Coffee Machine?

[Jeff Le Taxi]

Having just got into coffee, at the age of 44! probably with the rise of decent coffee shops in the High Street, i now wish to have nice fresh coffee at home but not sure how to go about it, is it a percolator i need? i want hot fresh coffee on tap but hate instant.

[Essruu]

Yes, just get a percolator and buy your own choice of coffee beans. We've been through all sorts of coffee machines from Senseo to Dolce Gusto, Krupps etc etc and still stick with the percolator. Unless you're going to spend £1000+ on a proper machine, learn some barrista skills and want to take 5-10mins crafting each cup, it's the best way. All of the machines that take pods, capsules or whatever are a waste of time and money and the novelty of them soon wears off when you realise how limited the choice of coffee is and how expensive the pods work out to be.

 

If you get a percolator and also use Starbucks, get a Starbucks Card (you pre-load it with whatever amounts you want and use it like a pre-paid credit card and spend in any Starbucks store.) This gives other benefits like free WiFi, extra shots and syrups, £1 filter coffees (unlimited refills!), but the best thing is: Buy a packet of their coffee beans and you get a free crafted drink of your choice. Well worth it if you drink their coffee anyway. If you're as frugal as me, you'll quickly end up with a cupboard full of coffee beans at home and then only drink their £1 filters until your stock goes down!

 

Buying beans and buying an electric grinder to grind at home keeps the coffee fresher: but Starbucks will grind the coffee and reseal the bag if you want.

[Jeff Le Taxi]

Cheers Ess, but what actual machine do i buy? i want one with a hotplate and a glass jug so theres always hot coffee with minimal effort, what do you use? does it need filters etc?

[Raging Bull]

You cannot beat the smell and taste of proper coffee first thing when you taste buds have been in starvation all night, one of the best smells in the world, instant sh!t just wouldnt ever cut it!

 

You could spent all year trying different types and not try the same one twice, it's great.

[Jeff Le Taxi]

Dont Starbucks themselves sell one iirc?

[saintbletch]

Well how much do you want to spend Jeff Le Taxi? That determines everything.

 

I have the equivalent of the De'Longhi Magnifica ESAM4200 but it is slightly older. It has been absolutely fantastic. I can't recommend it highly enough.

 

I don't agree with Essruu about a percolator (that is if I understand that a percolator pumps hot water onto the coffee and allows it to drain through). Unless the water is forced through the coffee grinds under pressure you don't release the oils needed to make the crema (the rich tasting, golden brown 'foam' that sits on top of the coffee before you drink/add milk) and the coffee isn't as intense. An espresso machine is required to force the hot water through the grinds and that usually makes the coffee stronger and more distinctive. If you're used to high street coffee shops then it will likely be espresso coffee you've had in you latte, mocha, cappuccino, etc.

 

Then the next question is whether you want to grind your own beans. If so then you can get machines with built in grinders or, as Essruu says you can get separate grinders or buy ground coffee. For me grinding the beans is the best way although depending on how quickly you use your beans and therefore how old they get, they can taste a little stale when ground. Ground coffee seems to last longer in the cupboard to me. But then again perhaps that's because the beans taste so much fresher to start with. The machine I have has a build in grinder.

 

Then you need to decide if you like steamed milk - cappuccino, etc. You can get machines that will do that for you too. The machine I have does this.

 

To be honest it takes me 1 minute 20 to make a cup of perfect coffee. I put the milk in the microwave, pour some beans into the holder, press the button and within 1:20 I am drinking the coffee.

 

Oh and one final point. it's Costa Coffee for me so I buy the beans in a tin from there - not Starbucks. ;-)

Edited 26 September, 2011 by saintbletch

[mdearlove]

If you are buying a coffee machine it doesn't really make much difference which you buy - they all work in the same way. The important factor is the coffee itself. Alternatively get a caffetiere (French Press) and make small volumes at a time. If you make a full jug and leave it on the element all day it will gradually taste worse and worse

[mdearlove]

Should have said in the above post - Percolator - the drip style - they are all the same. There is a huge difference when you start talking espresso machines!

