best coffee maker for under £100?

[mosaica]

Hi, Im thinking of buying a coffee makes for my dh as a Christmas present. Which one shall i go for? My instinct is to avoid pod-based ones as the pods are so expensive, but Im open to suggestions.

Are Gaggias still the best around? I realise they are expensive, but i might Im over my £100 budget if it's def worth it.

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Hello, this thread is a little old and some of the recommendations might be out of date. If you’re looking for up-to-date advice on the best coffee machine money can buy, take a look at our round-up of Mumsnetters’ favourites. MNHQ.

[WhoNickedMyName]

We have this one, it is a pod based one but you can use without pods. I paid full price from John Lewis... it's on Wowcher today....

www.wowcher.co.uk/deals/manchester/deal-25215-detail/72-99-instead-117-79-elc-direct-delonghi-ec330s/deal.html

[Marwoir]

We have this DeLonghi one, which is a bargain and IME better than Gaggia ones (we have four or five different machines at work that got sent in for review and I still think this one is best)

www.amazon.co.uk/Delonghi-EC152-Espresso-Coffee-Machine/dp/B003U2SLI8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1354349449&sr=8-3&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

Scroll down the link and you get a deal on the milk jug and milk thermometer, all in for 66 quid. Bargain!

[Fab41]

We bought a Tassimo T20 which does use pods but also makes great coffee with no fuss or mess. Cost £59.99 from John Lewis. Coffee snob dh loves it too.

[CogitOCrapNotMoreSprouts]

I just bought a DeLonghi combi link which was a few quid over £100 and produces really good espresso and filter. Takes 'ESE' pods or grounds.

[DameFanny]

I'd say go for an aeropress - seriously smooth coffee for about 30 quid, and having got addicted you can take it on holiday so you don't miss out :-) gaggia aren't brilliant unless you've more than 300ish, krups are good. But avoid pods - so much waste and you miss the joy of browsing in the coffee shop and picking up different types to try.

[OxandAssinine]

Far too cheap for you, (just under £20) but we adore our stove top bialetti 6 cup. It makes two mugs of gorgeous coffee, it can't break, and has been designed the sane way since 1920.

[Alameda]

I was going to suggest the stove top espresso maker/moka pot thing. Mine was a few francs a long long long long time ago from France and only recently replaced with ?6 ish one from Italy, they are both bialetti I think. I don't get two mugs though, unless someone is having milk in theirs, but you can really pack extra coffee in and make it even stronger. Mmmm. Reasons to be cheerful.

[Ambi]

Second the bialetti stove top, I use it everyday.

[OxandAssinine]

The 6 person one does us two proper mugs, would do 6 teeny expresso mugs. I put the mugs in the micro with some milk to warm them up. Presume the 9 cup would do 3 mugs and so on.

[TeaOneSugar]

We've just bought the Tassimo T20 (Reduced from £99.99 to £30.00, with £20 on line credit), simple to use, lovely coffee and no mess.

It's already had more use in a few days than our DeLonghi had in several years.

[FredFredGeorge]

I'd suggest an Aeropress, and you might be able to find a burr grinder than can manage a passable grind and still be close to your budget. Actual machines I don't think would be worth it.

[Orangeplastic]

Also recommend the Aeropress for the best tasting coffee. We have a Nespresso for dh in the morning the coffee is just about ok.