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!

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".

Absolutely agree. I swear by mine. I had a Bodum one for 25 years which was brilliant, but then it broke and I got a cheap one which was rubbish and never worked properly. I spent about a tenner more on a Le'Xpress 3-cup and it's perfect 😁

If you don't want a bean to cup machine get a cheap grinder and a Bialetti stove top or Aeropress. And decent quality beans!

We also have a sage barista express though which is brilliant. Picked it up cheap on Facebook marketplace as a lot of people don't understand how to set them up so they don't get along with them and end up selling them.

If you're getting a grinder (an I recommend that you do) then make sure it's a burr grinder and not a blade one. I just had to replace my coffee grinder after about a decade of daily use and it wasn't all that much, about €55. It was this one www.amazon.co.uk/Krups-GVX231-Expert-Burr-Grinder/dp/B0002H2IOM?ref_=ast_sto_dp I didn't buy it from Amazon but that's the easiest link I could find.

I use a stainless steel dripper, a bit like www.amazon.co.uk/Vicloon-Stainless-Reusable-Paperless-Separate/dp/B01LZL7SBF/ref=sr_1_16?crid=2YXJU9UZVW1UG&keywords=coffee+dripper&qid=1658319582&s=kitchen&sprefix=coffee+dripper%2Ckitchen%2C46&sr=1-16 this one over a jug that I bought in the supermarket. However a Presso or an Aeropress also give very good results.

I recommend joining a coffee club with a good online coffee retailer so that you can try different beans and find the ones that you like the best. I buy Monsoon Malabar beans.

It might be an idea to see if you can get sample sized packs of a range of beans/roasts. Personally I think Monsoon Malibar is vile and don't like Lavazza either. Maybe they're good if you like strong espresso though.

We mostly get beans from a local roaster (Atkinson's in Lancaster thecoffeehopper.com), usually their Prototype blend.

Plus you Dan easily do a long coffee by topping up with boiling kettle water then a splash of fancy barista oat milk. Delicious

Sorry, Partridge moment there. Meant "can".

Aeropress 100%, it might look weird and a bit simple, but it makes THE BEST coffee. That and Lavazza grind and you can't go wrong. People always comment how good our coffee is.

That depends on how strong you make it, surely?

It is a completely different drink from espresso.

This, 100%

Good quality coffee will taste just as good out of a cafetiere as some fancy gadget.

Thank you again for the replies - it's the last week before pay day so a grinder and fancy beans will have to wait a week as every penny is accounted for! I did get some ground coffee though and made coffee in the cafetiere. I left it a good long while so it didn't taste watery to my unrefined pallette. It was nicer than pods I thought. Looking forward to getting some proper beans, freshly ground in there!

I've gone back to an aeropress and coffee beans. I drink it black, but we have a lavazza milk frother thing which is really good.

I only have one caffeinated coffee a day now - any recommendations for good decaf coffee?

any recommendations for good decaf coffee?

We've had really good decaf from the coffee roaster I mentioned above.

Hi OP we're a coffee officionado snob household here! We have a ridiculously huge bean to cup machine (got it cheap second hand) and get our beans from the local artisan coffee roasters. There are four of us regularly drinking coffee, we like good coffee and all like it differently! But, this is not a cheap easy option, just to illustrate how ridiculous we are.

I second everyone saying a small grinder, nice beans and an aeropress. We always take our aeropress on holiday, and camping and sometimes even just to the beach, it's so easy and portable. Don't buy massive bags of beans to start off with, try some different ones until you find a flavour you really like.

Also, I love that it is made by the same people who made aerobie 😁

McDonalds.

You're welcome.

honestly think Nescafé Azera instant coffee is nicer

I think it taste like rubbish instant coffee

I've tried everything over the years but faithfully go back to a simple cone with a paper filter - just make each mug as I want one (useful to have at work).

Actually for a reasonably priced coffee out McDonalds
coffee isn't bad at all (order it black with separate milk.) .

Get a stove top espresso maker from Bialetti. And buy good quality ground coffee!

When out and about and with no decent indie coffee option, this is hands down great coffee and exceptionally good value. Way better than the coffee chains.

You just don’t get the crema unless you espress coffee. And really good coffee has a crema.

I’ll drink cafetière coffee but it’s not the same.

I’ve got a bean to cup and a pod machine

I think this is true, certainly with regard to pod machines and those bean-to-cup things costing hundreds of pounds.

That said, I noticed a distinct improvement when I swapped our glass/plastic cafetières for metal ones — I think it maintains the water heat for longer or something.

And in general the better the burr Grindr, the better the coffee.

Oops

grinder not Grindr 🤣

That said, I noticed a distinct improvement when I swapped our glass/plastic cafetières for metal ones — I think it maintains the water heat for longer or something.
I'd have thought metal would lose heat a bit faster. Before we had an Aeropress we used cafetières - the improvement I noticed when we switched from glass to metal was that we didn't keep breaking the damn things.

A Bialetti Moka pot. Mine is ages old and still brews perfect espresso. Obviously it will depend on finding a coffee that you love.

The metal cafetières are insulated!

The metal cafetières are insulated!

Ours weren't. An insulated metal cafetière might be ideal if you want a pot on the table after dinner.