I hate ALL instant coffee, so having a fast and convenient way of making coffee is an issue.
Usually when several cups are needed I use a drip type machine or a french press (cafetière) but this is not convenient for a single cup as and when you want it. The best single coffee is without doubt that produced by my Bialetti type percolator but its a faff, does not sit well on my gas hob and is a pain to clean.
Having used and liking the coffee from a Senseo type coffee machine in Holland I have been pondering for a fair while about purchasing one, although rejecting the idea of a senseo system as they are not popular in the UK and the coffee pads are inconvenient to buy here. Also the high cost of all the machines put me off.
Yesterday a series of circumstances lined up so I took the plunge (ho ho ho) and bought one.
Argos were doing a DeLongi Dolce Gusto machine at well under half price, £120ish down to £49.99. I had 40 quids worth of Argos gift cards from my credit card points, so the machine cost me £9.99.
Have to say I am pretty impressed. The coffee is very drinkable, has a great crema, is very convenient, easy to make cappuccinos using two pods (a coffee and a milk one), very easy to make the size of cup (and hence strength) you like. All in all its a good 10 quids worth.
The pods are expensive tho, 16 cups of coffee (8 cappuccinos) for £3.50ish
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Interesting review, ta. Been thinking about such a thing myself. Colleague went the whole hog and bought a £500 job from John Lewis. It was more techy than I know how to begin to tell you, with settings for everything from water hardness to coffee granularity. It was an unmitigated disaster, and regularly refused to put water in the cup, or emptied the milk straight into the sink and every combination in between. It went back, after many hours with their tech support line. No idea if the coffee was any good as we never got one drinkable cup from it in two weeks.
I'd quite like to pursue a cheaper one, but Mrs C is unhappy about all the pods going into landfill for such a frivolous purpose as a coffee you don't spoon out of a jar, so it probably won't happen, however nice it might be.
But maybe I could sneak one in and pretend it's a "special saucepan" or something. She never goes into the kitchen and wouldn't recognise that it wasn't anyway.
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The Dolce Gusto is ludicrously simple. Fill the water container, turn it on, wait for the light to go green, you slide out a carrier, pop in a pod, slide it back, push the loading lever down, put a cup under the spout, then slide a lever sideways till you have the cup filled/strength you want.
No hi tech, nothing automatic, its just basically a hot water pump controlled by you.
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 29 Oct 14 at 18:45
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>> No hi tech, nothing automatic, its just basically a hot water pump controlled by you.
Which makes you wonder how they could justify the original £120 quid price point.
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>> The best single coffee is without doubt that produced by my Bialetti type percolator but its a faff, does not sit well on my gas hob and is a pain to clean.
Agreed. That's what I use to start the day. But what's all this cleaning malarkey? A good coating of old coffee is better than a raw aluminium surface any day. Better for the brain.
Someone I knew had a sort of small Gaggia coffee bar machine with real coffee containers that screwed in and a rugged little gear lever to pull down and force the stuff through. Made great coffee but took a while to use. I've had various other espresso-style pressure machines too, They tend to bend or break. Bialetti's best up to now.
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One thing I can never understand is that when you go somewhere and stand in a queue for a cappuccino or whatever, it always takes forever. It seems to be an incredibly slow process to put some hot water through some beans and add frothy milk. And after that it almost always tastes of nothing.
The first person to invent a cappuccino machine for commercial premises that knocks out something halfway palatable in under thirty seconds will be a millionaire.
Often now we just go for the rubbish filter coffee that they just pour out. Tastes no worse and at least it's ten seconds from order to cup.
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"The Magimix Pixie automatic coffee maker is the smallest Nespresso machine for making great espresso coffee at home. In fact it’s so ultra compact its footprint is only 11cm wide on your worktop."
So far it has been a a reliable 2013 Xmas present, ( to me), and does what it says on the the box. Very acceptable coffee and if you use the vouchers that came with it you can get a large selection pack of 200 capsules to allow you to try out the different flavors/strengths at a discounted price. The problem is the choice is so great I can never remember my favorites.
Not a cheap way to make coffee and you have to limit your daily consumption or it could become very expensive! Some of the compatable cartridges from Waitrose are acceptable at a lower price, but I have not fully explored the cheap end of the market yet.
Undoubtably a lifestyle purchase. The glossy accessory material probably goes some way to explaining the high prices. Makes Apple marketing look low key.
My only criticism is that the first cup out is a little cooler than subsequent cups. Maybe an issue if it is single cup use? or making multiple cups for simultaneous serving a table.
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>> Undoubtably a lifestyle purchase. The glossy accessory material probably goes some way to explaining the
>> high prices. Makes Apple marketing look low key.
You aint kidding! have you been in the Nespresso shop, showroom experience in Regent Street?
Nicolle wont have a nespresso machine in the house after she found out George Clooney was getting married
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I bought a small Krups machine a few years ago from John Lewis for £99. It can use pods, but most of the time I use loose coffee in the pressurised holder. Basically it is a small version of the big machine in the coffee shop. Never had a bad cup of coffee out of it, though it is noisy, especially when frothing my milk.
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I Really enjoy quality Coffee but have to have it with sugar or it's a no go. With Tea I don't need the sugar. In fact I don't need sugar....IYKWIM?
