Expresso/ coffee machine ?

[Samsung1122]

i wanted a nice sage bambino or express machine but realised it’s going to be to much faffing about in the morning ☺️ so I want to use already pregrounded coffee.

want to upgrade from my Delonghi dedica (10yrs old) any other suggestions what to buy ?

only really make an expresso

600£ budget

Espresso!
Try a pod machine? Nespresso?
Though the bean to cup ones make far better coffee, not much faffing really

Yh I had a pod one and not a fan, I’ve been on the sage page and lots of people said it’s hard to get the right grind and stuff (sounds complicated) our mornings with little ones are chaotic but we do love a good expresso.

We have the Sage Barista Impress Express and it’s awesome. It is bean to cup so the coffee is fresh and much better than pods, but it does a lot of the hard work for you in terms of the right grind, how much in the basket etc. It does take very slightly more work than a pod but hardly.

I’ve got a Sage Express Impress bean-to-cup which grinds the beans fresh for each cup, and dispenses the exact right amount for each shot. You can set it to manual if you want, but we keep it on automatic and it does everything for you, bar frothing the milk. I would replace it in a heartbeat if it broke. Check for refurbished/ex display models for good deals.

Does anyone have the Njnja and can comment on whether it’s better than a Sage? I’ve been eyeing them both for a while but can’t make a decision.

Our Delonghi magnifica has just died after nine years, so hopping on for suggestions.
Bean to cup is so easy and makes great coffee @Samsung1122 No interest in pods here either.

One of the Delongji bean to cup would suit you. Mine has the separate milk jug to live in the fridge. Certainly you get them for £600 or less on sale. I am the world's worst coffee snob but I make do with Taylor's Italian beans at home now! No faff.

Have a look at this site he reviews both (look under “Gear recommendations”)

I think his basic conclusion is that Sage is better for traditional espresso based coffee but Ninja can do more niche coffee drinks like cold pressed etc. but I’ve only skimmed the reviews

You could get a Sage bambino and use it with ESE pods? ESE pods are basically ground coffee in a ‘teabag equivalent’ that are individually sealed for freshness so you get decent espresso but zero mess. Illy make ESE pods and there are also quite a few good Italian specialists who offer ESE pods. Don’t let the word pod make you think it’s like Nespresso etc as it isn’t.

Using ESE pods will be the easiest for a ‘chaotic’ morning.

https://www.maxicoffee.com/en-gb/ese-pods-c-6_206_25.html

I have the ninja and it’s so easy to use - it has barista assist and helps get the right grind size (I’ve had a sage in the past and couldn’t deal with the hassle!)

@NeverHadHaveHas I use the ninja to make espresso, cold brews, lattes, cappuccinos etc. We get so many comments on how nice our coffees are when we make them for guests! If you’re good with coffee and like learning the sage would be good, personally I couldn’t get it quite right 80% of the time which was too high for me so we sold it and now have the ninja. I find the ninja works better for me (for coffee making I would say I have medium skills) and we tend to stick to 2/3 types of beans depending what’s available so we also know the grind sizes and basket sizes we need so it’s just smooth to use.

However my sister is a coffee snob and she loves the sage and can make it work for her, but she’s like barista level to me!

@NewYearNewMeethank you that’s really helpful. I’m so tempted!

Thank you all so much, I’m tempted to get the sage now but even the ninja looks and sounds really cool now (and easy to use) 😂

Wow these look really good, never heard of them ! Thank you

@Samsung1122 They’re actually very good. I used them when I was first starting out making espresso at home (with a Gaggia Classico). Definitely handy with zero mess.

Edit: these days I weigh my (roasted no longer than 6 weeks previously) beans out per espresso shot and grind them on demand so it’s a slippery slope…..but my coffee is outstanding. 😍

And what machine do you use ? The Gaggia Classico ? Do you grind them as you go or grind a bunch and then use when needed ?

These days I use a Profitec Go and a DF64 grinder.

I usually weigh beans out in advance and store in tubes (see photo) so it saves times on work days.

So every morning I switch my coffee machine on, grind one tube of beans, tip now ground coffee into my portafilter, use my WDT and tamp, make espresso. I may or may not steam milk (depends if I want a flat white or not). I actually find the whole process quite therapeutic and it only takes a few mins max.

In the past I’ve had various machines including a bean-to-cup Gaggia Titanium before I prefer a manual espresso machine and a good grinder as it gets the best results. I only have a small kitchen so the Profitec and DF64 are the best quality solution for my space available.