UKC

My caffeine addiction has reached stage now where I need to increase my production capacity - eg. I've just got through my third stove top espresso maker. Any recommendations? I'd rather not go down the silly capsules route. I guess I probably ought to get into grinding too, but that's probably a whole other thread..

In reply to iksander:

Here you go

http://www.nescafe.co.uk/products_flash_en_co_uk.axcms#/?imageid=11&con...

In reply to iksander:

I have an older model equivalent to one of these from Delonghi:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-EC710-Espresso-Cappuccino-Stainless/dp/B00...

Makes decent espresso and does a reasonable job of frothing milk with a bit of practice. Also has a filter that takes ESE ( espresso in a tea-bag like form) so you can have the convenience of a pod machine if you don't want to mess around with grounds.

The pod machines make poor, artificial tasting espresso and the pods are dearer than ESE and more expensive still than grounds and beans.

I usually grind Waitrose espresso beans in a cheap Delonghi blade grinder and think the results are at least as good as most of what you get on the high street and a tenth of the price.

In reply to iksander:

The Francia Francis X1 - had mine for a trouble free 10 years, its screamingly loud lime green and is like a cheerful little pet sitting on the kitchen counter that raises a smile. I even stroke it occasionally

Just drinking my first cappucino of the morning.

PS If it ever died I might consider replacing it with a Kitchen Aid Artisan.

PPS Dont forget to budget for a burr grinder for the beans.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=francis+francis&hl=en&prmd=imvnso...

In reply to The Lemming: You're sick!

In reply to iksander:

What on earth are you doing to your stove top makers. I've had one of mine over 20 years and it's still going well...

In reply to Dux:

ive bought one of those last year , £70 . from currys , last one in the shop . very good .

Save your money and get better.

Grinder is more important than machine. Grinder makes espresso. The machine just pumps watern through it. If you just caffeine or milky drinks then anything will do but if you like really good tasting espresso then spend a little more.

I have a iberital mc2 grinder with a gaggia classic machine and I would say that is the lowest of the ladder in home espresso.

In reply to iksander:

Why thank you, sir.

Would it help if I said that I've never drank a cup of coffee in my life?

In reply to Dave B:

yeah the Bialetti ones last ages?

In reply to Dave B: They don't fit well on my gas hob, the bakelite (?) handles just crumble eventually from the heat I guess.

In reply to Milesy:


So that's about.. £350

I have a family and mortgage (and very occasionally climbing) to pay for as well as a maintaining my coffee addiction.

In reply to iksander:

Heat diffuser. £3 will get you one.

In reply to iksander:


Aye he knew that of course, but that was exactly the point of his post. That and stating that this should be the minimum that people should be prepared to pay.

In reply to iksander:

Stick with a stove top then or use a brewed method.

Espresso out the box of low end machines, particularly pre ground coffee just tastes horrible. I learned the hard way. I thought that even buying the gaggia alone would be all I needed.

If you just want caffeine then the delongis etc will produce something what you want. Taste is more important to caffeine for me.

In reply to iksander:
I can't suggest anything expensive or funky...my vote is aeropress. About £20 and even I can't get it wrong.
Very quick, easy to clean (it spits the grounds out as a 'cake')
And you can fit it in your pocket.

In reply to thin bob:
+1 on the aeropress:
http://www.aeropress.ca/

cheap, makes good coffee, light enough to take on a trip.

In reply to Anonymous:

Only from my own tastes and experiences. Since I started drinking in proper third wave coffee shops, i can no longer drink espresso anywhere else. Starbucks and costa is just thin and bitter but they don't expect their customer to be looking for chocolate, caramel, nutty or fruity notes from their coffee.

Even if you get the cheapest espresso machine you can possibly get, the grinder is still a must for good coffee. Pre ground is already stale, and most of the supermarket beans are already stale as well.

In reply to Milesy:
Would you mind expanding?

In reply to ericoides:

You could have googled quicker than the time it tok to ask that.

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

In reply to Milesy:

What's with the hurry? I might have been relishing your take on it. Likewise, it might have been your neologism and a search would have proved fruitless.

In reply to iksander: I love my presso http://www.presso.co.uk/

There's a good coffee supplier in Inverness that knows what grade grind for different machines - the presso is quite fine.

Bill

PS The Inverness coffee man - http://invernesscoffeeroasting.co.uk/ He'll sell over the phone or by email.

In reply to iksander:
anyone recommend a serviceable coffee grinder? nothing over £40 please!
or shall I just bung 'em in the food processor.
[yes, I know it's a scummy way to do it, but my coffee is an occasional pleasure, rather than a hobby] Ta!

In reply to bill strachan:

Nice!! Alessi style, i like it!
now going to scare myself seeing how much it costs

In reply to thin bob:
Coo! not bad, £80.

if it made 4, I might just get one. Or if I had more cash. Still looks good though

In reply to thin bob:

You destroy the oils and favours in any type of blade grinder. Get a burr grinder, even a hand burr grinder.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hario-Skerton-MSCS-2TB-Coffee-Mill/dp/B001802PIQ

In reply to Milesy: Nice one Mr Milesy, bang on the money! Cheers

In reply to thin bob:

You should only grind coffee with a burr grinder, not a blade grinder. Here is a cracking hand burr grinder. To grind a measure of beans for an espresso takes less time than it does for my machine to warm up, so it's pretty convenient. You can also adjust the burr for different tyes of brew - course for a cafetiere and fine for an espreso maker. As said before, good coffee is all about the grinding.

http://www.coffeehit.co.uk/porlex-tall-hand-grinder/p401

In reply to deanr:
thanks Dean.
Have you used it? does it grind to espresso, the blurb just says 'french press'. Ta!

In reply to thin bob: Ar$e, looks like another expensive taste to indulge

I'd rate the Porlex more than the Hario's, as there's slightly less movement in the burr carriers. I've used and own both. I wouldn't personally use either for espresso, if I had a choice. Neither offers either enough adjustment or consistency in grind (too many fines). But they are both ok for Aeropress, or a v60, clever dripper etc, when travelling.

If you want something quicker for the kitchen, that would work for french press etc. as well, then try to get a Solis 166. Starbucks used to sell them as their base grinder the "Barista" (probably the only decent purchase I've ever made in a Starbucks). From memory, they used to sell for around 40 quid when on sale. It'll work for espresso, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it.

Milesy's comments above on espresso machines and grinders is spot on. Good brewed coffee can be had easily and cheaply. Good espresso, not so much. Getting a decent grinder is key though.

My vote.
Travelling: Aeropress + Porlex Mini Slim
Kitchen: Solis 166 (will get you started, if you don't intend to go the espresso route) Iberital MC2 as a minimum (if you might want to go to espresso sometime in the future, the downside of the MC2 is that it is slow and cumbersome to adjust, if switching between brew methods) + Gaggia Classic as a minimum, Rancilio Silvia as a good entry level machine. Good espresso is not cheap.

Totally off the wall, there is also the Mypressi Twist (quite a lot of hassle for an espresso), but that would still require a decent grinder. More info (probably too much) on my mate James' blog:
http://www.jimseven.com/2010/01/23/mypressi-twist/

I should probably have mentioned this along with a recommendation of a Gaggia machine. Gaggia UK went bust in 2009, and to my knowledge no longer exists. Gaggia itself was bought by Saeco, who are in turn owned by Philips. So it's no longer quite the firm it was, but I believe the machines are still the same. They also (at least Gaggia UK) used to offer good deals from time to time on refurbished models, definitely worth looking out for if you're deadset on getting an espresso machine for as little money as possible.