[Closed] Time for the monthly "what coffee machine" thread

Abracadabra

Does it have to be bean to cup? I fancied one but it got vetoed by my OH due to the size of them. So she got me a Sage Bambino Plus which is great. Need a grinder too though if you’ve not got one.

I think bean-to-cup is the way we've decided to go, though if a fantastic bargain appeared I might be persuaded.
Surely the footprint of a coffee machine plus a decent grinder is similar to a BtC anyway?

What about something commercial ?. Appears to be great savings from initial googling.
Designed to last heavy duty use, so light duty should last a very long time.
https://adexa.co.uk/Automatic-Coffee-Machine-19bar-Adexa-CLTS8?language=en&currency=GBP&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2LCil7Do8AIVAvlRCh2wMACwEAQYASABEgItpPD_BwE

For example, I might be persuaded by something like this:
https://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/cat/la-pavoni-professional-lusso-coffee-machine_R03692210/
Look how pretty it is!

Realistically though, I think this:
https://www.johnlewis.com/sage-barista-express-bean-to-cup-coffee-machine/stainless-steel/p3501284
is more realistic.

dyna-ti
No way would anything that looked like that be allowed in our kitchen!

https://ao.com/product/ecam25023sb-delonghi-magnifica-bean-to-cup-coffee-machine-black-77516-65.aspx

Just bought one and pretty impressed. Bean to cup is the way to go. Yeah it takes up some bench space but remember it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission...

I've had a Gaggia classic, a De Longhi Esam something and the Sage Barista. In my opinion, the Sage is the best I've used...had it a couple of years now and it's fantastic.

I have a niche zero grinder, and a Lelit MaraX coffee machine - it's one of the most compact "separate" setups you can get, but both machines perform much better than their price tag implies.

The Niche Zero ( https://www.nichecoffee.co.uk/) is great because it's very compact, but has very large (commercial mazzer) burrs for it's size. It's other main attraction is that it's a "zero retention" grinder - meaning that it doesn't have a hopper full of beans loaded up: whatever weight of whatever beans you put in the top, is what you get out the spout nicely ground. Typically I have a couple of different beans on-the-go at once, and one lot of decaf. The other one to look at is the Eureka Mignion: also very compact, can do single dosing ok, and is a bit cheaper I think. Also worth noting that because the Niche doesn't retain any beans/ground coffee, it's super easy to adjust grind size - and you can switch back an forth between coarse grinds for a french-press or pour-over, and espresso, if that's something you are interested in.

The Lelit Mara is pretty much the smallest footprint "heat exchange" machine you can get, but it's out of budget, so I won't waffle on about it.

Would thoroughly recommend the Niche Zero (if you can get hold of one!) for running more than one type of beans at once.

I replaced a Gaggia Classic with a Sage Barrista Express during lockdown 1 and it's been a revelation!

(Before I bought it, I'd wondered if the pressure gauge was a bit unnecessary, like the extra complications on a watch face, but now I don't understand how you can use a coffee machine without one.)

And yes, you can feed the right amount of beans in for one coffee too.

My Dad bought himself a Delonghi 'Magnifica' a few years back, it's been a pretty popular toy whenever we've visited, it does two cups at once which is good for when everyone wants a coffee but you don't want to play Barista.

Currently they can be had for ~£350, there's probably a posher model if you're looking to spend up to the budget...

Following recommendations on here we’ve been very happy with our Melitta Barista TS Smart.

https://www.hartsofstur.com/melitta-barista-ts-smart-f860-100-stainless-steel-bean-to-cup-coffee-machine-6764554.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw47eFBhA9EiwAy8kzNL3kcPPI52vTGifUYwcIzqTVdy3V1MncI5GawUa_nrE1IVOANDfN0RoCSP4QAvD_BwE

It replaced a Delonghi that was a plasticky, leaky, worktop-ruining piece of crap.

a “zero retention” grinder – meaning that it doesn’t have a hopper full of beans loaded up

That's not what zero retention means...it means you get out everything you put in, and you don't get stale grounds left hanging around

For example, I might be persuaded by something like this:
https://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/cat/la-pavoni-professional-lusso-coffee-machine_R03692210/
Look how pretty it is!

I've had one (without the (pointless) pressure dial) for 20 years...it is a thing of beauty...getting consistent espresso takes a lot of practice, but it is perfect when you figure it out. The steam wand isn't great. Also a bit clunky if you want to make lots of cups in a row.

Twodogs
Full Member
a “zero retention” grinder – meaning that it doesn’t have a hopper full of beans loaded up

That’s not what zero retention means…it means you get out everything you put in, and you don’t get stale grounds left hanging around

yes mate..... which is why the second half of the sentence that you cropped off says:

whatever weight of whatever beans you put in the top, is what you get out the spout nicely ground.

So you don't even get internet pedantry points for that one.... which is what I assume you are here for

Sage Barista Pro here.  18 months old. Replaced the STW Delonghi fav.  I paid about the OP's budget for mine. I rarely use it to make latte, but it's fine (if you really want to do lots of that, a double boiler helps) esp after I bought the jug with the temp gauge on it.

For espresso, it's fantastic. I have two per day, every day. Took me a while to make it consistently good. As I buy my beans from the local roaster and I ask for whatever they recommend, I ended up with a notebook for the best grind setting for each one. You could put one cupful of beans in per time I guess. Only me drinks coffee so never an issue.

I have a Sage Barista Express. It's amazing, but it's also the only coffee machine I've had. Seems to be extremely well made though and very satisfying to use.

Jura all the way!

