Coffee Machines - which one to go for?

[Le Mans Visitor]

I am looking at biting the bullet and getting a Coffee Machine but not sure which to go for. Which would you recommend / have you got and what are the 'running costs' like (cost of coffee sachets etc)

Budget is about £100

Thanks in advance

Dave

[LeoSayer]

Nespresso.

30p a shot. Tastes great Imho. Very very easy to make. No mess.

I love my 'U'.

[Turn7]

At that budget Nespresso will be hard to beat....

[jagracer]

We have a Tassimo which isn't too bad. Costs between 20 and 35p per drink.

[Busterbulldog]

good coffee needs practise,the correct size cups,a coffee that suits you and good quality sugar.Buy the best you can for your ton and off ya go...throw the kettle

[Le Mans Visitor]

Cheers for the info, are the sachets available in bulk?

[Zippee]

Another Nespresso fan here, works out about 30p a capsule but loads of blends to choose from. Very good coffee as well!

[onesickpuppy]

Yet another vote for Nespresso. If you up the budget a wee bit you can get a bundle including the milk heater/frother which is great for latté and cappuccino.

[chockymonster]

I have a Gaggia Classic that I got from Amazon Warehouse on a deal.
The Nespresso systems are great but there's just something I enjoy about the ritual of making a proper cup of coffee!

[Digger]

This might sound daft but can you make STRONG coffee with a nespresso?

[Dr G]

chockymonster said:

I have a Gaggia Classic that I got from Amazon Warehouse on a deal.
The Nespresso systems are great but there's just something I enjoy about the ritual of making a proper cup of coffee!

Used Classic or a little more for a special offer one would be my choice.

Good quality pre ground will suffice and make a more than acceptable cup, add a grinder later if you enjoy it as a hobby. I recently upgraded to Rancilio Silvia & Rocky grinder after my Gaggia classic eventually gave up after 10 years of daily use.

[CSJXX]

Dr G said:

Used Classic or a little more for a special offer one would be my choice.

Good quality pre ground will suffice and make a more than acceptable cup, add a grinder later if you enjoy it as a hobby. I recently upgraded to Rancilio Silvia & Rocky grinder after my Gaggia classic eventually gave up after 10 years of daily use.

I've used my Gaggia Classic for 5 years now and haven't had any problems! And if you want a strong cup of coffee try:

http://www.deathwishcoffee.com/

It tastes really good!

[Le Mans Visitor]

Anyone got any advice on A Tassimo machine?

[Andehh]

Digger said:

This might sound daft but can you make STRONG coffee with a nespresso?

Also interested to know.

[Smiler.]

Le Mans Visitor said:

Anyone got any advice on A Tassimo machine?

Recently got a base model via an offer from Costa (£30 delivered).

Also got a £20 vouchers for the capsules so got:

Costa Americano (£0.27p per cup)
Jacobs Esspresso (£0.21p per cup)
Twinings English Breakfast Tea (£0.19 p per cup)
Twinings Earl Grey (£0.21 p per cup)

Then bought some Cappuccino capsules from from Waitrose (£0.54p per cup).


I only use Brita filtered water in it (as for every hot drink I make) as I don't add milk & as we're in a hard water area, they taste ste otherwise.


Easy to use, although I like to top up the standard brew quantity & I often wander off whilst waiting for the main brew sequence to finish only to return & the process has timed-out.


Flavour isn't bad, but I have a Thermos peculator using ground coffee & it's a lot smoother.


If you add milk, I'm sure it will be fine.


Mrs S likes the coffee, hasn't tried the tea yet.

[LordHaveMurci]

My 8mth old Gaggia Baby has just had to be returned as it stopped working
Great coffee when it worked though & paid about £125 on an Amazon deal

[DSLiverpool]

Nespresso at home, makes strong, weak, frothy and flat - wouldn't be without it, love new orange breakfast coffee in the morning and my normal blue lungho when I get home

Work we have a Tassimo because it does tea, choc etc and appeals to more people but the coffee compared to nespresso is really sharp and bitter - yuk.

If you can get one on eBay the Porsche design Siemens nespressos are really worth it, 4 years and only descales needed.

[hairyben]

If you're budget conscious I'd go for a proper espresso machine rather than a pod-only machine, ground coffee from lidl at about 3 quid for a half kilo bag that must do at least 50 cups.

Also easier to play around with the quantities, we have the cuisinart which has baskets for single, double and universal pods so you have the choice.

[Harrytsg]

I have one of these, you can tailor your preferences with coffee strength/type and how long you brew it for..

http://www.amazon.com/Syphon-Vacuum-Coffee-TCA-5-I...

[Podie]

Andehh said:

Digger said:

This might sound daft but can you make STRONG coffee with a nespresso?

Also interested to know.

Yes.

They have a variety of different coffees, which are rated in strength from 1 to 10. Occasionally there is a special edition that's rated at 11.

We have a Nespresso and love it. It's very much the MP3 of the coffee world. I'd rather listen to vinyl, but I rarely have the time, and I can't do that in the car or whilst walking about. MP3 may not be quite as god as vinyl, but the vast majority of the time it's perfectly acceptable.