Coffee Machines at home

Prestwich_Blue said:
I've got the Sage Barista Pro but if I was starting again I'd probably go for the Bambino Espresso and a separate grinder. Once you get the hang of it, you'll get a far better cup of coffee than anything you get in a shop.

Check out this guy: https://www.cworks.co.uk/ His name is Kev Lewis and he reviews loads of gear on YouTube. I get my beans from him plus he usually has good discount codes if you want to buy a machine.

I posted his retail site but the poster above has just posted Kev's blog.
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Another vote for the Sage Bambino (or a Gaggia classic) and a separate grinder.

Probably need to spend a minimum of £250-300 on a single-dose grinder capable of espresso grind.

With a bit of effort you can get yourself a really decent cup of coffee.
 
Trevor Morley's Tache said:
Another vote for the Sage Bambino (or a Gaggia classic) and a separate grinder.

Probably need to spend a minimum of £250-300 on a single-dose grinder capable of espresso grind.

With a bit of effort you can get yourself a really decent cup of coffee.
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The Sage Smart Grinder Pro is £210 full price and you can get a 15% discount code for that, taking it down to just under £180.

The Bambino Plus is £400 full price, so £340 with the discount. If you don't want the auto-milk facility on the Plus then the Bambino is around £320, making it £272 with the discount code. That's a very decent setup for £450. I'd also recommend a milk jug with a temperature-gauge, a tamper that will give you an accurate tamp, and a decent set of scales.
 
Prestwich_Blue said:
The Sage Smart Grinder Pro is £210 full price and you can get a 15% discount code for that, taking it down to just under £180.

The Bambino Plus is £400 full price, so £340 with the discount. If you don't want the auto-milk facility on the Plus then the Bambino is around £320, making it £272 with the discount code. That's a very decent setup for £450. I'd also recommend a milk jug with a temperature-gauge, a tamper that will give you an accurate tamp, and a decent set of scales.
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Whatever happenend to Kenco Instant?
 
Prestwich_Blue said:
The Sage Smart Grinder Pro is £210 full price and you can get a 15% discount code for that, taking it down to just under £180.

The Bambino Plus is £400 full price, so £340 with the discount. If you don't want the auto-milk facility on the Plus then the Bambino is around £320, making it £272 with the discount code. That's a very decent setup for £450. I'd also recommend a milk jug with a temperature-gauge, a tamper that will give you an accurate tamp, and a decent set of scales.
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Just out of interest (with not being a coffee drinker myself), how long does it take to make a cup of coffee with these types of set-ups?

My wife has one of these Nespresso coffee machines that takes coffee pods and she seems quite happy with it but was wondering about getting her something of an upgrade as a Christmas present. She is a bit lazy though and it sounds like a lot more work/hassle. Is the end result so much better that it makes it worth it?

I just don't want to spend a lot of money on something that would hardly ever get used.
 
PragueBlue said:
Just out of interest (with not being a coffee drinker myself), how long does it take to make a cup of coffee with these types of set-ups?

My wife has one of these Nespresso coffee machines that takes coffee pods and she seems quite happy with it but was wondering about getting her something of an upgrade as a Christmas present. She is a bit lazy though and it sounds like a lot more work/hassle. Is the end result so much better that it makes it worth it?

I just don't want to spend a lot of money on something that would hardly ever get used.
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I started with a pod machine, which was convenient and gave me the choice of different types, but eventually I found them bland and wanted something that was more authentic.

It can take me 5-10 minutes to make a cup of coffee, depending on how organised I am. It is more work than sticking a pod into a machine but the results are fantastic and reflect the effort.
 
Prestwich_Blue said:
I started with a pod machine, which was convenient and gave me the choice of different types, but eventually I found them bland and wanted something that was more authentic.

It can take me 5-10 minutes to make a cup of coffee, depending on how organised I am. It is more work than sticking a pod into a machine but the results are fantastic and reflect the effort.
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Same here. Someone bought me a Tassimo which was convenient but quite expensive and nothing special taste wise. Then I got a Nespresso pod machine which was better and cheaper thanks to the snide Aldi/Lidl pods but in the end nothing beats starting with beans first.

I’ve perfected my recipe for my Aeropress Americano now (using Aldi beans so might try some of the posher blends people have linked on here eventually) and I reckon it takes me about 5 minutes. A quick 1 minute clean up afterwards is a lot easier than cleaning those pod machines and recycling the empty capsules.

