features to look for/avoid?

[Sy1441]

Ive got a Gaggia Espresso Machine, Stove-Top, Often use a Caffetiere but the best thing coffee wise i've ever bought is my Nespresso Machine.

Bought this model 5 years ago and it's still used almost daily.

https://www.nespresso.com/uk/en/order/machines/ori...

[AlexC1981]

Not really any help to you, but I've just ordered a filter cone and I'm looking forward to trying it.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Flat-Bottom-FILTER-CONE...

You have to put a filter paper cone in it, spoon in your coffee and slowly pour hot water over. It is supposed to come out similar to French press coffee, but without all the awkward cleaning afterwards. Should take about 3 minutes + time to boil the kettle.

[Blown2CV]

aeropress!

[uncinqsix]

Blown2CV said:

aeropress!

This fits the bill perfectly. Another possible option would be a pourover like a Hario V60. Spend the remainder of the budget on a burr grinder and grind your beans immediately before use.

[J8 SVG]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-Vintage-Traditio...

This is what I would get for that much looking to get one after Christmas to replace my Nespresso

[RizzoTheRat]

Another vote for the aeropress, with plenty of budget available for a decent grinder and a subscription to HasBean or similar for decent coffee.

[AlexC1981]

uncinqsix said:

This fits the bill perfectly. Another possible option would be a pourover like a Hario V60. Spend the remainder of the budget on a burr grinder and grind your beans immediately before use.

I considered the Hario V60 before I bought my generic ebay one, but it looks like you need special cone shaped filters for the V60 rather than the more commonly available flat bottomed cone type.

Just noticed the one in my ebay link has gone up to £39.99 The seller is out of stock. It was £5.09 delivered when I bought it.

[anonymous-user]

Nespresso all the way, I like a long black (fnarr fnarr),

Boil kettle, put 1/4 pint of hot water into flask, followed by two Nespresso pods of your liking.

£45 promotion for a non-milk machine -

https://www.nespresso.com/uk/en/year-end-promotion

[uncinqsix]

AlexC1981 said:

I considered the Hario V60 before I bought my generic ebay one, but it looks like you need special cone shaped filters for the V60 rather than the more commonly available flat bottomed cone type.

Just noticed the one in my ebay link has gone up to £39.99 The seller is out of stock. It was £5.09 delivered when I bought it.

I was wondering about that price. Seemed just a little excessive! Can't go wrong at 5 quid.

Hario filters are cheap and readily available here (NZ), so it's a bit of a default choice. Same with Chemex.

[Rosscow]

tenohfive said:

I've got some gift vouchers to use up and am looking at a coffee machine. I'm not overly fussed on filter or pods (bean to cup etc likely to be out of budget) as long as it can do a strong black coffee. Far and away the most important coffee of my day is the one in the travel mug for the commute, so best case would be something that'll accommodate a travel mug and works quickly or has a timer so I can set it up the night before. I don't care about milk frothing stuff.

I like my coffee but I'm not a snob - I just want something that'll be a noticeable step up from instant coffee and which tastes good (and strong), and is minimal faff when trying to get out of the house first thing.

Budget wise, up to £120 - but I've no objection to paying less if it cuts out features I won't use.

There seems to be too much choice; this has caught my eye though:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Melitta-Machine-Insulated...

Can someone give me a bit of a steer on either specific models to look at or features to look for/avoid?

I have the exact machine in your link.

It works very well, but I would say it all depends on how hot you like your coffee.

We tend to pre-heat the insulated jug with boiling water before making coffee. if you set the timer up the day before, it works brilliantly but sometimes I feel because it goes into a cold jug the coffee could be a bit hotter. So we tend to just put it on in the morning unless we're in a real rush.

[TartanPaint]

J8 SVG said:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-Vintage-Traditio...

This is what I would get for that much looking to get one after Christmas to replace my Nespresso

Do not buy that. Mine was a wedding present, so I can't even throw it out. Total garbage.