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A good coating of old coffee is better than a raw aluminium surface any day. Better for the brain.
Not so. The aluminium-Alzheimer's connection is discredited now, and stale coffee oils just taste - well, stale. I keep mine clean with hot water and a nylon brush - no detergent. But I also have one in stainless steel that actually makes nicer coffee - but it's too big for most occasions.
Neither makes coffee as good as my Gaggia Classic, though. Must get it that new pump it needs; I miss it.
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I am pretty certain that there is a Tassimo machine in the cupboard under the stairs along with a bread maker, a George Foreman grill, a steamer, a juicer ................
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Mr Tesco says I have 40 quid in vouchers, and they can be doubled at the minute.
So of the five on their site at that price break, which should I pick?
www.tesco.com/direct/search-results/results.page?searchquery=coffee+machine&SrchId=4294967294&catId=4294967294+40686&lastFilter=Price|%25A380+to+£90
Or maybe I should just do what zero did.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Wed 29 Oct 14 at 20:09
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Snipquote - again!!
>> Or maybe I should just do what zero did.
From your link,
www.tesco.com/direct/nescafe-dolce-gusto-melody-black-multi-beverage-coffee-machine-by-krups/100-5125.prd?pageLevel=&skuId=100-5125
this is the model I have. it will cost you 99p
Or buy yourself a huddle.
Last edited by: VxFan on Thu 30 Oct 14 at 01:22
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That one seems to be only £50 at John Lewis, as yours was. Hmm. A 100 yard walk from walk tomorrow might be in order here...
(Hudl. No. Astonishingly, Mrs C has finally fallen irrevocably in love with the Amazon Fire, and uses it constantly now to read books on.)
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I won't drink instant now......dislike it. I make a litre of ground in a cafetiere every day. I like it with milk and sweeteners, sometimes a spoonful of squirty cream. I have a 2 cup Bialetti. That won't sit on the gas but we have some sort of metal plate thingy which goes between it and the flame.
I have a cup with a lid and a metal filter which sits inside it for single cup use. That normally lives in the caravan for my use there. SWM prefers instant all the time.
I buy ground coffee from Farrars of Kendal. They have a good website and their mail order is very efficient. We're off up there on Friday for the weekend at friends so we'll call in for lunch and buy some to bring home.
SWM bought me a machine many years ago but it never made the coffee very hot. Won't bother again as we've already got too much on the worktops
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Wot - no sandwich maker and/or foot spa bath?!
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...bread maker...
If it's a lightly used Panasonic SD-253 (which was pretty much the default choice when I bought mine in 2005) I'm looking for one to cannibalize for parts - or use whole if it's in better condition than mine. I could make you an offer and free some cupboard space for the smoothie maker.
}:---)
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>> Not so. The aluminium-Alzheimer's connection is discredited now, and stale coffee oils just taste - well, stale.
Perhaps I'm just a philistine slob who feels threatened with dementia WdB. I do clean it sometimes, but it doesn't make much difference.
The Bialetti isn't a percolator though. The water is forced through the coffee by its own steam. I never found a real percolator that made good stuff, tends to be weak. Jug method is better because you can adjust the strength and get it right.
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I spent around £400 on a bean to cup machine about 7 years ago. Its been money well spent and gets used every day, but having tried a few cups from these pod type machines I am very impressed, and the quality is not a million miles off
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Coffee is an over-rated drink, which does nothing to quench thirst.
I cannot imagine spending
actual money to buy a fancy machine, nor could I contemplate buying overpriced little "pods" to make the stuff.
For quenching thirst when only a hot drink will do, tea : for enjoyment, ice-cold full cream milk, or good O.J. is
much nicer!
Last edited by: Roger. on Wed 29 Oct 14 at 21:31
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Oh, I see. I was wrong. We all were. No more coffee. Ever.
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We used to have a Tassimo, which produced fair coffee from their Café Crema pods, but boy do you pay for it.
On a recent trip to Ibiza I was converted by the Bialetti coffee pot. We have an induction hob so couldn't use the standard aluminium ones, but then a visit to a French hypermarket (Auchan) revealed that the make stainless steel ones too. So, ideal for the hob and no worries about ... what was it now? ... Oh yes, Alzheimers.
Best coffee in my book (or rather mouth), and its not really much of a faff to clean out the grounds, full choice of coffee, and at a 'market' price.
Last edited by: Boxsterboy on Wed 29 Oct 14 at 22:21
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Obviously Starbucks and all those other places have the wrong idea. No demand for coffee. It will never catch on.
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>> Obviously Starbucks and all those other places have the wrong idea. No demand for coffee.
>> It will never catch on.
Well yer a-rabs invented it didn't they. Gotta be crap init.
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 29 Oct 14 at 23:04
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Quite right Zeddo. It is. Takes me all my time to thrown down a cup of tea 3 mornings a week. Far prefer a cup of water from t 'tap on a morning.
But then I am a beer drinker. Even here in Yorkshire you see people queuing for coffee ( free) in Booths supermarket with a loyalty card. I have no idea what it tastes like nor have I any wish to find out. As you know I spend many hols in the US of A and am perplexed with their addiction to coffee. After almost three score years I am a water drinker till noon, then beer after noon when on holiday, G&Ts 6pm on then wine.
