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Bean to cup machine...
 

[Closed] Bean to cup machine, less than £100, espressos and grind...

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[#6735720]

Does it exist? I'm thinking of replacing my Tassimo, since buying a dualit milk frother (would buy again A+++++) I only tend to use espressos from the Tassimo. At £35 an order every few months for discs, i'm thinking a grind bean to cup would be the way forward, and allow me to use the fabulous Costco Starbucks house blend which is only a fiver :mrgreen:

Any contenders? an option to add more water to make an americano from the machine would be a bonus too, along with ease of use espresso ready in less than 2 minutes.


 
Posted : 29/12/2014 10:10 pm
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Someone at worked claimed today to have bought a bean to cup machine for £35 from morrisons. I can't imagine it's any good, but it got me looking and there's a few under £100.

I'm too fussy for a bean to cup machine but they do look like good value.


 
Posted : 29/12/2014 10:20 pm
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the delohngi ones have been hovering as low as 129 on an offer i saw pre xmas, but now all seem around 199 again....
most seem to need regular cleaning and maintenance, and then there is the faff of cleaning out the grinds etc.
or buy a better pod machine.
illypress pods
lavazza blue
?


 
Posted : 30/12/2014 10:39 am
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GF bought me the Cuisinart Bean to Cup machine,use it everyday. You can use it with beans or ground coffee. Machines have a 3 year guarantee,this one cost around £99 from Lakeland,can't fault it. 🙂


 
Posted : 30/12/2014 11:33 am
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[quote=back2basics ]the delohngi ones have been hovering as low as 129 on an offer i saw pre xmas, but now all seem around 199 again....
most seem to need regular cleaning and maintenance, and then there is the faff of cleaning out the grinds etc.
or buy a better pod machine.
illypress pods
lavazza blue
?

aye its a reet faff pouring the beans in the top and emptying the grounds onto the compost heap. I'm not sure how I cope

What do you do with the used pods?


 
Posted : 30/12/2014 11:47 am
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If the Starbucks house blend is the one they serve in their shops, it's crap as coffee goes. Over-roasted and bitter, there are far better coffees out there.


 
Posted : 30/12/2014 11:57 am
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flipping heck all of these machines are expensive and the cost of the pods etc on top ?!!!

get a stove top, you need as much cleaning as a machine and you'd be hard pressed to spend 20quid on one

handheld burr grinders are pretty inexpensive if you want to buy posh beans but lavazza is a great option if you want to buy a packet ready ground (also the Aldi italian blend is ok for the price). I have to say I'm not a fan of the Starbucks either but everyone's pallette is different


 
Posted : 30/12/2014 12:48 pm
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If the Starbucks house blend is the one they serve in their shops, it's crap as coffee goes. Over-roasted and bitter, there are far better coffees out there.

There are definitely better coffee's out there (I get coffee from various places but Hasbean is a good option) but that Costco Starbucks blend is actually ok.


 
Posted : 30/12/2014 1:01 pm
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get a stove top, you need as much cleaning as a machine and you'd be hard pressed to spend 20quid on one

I've done that, including using a burr grinder but it's just too much hassle for me. The bean-to-cup machine on the other hand is fast, hassle free and rarely needs cleaning.


 
Posted : 30/12/2014 1:02 pm
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fixed my Jura last week - now on coffee overload the air press things are good though but I do love the no brainer of my machine ... real coffee totally spoils you though..

Normally have a quick shot before the ride to work - fasted and caffeinated for max ...

I'd have jumped on a 100quid machine thou mines &@£@ money new....


 
Posted : 30/12/2014 1:53 pm
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Have you considered second hand? I got a hardly used bean to cup De Longhi for £250. RRP £749.99, and it's ace. Replaced a Gaggia classic.


 
Posted : 30/12/2014 2:11 pm
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Costco do a few Starbucks house blends, the one i've tried on a mates Jura was pretty good.

I've kind of increased my budget since the OP, after looking at Amazon and the best seller, and reviews, i'm now trying to talk myself out of needing to spend £229.99 😳

http://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-Magnifica-ESAM4200-Espresso-Cappuccino/dp/B001EOMZ5E/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1419965322&sr=1-1

Whats the running costs on buying beans, how many espressos out of a typical 1kg bag?

Tassimo currently runs me about 0.19p an espresso. Thats buying from Tassimo direct at about £35 a time.


 
Posted : 30/12/2014 7:49 pm
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@SC-XC how does that compare to the new Amazon one @ £229?


 
Posted : 30/12/2014 7:52 pm
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I've kind of increased my budget since the OP, after looking at Amazon and the best seller, and reviews, i'm now trying to talk myself out of needing to spend £229.99

http://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-Magnifica-ESAM4200-Espresso-Cappuccino/dp/B001EOMZ5E/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1419965322&sr=1-1

That's the one we've got and it's superb. A bargain at that price.