[J8 SVG]

TartanPaint said:

Do not buy that. Mine was a wedding present, so I can't even throw it out. Total garbage.

Good to know, anything else for a similar price? don't want to spend much more than that because the nespresso is pretty much fine, just want to use my own coffee/beans

[tenohfive]

Rosscow said:

tenohfive said:

I've got some gift vouchers to use up and am looking at a coffee machine. I'm not overly fussed on filter or pods (bean to cup etc likely to be out of budget) as long as it can do a strong black coffee. Far and away the most important coffee of my day is the one in the travel mug for the commute, so best case would be something that'll accommodate a travel mug and works quickly or has a timer so I can set it up the night before. I don't care about milk frothing stuff.

I like my coffee but I'm not a snob - I just want something that'll be a noticeable step up from instant coffee and which tastes good (and strong), and is minimal faff when trying to get out of the house first thing.

Budget wise, up to £120 - but I've no objection to paying less if it cuts out features I won't use.

There seems to be too much choice; this has caught my eye though:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Melitta-Machine-Insulated...

Can someone give me a bit of a steer on either specific models to look at or features to look for/avoid?

I have the exact machine in your link.

It works very well, but I would say it all depends on how hot you like your coffee.

We tend to pre-heat the insulated jug with boiling water before making coffee. if you set the timer up the day before, it works brilliantly but sometimes I feel because it goes into a cold jug the coffee could be a bit hotter. So we tend to just put it on in the morning unless we're in a real rush.

I'm currently sitting with a cup of coffee from that machine in front of me - I got impatient, looked at some (independent) reviews and ordered it. I can see what you mean about the temp but drinking a lot of black coffee it's less of an issue - I prefer it slightly cooler. Handy tip about pre-heating it. I do prefer the insulated pot though over a heated jug either way.

So far I'm very happy with it. Coming down to the smell of fresh coffee this morning was very welcome.



Side note: what's with the rise of Aeropress style systems? It doesn't fit the bill for home (quick, easy, preferably set up the night before) but I'm half tempted for one for work. I just wonder if it's a bit fiddly cleaning each time?

Edited by tenohfive on Tuesday 31st October 12:58

[RizzoTheRat]

tenohfive said:

Side note: what's with the rise of Aeropress style systems? It doesn't fit the bill for home (quick, easy, preferably set up the night before) but I'm half tempted for one for work. I just wonder if it's a bit fiddly cleaning each time?

The grounds get compressed in the bottom of it, so undo the cap, push the plunger the rest of the way out, and a small hockey puck of compressed coffee grounds fall straight in to the bin. Quick wipe with a cloth and it's ready for reuse, way less cleaning than a cafetiere or stovetop pot, and hardly any coffee grounds going down your plug hole if that's a problem.

As for quick and easy use, it's not really much more complicated than making a cup of tea. I always use the upside down method (look on youtube): paper filter in the cap and rinse it through, bung the coffee grounds in, hot water on the grounds, stir, put the cap on, leave it 30 seconds or so, flip it over on to your mug and press the plunger. Most time consuming bit is boiling the kettle.

You can get metal mesh filters for them but then you'd have more to clean, the papers cost peanuts for a pack of several hundred.

[Blown2CV]

aeropress are very easy to clean and you can just force the waste coffee out easily and then chuck every part of it in the sink or dishwasher. I used to have an espresso machine but the thought of all the cleaning put me off using it so I won't be going there again. There are of course those that see a fancy metal expensive looking espresso machine as a status symbol for dinner parties. The other end of the spectrum is cartridge machines which are (IN MY OPINION) the work of the absolute devil as not only do they lock you in to their cartridge formats (although savvy decent coffee suppliers allow you to order their grounds supplied in the same shaped format), cost a lot more per cup and really sacrifice convenience (or the illusion of convenience as they still need cleaning) for a poor, weak cup of rubbish coffee.

[Vaud]

Aeropress. I was skeptical but it is very, very good.