lizzie Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 Having been a Nespresso girl for more years than I care to remember I am flirting with a change. Current machine needs replacing as its leaking....they seem to last about 4 years or so and I am on my third. Before just getting a new one delivered with my capsules I have been looking at the coffee machine market which has changed a lot in the last 10 years. Bean to cup have moved on hugely and dropped in price considerably. I don't want any fancy milk gadgets I rarely use milk in a coffee (just for visitors) and have developed a method of doing a mean latte without a problem. I make short strong black coffee for myself and undoubtedly drink too much of it but it is my indulgence as I don't drink alcohol and we are all allowed one vice. Options seem to be New nespresso that takes regular capsules New nespresso that takes new style Vertu capsules Jura A1 bean to cup machine.....very stylish. Anyone tried the Jura? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonM Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 The highest scoring coffee machine in "Which" is a Delonghi scultura which is about a tenth of the price of a Jura https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/household-appliances/small-kitchen-appliances/coffee-machines-and-accessories/coffee-machines/delonghi-scultura-ecz351bk-coffee-machine-black-10012308-pdt.html It takes either ground coffee or capsules, so if you wanted to use coffee beans you would have to grind them yourselves, but then again if you only drink black coffee, much of the functionality in a bean to cup machine would go to waste. Bean to cup machines are also very big ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 I used to have a gaggia machine years ago that cost £500 in a sale ?, it was good and lasted about 5 years, I currently use a Delonghi summut or other bought in a charity shop fir £25 and can’t fault it ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recoveringbuilder Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 We went to the expense of a built in coffee machine in our last house, it ground the beans but I’m afraid to say I could count on one hand the amount of times we used it although we are big coffee drinkers, I now stick to my tassimo machine when I want a good coffee but nine times out of ten we just use instant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted July 21, 2019 Author Share Posted July 21, 2019 (edited) @jonMThank you.... this one has all the milk gadgets which I don't want. I want a machine with a good bar pressure that produces a decent coffee with a good crema. Still have a coffee grinder but no intention of going back to that. The small one cup bean to cup jura is designed for simple black coffee...espresso etc no other functions what I drink is actually termed a lungo..... very hard to get one in any cafe in uk you are either presented with a big bucket of tepid weak stuff termed americano or espresso with no or little crema. Carluccios is one if the few chains that I can rely on for a decent coffee. Edited July 21, 2019 by lizzie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted July 21, 2019 Author Share Posted July 21, 2019 1 minute ago, Christine Walker said: We went to the expense of a built in coffee machine in our last house, it ground the beans but I’m afraid to say I could count on one hand the amount of times we used it although we are big coffee drinkers, I now stick to my tassimo machine when I want a good coffee but nine times out of ten we just use instant! I deliberately did not have a built in coffee machine.... as you say bit of a white elephant. I’m afraid I hate instant coffee, would rather drink water. Milk covers a lot of sins in coffee. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 I have had a Meile integrated bean to cup, which I would not recommend as it was rather demanding, the coffee was not great, and they cost a lot. I have had 3 freestanding bean to cup - a Jura, which looked good and performed OK, a Delongi. similar to the Jura but did not look so flashy and currently on a Melitta, which does the best milk frothing. Melitta is best IMO. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 Had anyone say down and worked out the price of buying and running a coffee machine. I go out for a coffee most days, cost me somewhere between £1.90 and £2.75 a day, usually about £2.40 (local Costa). Seems a lot, but is it really. They do the washing up for that and I get to read the newspapers, steal their internet, look at, and get annoyed with youngsters, occasionally have an interesting conversation... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiehamy Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 We've got a Sage machine with built in grinder. Takes time to use and a while to get setting right but with the right beans, it's better than most coffee shops. Nespresso should be banned in my humble opinion. The sheer wastefulness of a global scale should be deemed un acceptable. We buy a large bag and grind ourselves. One single bag waste for around 100 coffees rather than one capsule per coffee. Sister says they can send them to get recycled but that rather misses the point. That rant brings me to mine! Lol. Beans to cup surely got to be far better for the environment? A coffee machine is a luxury but art what cost? