Help me choose coffee machine!

[RealReginaPhalange]

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i narrowed it down to four below. Its for my husband’s 40th bday. Never had a coffee machine before. We usually drink instant nescafe, although he is much more coffee lover than me

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/4335575?clickSR=slp:term:coffee%20machine:19:19:2

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/2254562?clickSR=slp:term:coffee%20machine:1:19:1

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/1123759?clickSR=slp:term:coffee%20machine:3:19:1

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9474479?clickSR=slp:term:coffee%20machine:8:19:1

I know it isn't actually what you are asking, on account of it not being a machine but I have never tasted anything that improves on this & it is a gorgeous classic

Moka Express - Bialetti

DP likes coffee but doesn't want "faff" and doesn't care enough to be an expert on coffee. So hes got a Nespresso pod with a separate milk frother- which is amazing when using organic milk - total game changer.

He's had it for over 10yrs and uses it about 3 times a day.

I have one that I bought second hand for £20 ten years ago, it is twenty five years old now but still makes superb coffee

We have a stove top in case the gaggia needs de-limescaling and aeropress for work and hotel trips.

Neither of those makes coffee anywhere near as good as the gaggia.

We get our beans from pact and I use decaf ground from pact, in the espresso grind. (DH keeps the grinder for his full caff beans)

Until recently we always had big Gaggias or Sages. Then I got fed up with all the faff and now we just have a Lavazza pod machine. The coffee is excellent. I don’t like Nespresso coffee at all.

I have a handheld milk frother which I use a lot and and also a milk heater and frother which I don’t use at all.

I have the 2nd Phillips one from your links. I love it, its so easy, self cleaning and you can save your preferences for different people.

Fun fact: we still have a Braun coffee grinder that my father bought in 1980 meaning it’s 45 years old and going strong. I don’t use it to grind coffee any more though.

De' Longhi Rivelia here too. Very happy with it. Can't be fussed with the barista type of machines. At 6am I just want to press a button for a strong black coffee

Nespresso here with lavazza pods always on offer from amazon!

The mess and faff with the other kinds of machine - did it for years and now just cannot be arsed. And they were all so tempermental.

ETA - i would buy a bean to cup if I had the £££

Thank you all. to whoever asked about argos - doe’s not have to be from there but they have some offers, currys had some last month but i couldnt decide and they are no longer available.

sage one is nice as its very small and i dont like things out on the counter so will consider it.

i will go through your comments again tonight🫣

I'm a filter coffee person, but my husband has a Sage (oracle touch) and honestly, whenever he gets a coffee out, or we're travelling, he complains about how inferior it is to what he makes at home.

The one thing I will say, OP, is that bean to cup machines seem to take a fair amount of fiddling at first for preferred grinds and pressure and if you change to a different bean or roast, it might require re-fiddling. Or so I hear anyway.

I always find youtube video reviews of products really helpful OP so if you look those machines up someone might have done a review of them so you can see how they operate and what people like about them

I’ve got the De Longhi one. It’s very good! However, it is likely to be cheaper on eBay. De Longbi sell direct on eBay with a shop called ‘DeLonghi Refurbished’. They are brand new items that have been returned or have a minor cosmetic defect.

Ive got a coffee machine but its not bean to cup

If I was buying a bean to cup then id get a ninja, heard very very good things about them https://ninjakitchen.co.uk/product/ninja-luxe-cafe-premier-espresso-machine-black-es601ukbk-zidES601UKBK

if you're not worried about bean to cup, then id get a casabrew for £100 as they are 20 bar, there are now 3 of us friends that have them as they don't take up much space and get really good espresso

https://www.delonghi.com/en-gb/p/la-specialista-arte-la-specialista-arte-evo-manual-espresso-maker-ec9255.m/EC9255.M.html?pid=0132126078

I have this one (or more specifically, the 2025 version of it), and I bloody love it. Prior to this, I had a Nespresso Creatista Plus and whilst it did the job, and my elderly Mum found it easy to use for her daily latte, I found the pods were just too weak for me. So when my dear Mum departed this life, so did the coffee machine.

I drink A LOT of coffee, I stick to decaf so I can have my 6+ cups a day without ending up on the ceiling. Try as I might, I couldn't find any decaf pods that were strong enough for my taste.

This machine is fab, I have managed to find a lovely decaf bean and can now have my coffee as strong as I want. I have only used the milk frother/steamer a couple of times for visitors, I drink my coffee black, but it works just fine and is quick to heat the milk up. It also has a cold press function and makes a delicious iced coffee.

If he is really keen on hogged, then it’s only fair to let him choose what kind of machine and accessories himself.

id give him a voucher for “the coffee machine of your choice” , show him your research and ask him if he has a preference. There are so.many.option, it would be amazing if what you picked really suited him and it’s an expensive mistake to make.

Get a bean to cup one they are so much better than the pod ones . We have a melitta one this one it’s 50% off now and best coffee better than Costa ones

www.argos.co.uk/product/9474479

I'm very happy with my de Longhi bean to cup, though it is an older model. I see in the Janusry Which report they make 4 of the Best Buys but I have not been through your model numbers yet.

I've adjust my fineness and strength to the max as I like a strong one.

Which best buys in order (best first) are

DeLonghi
Magnifica Plus ECAM320.60.B
£599

DeLonghi
Eletta Explore ECAM450.86.T
£854

Melitta
Purista F230-102
£275

DeLonghi
Nespresso Citiz & Milk Platinum EN330.M
£229

DeLonghi
Magnifica Start ECAM220.60.B
£393.94

I have an illy machine. You just use paper type pods. I love it

I have a gaggia espresso machine but if I were getting a bean to cup, I would go for Sage

I have a delonghi bean to cup, it’s the smart something or other. It’s amazing. Had one before for 10 years, used daily. You can grind beans or use decaf ground in the same machine. I got mine direct, had a great discount. Not tried the others sorry!

I have the Lavazza pod machine as well - the Desea. I love the passionale pods. As I only have two cups a day it's not hideously expensive and I check to see which supermarkets have deals then bulk buy the pods. There's probably a cheaper way. I like a cappuccino and it makes a really good one.

The beans quality makes a huge difference too- I recommend Notes (if you’re near London) or I get The Roasting Party- they make an incredible coffee. Oh, when I bought direct from delonghi, as well as a 40% reduction, they sent a huge box of double walled delonghi glasses, for capps, espresso and latte. No good for me as I like a 150 ml flat white- and this machine has a specific nozzle for micro foam. It’s also quieter and faster and uses less coffee beans to get the flavour. I love it 😍

Delonghi - had an older Magnifica bean to cup for maybe 15 years and when it broke replaced with a Magnifica Evo. We then paid about £100 for the old broken machine to be repaired by Delonghi and gave it to DS who has been using it with all of his student flatmates ever since. Amazing coffee. I'd sooner be without the washing machine than my coffee maker.

I have a Delonghi Magnifica Evo Next and it's the best thing I've ever bought. I love lattes and cappuccinos but couldn't be bothered with grinding and tamping and frothing. With the machines I top up beans periodically, add milk to the jug and press a button to get lovely coffee. I rinse the jug and straw after each use and put it in the dishwasher about once a week or so. Does make good 'normal' black coffee as well.

For beans I'd recommend Rave, great coffee and a lot of variety. To go off topic, they also make the best black tea bags I've ever tried.