Beer & tequila chasers enter the equation sometimes, but sadly pod coffee machines are not on my radar, although my USA friends have a fancy one in their kitchen. Tried it. Not for me. Hope you enjoy yours though.
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Even here in Yorkshire you see people queuing for coffee ( free) in Booths supermarket with a loyalty card.
We have the same thing in the South but they call it Waitrose. I have the card but I've never bothered with the coffee, especially since our branch has nowhere to sit to drink it. The café corner in the Wokingham one is crammed solid on a Saturday morning with coffee claimers, who all leave their loaded trolleys outside and in the way.
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>> Even here in Yorkshire you see people queuing for coffee ( free) in Booths supermarket
>> with a loyalty card.
>>
>> We have the same thing in the South but they call it Waitrose. I have
>> the card but I've never bothered with the coffee, especially since our branch has nowhere
>> to sit to drink it. The café corner in the Wokingham one is crammed solid
>> on a Saturday morning with coffee claimers, who all leave their loaded trolleys outside and
>> in the way.
Nicolle constantly bemoans the fact that they have no cup holder on the trolley.
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There's always a queue for the coffee in the Bath Waitrose I frequent, which must be a pain for people who actually want to pay money for things like bacon rolls sold at the same counter. But I noticed yesterday they're installing 2 stand-alone machines.
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Invented by Arabs and perfected by Italians. No good will come of it I tell you.
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I don't think anyone is wrong, just a personal thing. I don't like coffee at all, so I'm the same I couldn't really imagine spending several hundred pounds on a machine to make coffee. Only hot drink I like is tea, preferably assam.
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I like a cup of tea last thing at night...I'm drinking one now in my anti-terror special mug.
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I guess whether you like the stuff or not you have to admit that the habit of coffees drinking is one of the most social and least harmful of all human addictions and it is difficult to envisage a world without the stuff. Nothing causes a bigger problem in an office than the coffee machine running out!
High street coffee shops have surely been one of the more welcome changes to modern society providing a social space for everyone from mums with toddlers to businessmen, students and pensioners.
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Quite so. I bet a degree student has ritten a dissertachun on coffee shops and there effect on society
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>> I guess whether you like the stuff or not you have to admit that the
>> habit of coffees drinking is one of the most social and least harmful of all
>> human addictions and it is difficult to envisage a world without the stuff. Nothing causes
>> a bigger problem in an office than the coffee machine running out!
>>
>> High street coffee shops have surely been one of the more welcome changes to modern
>> society providing a social space for everyone from mums with toddlers to businessmen, students and
>> pensioners.
>>
I'll take your word for it as I don't bother going into them, so I wouldn't really know much about them or what they are like inside.
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>>mums with toddlers to businessmen, students and
>> pensioners.
Trying to find a coffee shop with out of any them.
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Have to admit I'm not a fan of coffee shops either. My experiences with the likes of Costa and Starbucks is that they take ages to queue to get something, the many options are too confusing for an innocent like me, and at the end they give me a paper cup of insipid liquid, of which there is far too much, look me in the eye and ask for about three quid or more.
There's a garden centre near us which has a Starbucks franchise inside. Next to it (and they don't make it very clear it's true) they just have a counter belonging to the garden centre itself - separate till, no Starbucks sign hanging over it - where they have a simple coffee machine and a filter jug if you prefer. Everyone queues for Starbucks - the other counter is almost always a ten second wait, a moment for your coffee, it's much nicer, comes in a china cup or mug, and is about £1.20. Can't understand why anyone would prefer the other counter there, but maybe I'm missing something lovely.
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>> look me in the eye and ask for about three quid or more.
FWIW Pret a Manger do a basic coffee for £1.
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>> FWIW Pret a Manger do a basic coffee for £1.
Thanks for that. I was going to say I'm not particularly happy about supporting McDonalds, but I see they sold their stake off again some years ago, so maybe I should give it a go. I don't think I know enough about Bridgepoint Capital or Fat Face (really?) to have an opinion about them.
There's one just round the corner I think.
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>> I don't think I know enough about Bridgepoint Capital or
>> Fat Face (really?) to have an opinion about them.
>>
I used to know one of the guys that co-founded Fat Face. He did EXTREMELY well when they sold out - he was last heard living the life of (a surfing) Reilly in Hawaii.
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Fat Face= Nice shirts. A bit pricy but good
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>> Fat Face= Nice shirts. A bit pricy but good
Loads hanging on my rail, buy in the sale. Cheapest place is Brancaster staithe off season.
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Useful bit of info. Thanks. I'll check it out.
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>> There's a garden centre near us which has a Starbucks franchise inside. Next to it
>> (and they don't make it very clear it's true) they just have a counter belonging
>> to the garden centre itself - separate till, no Starbucks sign hanging over it -
Sounds just like the one down the road from me. Sounds like a brand of chocolate?
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>> Sounds just like the one down the road from me. Sounds like a brand of
>> chocolate?
You have a Garden Centre called Nestles?
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>> Sounds just like the one down the road from me. Sounds like a brand of
>> chocolate?
Hmm. Not unless there's a chocolate bar called Huntingdon Garden and Leisure Dairy Milk. (If there were and it was made with "two-for-one" special offer compost and gravel it would still be nicer than Cadbury's is now).
