Coffee makers?

[Seahorse]

What do you have and would you recommend it?

After getting to play with one at the weekend, I'd love a 'bean to cup' style one but I'll have to consider very carefully whether I want to pay that much (£250 and way upwards, for the ones I've looked at). So I'm also looking at a maker plus a grinder but you can spend a lot on those too!

I definitely want to grind at home rather than buy ready ground. And I definitely want a frother.

Any advice or opinions much appreciated.

[HeyWayne]

Personally I don't drink much coffee at home (upsets my stomach), but on the odd ocassion I do, we have a manual grinder, bit like this one:



And then I'll either use the cafetiere (I think ours is Bodum), or the hob-top espresso jobby.





Have tried filter machine thingy's but they're all so much faff.

The manual grinder is ok for the odd occasion, but would be a bit of a chore if used often I'd guess, and the cafetiere and espresso thingy take no time or effort to clean - there are few removable/moving parts.

We've had them all years, and they just keep on truckin'.

[Rhona]

We're more tea drinkers but occasionally have coffee. I grind the beans in the spice grinder attachment of blender which works brilliantly, then pop into ordinary cafetiere. Only takes seconds to grind beans, and lots less hassle. The spice grinder bit goes straight into dishwasher!

[lynda66]

i use one of these http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:...24_nescafe.jpg and one of these http://www.duke.edu/web/soc142/team8/nescafe.jpg

sorted ....... though i don't actually drink it it's revolting

[lainey lou]

I just use a cafetiere, buy in freshly ground coffee and keep it in the fridge.
Used to have an all singing all dancing machine years ago but it took up too much space and was a pain to clean.

[shirlthegirl43]

We have one we brought back from America as it was so easy to use. You just rinse it every day and use steradent from time to time if the coffee staining bothers you. The only trouble we have is getting basket shaped filters to fit it. We use Douwe Egberts ready ground coffee as we like the flavour and strength of that one. It is great as the coffee is kept hot for 2 hours and is dispensed by pressing a mug against a button.

[coomber]

I have a gaggia colour coffee maker think they cost about £180.00 (I won mine in a raffle), really easy to use and clean but not great if you want to make several cups at once. I also have a kitchenaid burr coffee grinder i paid £130.00 again really easy to use and clean, It grinds really fine for espresso which you need for any good coffee maker, I would deffo recommend both Might be cheaper to buy bean to cup machine though

[Comfreyfan]

Our electric coffee grinder (DeLonghi) was approx £20 this year - it replaced a similar one which lasted about 15 years, so I'd recommend those. I keep my beans in the freezer and then grind them from frozen as I want them.
I would love to have a 'bean to cup' type, but I can't justify spending that sort of money (especially as we're both supposed to be cutting down on the caffeine!).
We also inherited a 4 cup electric espresso machine with a frother (Kenwood), it's also about 10 years old now - I doubt you can get them now it wouldn't be my choice, although I can't fault it's reliability, unfortunately. . . I can't wait for it to break down so I can choose something else!

[smallblueplanet]

We've got a Gaggia Classic and a Russell Hobbs burr grinder. The Classic is very much a 'hands on' machine, you can fit parts too it and pimp it. I've fitted a better steam wand to it, it makes great microfoam! Not mastered latte art yet though. The Classic makes a good espresso, although I prefer macchiato. A burr grinder is a must and ours is really bottom of the range, so I'd like to replace it with another, as fresh beans freshly ground is a must.

Buying guide for semi/auto machines and don't forget those lovely accessories.

[cupcake]

OH invested in a Delonghi cappucino machine for his B'day he says that he doesn't drink as much coffee if he has the real thing! (but the instant seems to be going down at the same rate!) So now we have a great big coffee machine cluttering up the kitchen worktop!

[Two_Sheds]

I wanted a Gaggia, but I got a Dolce Gusto (It's tarted up instant Nescafe, for goodness sake: 41p a cup). https://www.dolce-gusto.co.uk/UK/Pages/default.aspx I do need a cup of cappuccino in the morning now; I think they must put drugs in the pods.

I also have a cafetiere, and an egg whisk for froths.

[FionaH]

I have the expresso thingy as pictured above by Hey Wayne. I bought it back from Spain with me for 9 euros. It makes great coffee but not much of it.
I still have a big old coffee machine with timer and bells, it lives on the top of the cupboard cos its flamin huge and I have a very small kitchen. Really didnt think that one through

[Seahorse]

I treated myself to a Delonghi Magnifica:

Delonghi

It's my new best friend! Even at ebay prices, it wasn't cheap (a shade under £200) but it's soooo lovely to have effortless expresso, cappucino and latte

[Two_Sheds]

I have the expresso thingy ... It makes great coffee but not much of it

That's cos it's an espresso maker ... you're only meant to drink a thimblefull at a time, not an English sized serving