 
Posted : 30/12/2014 9:08 pm
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@SC-XC how does that compare to the new Amazon one @ £229?

Dunno. That's the 4200,mine is the 5500. So it's 1300 better.

It was bought from a family member, so I know it's history. And it looks better.


 
Posted : 30/12/2014 11:01 pm
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This gets great feedback, not bean to cup but I have posted toss already today so why stop now.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jack-Stonehouse-Espresso-Cappuccino-Machine/dp/B00DJ3Z3MA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1419987390&sr=8-4&keywords=coffee+machine


 
Posted : 31/12/2014 1:58 am
 Alex
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I've got that DeLonghi ^^^. Had it just over a year and used it LOADS. No issues at all. It's needed descaling once (20 minute job) and I clean the 'middle bit' every month or so with hot water. Otherwise beans in the top, ace espresso out the bottom (live 10 mins from http://jamesgourmetcoffee.com (recommended) so get beans freshly roasted every couple of weeks.

I've had Gaggia Classics/stovetops/etc and they all make good coffee but the DL is just so much less hassle. I think I paid about £230 for it.


 
Posted : 31/12/2014 10:14 am
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Do you get to adjust the grind, tamp pressure and brew time on these machines?
I'm intrigued as to how they can even tamp with enough pressure? Or how you can even make a boiler and burr grinder for peanuts? (once the vat, distribution, dealer margin, distributor margin and profit are taken is there any money to make the thing)
Never used a bean to cup but wondered how they actually worked.


 
Posted : 31/12/2014 10:20 am
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Do you get to adjust the grind, tamp pressure and brew time on these machines?
I'm intrigued as to how they can even tamp with enough pressure? Or how you can even make a boiler and burr grinder for peanuts? (once the vat, distribution, dealer margin, distributor margin and profit are taken is there any money to make the thing)
Never used a bean to cup but wondered how they actually worked.

No I don't think you can, you couldn't on the ones I looked at anyway. This all depends on what coffee is to you. I'm far too fussy for a bean to cup machine ( possibly they have moved on since I looked - I don't know) my friend who has one seems to just pour the beans in (no consideration of date/storage) and make a drink and is happy with that, it can even do eXpresso he proclaimed.


 
Posted : 01/01/2015 7:59 am
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Do you get to adjust the grind, tamp pressure and brew time on these machines?

The £229 one from Amazon, lets you adjust the grind, stength and dispense amount among with lots of other features, this keeps coming up as the one to get, unless I find another bang for buck option...


 
Posted : 01/01/2015 10:00 am
 Alex
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On mine you can change the grind, and the strength. I don't tip many beans in (just enough for a day or so) and keep the rest in air tight containers. I'm sure you can make 'better' coffee with separate components and / or taking loads of time over every cup.

I'm very happy with a press the button/receive lovely coffee 30 seconds later compromise!


 
Posted : 01/01/2015 10:10 am
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Its impressive what you can get for your money these days! My Jura was rather an extravagant purchase when I got it 6 or 7 years ago - and it had to go for some rather expensive surgery a few years back which cost more than one of those Delonghi machines, guess I won't get it repaired if it spills its guts again!


 
Posted : 01/01/2015 10:32 am
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Don't waste your money. You'd be better off spending money on fresher beans and brewing them in a simple filter. I think coffee has been done now and again on this forum. Usual sources to go to include coffeegeek and toomuchcoffee. I'm always inspired by [url= http://www.hasbean.co.uk/blogs/articles/6488493-how-has-bean-began ]this story[/url].


 
Posted : 01/01/2015 8:08 pm
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Don't waste your money. You'd be better off spending money on fresher beans and brewing them in a simple filter. I think coffee has been done now and again on this forum. Usual sources to go to include coffeegeek and toomuchcoffee. I'm always inspired by this story.

I'm after espressos though, short sharp hit, or add to milk in various forms for capuchinos/lattes/machiattos etc Not so keen on a cup of filter coffee


 
Posted : 01/01/2015 10:40 pm
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If the Starbucks house blend is the one they serve in their shops, it's crap as coffee goes

Well that's a matter of taste. The dark roast goes well with milk in my OPINION, but I would not choose it for drinking black.

Re ben to cup machines - I used a cheap one recently and the grounds were way coarse. Not impressed.


 
Posted : 01/01/2015 11:44 pm
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I have the machine in the video and it's my number 1 household gadget. Had it for four years and if it broke tomorrow I'd buy another. I'm sure you can get a better coffee from a more expensive machine or if you know what tamp pressure is but I have to get three kids to school and nursery most mornings and getting my expresso in 30 seconds is god send.


 
Posted : 01/01/2015 11:54 pm
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expresso

😐


 
Posted : 02/01/2015 11:10 am
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expresso

What tosser said that! 😯


 
Posted : 02/01/2015 11:12 am