Talk to me about coffee machines..

[kimkimc]

We currently have a Tassimo and I hate it! The coffee tastes crap and the pods are extremely expensive, and there are no cheaper alternatives. It also doesn't fill the full cup and is hardly warm.

I like the look of the Nespresso ones but not sure what the coffee tastes like from those either or if it's the same issue with the heat.

Can anybody recommend?

I love coffee ! I have a cheap coffee van grinder, a cafetière italien and a hand press milk frothier jug. it's so much cheaper buying beans than ready ground. One bag of beans is probably equivalent to 50 capsules and there's less environmental cost.

I bought a refurbished Gaggia and have had it for 3 years now and it will probably outlive me. Coffee is great. You do need to let the machine warm up a bit but I have it on a smart plug so I can turn it on from bed.

I have a good quality grinder and buy whole beans - pre-ground tastes terrible in comparison.

We had a dilonghi Bean to cup for Christmas but it's a faff to clean and takes up counter space and the expressions are Luke warn and watery despite me pressing the 5 bean function! What am I doing wrong?! I have to add instant coffee granules to make it palatable and strong enough! Then heat it in the microwave!! Useless waste of space. Whe I lived in Italy I used to like single expresso shots and the coffee was always dark and thick, which is why I prefer cafetiere made coffee.But I feel guilty for not liking or using this flashy christmas present!

Can anyone recommend a coffee bean variety which will help me enjoy using the dilonghi?

I have a Tassimo My Way but have bought the refillable pods, I can buy whatever coffee I like & just fill the pod, I usually use Illy coffee. I also don't buy the milk pods, I microwave the milk before letting the machine do the coffee, you still get a perfect layered latte. I bought my pods on Amazon, I have 3, then just empty, rinse & dry.

I think it depends on the kind of coffee you drink.

I drink black coffee so I'm happy with a tassimo and I also have a filter coffee maker, a mokka and a cafetiere. I also have a mug with a press built in for travel.

If you are not getting a full cup then are you using espresso pods? Espresso should be drunk in two mouthfuls from a very small cup so it is a small drink at the right temperature to drink straight away.

If you do like espresso then you need one of those huge coffee machines like a gaggia that makes steam.

If you like Italian style coffee then a mokka is probably the best unless you have the space and money for a Gaggia.

Don't forget to keep your coffee beans in the fridge.

Can you check what other pods you can use on your current?'there are many alt pods. Sometimes you have to add a lot of water after to the mug to make it drinkable.

All the best p

Agree with @VVKills27 - we've got a basic filter coffee machine and use packs of ground coffee and I think you get a much better taste of coffee.

We drink gallons of coffee in our house though so we'd be bankrupt on pods!

I had this machine @Vijia and like you had the same issues which is why I replaced it

The only thing I can suggest is buying as dark roast as possible something like roastworks from Waitrose. Or any beans with number 4/5. You can also adjust the grind size by turning the dial in the part when you refill the beans. Sadly whatever I tried I never could get my coffees any hotter. I tried hearing my cup up and putting hot water in the tank but ultimately just always ended up heating it in the microwave

AEG Lavatsa

Lovely coffee 🤤

Cafetière all the way. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a domestic machine coffee that’s really any good. For some reason they never yeast the same as a coffee from a shop, so I prefer the cafetière- much less hassle and tastes good.

*taste

I've got a sage Nespresso creatista. I love it. The coffee is better than Nero's!

I bought a de'Longhi Magnifica bean to cup during lockdown and while I eventually got decent espresso out of it, the milk frothing wand is just useless. Plastic thing on, plastic thing off, careful thermometer monitoring, practice with water... milk is still flat and meh. Is it me, or does anyone have any de'Longhi tips??

so true, pods are so expensive and rarely as nice.