Coffee lovers - help me choose a machine!
I enjoy a coffee - I treat myself to one cup a day, first thing in the morning, and I love it. That said, I know absolutely nothing about what is considered good or bad...
My wife treated me to a basic Dolce Gusto pod device that lasted just over a year before it self-destructed and I'm back now to a kettle and a jar of Kenco. I'm sure there's a better way to enjoy a nice brew?
I've started looking but the choice and variety is absolutely mind-blowing. Tassimo, Lavazza, Dolce Gusto, Nespresso... Filter coffee, bean-to-cup - milk-frothers!? The sheer volume of choice just makes me itch!
So, wise forum, help me decide. My preference is a latte; I enjoy a strong-flavoured, frothy coffee.
I suspect I'd like the convenience of a pod-based machine but am I missing out on a quality cup by doing so? Also I don't want to spend the earth - some of the bean-to-cup setups are eye-wateringly expensive.
Coffee lovers - help me choose a machine!
Lots of great advice here. The key question is do you want an espresso or just a good decent mug of coffee
A pod based machine will never be beaten for convenience but the pay off is in lower quality and flavour compared to a bead to cup or Drip filter such as a V60 set. In my experience, I would say the Nespresso is most likely the best of the bunch of pod machines and stick with the original rather than the Vertuo which seems to foam up your coffee rather than develop a crema.
However, if you want quality and are willing to put some time (plan around 5-7mins) into your morning cuppa then a Drip filter like the V60, Chemex, an aeropress or even a good French press will give you a better cup of coffee. The key here is freshly ground beans are the best and so a decent grinder is essential to get the best of the best. Of course, none of these will give you an espresso.
Coffee is a massive rabbit hole and I would recommend watching James Hoffmann on YouTube as he explains the different methods of coffeee brewing including Nespresso and reviews many pieces of equipment. He is a great starting place.
Below is an example of a quick and dirty cup
coffee with my V60 set up
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More usually brewed into a server with a ratio of 15:1 water to beans.
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Coffee lovers - help me choose a machine!
Edit. The following will not suit the OP wanting espresso coffee with milk. But for filter coffee, the following is a good start.
Aero press
Good quality beans (for filter not espresso roast) eg from Square Mile
Wilda grinder
Poor over kettle with narrow spout and temp adjuster
No need for frother as filter coffee is better without milk
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Coffee lovers - help me choose a machine!
I have always loved coffee and arguably drink far too much. For years I was a Nespresso fan, they were quick, clean, easy and made pretty good coffee, I recently bought a Delonghi Magnifica bean to cup machine from this very forum and it has been superb and makes great coffee. Recently we had a power cut due to a faulty sub station supply so resorted to my 25 year old Moka pot which I bought in Italy for around 12,000 lira if my memory serves me well (c.£4), stuck it on the gas stove and was amazed by how good it was. A bit more faff but you cannot go far wrong tbh.
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Coffee lovers - help me choose a machine!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mj2k
Looks a great set up there, but surprised to see a Vertuo (or whatever the large capsule Nespresso is), as I found it the worst coffee is ever tasted & the ‘sea foam’ on top was vile. Gave it away & as you say, the original one makes a better cup from the 2 choices.
No you are right. I brought this to replace my Citz right at the beginning of lockdown and before I fell down the hole as I was using 2 capsules to get a large coffee and thought the Vertuo might be a good option. I didn’t realise it just foams the coffee rather develop a crema via pressure. If you stir the coffee then that helps and actually makes the coffee taste better but I would not buy one again. I just keep it on when I need a quick coffee or wish an espresso like shot for martinis!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mj2k
Question with the V60 into the serving receptacle, does this get warmed first, as otherwise you have cold receptacle and then cold cup, so twice the cooling.
Yes it is warmed as I rinse the filter with hot water before any the coffee grounds. The excess water warms the server nicely. I then throw this water away before doing my pour. I use a 2 cup server and find that my coffee stays nicely warm for around 40+ mins. Another bonus for me is that as the second cup is much cooler than the first, I find the flavour profile changes with more fruits coming out and so I get 2 differing coffees for the sake making no one. If you get my meaning!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mj2k
I’ve never researched coffee but have seen friends go down said rabbit hole, and what to avoid it!
It is a constant battle not to get an aeropress, a chemex or even more exciting a Japanese style siphon coffee maker. My wife tries to keeps me grounded. However, I have invested in pouring kettles, grinders, French presses, vacuum coffee canisters, scales, cups, cold brewers. Plus I now only get my beans from a speciality Roaster which are never older than 5 days from roasting. So my cost to cup is higher than the Nespresso! [emoji1]
Coffee lovers - help me choose a machine!
I had one of those for several years and it worked fine. It might have been Krupps branded from memory. I didn’t get great results from the steamer/foamer so bought a separate Dualit milk foamer from John Lewis for less than £50 and it makes great foam. I reckon Cravendale milk foams best.
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