Coffee machine purchase

[Fink]

I’m looking to buy a coffee machine for a birthday present. Can’t decide between pods or a bean to cup, or maybe even a manual espresso machine (if the cleaning process isn’t too much of a drag).

We don’t have a particular budget in mind as we could get a couple of other family members to come in with us or just the two of us buy it. I’d say probably not over £500 ish. If we can get good quality for cheaper then so much the better.

The other two people in the household mainly drink cappuccino, so it has to have a milk frother. I drink americano.

Does anyone have a coffee machine they really like and willing to share which one? There’s so much choice out there that we’re finding it difficult to choose! Only stipulation is I won’t buy Nestlé.

TIA for any suggestions.

I have a DeLonghi bean to cup. Once you have it set up it is really easy to use. My 9yo dd makes my coffee for me. She can also fill the water and empty the grounds when it asks.

Thanks everyone.

I think as a family overall we want a less involved, more press a button and it's all done for you option. I personally would go for a manual, but I think bean to cup looks like the best option for the family as a whole (and trying to think specifically of the person whose present it will be!). I'll do a comparison on some of the ones you've been mentioning.

Bean to cup. We have the Sage Barista, over £300, we use Lavazza Super Crema beans.

I can’t bear to use the Tassimo anymore, there’s nowhere to recycle the pods within 30 miles and I cannot put that much waste in the bin.

Bean to cup 1000%

We also have the apparently very popular Delonghi Bean to cup.

We upgraded to this after our much loved Delonghi one which used ground coffee gave up after 15 years of daily use! Delonghi are good quality and easy to find replacement parts or arrange repairs of.

Benefit over pods is of course environmental but also that you aren't tied to specific size/shape/brand. Coffee beans are universally available and range in price.

Did find we bought some additional coffee paraphernalia such as metal jugs and a tamper as well as flavoured syrups. DH, who does need to get a life, likes comparing different beans.

Melitta cafe solo bean to cup. Easy to use & fantastic coffee. Three strength levels There is a frother but we use a separate one which whisks & heats the milk to pour on top. Has cleanung programmes & tells you what yo do & when. Had it about 5 years & wouldn't be without it.

I’ve had so many machines. Delonghi ones and simpler ones and complicated ones, Pod machines and machines where I grind my own. We have settled down to a Nespresso Creatista. Mainly because I like to vary the type of coffee I have throughout the day and sometimes even have decaf. In the morning I’ll have a stronger coffee and later on I’ll have a milder blend. It also has a steam wand that I can adjust for temperature and froth level. We also recycle all the pods we use. I couldn’t be doing with the mess of a bean machine now.

Another vote for DeLonghi bean to cup, I have a Magnifica and it's really easy to use. It's finally put a stop to all of the take away coffees as I can make such decent coffee at home now!

Just a quick question on the bean to cup style: is it possible to change coffees between each cup or do you have to fill it up and wait for it to empty after several? Because one person in the household only drinks decaf and the others drink 'normal' coffee, so if we had something where you can change between every drink, that would be ideal. I don't really know how they work, maybe this is a really silly question.

On the Melitta you would have to wait until the hopper was empty. We have a spare machine, it was about £80 from Argos. Bean to cup, but goes into a glass jug and has a hot plate which keeps it warm for 30 mins. This one you could easily swop between beans as you put beans in each time. I'll see if I can find it.

Just checked Argos. This is the updated version.

The Caffe Corso has a chute in the middle for ground coffee so you could switch between caffinated beans and decaf ground coffee or vice versa.

Have a DeLonghi Magnifico Cappuccino Rapido that we bought a few years back. Great coffee and very reliable so far!