To ask you to choose which coffee machine (for someone who hates coffee!) and how to force myself to love coffee as top drs have told me I HAVE to drink it and lots of it

[CocoBellaSparkle]

Dear MN’s,

I’ve been telling myself to not NC .. (years ago I did a lot ) but I’d rather just be ‘me’ so on that note .. some may have briefly seen/noticed that I’ve got a very bleak outcome .. very later stage ‘C’ caught unfortunately too late and it’s spread and no cure and removal / transplant / chemo will be fatal .. so untreatable and no cure

Anyway got that annoying little bit said and out of the way 😄 sooo my top Doctors/Specialists/ Nurses have all said that for my particular illness (annoyingly would have been better advice in the very early days now it’s more ‘the horse has very much bolted off ..) but nothing to lose in still trying this - coffee is THE healthiest thing people on my shoes can consume for this type of cancer

I DETEST coffee and always have .. i’ve had about 3 or four cups in my whole life .. and those ones not only tasted awful but gave me the shakes , worst migraine and sickness and bad tummy

Genuine question MN’s - can you (or have any of you) hated coffee and made yourself fall in love with it or even tolerated it ?

I love the idea of being a NORMAL person (cause i’m fully aware i’m the abnormal one as everyone loves coffee I believe) and to love coffee and to meet friends for coffee , to appreciate a nice mug of coffee, to have that ‘coffee kick ‘ in the mornings, to enjoy coffee from independent small family owned coffee houses to discover different coffees etc

And now my cancer doctors and nurses are telling me it will only be a good thing for me to drink the stuff so thought would ask you which coffee machines you have ?

i ask as hospital say the instant stuff isn’t really the ‘best’

I love the idea of the touch screen machines BUT they’re crazy expensive (especially for a now single mother , very poorly so had to give up my amazing career and living off savings which has trickled like water AND uber pricey for a coffee HATER 😄)

Now I know (or think ) that the machines that are coffee beans to cup are the best and the pod machines are frowned upon (especially with those who know and love their coffee!)
but I have two boys too and they hate coffee .. so do you think a pod one would be best ?

I’ve had a tassimo in the past (mainly for hot chocolate for my then very little boys and sometimes myself )

My budget is ideally not over £250 (i’ve just moved and finished furnishing my apartment and now I think i need to rob a bank just to live 😄) and have been looking into
Tassimo
Lavazza
L’Or
Nespresso

Plus bonus points - cream coloured /retro look
easy to use (not a faff)
milk frother (don’t think these come with pod machines though - i could be wrong ..,)
also to have pods that have different choices of coffees so maybe I could (force myself ) to actually like a type of coffee ☕️

Also a machine with pods and/or the machine itself that can make a lovejy hot chocolate
pods that include mocha’s/ cappuccino etc

thank you (if you’ve got this far!) for reading and I’m ready to order a machine asap just thought would ask for any pointers

thank you - CocoBella :)

A small French press, a Starbucks bag of ground coffee (they’ll grind it for you) and add a large tablespoon of powdered hot chocolate to your mug with lots and lots of milk - this is how I trained myself to drink coffee when I needed the caffeine for all-night studying.

Moka pot is the best in my opinion.
they are simple and effective and have been in use for ever.
I drink coffee and detest the pods.

I'm sorry to hear of your diagnosis

If you like hot chocolate I'd get myself set up to make a really great hot chocolate then add espresso shots.

I love my Hotel Chocolat velvitiser but there are cheaper milk frothers out there - what you want is something that heats and froths the milk. To make hot chocolate you just add grated chocolate - you can buy pots from hotel chocolat but I think the best is honestly from Knoops
https://knoops.co.uk/collections/chocolate

Here's an example of the hot chocolate maker
https://knoops.co.uk/collections/hot-chocolate-makers/products/dualit-milk-frother-and-hot-chocolate-maker

Hot chocolate is AMAZING made with oatmilk, but you need to get a barista one. I recommend Minor figures.

minorfigures.com

I'd then make espresso with a moka, personally, but there is a bit of a knack to it. Here's an example with ground coffee from a company I think is good

https://www.themissingbean.co.uk/collections/home-brewing/products/pezzetti-moka-pot-bundle

Alternatively get a cheap nespresso maker and experiment with their pods to find one you like. You don't need to worry about getting a nespresso machine with all the bells and whistles if you have a separate milk frother (which will make better cappuccinos and hot chocolates anyway).

You could try an aero press or mokka coffee pot which are cheaper and v easy to use and clean. Then buy a good ground coffee to your taste. I like lavazza but there are different ones within the brand.
The lava a modo mio milk frother/warmer also good.
Can have it iced too and if you like things sweet add syrups

I prefer filter coffee. If you fancy trying it out, You can get really beautiful filter coffee machines like a MoccaMaster but I’d suggest you get one of the ceramic filter drips like the “Hario V60” to try it out first before investing in a machine. They are between £10-£20 and come in lots of lovely colours.

my one tip would be to make sure you’re not using boiling water, let the water cool a bit once boiled or stop the kettle boiling before it gets to full temperature. Using boiling water on coffee burns the coffee grounds and it doesn’t taste as good. Same goes for instant coffee.