Actually, I now remember the last time we were in there the Starbucks has gone, to be replaced by a Costa at the other end of the giant hangar it's all housed in. But they still have the same "own" arrangement for coffee, and indeed, people were all over the Costa, but at least now they are obviously separate.
Back on track, colleagues are telling me they like the Tassimo machines. I understand there is one actually on site, but I'm not popular enough to be asked to go and try one of course.
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>> Back on track, colleagues are telling me they like the Tassimo machines. I understand there
>> is one actually on site, but I'm not popular enough to be asked to go
>> and try one of course.
After three days I can say I am delighted with the Dolce Gusto. Nicolle likes the two pod Cappuccino* and I am delighted with the Americano (mug size fill - spot of milk from the fridge)
If I was to carp a little the coffee is a tad on the cool side - which I like - specially in the morning I need the caffein NOW not sit there glaring at a steaming mug too hot to handle. If I need it hotter for a leisurely drink then pre heating the cup solves that issue.
I can't comment on Tassimo machines, not used one (used a nesspresso** and a senseo***) all I can say is that 16 coffees tassimo pods is £3 and 16 Dolce Gusto pods is £3.33 (asda multipack prices) and the machines both cost around 49 quid.
* Nicolle loves cappuccino served in italy, mostly because its served in small cups, usually a single espresso with a fairly thin layer of frothed milk over the top. Here its served in a bucket - usually a double espresso with an udder full of semi frothed milk poured over the top. Too big, too much milk.
** Good coffee great choice of beverages, but v expensive machines and v expensive coffee.
*** Its a pity the Senseo never really hit it big here. The coffee comes in pads, is cheap, is tasty and the used pads bio degrade upon disposal.
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...16 coffees tassimo pods is £3 and 16 Dolce Gusto pods is £3.33...
Not outrageous really at 19-21p a cup. Consider that the espresso beans I buy in bulk are £13 a kilo, or 1.3p a gram, and I use 15g to fill the Gaggia's double basket, so that's about 20p a double. Not sure how much coffee you get in a pod but even if it's half as much it's still not orders of magnitude different in unit cost.
My concern would be shelf life. Coffee degrades quickly once it's ground, although the pods can presumably help by excluding oxygen. A friend has a pod machine (can't remember which system) and told me once that he can return the empties for re-use, which helps with the environmental concern. Don't suppose many do, though.
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Store coffee in the fridge. Keeps longer at reduced temperatures.
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I thought someone would say fridge, but NOOOO!
Some of the worst coffee I've ever been served has come out of people's fridges. Yes, a lower temperature slows the rate of oxidation, but not, frankly, by much if the coffee's already ground. Then you open the cold bag and moisture condenses all over the cold coffee inside. So now your coffee is ground, aerated and damp.
Better way is to keep a small quantity (200g for us) of beans in an airtight container in the cupboard. The rest goes in sealed bags in the freezer, to be removed as required and allowed to come to room temperature before being opened. Bit of a faff but worth the effort.
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Don't the best cafes attract a mix of customers? The one I frequent most in Norwich is an independent near the Arts College (now University) and attracts a lot of students as well as shoppers and business people. Gives it a sort of vibrancy which I like and is the closest thing to a European cafe around here. Coffee is good too.
The chain coffee shops have their place though and it always seems a bargain to me to find somewhere warm and comfortable to sit and have a cup of coffee, read the newspapers and use the free wifi all for the price of a cup of coffee. I know someone will tell me how little a cup of coffee cost to make but it seems a good deal to me.
No, the coffee shop is surely one of the better aspects of modern life.
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When I was a young lad, it was a sign that my parents had important friends round when the percolator went on. Used to love the smell it produced and my memory is of it just sitting bubbling away for hours, filling the house with a great smell. The reality was that it was probably only half an hour or so!
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I like tea as much as coffee, but I think the reason coffee shops have done so well is that trying to get a decent cup of tea 'on-the-go' is impossible. Don't know if it's the milk, water, tea or all three. Coffee is far more predictable.
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I quite like Nespresso coffees but tried the "Descaler" variety the other day and it was b***** disgusting. Your mileage may vary etc.
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>> I quite like Nespresso coffees but tried the "Descaler" variety the other day and it
>> was b***** disgusting. Your mileage may vary etc.
teeth nice and white now tho i guess
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trying to get a decent cup of tea 'on-the-go' is
>> impossible. Don't know if it's the milk, water, tea or all three.
I'd agree, so many places struggle to make a decent cup of tea. I'm not even sure why it's not like it's that hard. On the couple of occasions I've been into a coffee shop their efforts at making tea were uninspiring, I know they are coffee shops but still. Best place tend to be the tea rooms type of place.
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I can drink tea and sometimes do in the afternoon with milk and sugar. But the kind I like is Earl Grey, made slightly too strong with leaves (not a bag) and with milk and sugar. Quite wrong but who cares? For waking up it's coffee though, with milk and no sugar, a half pint mug. It's usually cold before I've finished half of it, but I still drink it all.
The only tea I've had that was more stimulating than proper coffee was the sugary, oft-boiled brew made from green tea (a box of Twining's Gunpowder is a gift much appreciated in the Sahara) and drunk out of small glasses. It's good, if sticky, but you can easily drink four or more glasses sitting up at night. You'll be hard put to it to kip after that, however tired you think you are.