[miserableoldgit]

If you don`t want to spend too much, we have found the Tassimo machine by Bosch to be very good. It uses the pod system and it very simple to operate and the selection of available coffee (plus teas and hot chocolates) is very good.

http://www.tassimo.co.uk/discover/886

[Jeff Le Taxi]

I always have black americano from Starbucks or Costa, also like black coffee from McDonalds who use some kind of arabica bean or something, i want this kind of coffee in a jug which is kept hot so i can have coffee at a moments notice.

[bridge too far]

We're coffee maniacs and we've tried a number of percolators / heat on stove methods over the years. We've had a Dolce Gusto machine for about two years now and absolutely love it. It's a pod system and it delivers the most consistent quality.

 

It's got a good variety of pods (including iced coffee - the nearest we've ever found to our favourite iced coffee from a cafe at the foot of the Acropolis) and great if, like us, you like strong coffee.

[norwaysaint]

I love coffee, but I can't help but laugh at the current way people are being taken in by companies trying to make money out of something simple. These cartridge machines are a pretty transparent con, making you have to go back and buy cartridges regularly for coffee? it's ****ing simple to make an excellent cup of proper coffee, basically with a kettle, a filter paper and a plastic filter paper holder, or one of the simple drip machines if you have to. Obviously they make **** all money out of people doing that, so they've finally devised a machine where you have to keep going back and paying them for something and people are so desperate for the next gadget, they're actually stupid enough to buy them.

 

All you need for perfect coffee is a bag of good coffee, a filter paper and a way to drip freshly boiled water through it. No mess, no fuss and no stupid cartridges. Don't over-complicate something so easy just because Nestle or whoever say you have to, they might just have a vested interest in it.

[Jeff Le Taxi]

Let me have my gadgets!!

[Essruu]

Jeff, from what you say, you want a PERCOLATOR.

 

Seriously, ignore everyone suggesting any pod machine: it's more expensive to buy the pods, you're limited to that company's range of coffee and any that produce latte, cappuccino or any with the milk already in are horrible sweet fake milk.

 

The De Longhi machine that saintbletch recommends is an ideal starter machine for any budding barrista, but ask him why he does his milk in the microwave and not by using the steaming arm! It's a pain in the arse to use different frothing techniques as is required to make lattes different from cappuccinos etc. Also, if you want to make, say, 5 or 6 cups if you have a few friends/family round, to make proper crafted cups with proper froth, you'll be in the kitchen for ages and the first person will have drunk their cup before the last one is made!

 

Also, whilst there are technical reasons for the water being forced through the coffee as opposed to dripped through: you're better off having it dripped through a blend you like than forced through blends that you don't!

 

The coffee you describe you like is what you'll get from a percolator. It doesn't really matter what one you get, but get one with a built in filter as opposed to having to use filter papers (most are these days). The one I use also has a timer so that it can be set to start making a jug 5mins before my alarm goes off in the mornings, meaning one or two cups and enough to fill a flask to take out in the cab.

[buctootim]

I always have black americano from Starbucks or Costa, also like black coffee from McDonalds who use some kind of arabica bean or something, i want this kind of coffee in a jug which is kept hot so i can have coffee at a moments notice.

 

Those are good cheap machines that last. Make sure you buy one which doesnt switch itself off after 10 miniutes or so, most of them do that now.

[dubai_phil]

Kettle

 

Coffee

 

Cafetiere

 

Saves a fortune, is a lot quicker and easier to clean

 

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_press

Because the coffee grounds remain in direct contact with the brewing water and the grounds are filtered from the water via a mesh instead of a paper filter, coffee brewed with the French press captures more of the coffee's flavour and essential oils, which would become trapped in a traditional drip brew machine's paper filters

[saintbletch]

As Essruu says Jeff Le Taxi, from what you say you want - coffee on tap - then a percolator or filter machine would be ideal.

 

But, as you drink Americano (which is water-diluted espresso) then be aware that the taste will be different in a percolator. Milder at first but then increasingly stronger (and sweeter / more bitter) the longer you leave it on the heat. To my taste-buds the McDonalds coffee you say you have is the one you'll get from a percolator. But better if you use superior beans. You'll also be able to drink more coffee in a day from a percolator/filter machine. I can only have two cups of double expresso in a day max or I'm totally wired.

