Bean to cup coffee machine questions

Debating buying one as I like a coffee and don’t really want to spend £3.50 at the local café any time I want something good. I like espresso’s and macchiato’s, so strength of coffee is important as is the ability to froth the milk.

Questions:

How long do beans last? I only drink 1 or 2 cups a day, is that enough to get through a bag of beans before they go off?

Any suggestions on a machine that would fit the above bill?

How long do beans last? I only drink 1 or 2 cups a day, is that enough to get through a bag of beans before they go off?

Thats fine. Just get an airtight container to keep the surplus in.

Won’t recommend a machine machine as mine apparently doesn’t do frothy milk. Only airated*

But the funnel on both the b2c I have had holds exactly 250g (1 standard bag) . And having 2 cups most days that lasts a week with no discernible difference between them as it’s grinding at source. Just don’t buy kilogram bags.

I used exactly the maths of if I bought my coffee out in the wilds it would pay back quick ….. But be sure to get a nice travel mug to go with  or you’ll still buy coffee out and about 🙂  highly.recomend the stw kleenkanteen from the shop here – goes everywhere with me and keeps. Hot things hot and cold things cold (including ice from ice coffee still being frozen at the end of the day in a hot car.

*Answers on a postcard as to the difference please ?

I have a delonghi magnifica. It has a milk container that can detach and be put in the fridge.

Rave coffee beans have about a 2 week ‘use before’ on their bags.

Mrs FD and I have a cup each a day and get through a 250g back per week. Cheaper and nicer coffee than buying from a mainstream cafe ie Costa etc

Edit :

I have 2 or 3 a day, buy 1kg bags of supermarket coffee, fill the grinder and put the rest in a sealed container. It’s pretty much always better or as least as good as anything I’ve had from a cafe (outside of Italy)

On the other hand, Ive never had supermarket shelf stuff that has come close to freshly roasted stuff

I’m sure some aficionados will disagree but beans don’t go stale anything like in the same way ground coffee does. I have 2 or 3 a day, buy 1kg bags of supermarket coffee, fill the grinder and put the rest in a sealed container. It’s pretty much always better or as least as good as anything I’ve had from a cafe (outside of Italy).

For the machine, if froth is important I’m a big fan of the Sage Barista line. The coffee is endlessly tweakable (grind size, amount, temperature, etc), and the frothing wand is excellent. There are even options that auto-froth I think.

Delonghi machines do a great shot time after time in my experience with no real tweaking, but I don’t love the frothing options quite as much

My machine takes a 227g bag of beans, I have one mug a day during the week and two or three a day at weekends.  I honestly cannot taste the difference between a fresh bag and beans that have been in there for however long it take me to run the hopper down.  Convenience wins every time – if i have to start dosing beans and going into the fridge etc then I’ll loose interest.

I get my beans about a week after roasting, sometimes less.  A 1kg bag lasts me about 3-4 weeks – so at the tail end its 5 weeks old.

Absolutely fine…. in fact, it tastes a bit better from about 3-4 weeks old (as long as you adjust your grind appropriately).

I store my beans in a vacuum bag thing – so that might help it last a bit longer.

HOWEVER:  the question is, in a bean-to-cup, are you going to notice a difference?  IMO, no, you’re not.

I think it’s about what you value most:  do you want the best quality coffee you can get (albeit with a bit of faff), or do you want something better than Nespresso, and a similar one-button operation (ie: zero faff).

batfink

I think it’s about what you value most:  do you want the best quality coffee you can get (albeit with a bit of faff), or do you want something better than Nespresso, and a similar one-button operation (ie: zero faff).

Exactly, my bean to cup gives me a better espresso than I can get on the highstreet chains, not as good as the best I’ve had in Italy. However there is zero effort involved after the initial setup (other than keeping the machine clean/descaled).

My machine is a Delonghi Magnifica S, I use either recently roasted (date is on the back) Union Revelation if I’m buying from the supermarket or Coffee Compass Brighton Lanes beans.

And a tip on buying is look on ebay for Delonghi returns/seconds.  Mine was (far) less than half price, literally brand new perfect condition aside from one tiny scratch which looks like it happened when being packed in the factory.

Are there any bean to cup machines with two bean hoppers?

Can any of them grind finely enough for good espresso?  I do follow James Hoffman and he seems to suggest that they don’t even get close.  I’ve never had espresso (good or otherwise) so I don’t really know, I just make milky coffee in mine (Magnifica) with beans from Aldi or Morrisons 🙂

Can any of them grind finely enough for good espresso?  I do follow James Hoffman and he seems to suggest that they don’t even get close.  I’ve never had espresso (good or otherwise) so I don’t really know, I just make milky coffee in mine (Magnifica) with beans from Aldi or Morrisons

i don’t want to upset anyone – I know there are lots of fans of bean-to-cup machines on here.  But no, my experience is that the quality of coffee they produce is nowhere near that of even a relatively basic/budget espresso machine.  That’s also the opinion of my wife – who is categorically not any kind of coffee snob.  We stayed with my mum for two weeks who had one: it was ok.  And that’s with decent beans etc.

@batfink that’s my experience too, but an espresso machine requires a bit of an investment in time to get the best out of it. To learn how to use it in the first place, then to refine technique and dial in every time you change beans etc. Lots of people  (probably most) just CBA with that and just want a reasonable coffee with minimal fuss.  I think that’s where BTC machines come in.

James Hoffman famously doesn’t have a home espresso machine because he can’t be arsed with the faff. His advice is don’t buy one because you like espresso – go to the cafe so they have the faff and cleaning up. Only buy one if you want a geeky hobby. Good advice I think! I ignored it and have a geeky hobby!

Are there any bean to cup machines with two bean hoppers

Not sure, but I’ve got a Sage barista pro and between me and my partner we drink a mix of caf and decaf coffee (and mostly half and half blends) so I just buy a kg bag of each and store in large kilner jars and just weigh out what I need each time, it takes seconds to do. The only thing I find is the grind needs to be one setting coarser for new bags compared to when the coffee has been opened a while, but tastes about the same