hello fellas, I like a caffeine boost before I get on my bike and I’m growing more demanding with the taste. Does anyone here has some good cool espresso machine that is not those Nespresso pod stuff? I wonder if those DeLonghi automatic machines are any good for real as they are also expensive…

In my experience the automatic bean-to-cup machines are fine if you’re not bothered enough about the taste to learn to make espresso on a real machine. Think Starbucks quality rather than independent hipster coffee shop quality.

Yeah you aren’t going to get a good espresso with stuff like that. There is a reason good/proper coffee machines are so expensive. Was a barista for a while years ago in Australia so I know a few bits and pieces. Have had one starbucks coffee once and I could not believe how bad it was.

Got a Gaggia anima deluxe at Christmas – super automatic bean to cup plus cappuciniatore for doing milk properly

It’s ace first thing mainly cos coffee is done so quickly and it’s easy to clean. I’ve had better coffee from a manual machine but I’ve not got the time to faff in the morning. I’d say it’s got 90-95% of the taste 100% of the time. Any time I’ve had the use of a manual it takes me a few goes to make a better tasting one than what I’ve got now

Aeropress, less hassle than machine, and best coffee Ive ever had.

I had two aeropress’s, then my wife bought me one of the Delonghi Magnifica bean-to-cup machines.

I’m a convert, and in two years I think it’s actually paid for itself as I rarely buy a £3.50 coffee now I can get one at home. I think it’s better than your average Costa/Starbucks effort.

I suspect the reason they are not used commercially is due to the complexity and fact they are not designed for tough commercial use, and single single boiler so quite slow if you want to make more than a couple of mugs.

I’ve got a Delonghi DEDICA EC 680. It’s my first proper espresso coffee machine, although I’ve dabbled with various cezves, a bialetti and a couple of filter coffee machines.

It can use ground coffee or coffee pads, just switch the filter. It takes about a minute to prepare the machine, make and clean up (if making an espresso). The temperature can be adjusted, although it isn’t trivial.

There is a frother/ steamer wand for milk, if you want to make a latte or something else. I’ve never used this function, as I prefer an espresso. The GF does use it, and it looks like a right faff.

For the price that I paid, I’m very happy. I’m very glad i didn’t get a pod/capsule device.

I got a De Longhi Scultura a few weeks ago. Great espresso, minimum faffage and It looks great. Best £150 i’ve spent in a while

On my Delonghi, I leave the milk wand in the steamed milk position and just hold it just below the surface of the milk to make coffee shop style textured milk or froth.

If I put it in the froth setting it just makes froth on the top and unfoamed milk underneath, never really gave it a chance though as I know its better to just learn how to use the wand properly.

My DeLonghi Perfecta has a pretty good go at making a decent coffee but it is at the higher end of the price spectrum. Been going strong for 4 years now though so getting better value for money day by day.

Ermmm! Welcome to the forum.

Enduro coffee machine:

Rocket R58.

Curious first post. Now where is my list of STW standard responses…

Gaggia Classic (older one preferably) or Rancillo Silvia. A bottomless basket, a decent burr grinder, and quality freshly roasted beans. Then practice practice practice until your grind, distribution and tamp is just right (good guide here). And don’t forget to backflush and descale regularly.

I’ve had a De Longhi EC830.B for about six months and am pretty happy with it. It did start leaking underneath whenever the steam wand was used but after a descaling it seem to have fixed itself.

As ever, the machine is the least important thing in coffee making; Beans >>>> grinder* >>>>> skillz >>>> machine

*never, ever a whizzy blade one, one of these has served me well and is not too pricey.

Gagia Baby here.

Yes it takes time to warm up, and more time again to warm up for steaming milk.

But it makes coffee nice enough that most friends walk into the kitchen and ask for a coffee (and that’s as a pauper using pre-ground coffee).

