UKC

Any recommendations? Obv domestic use rather than commercial

Thanks

In reply to Tom Hutton:
for a quadruple 'espresso' that can be diluted to make 'normal' coffee: Aeropress.
Cheap, quick, portable. A one trick pony, so you'll have to be a bit creative to make cappuchino etc, but worth a punt for £20?

otherwise, I suspect you're looking at a couple of hundred quid for a good one..

In reply to Tom Hutton:

Are you by any chance asking on behalf of Awesome Walls?

In reply to Removed User:

That really did make me laugh...

In reply to Tom Hutton:

Don't make the mistake I made and get one of the Gaggia push button beans to cup ones where you just tip beans in the top and fill up a tank with water.

It works great but it is so quick and easy I'm drinking far too much of the stuff.

In reply to Tom Hutton: I'm led to believe that well chosen freshly ground beans make more if a difference than the maker unless you want to invest many hundreds. Invest a few quid in a grinder and find a good source for the beans. The porlex grinders seem to be quite popular and some say the aeropress makes great coffee. I haven't tried either yet but I think that's the way I heading, though I may just get the grinder and stick with my cafetier...

In reply to tom_in_edinburgh:

Yeah my wife got me one about 3 years ago (not a Gaggia) but the same thing Bean to cup .... just the canines. My favourite bean is Monsoon Malabar from Booths - now drinking far too much Espresso followed by far too much Brandy to wash it down with.

In reply to Tom Hutton: I have a WMF Concept Espresso Maker for 6 Cups. Which I use to make a single, elephant-slaying 1 pint espresso

In reply to Tom Hutton:

Not quite domestic, but my wife makes a lovely cafetière. How long do you want her for and what will you pay?

In reply to Tom Hutton: Just bought a Tassimo for home and loving it!!!! as a free/minimal caffeine drinker it is great as i can get Fruit tea and hot chocolate, and he can have coffee and normal tea from it. Coffee varies from Espresso to Latte to Americano to Cappuccino.

In reply to Tom Hutton:

Of course it all depends on what you put in it, but as far as the machine goes - Bialetti stove-top Moka Pot - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moka_pot . Inexpensive, and tried-and-tested design (80 years old this year). Not technically espresso but still makes a damn fine cup of coffee.
We have a standard aluminium one at home, and I have one at the office which is of the new titanium-alloy type that works on an induction hob. These get used every day, they are easy to clean and apart from the need to replace the 'o'-ring now and again, they are more or less maintenance-free.
Another plus of course is that you can use it when camping.

I have tried the Aeropress referred to above. It's good but for me the coffee that it produces doesn't compare with that from the Moka pot.

In reply to Tom Hutton:

Damn, dude. You woke up the geek...

Quickly: Rancilio Silvia is about the bare minimum for a good home setup, but remember that the machine is less important than the grinder. Rancilio's Rocky and Baratza's Vario grinders are not bad, but you'd be better off with the likes of a 2nd hand Mazzer Mini or something (ex-coffee shop). This page has some reviews of the kind of kit you're after:

http://coffeegeek.com/proreviews

For a (much) cheaper option, as mentioned above combine an aeropress (or a moka pot if you don't mind drinking burnt bitter silt ) with a porlex or hario hand grinder. If you want any more info feel free to PM me

In reply to Douglas Griffin:
"of the new titanium-alloy type that works on an induction hob."

Tell me more (nothing on http://bialettishop.com ) - my one regret since we installed an induction hob is that I can't use any of my family of Bialettis (& unfortunately gas wasn't an option)

In reply to Doug:

This is what I have, Doug: http://bialettishop.com/VenusMain.htm
(By the way, looks like I was wrong about the titanium alloy; it's apparently stainless steel. Works on a traditional stove as well.)

In reply to Douglas Griffin: Thanks, shame they don't make a 2 cup version

In reply to Doug:

http://www.moka-pot.co.uk/induction

Induction suitable.

Also, Bialetti stopping making in Italy in 2010.

