Coffee

[strange-steve]

I just got a Kitchenaid Artisan dual boiler (made for them by Gaggia I believe, it's basically a dual boiler Classic in a retro shell) after struggling along with a dying Ascaso Dream I won for £1 online for the last year, both with the Iberital MC2 grinder. I always get a good espresso out of the Kitchenaid if my grind is right, sometimes excellent shots, and it steams milk well if you take the plastic sleeve off. As for coffee I was on a budget so no super expensive roasters for me yet. Wogan is good value, I don't mind robusta in an espresso blend so their Con Vivo has been my default, crema for days! Buy 750g instead of 1kg if you want cheaper postage. They have some lighter roasts and single origin if you like that sort of thing but I like the more old school blends.

If you're purely wanting to make shots then a lever machine is probably still the best way to go, and a used grinder.

There's a used MC2 on ebay at the minute so might stick a bid on it. Although they're a rather reasonable £127 new on happy donkey.

I might bid on a one or two of the used Gaggia Classics on the bay also, do you know what sort of price these normally go for?

 

[Oneflewover]

I used to drink lots of coffee...nothing fancy just the instant stuff. A few years ago I had a real bad chest infection and afterwards for some strange reason I couldn't stand the stuff...I haven't drunk coffee at home since but drink the dreadful stuff out the machine in work as it's the best of a bad lot...
As per Samale I've been thinking of a machine such as the Tassimo as a few in work have them and are always banging on about it..plus they do hot choc which is a winner as Mr Clint and my two boys are chocoholics...
So...those Tassimo gadgets...they're ok then..??

Personally I wouldn't bother Clint. We've got a Lavazza coffee pod machine and since the initial interest had passed it has sat idle on the worktop. I grind beans immediately before brewing using a cheapish burr grinder, then use an aeropress to make the coffee. It'll do for me

 

[TheOsprey]

I love my machine. Fill her up once a week, and then two buttons make me a great coffee.

 

[Mr_S_Jerusalem]

Oh I love coffee lol.

I only have a cafetière. We have a machine some where but frankly, the cafetière is like 15 quid and if I break it it’s so easy to replace. Also you can get used to one way right? And it goes in the dishwasher.

My girlfriend got me a Rave subscription for Christmas last year and it’s still going and it’s great. I get a bag of this wierd amazing coffee at the end of each month and I love it lol. I have to kind of fill in the gapA with like Taylor’s or something though because I drink so much of it lol

 

[Subtle Duck]

Plus one for lapavoni. I keep trying to justify getting one as they are amazing machines. Can be a bit fiddly to get an even extraction from them until you're used to a lever machine. I've got a rok, that I found in a charity shop for £5.

Really don't think that they knew what they had on the shelf. With a lot of practice and even more time heating it up you can get quite a good shot. Only problem is frothing milk, thinking about modding a pressure cooker or mokka pot with a steam wand for this.

As hand grinders go, you'll want to spend a bit of money to get a good one that provides a consistent grain size suitable for espresso. Porlex are pretty good, but if you're willing to spend a bit more I'd definitely recommend the feld2.

 

[strange-steve]

I've got a rok, that I found in a charity shop for £5.

That's a hell of a find!

 

[Subtle Duck]

That's what I thought, like a magpie(and most brewers) I was drawn to how shiny it was. Also got my chemex and v60 pour overs from charity shops.

 

[Subtle Duck]

Due to being lazy, I gave up hand grinding coffee a while back and went electric.

 

[London]

You can get really nice coffee by using an aeropress for about £25 and is doodle to clean and very portable.

 

[strange-steve]

You can get really nice coffee by using an aeropress for about £25 and is doodle to clean and very portable.

Yeah I know you can, but you can't get a proper espresso from it.

 

[Clint]

Ah....I get it now...it's to make those martinis...

 

[nixhaz]

I have 2 of the DeLonghi Dedica machines, one at work and one at home. For the price, it makes an excellent espresso. You can modify the length and temperature of the shot, plus it does a decent job of frothing milk if barista art is your thing. I've had them for a few years and they don't have any major issues., apart from a bit of dripping from the steam wand when you are heating up.
They are great because they fit into such a tiny space in the kitchen.

 

[Old Geezer]

I've got one of these https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8956053?clickSR=slp:term:espresso%20machine:1:68:1 at the moment its £39.99 cheap as chips and works fine makes a good cup of coffee.

Not saying its the best but can't go wrong at this price.

 

[Leon103]

I have a coffee making machine. It's in constant use and we call it the kettle. Lol.
Never drank coffee all my life until s few years ago when I started cycling and slowly getting into it, so is my wife. Following this thread with interest as I can do with a nice shiny machine in my house

 

[johnny108]

Can you get Black Rifle Coffee where you are?
Really good stuff.

 

[AdeDunn]

We started out with a Tassimo, then upgraded to a Lavazza A Modo Mio and now use a De Longhi ECAM 22.110B bean to cup machine, as we just like the convenience. We also own a Dualit 75015 conical burr grinder so we can grind coffees other than the main one put into the hopper on the machine. Our main coffee that we drink is Rounton's sparkling water decaffe (trust me, it's lush even compared to full caff), once or twice a day we have a cup of El Salvador - Cuzcachapa also from Rounton coffee roasters, and very different. We discovered we don't like the Kenyan and Ehtiopian varieties quite quickly, fruit flavours for us have no place in coffee (not like that anyway... lol).

As pod machines go though the Lavazza machines are awesome, not least as 3rd party pods are widely available for them, or (if your council support it) Lavazza's own pods are "compostable" (industrial type, won't work throwing them in a normal compost bin, will work in something like a hot bin), been made out of that vege plastic stuff. Honestly better off with a bean to cup though, you just empty the used coffee container out every now and then, into your compost bin (if you have one) and give it a quick clean so it doesn't go mouldy.

Here's a pic I took whilst "playing" with the bean to cup machine. lol

 

[Tanglefoot]

I grind my beans ( Lavasssa or Lidl's own brand Italian ) with this Bialetti grinder and use either a french press
or for expresso this stove top pot - works great on my little Rayburn in the winter.

 

[strange-steve]

There's no doubt you can get great coffee without spending a lot of money, as others have mentioned an Aeropress and a decent hand grinder can produce good results. However, getting a really great espresso is a bit different and requires splashing out a bit more. I'm not sure it's really possible without at least a quality grinder, which isn't cheap.

 

[Subtle Duck]

Beautiful bit of kit on eBay at the moment

Worth watching

 

[strange-steve]

Beautiful bit of kit on eBay at the moment
View attachment 28748
Worth watching

That's really nice alright, I love the steam punk look. I think it might need a little tlc from someone who knows about this sort of thing though.