I want a change from instant coffee. I have inherited a couple of cafetiere, but they're a fiddle IMO - OK for the coffee connoisseur, but that's not me. I want something simpler. I'm thinking a coffee machine would suit - the sort you just put a little sachet or capsule or whatever into, and out comes proper coffee. When I'm in a Costa I usually have an Americano. I don't want it frothy or milky or messed about. There seem to be hundreds of machines on the market, so any recommendations please.
I've been round the houses on this, and ended up with a metal (because glass is easily broken) cafetiere and decent ground coffee. Makes a pretty good americano - much better than the capsule things IMHO.
I fully agree with you about the cafetiere - and I settled on a metal one too. It is double-walled so stays hot for quite a while. Not much different from making a pot of proper tea.
That is a very expensive way to have a coffee at home and you are tied to a particular brand of capsule.
I paid £10 in Tesco three years ago, for a filter coffee machine. You put the water in a tank, put the ground coffee in a rinsable/reusable filter. Switch on and the coffee floods into a jug, via the filter, where it is kept hot for a maximum of 20minutes before it switches off.
It makes great coffee, as good as the best I can buy in coffee shops and I get to be able to use a massive range of coffee quite cheaply. My regular ground coffee comes from Aldi or Lidl. The hotplate is beginning to rot, so its demise is imminent, but not a problem -I bought a complete spare.
Nespresso is low fuss and a good step up from instant, but only does espresso shots (which you are free of course to dilute). Volume of usable coffee is quite low (but you can quickly put a second capsule through). Cost per shot - around 30p
I've gone the other way and got a manual pump La Pavaroni which is serviceable by me (packet of rings and gaskets - about as much effort as a quick carb rebuild) and has zero electronics. And a good grinder. And a decent source of beans (we have a local roaster, but Union from Waitrose are very good too, better than most).
I can turn a proper espesso out from that with 2 minutes of effort and
10 minutes of warm up time and I now realise what weak tasteless crud some coffee chains turn out! Coffee taste is better than Nespresso.
If you want fully auto, the Heston bean to cup machines have good reviews at the expense of, well expense - and complexity.
I also have a Delonghi (Magnifica) and it makes fine coffee. Or at least it does when it works.
It is the most staggeringly unreliable machine I have ever come across (and I include several Alfa Romeos, a Phillips TV, a Triumph 2000 and Chinese capacitors in the list).
It has been apart so many times I can now get it into pieces in about
10 mins. Spares are plentiful except for the bits that break. It now on its 3rd heater assembly, 2nd solenoid valve (out of two - the spare for the one that's just failed is only available from China (£12 inc postage) or Australia (£25 plus the same again in postage) or from a German who charges £30 postage on top of £20 for the solenoid valve and takes payment only by bank transfer in Euro's which means bank fees and postage come to three times the price of the (small) spare.
The control board was replaced when it was destroyed by the infuser drive motor shorting out as it had water dripping on it from the top of the pump (placed exactly so that water dripping from the most highly stressed join in the machine would indeed drip right into the expensive motor.
The little spring fuckit clips which hold all the high pressure PTFE pipes in place cost £2.50 plus £4 postage for each one.
It leaks permanently, the milk container has three silicone rubber O rings where the steam pipe fits in which last about a month . Those are also £2.50 plus £4 postage EACH (or 50p a bag of 100 inc postage from AliExpress in China).
Problem is it does produce fine coffee quite quickly and if SWMBO doesn't get her coffee in the morning there will be terrible crimes committed.
I've had mine (cafe corso, but the difference between many models seems to be how much chrome or plastic they have) nearly 4 years ... I rinse out the brew unit, descale it, and grease it, other than that it makes coffee.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.