I need to try making a cappuccino at some point and guess that will add a couple of minutes.
 
oldius said:
I was lucky enough to buy a used Gaggia Classic several years ago for £120. It's been a cracker, makes great coffee, and is easy to look after. Spend more on the grinder than the machine was the advice I got and it has proved sound. I bought a Eureka Mignon and have been delighted with it. Commercial grinders can be found used and can offer great value but they tend to be a bit dominant in the domestic environment.

I use the Algerian Coffee Stores for beans and Atkinson's of Lancaster too. Both are great roasters and have several single origin beans to try as well as great blends.

Good coffee, City, music, and my dogs are my main pleasures in life and worthy of investment, and my lovely wife agrees.
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Like the post. But, erm just wondering as a wife myself, where does your missus fit into the above list of likes?
hampshireblue said:
Whatever happenend to Kenco Instant?
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My hub, bless him not a coffee drinker keeps asking me what happened to Mellow Birds! What a bozo, gawd bless him x

I'm off now for an instant gold blend decaf now with oatmilk.

I am contemplating about buying a coffee machine, but as I'm the only one in our house who drinks coffee I don't know if I've got the energy to start grinding....or whatever:-).
 
69FACUPfinal said:
Like the post. But, erm just wondering as a wife myself, where does your missus fit into the above list of likes?

My hub, bless him not a coffee drinker keeps asking me what happened to Mellow Birds! What a bozo, gawd bless him x

I'm off now for an instant gold blend decaf now with oatmilk.

I am contemplating about buying a coffee machine, but as I'm the only one in our house who drinks coffee I don't know if I've got the energy to start grinding....or whatever:-).
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She is my life, the others are the pleasures of it!
 
I just use a cafetiere Three heaped scoops of Aldi French number five, almost fill with water, leave for 15-20 minutes, plunge it down, drink. Gets me two mug fulls at least and tastes great. I used to drink Waitrose number 1 Kenyan AA coffee which is very nice until they put the price up too much. It is on offer atm though for £3.80 a pack.
 
"Proper" coffee making can be a Rabbit hole.
I'm no coffee drinker, but even i can tell the difference between instant or pod and fresh ground coffee. I much prefer tea, but do like a "proper" coffee with frothy milk and one sugar.

Instant just seems to have a sour taste. Pod coffee is much better, and if i'm forced to drink coffee, it can be good.
I did the YouTube thing, and before i knew it, i had bought a dual boiler machine and separate grinder!
My plan was to at least know how to make good coffee, even if it wasn't my cup of tea :)

The first thing i learnt was how anal people can be about it. I've no doubt some people can tell the slight differences in bean/grind quality/extraction rates and temps, i just think most people don't.
I dialled my machine in, set the grinder up, and just made coffee. Not one person has ever complained.

If you want it as an hobby, fine. Spend mega money on a grinder. Get a high end machine. Spend countless hours throwing away perfectly good coffee because it extracted too soon/late. But i guarantee you won't ever be happy with your coffee again. You will always analyse it rather than enjoying drinking it.

For the average joe, a lower priced Sage machine will do the business.
As for latte art, most of my attempts just end up looking like some dodgy button mushroom penis.
I just stir it in and it's fine!
 
Prestwich_Blue said:
The Sage Smart Grinder Pro is £210 full price and you can get a 15% discount code for that, taking it down to just under £180.

The Bambino Plus is £400 full price, so £340 with the discount. If you don't want the auto-milk facility on the Plus then the Bambino is around £320, making it £272 with the discount code. That's a very decent setup for £450. I'd also recommend a milk jug with a temperature-gauge, a tamper that will give you an accurate tamp, and a decent set of scales.
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+1 for the Sage Smart Grinder Pro. I had a cheaper grinder before but this is far better - more consistent and finer grind which is better for espresso. Things affecting the quality of your coffee - beans, grinder, coffee machine, in that order. So, if funds are tight, spend in that order.
 
Prestwich_Blue said:
I started with a pod machine, which was convenient and gave me the choice of different types, but eventually I found them bland and wanted something that was more authentic.

It can take me 5-10 minutes to make a cup of coffee, depending on how organised I am. It is more work than sticking a pod into a machine but the results are fantastic and reflect the effort.
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Thank you.
 
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