Help me find a coffee machine so that I am not embarrassed when I have guests!!!

[MsFogi]

We drink a LOT of tea but not coffee. I am becoming increasingly embarrassed when people come over to only offer them instant (or, at a push, cafetière coffee) so I'm going to get a coffee machine. I'm happy to spend a up to about £250 (obviously less would be better ), I want something that is pretty easy to use and not a massive faff to clean. So wise coffee-drinking-MNers can anyone suggest what I should get to be able to offer visitors a decent cup of coffee?

Definitely stick with the cafetiere. Unless your guests are massive foodie snobs they'll be perfectly happy with this. Also has the benefit that you can make multiple cups at once and bring it to the table while it brews which is more convenient for social situations. I just use Sainsbury's brand coffee and again, unless they're massive foodie snobs that's fine

Open new bag of coffee for your guests (if you are not using the coffee daily.) Let this be your expense.

This is the best top. Cafetière coffee is as good as it gets, I think.

(I would add that, having used both Aeropress and a stove top pot in the past - both are great but unless you want to impress serious coffee people a cafetiere is just as good, particularly for the full size mug of coffee that people are most likely to want)

….the best tip! Sorry…

I drink coffee strong and black, and find cafetière coffee perfectly fine. I certainly wouldn’t expect machine coffee at a non-coffee drinker’s house! The main problem I find with cafetière coffee is people make it too weak for my taste.

Nespresso made with the stronger roast pods is fine too if you really want a machine. I dislike stovetop Bialetti type machines, they always make the coffee taste burnt too me. Maybe I’m doing it wrong.

I strongly dislike instant and coffee bags are worst of all. Watery and tasteless.

Honestly though if I’m visiting a non-coffee drinker I’m just as happy with tea or wine!

For quick, easy and decent coffee you can't get better than Nespresso imo.

Lots of choice, tastes nice, no faff or mess. Obviously it's not a fresh ground coffee but it's so much easier and more convenient

I drink lattes but I’d be ok with cafetière coffee in a friends house.

£250 won’t get you much of a machine anyway for a coffee person, bean to cups start at £300. Your better off buying small quantities of high quality coffee & nice biscuits to go with it than an nespresso. My stove top moka works great and was £30 in John Lewis.

It’s the quality of the coffee that matters.

Another coffee “snob” here saying avoid the pods. I’d be more than happy with cafetière coffee but for what you want what about coffee bags? Same as tea bags so they work the same as a cafetière but in no mess individual portions. Keep them in the freezer to maintain freshness.

People who really care about coffee will appreciate a decent cafetière over an nespresso or other pod machine any day of the week. I find the pod machines reminiscent (in taste and just mechanics!) of vending machine coffee, and coffee shops never seem to have really good filter (always tastes acrid) so a good cafetière at home (or naice hotels are often good for a good cafetière) would get my vote any day

Reasons not to buy Nespresso
1 it's nestle
2 it's so wastefulness the Pods the cardboard etc
3 the coffee doesn't stay very hot

It's lovely you want to be a kind Host by having good coffee

Illy coffee is amazing
Also Lavazza

Oh I also like a Taylor's coffee bag for one off too

I have a coffee machine (DH was a coffee snob) but it's such a faff if you're making more than 1 or 2 cups that I always give guests instant anyway

I drink gallons of coffee and prefer a french press. I find machines too faffy and I don’t want to look after and clean them. I have an aeropress but I always make a mess with it. We drink Aldi coffee at work and I buy either Taylor’s, cafe direct or lavazza (?) for home, sometimes mixing in a bag of Aldi or bm bargains cheapo stuff if I’m especially skint.
If you are willing to spend £250 on a machine for a drink you don’t drink then opening a new packet of coffee for guests may be an option for you but good storage in an airtight jar in the cold will mean you can get away with being less wasteful. I would rather have a french press coffee (or instant tbh) than something from a little used machine with lord knows what hanging around the pipes for weeks on end.

I have a coffee machine (DH was a coffee snob)

Given that machine coffee is worse than either filter coffee or cafetiere coffee, this statement perplexes me. I guess coffee snob could mean two things:

• Someone who is very picky about the flavour, temperature etc of their coffee
• Someone who wants to appear to be a coffee connoisseur by making coffee in the most expensive way

@CSJobseeker

I have a coffee machine (DH was a coffee snob)

Given that machine coffee is worse than either filter coffee or cafetiere coffee, this statement perplexes me. I guess coffee snob could mean two things:

• Someone who is very picky about the flavour, temperature etc of their coffee
• Someone who wants to appear to be a coffee connoisseur by making coffee in the most expensive way

A proper coffee thing like they use in coffee shops, not pods?

Anyway I've no idea about coffee but he was very particular. I never thought to ask his reasons.

Nespresso coffee is very good actually. There's a weird anti-Nespresso snobbery on MN as with many other things.

Cafetière coffee is OK but it won't ever be as nice as coffee that has been made under high pressure to create a crema foam on top.

However, if you don't drink coffee yourself, buying a machine just for guests isn't really necessary.

Cafetiere coffee is 👍 👍 👍

Does Nespresso froth the milk for you too or do you have to froth your own milk still for a cappuccino or macchiato?

Surely this is a joke? You'd spend your to £250 on something just for guests because you are embarrassed??

As a coffee drinker I'd say a cafetiere is absolutely fine, although I'm happy with instant too. However I'll equally happily have tea if I know the person isn't a coffee drinker because tea is better than coffee that they have had for months!!

If you're looking at pods - Dolce Gusto - plus the pods are recyclable and bags to return for free are provided by the company. They do take compatible pods including ones you can refill. Also do tea, chocolate, hot and cold. It also froths the milk pods so you can have frothy drinks.

If you want to use ground coffee you can use an Aeropress, stove top, cafiettire, filter to cup. I switch between Illy, Lavazza and Whittards.

For the kettle Dowre Egberts, illy, Lavazza or Carte Noire.

If you're not a coffee drinker I wouldn't expect anything but instant tbh. Although I usually take some with me knowing they don't drink the stuff.

I would just offer instant. I actually don't like filter coffee. I don't think it's worth your effort to get ground coffee and keeping it fresh just for guests. I would feel bad you go to all the effort of using a caffetiere for me when it's not really my cup of tea. (If you a coffee drinker and use caffetiere all the time, then it's different).

@Kippersfortea I have a milk frother. Nespresso makes espresso coffee. You need to have a milk frother for latte or cappuccino. I also have monin coffee syrup at home.

So it just makes espresso? I would pay for a machine that made the milk too otherwise stick with a cafetière I think.

Thanks though @ChildrenGrowingUpTooFast

If you're looking for something that you can make nice milky coffee with, this Lavazza a moda mood milk heater is brilliant:

www.johnlewis.com/lavazza-a-modo-mio-milkeasy-milk-frother/p3443499?sku=237222245&s_ppc=2dx92700063981465975&tmad=c&tmcampid=2&gclid=CjwKCAiAqIKNBhAIEiwAu_ZLDk7nWHuUaDE3j2i5963Qho2IFYAnDOd_fLvHUNwMYkObmcHn6p_OdBoCH9kQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I use mine with a bit of instant in hot water and it definitely feels like an upgrade. You can use it with other non-cows milk options as well, like barista style oat milk, and it's super easy to wash out with no nozzles or fiddly bits. The inside parts and lid can go in the dishwasher.