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 There was a coffee machine at the place we were just on holiday. At the end of the day it is just a packaged filter coffee machine, that costs a lot more than other ways or making coffee and produces a little waste plastic pot to be disposed of somehow without it ending up in the sea after use. That alone would stop me buying one. What is going to happen when the ban on single use plastics comes in? Will there be a lot of scrap machines no longer able to be used. We just use a Bialitti like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bialetti-Express-Espresso-Maker-makes/dp/B00004RFRU/ref=sr_1_2?adgrpid=53898799420&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2uvL1vXF4wIVmK3tCh2nBQp8EAAYASAAEgJuW_D_BwE&hvadid=259144146901&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9047006&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=14438212458903950149&hvtargid=kwd-302664606925&hydadcr=19168_1766454&keywords=bialetti+coffee+pot&qid=1563708928&s=gateway&sr=8-2 Most of the time fed with ground coffee, but SWMBO also buys coffee beans and grinds her own. No waste apart from the used coffee grains that can be composted if you wish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gow Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 8 minutes ago, jamiehamy said: The sheer wastefulness of a global scale should be deemed un acceptable. We buy a large bag and grind ourselves. One single bag waste for around 100 coffees rather than one capsule per coffee. Beans to cup surely got to be far better for the environment? Beans to cup and grind your own... A one-cup/mug stainless steel cafetiere makes coffee almost as quick as instant coffee and allows the coffee to brew on the stove for a few minutes. It's the quality of bean that counts and you can tip the residue in the garden! The 35 year old espresso pot took a back seat after the non-glass cafetiere came on the scene Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 I'm not allowed to drink coffee, makes me "agressive" apparently..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivienz Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 Purely from a taste point of view, my vote goes to cafetière coffee made with freshly ground beans. I understand the attraction of a good crema on the coffee for the aesthetics but the pressure needed to achieve this always seems to add a sour note to the flavour of the coffee. I opened a new bag of Columbian arabica beans this morning. First mug was made in a cafetière/French press - delightful. All those nutty, chocolately volatile oils coming up strongly and nice and hot, too. I've just made another one but this time in my Krups machine (I've had 3 Gaggias in the past) and much of the delicate volatiles are gone and there is that sour note again. The beans were freshly ground in a dedicated Iberital grinder on an espresso setting. I drink my coffee at what sounds like a similar strength to you, Lizzie. Can't be doing with Americanos - barely coffee at all, really. I never adulterate good coffee with milk either, it seems a terrible abuse of good beans. FWIW, a close friend had a Jura - very pricey (he wouldn't tell me how much) and it wasn't a good long term buy, it dies within about 3 years. Another good friend seems to get through a nespresso machine every 2 years! As I type, in the interest of science and decent coffee (of equal importance in my humble but correct opinion) I've just made another small cafetière of coffee. The brew is by far superior to the machine one for my tastes. Still, each to their own. I'm happy to recommend the little Krups machine but it's not a bean to cup I'm afraid, Lizzie. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 (edited) 21 minutes ago, vivienz said: Purely from a taste point of view, my vote goes to cafetière coffee made with freshly ground beans. I understand the attraction of a good crema on the coffee for the aesthetics but the pressure needed to achieve this always seems to add a sour note to the flavour of the coffee. I opened a new bag of Columbian arabica beans this morning. First mug was made in a cafetière/French press - delightful. All those nutty, chocolately volatile oils coming up strongly and nice and hot, too. I've just made another one but this time in my Krups machine (I've had 3 Gaggias in the past) and much of the delicate volatiles are gone and there is that sour note again. The beans were freshly ground in a dedicated Iberital grinder on an espresso setting. I drink my coffee at what sounds like a similar strength to you, Lizzie. Can't be doing with Americanos - barely coffee at all, really. I never adulterate good coffee with milk either, it seems a terrible abuse of good beans. FWIW, a close friend had a Jura - very pricey (he wouldn't tell me how much) and it wasn't a good long term buy, it dies within about 3 years. Another good friend seems to get through a nespresso machine every 2 years! As I type, in the interest of science and decent coffee (of equal importance in my humble but correct opinion) I've just made another small cafetière of coffee. The brew is by far superior to the machine one for my tastes. Still, each to their own. I'm happy to recommend the little Krups machine but it's not a bean to cup I'm afraid, Lizzie. Or, more concisely YES !!! Aaaaaah. Edited July 21, 2019 by Ferdinand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 I can't stand all this fascination for frothed up milk in coffee. Time was you used the be able to ask for a "white coffee" (or as the Australians like to call it, a flat white) But if you ask for that now, you get something covered in froth. The only way now is ask for a black coffee, and then, when it arrives, ask if you can have some milk (or cream) to put in it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 (edited) (personally I ask for the one I want to drink, as I am sure all on BH do. ?) More on topic, I sometimes use the ESE capsules which are wrapped in paper. And can I plug our local roaster, who are just coming up to 100 years old and