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We have had a dolce for three years now and still works fine, agree on the price thou. Our asda is doing 3 boxes for £10 at the moment the son loves the chocolate nice and creamy.
Last edited by: mazda chris on Thu 30 Oct 14 at 21:45
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Spanish bar coffee is usually pretty decent stuff at around 1euro to 1.2 Euros for a reasonably sized gllass.
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For those who use Nespresso machines but don't like the cost, Lidl are doing compatible pods from tomorrow: £1.79 for 10 pods. Three blends available. "Save £130 per year if you have a three-a-day habit" they say. Of course the proof is in the pudding. Or coffee.
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I like coffee but seem particularly susceptible to its diuretic properties.
Two cups from the free supply we used to get at formal work meetings of the Quango and I'd be busting in half an hour.
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As well as its diuretic effects, caffeine acts as an irritant to the urinary sphincter (and others) which is presumably why the need to discharge can feel so urgent compared with other diuretics like, say, beer.
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>> As well as its diuretic effects, caffeine acts as an irritant to the urinary sphincter
>> (and others) which is presumably why the need to discharge can feel so urgent compared
>> with other diuretics like, say, beer.
There are more bogs in a pub than a coffee bar.
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My local pub sells a very nice cup of coffee. The bogs aren't bad either.
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True, Z. But while three pints of beer (1.7 litres) will put more water into your bladder, three espressos (0.15 litres) will convince you it all must go. Now!
Doesn't stop me drinking the stuff (coffee, that is.) Just not before a long car journey.
}:---)
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Oh do stop it chaps. You're making me want to pee. Past a certain age the power of suggestion cuts in and out. By the time you reach the bog you don't want to any more. Then you have to chant a mantra or cast your mind back to something or other. I find the roar of an arsenal football crowd 400 yards away, directed skyward by the trumpet-shaped stadium and sounding from the bog in my Highbury gaff like an enormous, really enormous sigh, a useful memory. Odd but true.
Last edited by: VxFan on Wed 5 Nov 14 at 19:02
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I have Nespresso machine and love it.
The quality of flavour and texture (not sure how to describe, maybe creaminess, but that's not quite right) are better than anything else I've found short of a proper barista cafe one.
I've tried the copy pods from French supermarkets but just not good enough.
Definitely an expensive coffee but worth it for me.
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We've had a Nespresso machine for two years.
Produces the best espresso I have ever had in this country.
Costs 30p a shot, which I am happy with. I don't drink enough coffee for it to be an issue.
I stopped drinking instant years ago, and used a stove top for many years.
Quality depended on the age of the opened coffee pack.
Nespresso type is sealed until it's used, so I guess this helps.
You can recycle the pods at the Nespresso shop.
In passing, we were in Sicily for twelve days last month, and I was drinking coffee every day. Without exception excellent coffee everywhere.
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>> The pods are expensive tho, 16 cups of coffee (8 cappuccinos) for £3.50ish
Might be getting cheaper: tinyurl.com/kyzqle2 (DM)
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>> Argos were doing a DeLongi Dolce Gusto machine at well under half price, £120ish down
>> to £49.99. I had 40 quids worth of Argos gift cards from my credit card
>> points, so the machine cost me £9.99.
Similar deals on now:
www.argos.co.uk/static/Search/searchTerm/great+offers+on+kitchen+electricals.htm
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>> Similar deals on now:
>> www.argos.co.uk/static/Search/searchTerm/great+offers+on+kitchen+electricals.htm
Have to say its been blooming marvellous good coffee in less time than it takes to make a cup of instant.
After much experimentation I have settled into the Americano pods, and Mrs Z has taken a fancy to the cortado pods. And Costco do a three box pack of Americano for £8:49 works out at 18p a cup
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...or Asda 2 for £7 (22p) if no Costco nearby.
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>> ...or Asda 2 for £7 (22p) if no Costco nearby.
Used to be three for £10.
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You could have bought one of these, I've had several and been using them successfully for years:
www.amazon.co.uk/Smartcafe-Cafetiere-Hot-Graphite-Grey/dp/B0007MTNGS
Last edited by: Mike H on Thu 3 Dec 15 at 17:04
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>> You could have bought one of these, I've had several and been using them successfully
>> for years:
>>
>> www.amazon.co.uk/Smartcafe-Cafetiere-Hot-Graphite-Grey/dp/B0007MTNGS
I could have, but i didn't want one of those, so I didn't buy one of those.
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It was a perfectly good way of meeting your objective for a single cup of real coffee when you want it......have you got an electric toothbrush with 20 speeds and three different brushhead styles as well? ;-)
Last edited by: Mike H on Thu 3 Dec 15 at 18:33
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>> have you got an electric toothbrush with 20 speeds and
>> three different brushhead styles as well? ;-)
No, and neither does my coffee machine.
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>> It was a perfectly good way of meeting your objective for a single cup of
>> real coffee
That would be my main worry - does it make a proper mug full? (Same for the pod machines, although just out of curiosity as not tempted by one of those.)
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Think of it as drinking from a cafetiere! It's about 25cl, a reasonable mug full. You lose about 1cm from the bottom of the mug.
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At home I only ever drink Kenco Decaff, otherwise it's a mug of tea or tap water. However, I do like the occasional capuchino but dislike going into these coffee shops because the ' menu' just confuses me!