 

As for why I'd use the microwave Essruu, you're right it's a hassle to use the machine to warm a small drop of milk. But, my wife and son have cappuccino and that turns out wonderful. And to clean up you just have to push a small amount of steam through the milk frother to expel any milk residue, wipe the outer nozzle with a cloth and wash the milk container. It's more hassle then I need for warm milk. But if we're about avoiding hassle then someone should invent a way of freeze-drying the coffee so that it can be reconstituted with hot water when it's needed. Oh,..

[Doctoroncall]

Tackle it stage by stage is my advice. Get yourself a cafetiere, if nothing else to find the coffee you like (but don't leave it in it, pour it out for later). If you like starbucks/costa coffee they sell it in there stores and you can get it ground when you buy, then you can move up to a filter and then espresso machine.

 

I have the equivalent of the De'Longhi Magnifica ESAM4200 but it is slightly older. It has been absolutely fantastic. I can't recommend it highly enough.

 

I agree, I have a Magnifica machine and I'm not really a big coffee drinker, but I do like a good espresso now and again.

Edited 26 September, 2011 by Doctoroncall
ergh!

[hutch]

We've been using a Saeco Royal for a few years. The coffee is fantastic.

 

Put beans in one hopper and fresh cold water in the other, and push a button. It grinds the beans for each cup, and heats the water, and forces it through under pressure. Almost infinately adjustable for amount of water (espresso/americano), coarseness of grind, etc. Also has the option to hook up a container of fresh milk for cappuccino or latte. And it also has a separate dispenser where you can add pre-ground coffee for decaff, etc.

 

I am fortunate that I travel regularly in East Africa, and can bring back beans from places such as Kenya and Ethiopia. I'm sure you all know that coffee was discovered in Ethiopia. You can buy "green" beans in Ethiopia and roast them yourself.

[maddog]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00004RFRU/ref=asc_df_B00004RFRU4568957?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B00004RFRU

 

That is all you need!

[Thedelldays]

Lads at work have something called a tasimo

[CB Saint]

I have a delonghi prima donna - this is a bean to cup that can do cappacino and layered lattes as well as normale black coffe and espresso. It will even turn itself on so that all you have to do is push a button when you get downstairs in the morning. It is quite simply the best gadget I have ever bought bar none. Downside is that it costs a lot, but saying that it has probably got the best cost per use ratio than anything else in my kitchen.

 

As for beans, rubbish in / rubbish out. You could do no worse than to check out www.hasbean.co.uk - the best range of coffees I have found and they taste amazing. They roast to order and deliver next day in whole bean or any grind that you wish. They even do green beans if you fancy roasting them yourself.

[SO16_Saint]

For an instant, the Kenco Millicano is a really good option.

 

Quite expensive for the size of tin at £4 for 100g.

[Jonnyboy]

You cannot beat the smell and taste of proper coffee first thing when you taste buds have been in starvation all night, one of the best smells in the world, instant sh!t just wouldnt ever cut it!

 

You could spent all year trying different types and not try the same one twice, it's great.

 

I feel the same way about alcohol :-)

[1976_Child]

Coffee is for the rich. And gays.

 

Ponsie office 'workers' drink coffee. Real workers drink tea.

[hamster]

Is it true that keeping your coffee in the freezer maintains the flavour?

 

Personally, mrs h and i like ours strong from a cafetiere (sp), and our current brew is one in a big bucket bought from the Poundland for a pound.

 

I add that I love Nescafe but a decent cup boils down to the procedure followed - coffee in cup, milk in cup, stir vigorously, add boiled water (allowed to cool for about 1 minute) stirring all the time. This method works to improve many lesser brands too btw. I heard that this happens as instant coffee is a 'solution' whereas beans, and tea for that matter, are 'infusions', an solution is aided by the hotter water but the coffee can be burnt hence letting the water cool a tad. hth.

 

Mrs b, I agree re mac d coffee, it's loverly stuff.

