coffee maker advice - don't want a pod thing though...

[MaryAnnSingleton]

nice,interestingly designed coffee maker required, one that looks good and will fill the room with lovely coffee aroma..any ideas ?

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The best and only way to make good coffee is with a simple cafettiere. I agree with you about pod things. I had one for Christmas a year ago. Have given up on it as coffee is watery.

DH uses one of those plastic things that is the shape of a coffee filter paper and sits directly on top of the cup. Tastes much better than anything out of a filter coffee machine, mainly because it is hotter.

Or as jangly suggested - cafetiere.

I am obviously common as muck, because I prefer instant.

V popular here are those e.g. Saeco automatic machines which cost ca. 500 euros but they make lukewarm coffee imo.

H bought a pad thing (Senseo?) but I told him to take it to work, foul weak lukewarm.

I've gone down in technology. Bodum grinder & cafetiere, just grind & boil kettle for fresh, hot luvverly aroma...

This is a good article www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A592832

Boring but fast, small and easy to clean is an old fashioned filter. As in filter, filter paper, glass jug. Makes very nice coffee when you don't want espresso. For espresso, has to be a traditional stove top every time. Gawd, I'm old fashioned .

i bought dh this one for xmas. we love it. great GREAT coffee. comes with 18 Illy pod things but you don't have to use those - we don't - we take them out of the paper and use the coffee on its own as we also find they make it a bit watery. Regular espresso ground coffee works brilliantly. I am still a great fan of the humble cafetiere if making coffee for a few people at the same time but if you want a quick shot of something strong with great crema this machine is totally fab

thanks all ! this is for use in a small art studio...at home I always use my espresso pots on the stove and it makes the best coffee ever and the nicest aroma - see the smell is one of the essential things for me

I have a Gaggia and I love it.

I have a Bodum electric espresso maker in my shed studio, looks good, smells good but only drinkable not brilliant espresso. Dinky though.

Just filter, or espresso too? We have a filter/espresso/capuccino one from Krupps which is very good, but I bought my brother a Braun ordinary filter one for Christmas which I'd read good reviews for.

QS - now that looks pretty fab

oooh yes, I have a Red Evolution Gaggia and it is wonderful, looks great, easy to clean and use, makes very good coffee. I don't use anything else now, even if I have lots of coffees to make when we have people over.

gaggia titanium mucho££££ but has been used every day for the last 3 years.

Best advice get a - bean to cup - machine.
pour beans in the top, press button and hot fresh coffee in cup, to your desired strength...easy.

I always wonder if i could get the pod refills in 2/3/4 years time.

A built in Miele one - although you need a serious budget it is definitely worth it. All my friends now want one too. It does hot water, froths milk and uses ground coffee or more usually you just fill it with a couple of bags of beans and it grinds and makes espresso, ordinary coffee, cappuccino etc My DD uses it to make fab hot chocs too and babycino for her and her friends. Fab thing! Get a warming drawer to go underneath it so your coffee cups are toasty and your life will be complete (oh how sad am I?)

Ah, sorry didn't read your thread properly. Meile built in not a great idea for a small art studio. In that case I'd just get a nice big cafitiere and some lovely coffee, boil the kettle and its pretty much perfect!

I assume it's you?

MAS- I got DH this for his birthday in december- he LOVES it!

bean-to-cups are v v expensivo!

Oh- you can use pods in it too, but we haven't.

oooh,that's nice too eachpeach !! I could buy a separate grinder... I remember my American cousins buying one for mum when I was younger as they were so appalled by our using coffee bags for coffee - they must've been revolting, but in those days coffee was something we Brits had no clue about.

I just got a regular Braun filter coffee maker when I first moved to the UK, because I need real coffee and not instant crap or pods or that.

I buy coffee by the bag of beans which I store in the freezer once it's opened and grind in a grinder as needed. The grinder's good for grinding nuts, too!

I have a large Starbuck's mug for my morning java and I need at least one of those before I'm officially awake.

I really can't drink instant coffee anymore, though if given it at someone else's house I'll drink it..

i'll take tea before i take instant coffee.

that stuff is just an affront to coffee.

I have a Gaggia Classic and love it. Worth every penny (and can recommend this company - great customer service). You can also get reconditioned ones from Gaggia.

We've just got a Dualit expresso machine which takes normal expresso coffee and pods. Makes lovely coffee.

Finding it difficult to get pods to fit it though!

was looking at a Dualit one too