I bought a Sage Barista Pro based on recommendations on here. The first one had a problem with the grinder which led to a replacement machine, but the second is absolutely fine.

If you do one of the coffee masterclass group Zoom calls on the Sage website they'll give you a 20% discount voucher.

We've had a Barista Express for 3.5 years now. It has been brilliant, makes very good coffee in my opinion. Has needed a new group head seal (pack of three were a fiver from amazon, generic size) and is beginning to get a bit flakey with steam/water dosing - sometimes steam wand will stop steaming after 30s - if this happens there's an easy workaround - it needs a good descale I think.

Like I say, it has been great. I spent a long time researching at that price point before buying. I'd suggest sticking to a pretty rigid and fairly frequent de-scale regime if you do get one. I never have to make too much adjustment in grind or dose when changing beans. It's solidly built and most spares are readily available. If you're making a milky coffee, steam the milk first, then pull the espresso.

Am I right in thinking the Sage Barista isn't a fully automatic bean to cup? You have to grind the beans into the portafilter and then transfer it to the brewing head?

I've got the sage smart grinder and bambino combination, which is broadly the same as the barista express but split into two separate appliances, and its perfect for my needs as it provides a really good cup of coffee and theres a little bit of ritual with the tamping of the grind etc. Its only a little bit more work than my Gaggia fully automatic bean to cup machine (switch on > wait for light to stop flashing > hit button) and a lot more consistent than the Gaggia Classic setup I had in between.

However if you are after that "one button" convenience then you'd need to look at the Delonghi or Melita (or Jura) machines.

We’ve had a Miele fully automatic coffee machine for a few years now which gets some industrial sized use with four teenagers in the house. It’s pricey but you just press a button and bingo a perfect cappuccino or latte macchiato or espresso. It even tells you when it needs cleaning or descaling.
https://www.mediamarkt.de/de/product/_miele-cm-6360-milkperfection-2681786.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PLA+-+bluePortal+4+Smart&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiO-h1K7p8AIVomLmCh0-wgQaEAQYCCABEgKYgPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Depends how much of a coffee nerd/snob/aficionado you are. I'm not, but just want half decent coffee reasonably conveniently so I went for a delonghi Magnifica and source decent beans it produces a damn find brew by any measure as far as I'm concerned. Not THE BEST IN THE WORLD, but certainly good enough for me, alot better than the pod machines and certainly a different drink altogether than instant granular stuff. So the De Longhi Magnifica is a great machine for the likes of me I'd say...decent price, has required zero maintenance over the 4 or 5 years I've had it and been 100% reliable. Some machines on the market, especially the more expensive ones, require regular and routine maintenance so have an ongoing burden and, not insignificant, cost impact.

But clearly its not good enough for some on these coffee threads who like their coffee better than me and are willing to invest more on better kit and that's fair enough, but just don't believe them when they say the magnification makes crap coffee. It doesn't it makes great coffee, but just not the best in the world..probably. To be fair I've had some pretty decent coffee in posh restaurants in my time made by professional Baristas and beens that have been through the digestive system of a Unicorn and I can't say it was much better than what I get out of my Magnifica.

In a recommend what you have fashion - Rancilio Silvia. Just a basic single boiler machine and you need a grinder. But it makes half-decent coffee imo. Mostly espressos or oat lattes and for that it's spot on. My grinder is a bodge though. It's a hario hand grinder powered by a 5Nm cordless screwdriver. I think a second-hand mazza is on the cards at some point, if i can justify the space it will take up. Or the sage one for neatness.. dunno.

So you don’t even get internet pedantry points for that one…. which is what I assume you are here for

ooh! missus....sensitive today are we?!

Further down the 'recommend what you have' road:

Gaggia Classic and Porlex hand grinder for me. Yes, more of a faff than B2C. Yes, takes a couple of minutes to grind 18g of beans by hand. Yes, it's a bit basic.
But with all that being said, with a few choice upgrades (brew head, basket and new seal), I think my entire set owes me about £220 and I get really nice coffee from it. Also as they're so common, spares and advice are very easy to come by.

I don't really drink straight espressos, so usually make Americanos or Flat Whites, but for me on that brief it's bang on.

Am I right in thinking the Sage Barista isn’t a fully automatic bean to cup? You have to grind the beans into the portafilter and then transfer it to the brewing head?

Yeah, you grind it, tamp it then lock it into the head. It takes a few seconds...

Having had a 'proper' ie ex commercial plumbed in Brasilia which I now can't fix any more because you can't get the parts for it, I bought one of these
https://www.aldi.co.uk/ambiano-espresso-maker-with-grinder/p/803585466092701
It has been brilliant. Much cheaper than equivalent posh brands.

We have had 2 coffee machines. Started with a Sage Bambino Plus, and now upgraded to a Sage Oracle

The Bambino for the money was brilliant and produced good coffee. The only downside is you need to grind the coffee separately and tamp it yourself (so slight variation each time)

We now have the very expensive Oracle. The coffee produce is better but not massively so. We prefer it purely for the ease of use as it does everything itself with little faff but you still have control and can alter the flavour depending on preference.

Keep an eye out for Sage discounts on hotukdeals. Got both our machines with 25% off. We sold our Bambino and it only cost us about £50 !

I think a second-hand mazza is on the cards at some point, if i can justify the space it will take up. Or the sage one for neatness.. dunno.

I had a second hand mazzer super jolly which I picked-up for about 50 quid. It’s a good grinder, but the niche zero is an order of magnitude better: no static, no clumping, smaller, quieter, and a hell of a lot tidier! Obvs more expensive - but disproportionately better relative to the price difference