[John Boy Saint]

I have a Bialetti stove top coffee pot which when the water boils is forced through the ground coffee into the chamber at the top, so a simple Percolator. The only downside is that the coffe gets scalded by the boiling water which makes it a tad bitter. That said stick some Tesco finest Java & Sumatra ground coffee through there in a decent quantity and its quite Narcotic.

I also have a French Press which is quietly civilised and is like a good pot of tea brewing on the table. Like a teapot a cosy is advised if you want 2nds from the same pot.

Ideally I would like a Bean to cup machine like a Saeco or something of that quality, but getting Mrs JBS to buy into the idea is like pushing water up hill. So in the interim thanks to a rates for mates deal I have a Nespresso with the frothy milk do da, quick simple programmable, unless you are a total coffee buff the choices are limited to 16 "Cru's" and 28p to 33p a cup is probably a bit steep v Jar coffee: but the crema on the top certainly is a good sign that there is something right about the system............ and the Ristretto certainly hits the spot of a morning.

[Dark Munster]

Coffee is for the rich. And gays.

 

Ponsie office 'workers' drink coffee. Real workers drink tea.

 

[SO16_Saint]

just seen this link on t'internet:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330632116486?item=330632116486

[Petersfield Saint]

Kettle

 

Coffee

 

Cafetiere

 

Saves a fortune, is a lot quicker and easier to clean

 

Good advice from Essruu and saintbletch but I agree with dubai_phil - coffee in the time it takes to boil a kettle and you can get a cafetiere from the likes of IKEA for as little as 3 or 4 quid. If you really want a percolator then just get a cheap, nasty Argos special but with a built-in filter and not papers. That's what we use at work; the coffee's absolutely stewed by lunchtime though!

[sebastian firefly]

as an addicted espresso drinker myself i would get a gaggia machine, a burr grinder like a dualit, buy beans and grind small amounts as and when

i use bottled water as it doesnt fur up the machine but you can buy specific descaler for espresso macines

i refuse now to use costa never been in ****e****s and only use nero under protest

being in london a lot im spoilt for choice from many small outlets cafes etc

my current favorite is cafe maderia cornwall rd at back of waterloo staion espresso and custard tart for £1.90

heaven

[SNSUN]

I am nigh on addicted to coffee, the stronger the better, and love my Americanos from Costa or wherever. Where I work, we have a Nero, and while their coffee isn't so good, I was regularly visiting them to get my caffeine fix. Some days I was going there three times a day - and while we get discount, it still adds up to a LOT of money.

 

Now, I make a flask of coffee at home in the morning (or afternoon dependent on shift) using my Krupps filter coffee machine, and take that in. The flask keeps it hot for about six hours and it's lovely coffee. My mum shops at Costco, and she supplies me with the filter papers and a massive tin of Columbian filter coffee, which costs about £11 and lasts for ages.

 

Ironically, when I moved in with my missus three years ago, my mum gave me this Krupps coffee machine (that also makes Espresso barista style) that she'd had for a while, and went out and bought a very expensive replacement that grinds its own beans as well as making the coffee, (Cuisinart I think, although it doesn't make Espresso), and both parents maintain that the coffee it makes isn't as good as the machine they gave me. (Probably explains the number of times they visit...)

 

It looks a bit like this, but it a lot older, dirtier (now!) and the other way around:

 

 

[Liquidshokk]

Anyone else keep their coffee in the fridge? I always have done but not sure if it's of benefit..

 

I use a cafetiere for a quick coffee and a stove top bioletti coffee maker when I have guests... (my guests get leave my place totally wired!!)

[SNSUN]

Anyone else keep their coffee in the fridge? I always have done but not sure if it's of benefit..

 

I use a cafetiere for a quick coffee and a stove top bioletti coffee maker when I have guests... (my guests get leave my place totally wired!!)

 

I do, though I'm not sure why - I just always have.

[bridge too far]

Anyone else keep their coffee in the fridge? I always have done but not sure if it's of benefit..

 

I use a cafetiere for a quick coffee and a stove top bioletti coffee maker when I have guests... (my guests get leave my place totally wired!!)

 

We do - someone once told me it's the best thing to do.