In reply to Doug: WMF Concept are induction compability, they make a 4 cup but is more expensive than the 6 cup... You can put a a spacer in to make it a 3 cup

In reply to Tom Hutton: Thanks to all - some food for thought there

In reply to Tom Hutton: Just had my first cup from my Aeropress and it was superb... thanks for the advice

In reply to Tom Hutton:

Great. You grinding your own beans with it?

The thing with the Aeropress is it is open to experimentation and personal taste so you can play with the types of bean, how fine a grind you use, the temperature of the water, and how long you let the grinds steep before plunging to get different flavour profiles.

With the grind I use I pour in just enough water to soak the grinds at 90C for 30 seconds and allow the coffee to "bloom". Blooming is the gas being given off on really fresh coffee which makes it foam up so adding some water first for 30 seconds, and then topping up, stirring for 10 seconds, steeping for 30 seconds, another quick stir, and then plunge for about 30 seconds.

If it is really hard to plunge, your coffee is ground too fine or the water is too cold.

If it plunges too quickly the grind is probably too course.

If it is bitter your water is probably too hot (90C - Or about a minute off the boil with 1L in the kettle for me in the office).

If it is weak and watery then there hasen't been enough extraction time. As the grind gets courser you need to steep for longer.

If the coffee is really tar like and tastes bland then it is probably over extracted. Reduce the steep time.

Rinse your filter paper with hot water first before using it.

In reply to Tom Hutton: I love my real coffee, and have always used grounds / Beans.

For value for money I have had a DeLonghi Cafe Tivo for many years cost about £50, can and do still buy parts and get very good Espresso and Cappuccino from it.

I also grind with their grinder.

Latest versions


http://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/DeLonghi-EC152-Pump-Espresso-Coffee-Ma...

http://www.ocado.com/product/75950011?name=DeLonghi_KG49_Coffee_Grinder&...

In reply to John Lewis:

I'm sure the irony of someone with your username linking products from Ocado isn't lost on many.

In reply to Tom Hutton:

I've had a few Gaggia's but it was always kind of a faff. Recently my wife bought a Tassimo T65 (on sale in PC World - £69) and I've been using it loads. The coffee is pretty decent and all I have to do is stick a pod thing in the machine and press a button.

The coffees I buy at either £3.99 for 16 (25p each) or £4.49 for 8 (56p each). The 56p ones involve using two pods to make the drink.

In reply to Milesy: YEs, bought the little Japanese grinder mentioned somewhere above - and yes, have already seen a load of videos on different methods...

Will play about a bit but the first one was lovely...

In reply to Philip: It is my name and Goole shop showed them first easy

In reply to Tom Hutton:

two 21 year old turkish air hostesses at 3am in a villa overlooking the bosphorus

In reply to Tom Hutton:

Brilliant. You will find you make random perfect cups that blow everything else you have made before out the water and then spend the rest of your time trying to recreate it haha.

I only use the inverted method now, and to remember: consistent cups = consistent variables

This week I am enjoying two single origin beans. An El Salvador, and a Bolivian. Both are truly outstanding. When it comes to coffee it has to be Central America, followed by South America.

In reply to Douglas Griffin:

what he said.

In reply to ice.solo:
no. what he said

In reply to Tom Hutton: good choice with the aero press. very easy to use , you just need a way of keeping the water temp the same (off boiling)each time, the mother in law has a kettle with different temp settings that i am presently coveting.
what ever you do stay away from pro machines. they bite. i have posted before that home espresso is a world of pain.
at 3.15a.m. this morning my sleep addled brain was not at its best. wanting a latte to get me on the road , i pressed the double shot button on my machine to flush the over heated water out before making a shot and somehow managed to squirt very hot water over my hand, i instinctively pulled the portafilter (holds the grounds) out and dropped it , burning a large ring of skin straight off the top of my foot . i dont think i ll be able to wear rock boots for a couple of weeks at least.
i claim the prize for the strangest coffee related injury that prevents climbing.