i know its been done before, but what are your recommendations ?
thanks in advance

Just accept that you can't beat the great taste –

I think most people here would recommend the Gaggia Classic and also to also buy a burr grinder.

Welcome to your new addiction.

good to see the funny folk up nice and early

and i can usually spell coffee 😕

😛

got a nespresso machine earlier in the year. marvellous thing and the coffee tastes nice too.

Sunbeam

Rancillio. End.

Get one off ebay that hasnt been ballsed around.

coffee clicky

have a look round here, I have a gaggia classic and it just works and works.

Post back if you need for info

It depends if you have hetics or not.
If you dont the neslte one is good. I you do, malongo or gaggia will get my vote.
I have a senseo, and once you know how to use it the coffe is actually quite tasty (without being to the level of a proper steam machine).

Got Gaggia Factory 105 lever machine off Ebay £145, just the same as a La Pavoni. Great coffee good steamer & no pump to go wrong.

Great bit of kit, talking of which, time for a brew

I got a Presso Espresso for £70 and a Dualitt burr grinder for £80. After a bit of experimenting i can now make an accepatable espresso with it (when i have the beans).
It is a bit of a faff though.

I have a Gaggia of some sort that you can have FOC if you collect.

got this in cream

treats

I bought a Siemens TK50 nespresso.
Very cheap and proper chuffed.
J.

Bialetti stove top, no gadgets to go wrong and really easy to clean. Use good coffee eg.Illy and it's cost of around £25 means you can buy more bike bits. It's also portable so take it camping etc….

thanks for the info people

Hairychested, if only you lived closer, if your serious i would make it worth your while to post it

Bialetti stove top

But a disappointment if you want to make espressos…

Mastlies : You're not making it right, it's the best espresso! It's what it's designed for.

You're not making it right, it's the best espresso! It's what it's designed for.

But I thought an espresso is created by pushing hot water through the grinds at high pressure? Happy to be proved wrong, but all the coffee shops I have ever seen use pressurised systems, not stove tops, for espressos.

EDIT: If I hear a good argument for one, I might just ask my brother for mine back (although I doubt it could permanently replace my Gaggia)

Thats exactly how it operates, forcing water through coffee under pressure into the top pot. It's the quality of coffee too but this (cheap) method's what continentals use. You can make it more authentic by making sucking/spitting sounds if you must.

Teagirl, I used to think the same but a stove top pot makes a Mocha not an Espresso
An Espresso machine forces very hot water through the grinds at something like 8 bar of pressure which helps to produce the 'crema' or foam which is essential in a good espresso.
You can make a Mocha and an Espresso from the same beans and the two will taste quite different.

forcing water through coffee under pressure

What BAR does it produce then? I think the Classic produces around 15 BAR

A traditional lever machine works at far lower pressure than 8 bar, so my understanding is that it "pushes" rather than forces the water through.

Either way, just enjoy it.

Matt, I can check the courier, no problem. If you're willing to cover the cost I'll get talking to them.

Hairychested. that would be great, how old is it , i presume it works ok?
you can mail me at

mattATsofaking.plusDOTcom
thanks very much

It worked until I took the fuse out. How old? I've had it for a couple of years but it was 2nd hand. Worth a punt I suppose.
Email me your address if you want it please.
Kris

Stove top for me. Woks very well and makes Espresso not Mocha which AAFN contains chocolate.

Mocha vs Espresso fight

"An Espresso machine forces very hot water through the grinds at something like 8 bar of pressure which helps to produce the 'crema' or foam which is essential in a good espresso."

but the water is often too hot as the temp control is limited, you often get burnt tasting coffee, the coffee from a decent machine (gaggia, pavoni etc) is much more consistent and (IME) tastes better.

if you are using Illy beans/coffee then stick with a stovetop as the coffee is usually past it's best by the time it gets used. u.k based roasters (monmouth, square mile etc) coffee is fresher as it's roasted a few days before delivery. square mile coffee put the roasting dates on the packaging so you know it hasn't sat around in a warehouse/distributors for weeks.

cheers Kris, i have sent you an email

Mocha has got chocolate in it.

I thought espresso is where the water moves through the beans as a steam and then recondenses as hot brown liquid: hence how the Stove Top Espresso Machine works.

Mocha has got chocolate in it.

You are quite right.
The stove top pots make Moka.

This appears a little clearer

How a Stove-top Espresso Maker Works

The science behind espresso making is concerned with applying a greater amount of pressure, or force on the coffee grounds then normal gravity, in order to extract more of the coffee's flavour. Numerous studies have shown that to achieve that 'god shot' of espresso, coffee grounds need to be subjected to between 130-150psi (9-10 bar) of pressure.

Although stove-top espresso makers operate under a much lower pressure, typically 15psi (1 bar), they still generate enough pressure to make great-tasting espresso style coffee. Recent advancements in stove-top technology, such as that used in the Bialetti Brikka and Mukka Express have increased this amount of pressure to just under 36psi (2.5 bar) for even greater coffee extraction.

Are we this geeky even about dirty water?

Moka is a stove to coffee maker:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moka_(coffee_pot)

Mocha is a chocolate drink:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cafe_mocha

Do a search on ebay for a 2nd hand Gaggia classic, if you want good espresso coffee they are great.

Personally i much prefer fresh ground coffee made in a french press.

Well, I think you guys should go riding instead. I've just got back from a great ride round Malham in the murk and cow sh*t and treated myself to a splendid stove top-made espresso, Illy (fresh can) and a piece of homemade flapjack that I posted the recipe of on the forum. Very smug and I've washed my bike to. What is the max bar pressure should I set my hose to? 😉