people who know about coffee and coffee machines help me please!

[cheeryface]

im trying to choose a coffee machine for dh. i dont drink much coffee myself and im struggling.

i know he likes espresso and cappucinos .

i am confused as to where i buy the stuff to put in the machine, would i only get it online ? i am assuming these pod things are what u put in ?

or can i buy in the supermarket ?

can anyone help me puurlease ??

What about a caffetiere or neopolitana?

i think a machine would be more impressive ??
will be his crimbo present

Cappuccino does take some faffing with, if he is likely to bother with that, fine get him a cappuccino machine. Lots available from £20- £200. The thing to look for is the bar pump pressure. The highest being 15, that would be the best to get.

If he is not a faffer, get the Tassimo machine. They do all the work with the capsules. £90 ish .

espresso (and espresso derived drinks like latte and cappucino) machines come in 4 types.

1. Nespresso/Tassimo style machines which use a plastic carton of coffee. Appear to be simple to use, just switch on and push button. I've no idea of product quality or cost but you are shackled to that type of coffee pod.

2. Non-pump espresso machines. Uses the pressure of boiling water to push the water through the coffee. Needs finely ground coffee and will only make about 6 cups at a time before having to cool down to refill.

3. Pump Espresso machines (i.e. Gaggia). Uses an electric pump to push the water through the coffee. Also requires finely ground coffee. More expensive than (2) but longer lasting machine and better coffee at the end.

4. Bean-to-cup machines. Takes coffee beans and water and freshly grinds each time you press the button. Quite good and less messy than 2 or 3, but very expensive. Might be tricky to empty the bean hopper if you want to switch from normal to decaf regularly.

Personally I use a pump espresso machine with a seperate grinder and then buy beans from an on-line coffee company. That way I can make different strength or type (decaf etc) very easily.

For machine types 2 and 3 you need quite finely ground coffee for them to work properly, go for "proper" espresso type coffee e.g. Lavazza, Ily etc. (or get a grinder and buy beans.)

Yes you've guessed it I'm a coffee geek.

I'd get a little stovetop moka thing - they're cheap, and elegant, and make LOVELY espresso. No frothy milk though...

thanx tis helpful

We got a Krups £99 job from Nespresso 3 years' ago and it is superb. They have a promotion on at the moment (I think) where if you buy one you get a free Aerocino machine (worth £50) that heats and froths the milk. Their customer service is superb and whenever I order up the capsules they arrive the next day. Once the Aerocino machine broke and they gave us a brand new one, nmo questions asked.
The coffee machibne itself has not broken down once in three years and we make on average 4 coffees a day. Better than coffees from coffee shops and only 25 p a capsule. You can't go wrong!

Hmm, Tigerlion took the words right out of my mouth. We also have the Nespresso system and it is fab.

Don't get the Tassimo. The cappuccino is made with milk powder and tastes revolting.

It really depends how much coffee he drinks. The machines that take coffee beans or loose coffee (like Gaggia or Jura) are a bit more work as you have to empty the used coffee out. The capsules are extremely easy to use and great for making just a single cup.

tigerlion
You are not on another online forum are you? I have a friend with a similar name

Btw we have had 2 replacement Aerocinos free of charge. The second time our babysitter got the base really wet and they still exchanged it

moominpappa what is the difference between Illy black banded tin and Illy red banded ? Both say espresso, ground coffee.... I am stumped.

and cheery- see this thread for more threads on this topic!

Mme, not that I know of! I wonder if your friend is a Leo and born in the year of the Tiger as that is how I got my name!

Nespresso obviously won't go out of business - went to London the other day and saw George Clooney (advertising Nespresso) pasted absolutely everywhere plus on a full page ad in The Sunday Times.

Off to make a coffee now!

LOL no, she is named after her bunnies. Or they are named after her,not sure which way around it is

We got a fancy-scmancy coffee maker for a wedding present and hardly used it.

I love my neopolitana - the smell of the coffee, the bubbling sound... it really cheers you up in the morning. Get some fancy espresso cups to go with it. A real coffee-lovers present.

For EachPeachPearMum - the different Illy tins are different roasts, I think - the black banded one is their dark Arabica, and the red one their standard Arabica. HTH.

[Coffee Geek Emoticon]

Illy is good.

AH- thank you- why doesn't it say that on the tin how odd!
I think DH will become a coffee geek after his birthday....

So red is fine for espresso, and black is stronger espresso?

we have a great gaggia and dh and i became proper coffee geeks and now just use bog standard lavazza...

a good coffee machine (if i remember correctly) should have a high bar pressure and give your coffee 'crema'

you also want one that is easy to fill with water, not too big and straight forward!!

I bought my DH a nespresso machine for his birthday and he loves it, says its one of his best ever presents. Its far less hassle than cleaning a full on coffee machine and so we use it ALL THE TIME!!! Recommend it 100%, even without George Clooney. We also had no trouble getting the capsules delivered.

What about one of these
bialetti mukka

personally iw ould go for a stove top espresso maker stove top

They do a plug in stove top look alike and i use an aerolatte milk frother on that site aswell or lakeland.

another nespresso fan here...we started with a stove top,and still occassionally use it, but for ease of use matched with quality of coffee produced the nespresso systen is fab.

nespresso again

i also have a little stove top thingy, which i keep for emergencies, ie when i have left ordering coffee i until i've actually run out and have to make do for a while!
the main advantage for me of the nespresso over the stove top is the mess - i am the master at getting ground coffee absolutely everywhere!! nespresso = no mess at all, and wonderful coffee