In reply to Indy: Ahhhhhh a coffee thread . Got a nice cup of proud Mary ghost rider on the go, roasted on 2012 , ground in Small 20 gram batch on a really cheap blade grinder and brewed in an equally cheAp French press, water at 85 c in first , coffee over the top , stir very gently , leave for 1 minute , press down so the grounds are under the surfAce , leAve for 4 mins , pour and drink . Any excess poured off for the refill . It tastes pretty good . To me , no trouble at all cos I m at the in laws with time on my hands and I reAlly struggle with the nes press thing they ve got .
I love ukc coffee threads . Just need some one to start talking about how teAs better . I use just About all the methods mentioned above bar a cheap espresso machine. Each has it's place , each can make great coffee given a bit of care and research ( that's hard these days isn't it ) . I like the coffee from all the different methods , when it's well done.
Probably the most fool proof is the mocha pot because you don't have to worry about water temp , which in all the other methods is critical and hard to control. Next would be the aero press , quick , easy , and very forgiving of variable grind, wil make a passable cup with just about any grinds you can get hold of .
Home espresso is a world of financial pain . If you really want a machine for 150 then as has been mentioned a gaggia classic from eBay is a good starting point but you ll need a burr grinder to get anything passable from it . If you just want to spend the 150 on coffee equipment then as has been said spend 140 on a grinder and get a French press or an aero press . I ve seen mazzer grinders go for a little as 150 , with some new burrs this will last you a life time and will allow you to play coffee for ever . The problem with some of the cheaper burr grinders is that they won't go fine enough for espresso but they will make avert good job of grinding for all the other methods.
A finall thought, I've got a frankly silly amount of coffee making gear , I love playing with it and faffing about endlessly , but on road trips or other excursions away from home I can still make a very nice brew with some super Market pre ground , a a platic filter cone and a filter paper