I appreciate that nicer coffee is nicer, but I want a cup to wake me up in the morning, I don’t want to have to wake up early just to make a cup of coffee to wake me up (or rather, that just wouldn’t happen!). So anything beyond putting scoops in the basket, tamping, and waiting 30 seconds for espresso is a none starter.

If you like espresso based coffee’s then you won’t get a better entry level machine than a Gaggia Classic.

If you just want got coffee, any number of options are available for very little money including Cafetiere, Aeropress, Chemex etc and as with all coffee’s it’s down to the Bean and grind you use.

The best coffee I’ve had is from a Cafetiere using beans from a company who I’ve never managed to make a good espresso from.

I have a Delonghi PrimaDonna bean to cup machine. I had the Gaggia Titanium prior to that. On both machines you have plenty of control over the taste of your coffee to get it how you want then save that for future use.
You probably can make an amazing coffee with a separate grinder and higher pressure machine but you also need more time to do it. Compare it to just switching machine on, wait a short while for it to warm and select your desired coffee whilst you get on with the 101 other things you do on morning that stops you fannying around making the perfect coffee. All our guests really like the coffee it produces so must be doing something right.
I wouldn’t touch a Gaggia again as it was temperamental with what beans you used as the grinder would gunk up. The brew unit was complex and more difficult to remove and clean. The whole machine took more maintenance and wasn’t very reliable. When it finally died I bought the Delonghi and not only a piece of cake to use producing great coffee but simple to maintain too. The cup count on this machine is already way ahead of the Gaggia and we’ve not had it anywhere near as long.

We have a bean to cup machine (a De Longhi ‘Cappuccino’) and its fine for no faff/no mess coffees in the office but it isn’t a patch on my Gaggia Classic at home.

Put it this way – I had been considering getting a full auto one for home before we got the one in the office but now I am 100% against it and prefer what I have.

The machine is largely irrelivent as as long as it has all the features it needs. I had a Krups £60 machine that, during a couple of back to back trials with my dad’s several hundred pound Gaggia classic demonstrated that it made identical coffee, and the steam want was far superior to the Gaggia Classic’s. Sadly my Krups machine has, after a good 10 years of faithfull service, given up the ghost and after a short dalliance with a Bosch Tassimo i’m now considering a bean to cup.

I anticipate the key features for a bean to cup will be the control and repeatability of the grind (I assume thes have burr grinders?) and any control over the tamping pressure – as far as the machine is concerned these are really the only two parameters you can control with a normal espresso machine (apart from the beans you choose). So do these bean to cup machines have good control over these two parameters? The machines i’ve looked at so far seem to have a grind control knob, but i’ve not seen a tamping pressure control.

I had a gaggia, that kept going wrong and make a racket.

Tried a Sage but it was so flipping complicated every change of bean required extensive trials to find the sweet spot to make a decent cup.

Got a delonghi Magnifica, fill with water and beans, press a button and receive a nice brew.

What’s the budget OP?

Coffee machines are a bit like bikes.

These start at around 12 quid and go from there. Make as good a shot of coffee as the grind you put in it. If your coffee is naff out of one, it’s only your fault for buying nasty coffee.
I’ve had all manner of machines and worked as a barista. I use one of these daily. The process is very therapeutic with a reward at the end. What’s not to like?
image here

What’s the budget OP?

We’ll find out when they miraculously find a website selling them cheap.

Drac – Moderator

What’s the budget OP?

We’ll find out when they miraculously find a website selling them cheap. [/quote]

^^^ 😆 They see you coming.

Since this is coffee or coffee machine related thread I shall participate … 😛

OP, ya we want good cheap bean-to-cup coffee machine so tell us your price. No fanning about coz we see you coming. 😆

I would also recommended a Gaggia Classic, I get great espresso every time when I combine with beans from Casa Espresso (www.casaespresso.co.uk) ground in my Iberital MC2 grinder.

You should be able to pick up a second hand classic for £150 and the grinder for about £80 if you try ebay.