Probably a daft question but would one of these coffee makers make me a decent capuchino, or however you spell it. And yes I know it's not Decaff, but I like to live life on t'edge.
Last edited by: legacylad on Thu 3 Dec 15 at 23:03
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My brother has one of these posh machines the latest one I believe.
I drink a lot of coffee like the taste not black little bit of milk no sugar.I grew up with the stuff used to grind the beans in a hand grinder for my grandmother.Put the ground coffee in a coffee filter into the coffee pot.I am drinking Douwe Egberts not to bad.Christmas present from our daughter is one of the new coffee machines.As long it is red instructions from my wife,same colour as the microwave and kettle.
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Can't beat a Costa Coffee large Latte with a double shot!
Pat
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Its Cafe Nero for me by a long way, with Costa only as a emergency fall back position. Starbucks however is always shunned, somehow their coffee never delivers the caffeine boost required.
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>>Its Cafe Nero for me by a long way,
It's Waitrose for me, by an equally long way...
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It's not really the coffee that is the most important thing. Cafes are like pubs. A good one has a friendly atmosphere and becomes your local.
Starbucks and Costa are the Wetherspoons of the cafe world. They serve a purpose but are not my choice. The best cafes are are the independents. I've been using the Expresso in Norwich for 20 years or so
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>> It's not really the coffee that is the most important thing. Cafes are like pubs.
>> A good one has a friendly atmosphere and becomes your local.
Given that 60% or more of their trade is "to go" the pub analogy is rather wide of the mark.
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Really?
Never bought a "to go " coffee in my life.
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>>Given that 60% or more of their trade is "to go
That's high. Quite believable in London & similar, but elsewhere I would have thought "drink in" was more common.
I reckon I take about 25% to go and the rest of the time stay. Which is why I use Starbucks despite their prices and lesser coffee - their "lounges", which most here have and I assume that they have in the UK also, are clean, spacious, quiet, comfortable and full of electricity points, tables, armchairs and WiFi.
The major alternative chain here is Juan Valdez and they are much less comfortable. The "non-international-chain" coffee shops tend to have much better service, much better coffee, and much more pleasant service but are generally less conveniently placed and less well equipped.
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>> Which is why I use Starbucks despite their prices and lesser coffee - their "lounges",
>> which most here have and I assume that they have in the UK also, are
>> clean, spacious, quiet, comfortable and full of electricity points, tables, armchairs and WiFi.
Virtually non existent in the UK, certainly its a far different chain here. All chains of course have wifi, few if any power points,
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Surprising.
Well here the lounges are large, usually have two or three sofas in front of low tables, typically 4 or 5 pairs of armchairs by little round tables, then ordinary tables and chairs and lastly usually large, multi-occupancy desks for meetings & group studying.
Its usually carpeted, regularly cleaned and typically has equally clean toilets convenient.
All Starbucks have the same WiFi password and most tables have a power socket next to them.
I am sure there are exceptions, but I cannot off hand think of one.
However, still expensive and still not the greatest coffee.
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At about half 5, 6ish yesterday evening, I was in need of a coffee shop/café to take the nippers in to out of the rain whilst we waited for their Mum to show up. I headed for the friendly neighbourhood independent place, only to find it shut. The Starbucks two doors down was open. Starbucks it was. My cup of tea was fine, the children had their "festive" hot choc specials, one vanilla (festive?) and one honey & almond (festive?).
Served a purpose, but illustrated how come Starbucks has 10,000,000,000 branches and the local guy will probably close down - local guy wants to go home at 5, so ten quid added to Starbucks tax-free coffers rather than his tax-paying ones. Sad. Tons of footfall of folks wandering past on the way home form work in a pedestrianized location just off a major high Street. You'd think the local guy would give it until 6.30/7 to catch folks leaving offices.
As for home coffee, my missus bought a bean to cup machine in the sales last January. I rolled my eyes, tutted and sighed, muttering things about hipsters, fashion victims and such like. It's brilliant and I use it every day without fail. The old filter machine went in the tip last weekend. Wrong again.
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>> All chains
>> of course have wifi, few if any power points,
>>
Used an Itsu the other day (yummo). All tables had multiple USB charging points. Of course, they'd be totally unnecessary if people didn't slavishly buy inferior Apple products.
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>> course, they'd be totally unnecessary if people didn't slavishly buy inferior Apple products.
My five year old inferior apple product with 1500 charge cycles and now only 83% battery efficiency still manages 4 hours of use between charges.
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And you think that's all right? Brainwashed!
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>> And you think that's all right? Brainwashed!
As its a PC, I do, and there is none so Anti Jobs & apple than me.
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 4 Dec 15 at 14:06
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Ah, sorry, I've moved on from carting PCs around with me as I've got a proper smartphone now. Was only thinking about phone charging.
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>> Ah, sorry, I've moved on from carting PCs around with me as I've got a
>> proper smartphone now. Was only thinking about phone charging.
Ah yes, phone. Small screen, no keyboard, that thing.
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>> The best cafes are are the independents.
Penny Blacks in Woking is excellent.
(I've no connection with them, apart from my stepson being co-owner.)
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I like coffee but can't always be bothered to faff about with the moka pot. And sometimes I fancy a longer milkier drink.