[sambosa75]

Hot drinks are for wimps. Never tried one I like.

[LGTL]

Hot drinks are for wimps. Never tried one I like.

 

+1..

[Petersfield Saint]

Anyone else keep their coffee in the fridge? I always have done but not sure if it's of benefit..

 

I use a cafetiere for a quick coffee and a stove top bioletti coffee maker when I have guests... (my guests get leave my place totally wired!!)

 

I do, though I'm not sure why - I just always have.

 

We do - someone once told me it's the best thing to do.

 

We do at work, I don't at home - never noticed any difference - do keep it in a sealed tin at home though

[trousers]

I've had a Gaggia Classic for many years now. Perfect espresso coffee every time. Fairly pricey though (c.£250 rings a bell)

 

 

http://www.gaggia.com/index.asp

Edited 28 October, 2011 by trousers

[Dog]

I bet Essruu drinks Camp in a glass.

[trousers]

[Whitey Grandad]

Does anyone know where I can get Jamaican Blue Mountain?

[egg]

Does anyone know where I can get Jamaican Blue Mountain?

 

 

The place in Lyndhurst on the corner by the car park and ciu club. Do loads of others too at a decent price.

[Whitey Grandad]

The place in Lyndhurst on the corner by the car park and ciu club. Do loads of others too at a decent price.

 

Thanks, I'll give them a go.

[timebomb]

Does anyone know where I can get Jamaican Blue Mountain?

 

Whittards - loads of shops about or online.

Just been given 125grams - £18!

[timebomb]

The place in Lyndhurst on the corner by the car park and ciu club. Do loads of others too at a decent price.

 

Civit coffee is very nice, very smooth!

http://www.whittard.co.uk/coffee/kopi_luwak_coffee_-_web_exclusive.htm

[Jonnyboy]

Jeff, from what you say, you want a PERCOLATOR.

 

Seriously, ignore everyone suggesting any pod machine: it's more expensive to buy the pods, you're limited to that company's range of coffee and any that produce latte, cappuccino or any with the milk already in are horrible sweet fake milk.

 

The De Longhi machine that saintbletch recommends is an ideal starter machine for any budding barrista, but ask him why he does his milk in the microwave and not by using the steaming arm! It's a pain in the arse to use different frothing techniques as is required to make lattes different from cappuccinos etc. Also, if you want to make, say, 5 or 6 cups if you have a few friends/family round, to make proper crafted cups with proper froth, you'll be in the kitchen for ages and the first person will have drunk their cup before the last one is made!

 

Also, whilst there are technical reasons for the water being forced through the coffee as opposed to dripped through: you're better off having it dripped through a blend you like than forced through blends that you don't!

 

The coffee you describe you like is what you'll get from a percolator. It doesn't really matter what one you get, but get one with a built in filter as opposed to having to use filter papers (most are these days). The one I use also has a timer so that it can be set to start making a jug 5mins before my alarm goes off in the mornings, meaning one or two cups and enough to fill a flask to take out in the cab.

 

Sorry, just laughing at Apples biggest fan telling you not to get roped into one company's way of doing things

[Essruu]

Sorry, just laughing at Apples biggest fan telling you not to get roped into one company's way of doing things

 

He wanted to replicate the type of coffee he was getting at McDonalds, which is filtered coffee. He therefore only needed a cheap and cheerful plastic machine; not an all-singing, all-dancing high quality bean to cup machine that would last a lifetime.

 

Therein lies the Windows/Android : Mac/iOS comparison that you do desperately crave. You muppet.

[Jonnyboy]

He wanted to replicate the type of coffee he was getting at McDonalds, which is filtered coffee. He therefore only needed a cheap and cheerful plastic machine; not an all-singing, all-dancing high quality bean to cup machine that would last a lifetime.

 

Therein lies the Windows/Android : Mac/iOS comparison that you do desperately crave. You muppet.

 

Seriously, ignore everyone suggesting any pod machine: it's more expensive to buy the pods, you're limited to that company's range of coffee

[Pugwash]

Has anyone ever tried one of these:

 

http://www.creamsupplies.co.uk/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=1203

 

Thought it might be an idea for the office or out on site?