Recommend me a coffee machine

Ive been using a stove top Bialetti for the past year to make coffee and have been pretty happy with the results

Now looking to invest in something that doesn’t require the stove being used

Can anyone recommend me a decent coffee machine and grinder…..thanks

Gaggia are doing good deals on re-packaged machines, with a 1 year guarantee.

Somebody may be along to post the link alternatively just google them.

I’ve had one of these Nespresso ones for nearly a year and would recommend them. Great convenience with quality results. http://www.nespresso.com/precom/home_uk_en.html?&nedlogin=

Not tried one of the capsule systems, how do they compare to fresh??

Have a Jura auto machine a work but they’re around £600-800 for the base model 😥

I’ve got a Rancilio Silvia and the Rocky grinder.
Makes the best coffee I’ve ever had.
Freshly roasted beans from HasBean
Worth the cash

I bought a refurb one from gaggia, wouldn’t know it was a refurb if it ever was.

Bargaintastic

How about an automatic machine? It grinds, brews and throws away the waste.

My Gaggia titanium is great. I’ve had it for three years and it hasn’t misssed a beat.

If it’s outside your budget then go for a reconditioned Gaggi Classic.

I’d recommend Hasbean for beans.

Auto machine is an option but think i prefer manual

The Jura machine in the office is great but always worry about the cost of repair

Auto machine is an option but think i prefer manual

I had a manual before.

I prefer the consistency of the automatic. Perfect crema every time.

Gaggia after sales support has been good. It went back once with a minor fault and was fixed free of charge.

Those Jura machines look really nice don’t they.

I’ve has a reconditioned Gaggia Classic for about 3 years, results were ok until I bought a Grinder (Rancillio Rocky) then… Wow… coffee transformation!!! Absolutely fantastic, buy your beans from Hasbean and you wont get better coffee anywhere!!!

Second hand Gaggia Classic and a second-hand Mazzer Superjolly grinder here. Both have been flawless (although the SJ needed a strip, clean and rebuild.

The grinder is the most important part, the machine less so. Rancilio Silvia has a good rep, as does the Macap M4 grinder.

…and for god’s sake use freshly roasted beans. Hasbean is good, or Monmouth Coffee if you’re in London.

Pod stuff tastes cak.

Autos – you’ll get 75% of the taste 100% of the time, but you’ll never get 100% of the taste any of the time. Reliability/fixability ain’t great either.

Autos – you’ll get 75% of the taste 100% of the time, but you’ll never get 100% of the taste any of the time.

Maybe. But in my experience the manual was much more variable in its output. And rarely exceeded the auto.

Mines been very reliable. And it’s much easier to dismantle to clean. All the main bits come out and can be cleaned under the tap. It rinses clean and tells you when to descale.

Bean quality seems to have the greatest affect on output.

Love the look of the Rancillio gear, very industrial

Are they worth the high cost though?

No problems from the Silvia & Rocky here. Worth the cash IMO.

I use Monmouth beans now H+V don’t sell smaller quantities.

I wanted a bialetti thing but my brothers missus, used to work in a coffee shop, used hers once and binned it because of the taste of aluminium?

another vote for the Gaggia Classic, pop down to your local wittards and see if they’ll sell you the exdemo one and you may end up with a cheeky bargain! (I bought mine for £130.00 and got a duralit burr grinder £30.00 using that tactic and they were solvent then!!)

I recently bought some blue mountain beans from ebay and by christ they are good!!

The stovetop pots need to be ‘broken in’ before you drink the coffee in them. The Italians always do a couple of brews in them and chuck the coffee first to coat the innards – stops that aluminium taste. Never wash them – always just rinse with water. Perfectly good coffee.

Had a Gaggia Classic, but replaced it last year with a Gaggia Baby. Better pressure, better steam and looks nicer. Didn’t bother with a grinder. Buy ready ground in airtight plastic bags from The Bean Shop http://www.thebeanshop.com . Keep them in the freezer and they are fine for over a week after opening. Also love their breakfast blend tea

agree with TooTall.

Aluminium stove tops should look very dull and tarnished. Never wash with soap, just rinse. The coffee oil “cures” the pot a bit like a wok.

