Coffee machines

[WineBeforeWhine]

For the past 20 years I’ve been loyal to Nespresso but now tiring of the taste of the pods. Would like a bean to cup machine which will produce barista tasting coffee. What are your recommendations?

I have had a Melitta Barista TS Smart for some years and love it. You can use an app with a huge menu and tweak from the set settings to adjust heat, strength, amounts of milk and water etc and then set those as preferences on the one touch buttons. Downside is the very small drip tray that needs frequent emptying, but I love it.

We’ve just got the De’Longhi Rivelia Fully Automatic Coffee Machine and it’s fantastic, like you we’d always had Nespresso but wouldn’t go back now

Ta I’ll have a look at both those. I assume they take beans?

I bought this last year and it’s wonderful.

Yes, ours takes beans and has 2 hoppers so we’ve got one as caffeinated and one as de-caffeinated. The smell from the freshly ground beans is fantastic. If it’s any use then the one we’ve got I think is the one Brad Pitt advertises

We also got the Rivelia too because I have decaf and you can use 2 different bean hoppers. It’s perfect and we’re delighted with it.

Oh if it’s good enough for Brad …….

😂😂😂…I was swayed by the advert but it genuinely is a superb machine and worth the money

I’ve not been able to get out to get one but hopefully I will tomorrow. Before I take the plunge so to speak, are auto machines better than manual and why? Is it just ease of use?

I have a smeg filter jug - but I only drink black coffee.

Funny to read this because I have a Delonghi bean to cup and I find it too much faff and can’t get the hang of making nice coffee in it. I think it probably is operator error but I’m thinking of getting a nespresso pod machine!

I bought a sage barista because I fancied doing it all manually.

I didn't fancy having a container for the milk that just sits there (though I believe some come free from the machine easily so could be put in the fridge).

I wanted to try lots of different coffee beans (but discovered it's a huge faff to get the machine dialled in to different beans (& wastes a lot of beans) & there now seems to be a lot more choice of machines that grind the beans & do the rest.

i do quite like grinding the beans & tamping them, clicking it into the grind head & making the expresso base & steaming the milk etc

it should last several more years yet, but if for some reason I needed (& it would be 'need' I'd never not have a machine to make a latte again) I'm not sure what I'd choose...

but if it wasn't the full barista style it would definitely still take beans & have an easily detachable milk container that can go straight into the fridge.

I just have the de Longhi Dedica which is a manual one. I mostly drink black coffee so this is good for me. The package came with a separate bean grinder thing so I can grind beans if I want. The milk frother works fine if I want to make a cappuccino.

I don't like the taste of pod coffee at all and this one tastes lovely (because I try to buy nice beans or coffee).

Don’t forget to look out for Black Friday deals, they’re already appearing

I have a gaggia classic and a bean grinder. I have perfected making a lovely coffee but it is rather more involved than pressing a button.

a link here which is very useful in helping you decide which machine is best for you.

https://coffeeblog.co.uk/best-bean-to-cup-coffee-machines/

Easy to use?

I have a gaggia too and I love it. It does take some effort and some TLC though. I enjoy the ritual of making the coffee and it tastes like you’d get in a cafe but it’s more steps than just pressing a button. Also it needs descaling and I get it serviced yearly too otherwise it gets temperamental

My work has one that grinds the beans which I think is nice but I hate the milk frothing attachment which easily gets really unhygienic. The gaggia just has a steam nozzle which is a lot better.

Sage oracle touch, love it.

I'd wait for black Friday, personally.

I need help with understanding the machine (Rivelia) what does this dial do please? Also it doesn’t seem to make really hot coffee.

This

Also when do I use this?

We have that too. In fact we are on our second one since we got the first in 2009.
It's not that much more complicated than a bean to cup. We did buy a very expensive grinder which makes a lot of difference. And we have Pact coffee delivered.