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I'm sure this has been done before but always worth an up to date opinion and I know that many coffee experts on here.
With Black Friday/Xmas coming up I wondered if it was possible to get a half decent bean to cup coffee machine for under £200?
Appreciate very much budget end but just interested in something which would be step up from my Aeropress.
Funnily enough, I'm in the market for one too. Best I can find is refurb Sage Barista Express on the eBay Black Friday sales for a sniff over £300. Apparently there are a few parts missing but may be worth the punt?
Wouldn't a step up from an Aeropress be a decent grinder + either a V60 or a proper espresso maker?
The main reason I haven't moved on from my Sage Grinder Pro + Aeropress and V60 is the cost of a Mazzer grinder and espresso machine.
I’m not convinced a cheap bean-to-cup is much of an upgrade or likely to last well. I’d buy a grinder now to use with the Aeropress, and start saving for a Gaggia Classic.
We use one of these in our small office. We only drink black coffee though. http://Beko Bean to Cup Coffee Machine CEG5301X Stainless Steel, 19 Bar Pressure, Includes Easy to use One Touch LCD Control, Pre-Brewing System & Removable 1.5L Water Tank
We have a melitta solo bean we're pretty happy with.
Though I've now gone back to the faff of the aeropress as unfiltered coffee raises cholesterol and mine is high anyway.
Ignore everyone that comes along to say you need something other than what you want. If you want a bean to cup, get a bean to cup.
Delonghi is you friend. Refurb option is good value, Delonghi customer service is great and their refurbed machines come with warranty.
The machine above is £160 with black friday coupon code, an absolute bargain
Cant go wrong with the Delonghi eBay site for refurbished. There are a few on it that come in under £200 with the discount code.
Extra 20% off those official Delonghi refurbs is a bargain
the smeg bc112 gets good reviews and can be had for £299 if you search them out...
My entry drug to a grinder/machine combo was a Delonghi Magnifica. They're OK, not imo as good as you can get from an Aeropress, but much more convenient obvs.
We recently got a Delonghi La Specialists Arte refurb from their eBay store, got a 25% off voucher too which helped. It's great, I'll still use the aeropress or mokka pot occasionally, but the machine is a different league.
To be fair, @frankconway, I think we were addressing the "just interested in something which would be step up from my Aeropres" past of the post. I wouldn't have made that point otherwise!
We have a two expense Jura bean to cup machines at my office (a £2000+ Z10, which James Hoffman rates for a BtC machine, and a £3000+ Giga 10) and the exact same beans taste better to me if I run them through my relatively inexpensive Sage grinder and brew in an aeropress.
Obviously they're way more convenient, but the taste may be a disappointment for someone used to manual brewing with nice beans. EDIT: unless you want espresso, as then aeropress/v60 is a complete disappointment 😀
Cheers all
Refurb Delonghi seems like best option.
But for once the forum may have saved me some money as now thinking might be just as well to stick with the Aeropress (I already have a 1/2 decent grinder!)