I have a little Krups espresso machine with a with a milk warmer/frother but that too takes a while and I hate cleaning the steam spout so it has all but fallen into disuse.
Daughter has a tassimo job that makes OK lattes using 2 pods, but at a cost of about 40p each and the milk powder used has a slightly sweet taste that I think would get on my nerves after a while.
I might have a go at the Senseo - e.g. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004KLYM36 Philips HD7854/60 Senseo Latte Select
This model uses ordinary milk (so no funny taste and no 20p second pod required for a latte/cap.).
It's also possible to use regular ground coffee instead of the senseo pads, with one of these
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00295RAT8 coffee ducks. That partly negates the convenience but does allow a wider choice of coffee.
It's either this I think, or a bean to cup job e.g. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001EOMZ5E De'Longhi Magnifica ESAM4200 which looks a (relative) bargain but is quite large and ultimately not as fuss free as the Senseo, what with the manual frothing lark. I do not want to be a pretend barista.
Has anybody any experiences of the Philips Senseo machines to help give a view on it?
Meanwhile I will see if the urge to spend brass goes away.
I do not want to add any more to my collection of little-used kitchen appliances.
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>> Has anybody any experiences of the Philips Senseo machines to help give a view on
>> it?
Yes, the guest house I stayed in for a week last year in Holland had one. As convenient as the other pod machines, it was quick and convenient and the coffee tasted good. Its the machine that sowed the seed of me wanting a pod machine.
Got back to the UK, prepared to buy one and discovered its a device that has not traveled well to the UK.
Market penetration in the uk is poor. The pods are unavailable in most uk outlets, the choice of types is small, they are expensive, the coffee duck type things are useless, but worse of all, the senseo machine can't get the 15 bar type pressure to get the crema.
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>>worse of all, the senseo machine can't get the 15 bar type pressure
>> to get the crema.
Had to follow that up - the blether relating to the Senseo includes "Delicious coffee crema layer as proof of SENSEO® quality".
Apparently it isn't crema at all.
www.bloggle.com/2005/03/the-senseo-crema-mystery/
Whether that matters or not, I don't know. I suppose I'd have to taste the stuff.
In the end I'll probably either leave this alone, or go bean-to-cup. The de'Longhi would almost certainly work out cheaper than the pod machines anyway, if I used it.
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Bought one of these in the end, very pleased with it.
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0047NOTWQ (DeLonghi ESAM 04.320.S)
Bean to cup job with steam spout. Took a while to find the right settings (especially for my my boon companion's long coffees) but it's no more faff overall than filling the kettle and scalding a tea bag, except when it demands more water/ beans/ grounds emptying, all of which are straightforward.
I have no real idea of what's inside. Just hope it doesn't have a DSG gearbox.
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I feel sure I saw one of those on the moon circa 20/07/69
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>> Bought one of these in the end, very pleased with it.
>> www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0047NOTWQ (DeLonghi ESAM 04.320.S)
How much? I've bought cars for less.
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>> How much? I've bought cars for less.
So have I. But y'see if you want even a couple of cappuccinos a day, keeping it fed is going to cost about £250 a year less than using say Tassimo pods. And it has a two year guarantee, so I should come out ahead.
There are extensive possibilities for man-maths with these things.
P.S. - just seen price on link is now £450! I paid £325 on the Delonghi website when the Amazon price was £350; Amazon then went down to £300, now out of stock. You have to watch 'em!
The ESAM 4200S at £300 has the same guts I think.
Last edited by: Manatee on Sun 13 Dec 15 at 14:26
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>> Bought one of these in the end, very pleased with it.
>>
>> www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0047NOTWQ (DeLonghi ESAM 04.320.S)
Ours is similar, same manufacturer, different model, cost about half that in the sales last January (plus John Lewis staff discount :-) ).
Descaling is the only big faff. I order the descaling solution on line. It comes in flimsy plastic bottles and the last Amazon seller I got it from only put it in a plain envelope and, of course, it broke in transit. Gah.
Very hard water where I live though (Chilterns, innit), maybe it's softer where you are.
Wouldn't be without ours now.
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>> Very hard water where I live though (Chilterns, innit), maybe it's softer where you are.
Somewhat, I think. Although we pay Thames water for it, I have a vague recollection that Anglian supply the water so it probably comes from further east and north.
There was a water hardness test strip in the box as you probably remember, so I cut it down the middle and tested the tap water and the Brita-filtered water from the jug. Tap was 3/4 ("hard"), jug was 2/4 (slightly hard). Because the hardness has to be set on the machine, I concluded it would demand a descale according to cycles, not scaled-up-ness, so I decided to use filtered and set it accordingly.
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I don't have a coffee machine but SWMBO uses descaler on lots of stuff, she gets it from Robert Dyas or Tesco and it isn't dear. Could be a better option than eBay, if you have one nearby?
Viakal I think it's called.
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I'm not usually a slave to branding, but the missus paid for this coffee machine so I'm sticking to the DeLonghi branded descale solution. Obviously all maintenance jobs are obviously mine, obviously, me being the male and all that. So a policy of blame minimisation in the event of a mishap is always best.
I didn't bother with the hard water test thingy, the water is so hard here it's ridiculous. I do put it through a Brita filter, but applying the rule outlined in the paragraph above, I have set the machine to expect the hardest water and alert me to descale it as frequently as possible. I do use a bit of judgement though and don't immediately jump to the task, knowing I've probably got a bit of leeway. Life on the edge, that's me.
