Coffee machine

[kezzyleah]

If you're happy with your coffee machine please can you tell me what it is? Am looking to invest in a good one. I absolutely love good coffee and spend a fortune in the amazing independent cafe next to work but would love to recreate it at home, I mainly drink expresso or Americano but dh also likes milky drinks. We had a nespresso machine a few years ago but I didn't love the taste so didn't replace when it broke, I've looked at the Bambino plus which looks good but have also seen lots of recommendations for delonghi. Feel like I have read a million threads but no closer to choosing!

We’ve had a lot of bad machines but finally found ‘the one’ with the Creatista Plus. Easy to use and very reliable, plus it looks great.

Lavazza or Delonghi depending on budget.

If you like coffee that much, you would know it is eSpresso!
I have had a Jura bean to cup for 10 years. Machine is good, if a bit big. It is the quality of coffee beans that makes the difference.

Sage bean to cup - had ours for 2 years and it has been used daily

It went wonky a week before the end of the warranty period and they picked it up and fixed it for free

Expensive but also so worth it considering my coffee habit!

Sage. We didn't even look at pod types ones - prefer bean to cup.

I had a Krups espresso machine, then a Delonghi one, then got this Krups bean-to-cup last Black Friday. It's such good vfm - not as aesthetically appealing as some but it makes excellent coffee.
"EA817040_BK | Krups Bean to Cup Coffee Machine | ao.com" https://ao.com/product/ea817040-krups-arabica-digital-bean-to-cup-coffee-machine-black-62362-65.aspx

We have the Sage bean to cup that has been in daily use for three years now. It’s great but I do always wonder whether I’ve got it on optimal settings. Anyone with a Sage machine that makes delicious coffee - please can you tell me what coffee beans you use, what number you have the grind size set to on the left hand side of the machine?

We have a Sage Barista Bean to cup coffee machine and it is my favourite thing in this world. If our house burnt down I would be running out the door with it in my arms, shouting to the kids to follow.

I can make a damn good latte now so I resent going to a coffee shop and paying a fortune for one.

Also, if you sign up to be a Lakeland member they regularly send 20% off vouchers through the post which gives a really good discount because they are expensive (but worth it, so worth it!)

I've got the swan retro espresso and I love it. (A bit less ££ than all these too!)

I’m happy with my Moka stovetop pot

I like the tassimo pod coffee. I was surprised, having had Dulce Gusto before and not liking it. The americano actually tastes of coffee and not weak dishwater. The machine is Bosch and tbh isn't perfect (a bit noisy) but it's small and pretty. I bought it for DD to make hot chocolate so discovering that I liked the coffee was a nice bonus.

I would ideally like a bean to cup but have a tiny kitchen and an expensive bathroom refit bill so don't have one . But if I'm honest, a cafetière does the job well.

What is your budget because otherwise you'll get suggestions from £35 to £3,500

I’ve got delonghi dedica and really like it. It’s got a v small footprint which is important as my counter space is restricted. Just be aware that it won’t do a ‘long’ coffee without a few button presses. For americano I actually just boil a kettle and add the water.

milk frother seems good although I drink black so don’t use it much

i do grind the beans separately (have separate grinder) as I think they taste much nicer. I’d recommend this Place

I have a De Longhi Dedica for the coffee and a Lavazza milk frother, which I think is more effective than the side frother on the machine. Both lockdown purchases and going strong.
the machine takes ground coffee or Lavazza capsules which are a different shape from Nespresso, so that’s something to think of.

Those with Sage machines how easy are they to clean?

Budget is up to £500 but prefer closer to £300, also trying to make the most of the Amazon prime day deals so need to get in there quickly! I have never had a bean to cup, are they easy to use?

Does anyone have either the delonghi magnifica or the sage bambino plus? Both of these are around £300ish and seem to have good reviews...

I have the Sage Barista Touch and it's easy as pie to clean - because it has cleaning settings so you just press the button and let it crack on for the most part.

"Anyone with a Sage machine that makes delicious coffee - please can you tell me what coffee beans you use, what number you have the grind size set to on the left hand side of the machine?"

I use Rave signature blend beans. I did a bit of a taste test with about a dozen different beans when I first got the machine and this was, by far, my favourite.

The grind number gets tweaked often because it changes depending on the age of the beans. Some good info here: https://clivecoffee.com/blogs/learn/how-to-make-great-espresso

I’ve had a Sage but prefer my SMEG, I do think it helps to grind your beans instead of buying preground for a really fresh taste.

Aeropress or moka pot… both make delicious coffee and are around £30 each. Easy to rinse clean in a few seconds and take up hardly any room. You don’t need £300 (or £3,000) machines. For a gourmet upgrade, add in a decent hand grinder like a Knock (£150 ish) plus a subscription to a coffee roasters. The grinder is what makes the difference in lovely coffee.

I've had a mini-barista machine in the past, which was all right, but TBH I don't think you can properly recreate a coffee made with a powerful machine by a trained barista. I find the milk lets it down, if you're trying to make a flat white, latte etc.

These days I use a French press at home, and drink it black. About once a week I treat myself to a flat white made by a barista with a proper machine.

People always recommend aeropress and I have had one before. I'm probably not using it right but I've never been able to make it make really good coffee.

Another one saying Sage Barista bean to cup.

We use a local coffee company beans or Lavazza if we run out (or over summer when dd3 is home and our coffee Consumption hits the roof)

I think Aeropress makes lovely smooth coffee.

We have a traditional La Pavoni lever machine, now about 30 years old. Took a bit of practice to get used to it but makes really great coffee and is in use every day. Machines are still available new. It also looks amazing 😁.

Both my children have a Sage bean to cup and both make amazing coffee - it does depend on the beans though and both spend lots of time in farm shops and specialist coffee places testing out the beans before buying. My son even researched the precise number of beans to use to grind a certain amount of coffee - his reasoning was something to do with Beethoven and maths 🤣🤣