Cheapest way to have good coffee

[Coughee]

I have discovered a liking for coffee quite late in life. I prefer a black coffee or espresso. We have a pod machine at home and coffee from there definitely tastes nicer than instant. However, when I've had coffee in a restaurant it's a lot nicer. I don't want to buy a bean to cup machine when I'm only just starting to drink the stuff and would probably only have 1 or 2 cups a day. What would be a good cheap alternative that may be nicer than a pod machine? Is there such a thing?
Thanks!

Costa instant coffee from Tesco is pretty good…..! I heat the milk up in a cup in the microwave first and then stir the coffee in and add some boiling water and then microwave for about half a min longer and it’s not too far off a fancy coffee! But maybe others would think differently!

Good beans, a grinder (or buy ground in small quantities) and an Aeropress.

I find my cafetiere as good as anything & much better than pods. You can then experiment & find your favourite coffee. A cafetiere is cheap & honestly I can't see the attraction of the fad for pod machines. It's just more "kit".

Get an aeropress. My husband is very picky about coffee and says it is good as machine coffee.

I do buy beans though & grind them, which takes 2 seconds.

Cafetiere

...spend your money on the quality of the coffee not complicated kit.

Was just coming on to say an aeropress or a cheap drip filter machine (the kind that put put papers in and it drips into a jug), with a small handheld or electric grinder and fresh beans are the cheapest way for good, fresh coffee, providing you like longer/filter style coffee rather than espresso? Or if it's the latter you prefer, a stovetop coffee pot makes delicious fresh espresso style coffee - a bean to cup machine is primarily about the convenience rather than nicer per se... I find filter papers and grounds a bit messy myself but if you are less clumsy than me it's a great option and certainly cheaper and better environmentally than the pods...

Why not buy a little espresso machine? Or even an old school espresso pot that you put on a stove. They are usually cheaper than bean to coffee ones but you can choose the type of coffee/espresso you use and aldo the strength/ intensity (Lavazza or Illy are quite good), they make a very decent cup of coffee

I have a basic filter machine and a small grinder. If I want to use bens I just grind the amount I need. The grinder is the size of a large mug so doesn’t take up space and was very cheap.

I honestly think Nescafé Azera instant coffee is nicer than most you can buy in coffee shops. I've had pod machines, cafetières etc and Azera is as nice/nicer without all the faff. And I drink it black!

Which pod machine do you have? You can get reusable pods for some of them, a small bean grinder (£20 on Amazon!) and grind your own beans and pop them into the reusable pod 😊

I had a bean to cup machine, wouldn't recommend for close to £1k - barely made coffees as it was so annoying to make one! Much prefer pods or a filter 😊

We have a cheap and cheerful filter coffee machine which you can set a timer for if you wish.We get filter coffee bags from lidl for around £2 and they last around 2 weeks.

For me a cafetière is good enough. My brother uses a stove top and that’s slightly better if you’re into espresso. I really like Lavazza red coffee and don’t like bargain basement stuff, always worth a little extra imo.

Stovetop espresso maker and good ground coffee or beans and a grinder.

Apparently most Italian homes have one of these:

www.bialetti.com/it_en/moka-express-experience

Old style drip filter machine and coffee grinder bought for under a tenner in lidl. I have Lavazza beans on amazon subscribe and save delivered monthly.

Bean to cup is only worth it in a large household. A good one is easily a grand and cheap one won't be better than pods. A really good hand held grinder is about £50 and will make any sort of coffee taste massively better. You could then get a stove top espresso maker or a cafetiere or a filter or an aeropress or even a good small espresso machine and still have several hundred spare. Spend it on good quality coffee beans! We have a subscription where a localish roaster sends us a small bag once a week through the post.

People here may have a go at me for this, but as I have a micro kitchen with no counter space I buy coffee bags from amazon

Just to ruin you further try the best coffee in the world - works out at £3 a cup

Blue Mountain

www.hrhiggins.co.uk/products/jamaica-blue-mountain-coffee?gclid=Cj0KCQjwz96WBhC8ARIsAATR253CxJ2oG3ew9mwyVMAeZab5KhSBHTEWVp0-MIbcSl7PpapUOPoTaMIaAgNPEALw_wcB

I have a bean-to-cup machine but if I wanted cheap I would buy an aeropress as they are brilliant

A Moka pot (goes on stove top) with ground beans DH is so fussy about coffee and this is his favourite method

Another vote for an aeropress, so much better and less to clean than a cafetiere and better coffee IMO.

Mokas are good too, but I don't get on with them as I never manage to get the top on properly so they end up leaking.

Also, as others have said, a grinder, even just a cheap one, and DECENT whole bean coffee. Try a few, we all have different tastes. I find some named here too weak and tasteless, but I'm sure other people would think my favourites are horrible. I've tried a few subscriptions, Dog & Hat were my fav, albeit not the cheapest. Just experiment, try different beans, if you get a grinder with settings, try different grinds. Try more or less coffee in whatever you use.

Whatever you do, do not store your coffee in the fridge/freezer! It fucks with the flavour and quality. Much better to store them in an airtight container.

100% aeropress it hands down beats most coffees except places that have good barista’s + good machines.
When I’m feeling fancy I ground coffee in nutribullet but generally just use pre ground. The aeropress is worth it’s weight in gold tbh.

I have a plastic filter holder, which goes over the coffee pot, with a paper filter in it. Pour just boiled water over the coffee in the filter and let it drip through. Filter paper and coffee grounds go in the bin with no mess, or in the garden to deter slugs as they rot down. The coffee is sweeter and less bitter than machine made coffee. Freshly ground beans taste fresher still. My sons used to call it 'cowboy coffee' I have been doing this for 40 years, have tried other methods on and off, but still go back to this as the coffee is so much better!

Stove top mokka pot ... takes minutes to make and easy to clean

Love mine

This

We buy ours from local roasters and it's the best I've ever tasted