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>> I'm not usually a slave to branding, but the missus paid for this coffee machine
>> so I'm sticking to the DeLonghi branded descale solution. Obviously all maintenance jobs are obviously
>> mine, obviously, me being the male and all that. So a policy of blame minimisation
>> in the event of a mishap is always best.
I use the waitrose own stuff in my machine - still works OK so cant be that bad
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I have an older version of the magnifica and would recommend it, but he drawback is if you want hot water.
For example, if you want an americano then the hot water delivery from the steamer is fairly slow, and also comes out at force so splashes. If I want an americano I just boil the kettle in parallel for the hot water
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After years of experimenting from Cona machines to Filter machines from hob top espresso to Nespresso machines I have now settled on a Cafetière for proper coffe and a decent jar of instant when I want a quick cup.
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In my house, the instant has been dumped, the Cafatierre, the hob type italian percolator, the drip filter machine all lie unloved and unused in the back of the cupboard housing dead spiders, the only coffee machine out and in use is the Dolce Gusto.
The only drawback is people keep popping round for a cup of coffee.
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Only ever drink instant in other people's gaffs. Don't do it myself. There's probably some here somewhere, but it isn't mine.
As for proper coffee, I'm usually mean and possessive with it. My machine only makes a decent cup and a half anyway, and I often scoff the lot. Herself is more of a mint tea sort of person.
Of course visitors get some proper coffee if they want it. I'm not a total yahoo.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Sun 6 Dec 15 at 17:23
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Quite like instant coffee . You have to look on it as a totally different drink to "proper" coffee.
And in summer you need a jar of Classic Nescafé to make a proper Frappe.
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AHA Not the case at all.
The dolce gusto will do, at the flick of a switch, do cold coffee.
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I,m a traditionalist. You need spray dried instant and an old milk bottle to replicate the authentic Greek expereience. You won't find A pod machine in a Taverna.
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Pod coffee machines... are they some sort of integrated system requiring the punter to pay through the nose for coffee in little purpose-made sachets?
I'm sure the product is often excellent, but it's an expensive poncy way to do it.
Cahoua is a personal thing really. You can be lucky (although never in America) but your own habitual brew will usually do the trick of a morning unless you are iller than usual.
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>>I'm sure the product is often excellent, but it's an expensive poncy way to do it.
It certainly is an expensive way to do it. So expensive in fact that whilst the convenience might induce me to several uses per day, the cost would constrain a tight-fisted Yorkshireman. Those Tassimo lattes work out at about 55p each.
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The other issue is the mountain of unrecycled waste that they create.
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>> The other issue is the mountain of unrecycled waste that they create.
I know that my daughter sends all of hers back for recycling, but she is incredibly well organised. I've no idea where she gets that trait from, must be a throwback.
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>> It certainly is an expensive way to do it. So expensive in fact that whilst the convenience might induce me to several uses per day, the cost would constrain a tight-fisted Yorkshireman. Those Tassimo lattes work out at about 55p each.
I haven't a clue what my morning coffee costs me. I put two kinds of coffee in the Bialetti thingy and a lot of full cream milk in the excellent stuff that comes out when the machine goes burble burble burble.
Imagine what a morning coffee and copy of last night's le Monde would cost you sitting at a poncy terrace in the south of France wearing shades. Make your blood run cold that will, and you can't mess with a French waiter when he's menstruating, believe me.
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This sounds, and is, incredibly tight wad and showing a complete lack of coffee 'appreciation' but I'm hoarding free Nescafé Decaff sachets at my current all inclusive abode to take on future backpacking trips. Saves the weight of a container.
At home of course I use Kenco Decaff instant.
Don't scoff please....
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Don't worry, LL, we won't scoff your fremantled instant.
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Can't stand all these strong coffees. My missus and I have Mellow Birds.
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>>Don't scoff please....
Quite the contrary - coffees, shampoos, soaps etc etc. i used to hoard them all from my frequent flyer days. We're still using them.
In fact, even now when the girls have sleepovers they take those wash bags they give you on airlines. I keep a couple in the car myself.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Tue 15 Dec 15 at 19:29
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>> I'm hoarding free Nescafé Decaff sachets at my current all inclusive abode to take on future backpacking trips. Saves the weight of a container.
>> At home of course I use Kenco Decaff instant.
>> Don't scoff please...
I can't scoff, I'm speechless.
Those freebie sachets of instant may well be better than most American coffee, but they aren't the real thing. And the real thing is what one needs in the morning.
Decaff indeed! What's the point of drinking that Scheisse?
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>>What's the point of drinking that Scheisse?
Something to do with liking it and wanting to, I guess.
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>> Something to do with liking it and wanting to, I guess.
Yeah, takes all sorts, I guess.
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I feel that you wouldn't be much interested in the approval of others for substances / liquids that you chose to consume so perhaps you should be a little more liberal in return.
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Don't scold me FMR. I'm very permissive in reality. But this is an opinion forum, a place for arguing.
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Some folk have heart conditions that preclude them taking too much caffeine, damnit.
Others take drugs that don't mix too well with grapefruit - I used to like grapefruit!
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Pod Coffee Machines. - Crankcase