When Im lazy though I just use a bodum and freshly ground beans. I like to drink pints of coffee a day, if I had an espresso machine I’d be in bits by elevenses!

I like to drink pints of coffee a day, if I had an espresso machine I’d be in bits by elevenses!

Espresso has much less caffeine than filter coffee or a caffetiere. You’d probably be much better off with a machine.

Using an aluminium pot to cook with never seems a good idea. Unless you want Altzeimers that is.

agree with TooTall.

Aluminium stove tops should look very dull and tarnished. Never wash with soap, just rinse. The coffee oil “cures” the pot a bit like a wok.

When Im lazy though I just use a bodum and freshly ground beans. I like to drink pints of coffee a day, if I had an espresso machine I’d be in bits by elevenses!

alzheimers you say?

🙂

Izzo vivi or Alex, fantastic build quality, rotart pump on the alex, both great value but not cheap, spares are much cheaper than other brands and readily available from bella barista

mazza mini e grinder, flawless, easy, accurate, last forever, live the izzo really

bella barista will let you try most of them out, they are in northampton and do a course/tasting/testing course for £25 with dicounts if you buy anything

grinder and coffee most important part, HASBEAN is brilliant, great service and great fresh coffee, I notice the difference after 2 weeks and now drink tea in all coffee shops!!! I can’t stomach what they produce.

HX machines are more consistent but you need to know a bit more how to use the manual ones, I like manual as nothing really to go wrong and they look great

I brought a Gaggia baby in the summer and I have had a Cuisineart burr grinder for 2-3 years. Produces great coffee. I will have to check out HasBeen as I have been buying fresh from Pollards in Sheffield.

Go for Gaggia Classic with a good coffee grinder. I bought the Classic just before Xmas and so far so good but I am still waiting for the Baratza’s New Vario Grinder.

Vario Grinder

Was thinking of MACAP4 Stepless but thought that I might need something a bit smaller and more adjustable.

I have not grind my own coffee beans yet but will once I get a coffee grinder.

I am learning to be a Barista …

Gaggia classic & Dualit burr grinder here. Some don’t seem to rate the grinder but I’ve been delighted with it, and it’s a lot cheaper than most of the others mentioned so far.

Some great recommendations……..thanks !!

Thinking of going on the Bella barista course

Is there much difference betweeen the expensive units, and the Gaggia classic/baby models ???

this thing:

not illy beans though, blue mountain tasty goodness for me!

(old photo)

I am going to replace my Classic’s steam wand with the one from Rancilio Silva.

Like this.

Rancilio Silva’s steam wand

Suppose to be better than the plastic thingy on Classic.

Just search for instruction before you do so.

😀

If we’re getting into pictures here’s mine:

Just look at that crema!
Fantastic!

Rancilio Silvia is about £100 more but good.

Ok well i think the Gaggia stuff looks good but something about the Rancillio equipment makes me want to buy the bullet

Thinking the Izzo and Mazza equipment looks the bollux but struggling to justify spending £1500 on a machine and grinder

Anyone got a Delonghi EC710 ?

http://www.delonghi.co.uk/product_page.php?id=135

Sainsburys have them 1/2 price at the mo – £74.99, am tempted.

Well thanks for all the suggestions again

I have bit the bullet and ordered a Dualit grinder and Gaggia classic espresso machine. It was a close call with the Silvia/Rocky combo but thought i’d give these a go for a year or two and then maybe upgrade to something more expensive then

Bella Barista have some great looking machines and grinders but gonna wait before making that big step…………maybe one day a Izzo Alex Duetto but may have to sell one of my bikes 😕

Anyone tried this?

Dualit

Also what is the link for the refurbished Gaggias?

Refurb Here

I had the previous dualit and it dripped constantly from the steam
wand,the pressure never seemed great either returned it and bought
a gaggia classic which was definitely better, my wife then bought
me a francis francis x1(nothing to do with the way she loves how it looks)
for my birthday two years ago and its a great machine,though no doubt somebody will say otherwise.

Thought about the Dualit but decided for the Gaggia classic

Also decided to go for the new not refurb as you get 2years warranty for £50 more

Check out Coffeegeek for loads of reviews and advise