are ironically called the Northern Tea Traders. They roast about a tonne of beans every week, and the prices are from about £3.60 for 200g. Depending on which of the 20 types of bean you order. Minus about another 10% for orders over, I think, £30 or £40. If you are Within the region and commercial (or a big drinker) they will provide you a free and maintained Bravilior filter machine - think of those ones with 2 jugs, and deliver your coffee. The region is roughly Leeds to Brum across England, and the amount you will need to make is about 50 jugs per month. https://www.northern-tea.com/shop/coffee/ And these are the most moreish chocolate product in the entire world: https://www.northern-tea.com/buy/milk-chocolate-coated-cocoa-dusted-almonds/ Ferdinand Edited July 21, 2019 by Ferdinand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted July 21, 2019 Author Share Posted July 21, 2019 Being of Italian heritage I grew up with Bialetti Moka stovetop espresso perc pots. I love Italian coffee, the drip ( as the Aussies call filter) is not for me. Have all sizes of cafetière to hand but again does not give me that real Italian coffee taste. Maybe I should dig out the old Bialetti...doubt it would work on the Bora though! Thanks on Krups and Jura @vivienz, interesting. Lizzie. .........#firstworldproblems# 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 Our Bialetti is probably 25 years old. You can buy all the spares, e.g the O ring that seals the join lasts about 2 years, and once I dropped it and broke the handle, I bought a new replacement handle from someone on ebay. Do let us know if it works on an induction hob, I suspect being aluminium that it won't. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnb Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, lizzie said: I’m afraid I hate instant coffee I'm with you on that! Instant is horrible. I like my Aeropress. I can move it between work and home easily, and it's sailed nearly half way around the world with me. And all things considered, it's cheap, even if you do need to use a kettle. I like my espresso perc pot too (a habit I too collected on holiday in Italy), but it's too much effort most of the time. Edited July 21, 2019 by dnb 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted July 21, 2019 Author Share Posted July 21, 2019 (edited) 3 minutes ago, ProDave said: Our Bialetti is probably 25 years old. You can buy all the spares, e.g the O ring that seals the join lasts about 2 years, and once I dropped it and broke the handle, I bought a new one from someone on ebay. Do let us know if it works on an induction hob, I suspect being aluminium that it won't. amazing bit of kit they are like triggers broom (only fools snd horses) never wear out! Someone online said if you stand the aluminium pot in a pan that works on induction hob it will work Edited July 21, 2019 by lizzie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 I find the "coffee culture" a bit odd. I work with someone that says he refuses to have a coffee from a chain place. This seems to be based on one experience of ordering the wrong thing. He actually won't go to any chain place because he thinks that they have killed local traders, this suggests that he has already made up his mind about quality. A few years back I asked someone where was a good place to get a coffee in Penzance. Was told that the Cornish Hen was the best place to go because it was 'organic' (I think the coffee was Illy, which should be called Iffy). Was dreadful, truly dreadful. If they had put boiling water on a teaspoon of Happy Shopper instant it would have been better. And they charged me nearly 3 quid. The staff were standoffish. For an interesting take on food, listen to this. Was on last week. Highlights the snobbery of food. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07gz0j1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 We have a De'Longhi Autentica bean to cup in the office, I think it was about £400. It's not missed a beat in 3 years and it must make about 20 coffees every day. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 4 minutes ago, Ralph said: De'Longhi Autentica Just looked this up and it retails at £500. It has a power draw of 1450W. Let us say that it is on for 2 hours a day in total (a few heat and cool cycles rather than permanently on). So costs, before coffee and water, and assuming it will last 5 years (pure guess) That is about 50p a day in power, 30p a day for the machine. So 80p a day before the cost of coffee. Quick look at Tesco website and they have kilo of Lavazza beans for £13.75. Assuming 10g per drink, that is 14p per mug allowing for wastage. Now if I got machine at home, it would only be on for 20 minutes to make my one coffee a day, so that would be 7p for electric, 37p including the machine, 41p including the coffee. So I would save £2/day. And the 32 mile round trip at 45 MPG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpd Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 (edited) I got one of these in 2015 and it’s USED EVERY DAY for about 4-6 cups a day it’s never stopped working and still produces fantastic coffee. I don’t use the milk thingy ! As I like a strong black coffee with a good crema. It’s just started to leek but this is just the water seal that I intend to replace. It cost me £230 in 2015 but now cost £350. If I was going to buy another one I would get the same one or something very similar. These are the beans that are fantastic if you love black coffee ! Edited July 21, 2019 by Cpd 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 Latte. Is it pronounced "lartay" or "lattay"? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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