I agree with PP that there are different coffees out there so do try a few different ones if you can. I personally really like Peruvian and Columbian coffees but there are so many out there!

happy tasting!

What about eating chocolate coated coffee beans?

I cannot stand drinking coffee. There’s a good few things I’ve forced myself to like, but coffee just isn’t one of them. So bitter, so disgusting. However I can eat coffee flavoured things, including chocolate coated beans. I find it more palatable as a food than a drink. It’s also over with faster and doesn’t knock me sick like trying to drink a whole cup of it.

Used to be able to get them from whittards and also seen them in health food shops. The chocolate adds a sweetness to counter the bitter coffee.

You could try an Aeropress as they're cheap and small and make good coffee. Then mix it with cocoa for a mocha to get used to the taste?

I'm surprised dairy has been recommended as animal protein is linked to cancer growth.

I'm very sorry to hear this. May I suggest the beige Krups Nespresso Inissia machine (currently £136 on Amazon). Get some coffee pods from Grind (they do a few nice hazelnut ones) and add a good spoonful of sugar if you can to sweeten the coffee if you must. As a previous poster said, down it like a shot of medicine. You could pour over ice in this weather too, add a dash of cream to make it tolerable. Wishing you well in the circumstances x

New to who?

You?

Ive heard of coffee being recommended for various conditions, anecdotally because Ive never had it said directly to me

Its not much different to coming away from the doctor and being told to increase fibre, or increase your intake of this and that.

I dont know why there is so much confusion about why OP has been told this.

OP doesnt like to have coffee, you might not like things you're advised to increase consumption of. Like another poster says, OP can prepare an espresso and drink it down in one shot the same way I have to do with various medicines. Horrible, but its gone in one gulp

Just buy a cafetière and experiment with different types of beans.

I am really, really sorry about your diagnosis OP
I'm like you, I want to like coffee, but just don't!

And this thread is really interesting, so thank you for that. I had never considered coffee to be particularly beneficial.

I'd go for a Velvetiser and a mokka pot instead. Do your hot chocolate and then add some coffee too it. Mokka coffee is espresso so you don't need too much. When you develop a taste, just use the Velvetiser to froth milk. Also look into flavoured coffees.

Ooh yes these are nice

@CocoBellaSparkle I am so sorry for what you're going through. Hope you and your family are getting all the support you need.

This espresso, banana and almond smoothie is really good. Recipe says powdered espresso but I make with a shot. There are loads of other espresso smoothie recipes online. And have you thought about chocolate-covered espresso beans? Seriously addictive!

Have a look on FB Marketplace for coffee machines; I picked up a nearly new Nespresso machine for about £30. And the Dualit EcoPress is a good tool for squishing the coffee out of the pods so that they can be rinsed and put in with normal recycling.

Great advice.
They are a cheap old fashioned pot that make the most delicious coffee, fresh and fragrant. I love Lavazzo beans too, freshly ground.

I am so sorry for that awful diagnosis.
Wishing you and your children the very best.

I’d just get a cafetière and some coffee.

https://amzn.to/3YfTtpz

Then you can play around with what coffee you dislike less. Some brands have a number strength in them for flavour or are described as ‘smooth’ etc and they taste less.

Ah, see @Dreamskies already recommended the chocolate coffee beans. Yes, I first encountered them when I worked at Whittards over 30 years ago!

You can buy packs of Rombout’s one pod filter coffee where you pour boiling water in to the pod. It’s strong but nice as coffee goes (don’t like coffee myself either) and I prefer it to the Tassimo machine coffee. Also much cheaper as you don’t need to buy a machine! The Tassimo one I find too sweet and the milk is mixed in. With the filters you add milk or cream or have it black.

I have one of those stove top mokas (the Italian coffee pot). They're only about 10-15 quid, widely available in the UK nowadays (Lidl sell them sometimes), and make great espresso- They're what every Italian uses at home. Obviously they make strong coffee, but you could put loads of milk in it? (Barista oat milk is a good alternative to dairy).

Wishing you and your lovely boys the very best xx

Anecdotally your key word there
I was asking for peer-reviwed evidence
I am well aware of both the benefits and downsides of coffee

If it's the flavour of the coffee you're not keen on, have you tried the syrups? Not a fan myself, but DD isn't a fan of hot coffee and enjoys an iced coffee with vanilla syrup.

Are you well enough to do a tour of local coffee shops and try a few of whatever is on the menu?

I get my coffee from our local farmers market. I only drink black coffee and just use a cafeteria rather than a posh machine.

Your kitchen sounds amazing btw.

Nespresso origional machines are pricy BUT lots of places inc Asda and at least one of the budget supermarkets (Aldi / Lidl) make pods for them.

You could try a stove top espresso machine like in Italy. They are cheap and the coffee is good, if you don't leave it too long. They are are also intriguing the way they suddenly fountain when boiling. I love coffee but don't have a machine. In North London I find they silt up with limescale though that's probably just me. I do have a grinder to grind whole beans. I hope you do learn to love coffee. I think I probably did as a teen as I thought it was cool! I'd advise milk as black coffee can be a bit harsh.