 Poster: A snowHead
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I think my misses is putting me out to grass, she says she wants a coffee machine.
I know this is not generaly a "ski question" but I've often spotted posts on other threads going on about coffee pods etc.
I've been a tradionalist and always made the espresso in those little pots that hiss and bubble on the gas ring for 8 minutes.
To keep her ladyship happy and caffeinated, which machine would you go for and which would you avoid.
A major consideration is how much worktop real estate its going to take up.
Thanks in advance. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Is this just for espresso / americano or also for milk drinks such as latte and flat white?
If space is the major consideration then the pod machines like Nespresso will be the smallest. Refillable pods are available to reduce the single use aspect of those sorts of systems, but I have no experience of them to advise on.
It does take more space, but I've been on bean-to-cup machines for a fair while now. The ones without milk drinks are smaller / cheaper / less to maintain if you won't use that aspect. I would recommend Jura as a brand.
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@DrLawn, for me the ability to use my own coffee (not limited to what you can get in pods etc) and a stainless steel boiler (after having one with an aluminium boiler which breaks down after time). In terms of value for money meeting those, has lead me to De Longhi ones.
Cheapest I can see at the moment on Amazon
De'Longhi Stilosa EC230.BK, Traditional Barista Pump Espresso Machine, Espresso and Cappuccino, 2 cups, Black https://amzn.eu/d/3OzUbeI
My current one I got for around £80 via prime day if my memory serves (was massive discount before going end of line).
They have a rather nice looking smaller foot print one but is more expensive.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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We’ve got 2x Jura machines. They are very good.
We’ve got a Nespresso in Chatel, also decent but not a patch on the Jura
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Gagging Classic https://www.coffeefriend.co.uk/p/coffee-machine-gaggia-new-classic-evo-2023-inox/ is my choice.
Mine now 18 years old, serviceable and with parts available too. Not cheap now (was less when purchased) but over the years it aggregates.
Significantly it has a full "commercial" grade head and basket/cup etc, (mostly not the case on domestic) and interchangeable with industrial machines for those component. Internally, its a small boiler, pump to pressure and fully brass construction of coffee head. These materials don't wear away in use.
Cup seal has been replaced once, pump after about 11 years (used every day when we are home) both are effectively/ultimately service wear items from use cycles. Readily available parts, easily serviced.
Has milk frother which we don't ordinarily use. Works fine though, supplied from boiler Internally.
It is primarily a manual espresso, small capachino machine should similar to OP existing demand/volume in output.
Coffee indistinguishable from commercial café machines (a friend has a 4 head cafe machine to compare  ) ive also got a couple of the basket/cups from his old machine that fit and work on mine.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| DrLawn wrote: |
I think my misses is putting me out to grass, she says she wants a coffee machine.
I know this is not generaly a "ski question" but I've often spotted posts on other threads going on about coffee pods etc.
I've been a tradionalist and always made the espresso in those little pots that hiss and bubble on the gas ring for 8 minutes.
To keep her ladyship happy and caffeinated, which machine would you go for and which would you avoid.
A major consideration is how much worktop real estate its going to take up.
Thanks in advance. |
For me, I’m not sure you’ll beat what you already have for flavour, real estate and portability.
If what you are actually asking about is what is more convenient or less faffy to use then I’m sure any of pod machines will tick the box, but at the expense of the flavour (imo & ime).
..Nick
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Forget the stuff you see on the high street.
Jura. Swiss precision, You can't beat them.
I've had the same one for 14 years. It does get a hammering, but it's still consistent in grind, flavor, and quality.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@DrLawn, what kind of coffee does MrsLawn like to drink?
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I bought a Delongi Dedica when my old machine bit the dust, and have been very happy with it. I mostly drink black coffee, but the milk frother appears to work well on the few times I've tried it and seems relatively easy to clean. It's also narrow, which was an important consideration in my kitchen.
If it is an expresso machine you're looking for, look out for that it's a proper pumped espresso machine. My old machine was a cheaper one that just worked with pressure from boiling the water (in a sealed vessel), the coffee was not so good, at a certain point you only got steam, not coffee, and it was a pain to have to wait for it to cool to refill.
Personally I hate the pod based machines. It's a very expensive way to buy coffee, very wasteful in terms of packaging, and choice is limited to the range of pods. That said, the Dedica has interchangeable filters for single cup, double cup and pods (not sure exactly which type as I haven't used it, but not the foil ones I think).
My only small criticism of it is that if you leave the filter holder on the machine after making coffee the interchangeable filter tends to stick in the machine when you remove the holder, it's easy enough to just pop it off with a finger, it's just a minor irritation. There's also a knack to tapping the filter on a container to remove the used grounds without also losing the filter itself. I don't find either of these particularly annoying or difficult, now I have learned the knack, and it wouldn't stop me buying another in future.
Maybe would consider a bean to cup machine if we had more space, but do have a separate grinder for the times we buy beans. Again though, I think there is better choice with ground coffee than beans, and the coffees I've found I really like have been ground rather than whole bean.
We also have a Melitta filter machine that has been reliable (but I don't think there's much to choose between filter machines).
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You know it makes sense.
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I'm not a fan of pods. They taste weird and the result is lukewarm by the time it comes out and has milk added. We have a percolator, which is OK, and a small Krups machine we've had for donkeys years, makes espresso and frothy milk. Stainless steel stovetop maker in Flachau
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Tubaski wrote: |
| ... Maybe would consider a bean to cup machine if we had more space, but do have a separate grinder for the times we buy beans. Again though, I think there is better choice with ground coffee than beans, and the coffees I've found I really like have been ground rather than whole bean.... |
You're probably talking about supermarket beans. Both Chamonix and Whistler have at least one roaster locally, where you'll find much higher quality beans with more interesting roasts, and those will benefit greatly from being ground as you use them.
Simple approaches (French Press/ stove top espresso/ filter paper) will at least equal any thing this side of a few grand on taste.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We've had one of these for maybe 8 years or so? We like it. Mrs U drinks quite a lot of coffee and comes from coffee drinking families, and is quite discerning.
It's more compact than our prior machine, and I don't think it's still available but equivalents are.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| phil_w wrote: |
| You're probably talking about supermarket beans. Both Chamonix and Whistler have at least one roaster locally, where you'll find much higher quality beans with more interesting roasts, and those will benefit greatly from being ground as you use them. |
Yes, I'm far more likely to go to the supermarket when I need coffee than to Chamonix or Whistler. 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@phil_w, never found a
terribly satisfactory.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| DrLawn wrote: |
I've been a tradionalist and always made the espresso in those little pots that hiss and bubble on the gas ring for 8 minutes.
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Although sometimes referred to as an 'espresso stovetop' (or similar) the device that you describe is actually a 'moka pot' and what is produced isn't technically speaking espresso.
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For me, the situation in which I am making and drinking my coffee is probably as important as the quality of the coffee itself. I don't find myself "craving caffeine" or taking it as a sort of medicine. I can happily go days without any. But making one of my little pots and taking out onto the terrace if the weather is congenial, or sitting in a comfy chair with a book, is a ritual.
Alcohol is the same. A treat to be enjoyed. I can go days without that, too.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Origen, And the device you posted looks most fine for the doing of that.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@DrLawn, Lavazza is my goto coffee of choice.
I have bought some reusable pods for in-laws machine and the coffee machines I have found in accommodation we goto, which I then loaded up with our Lavazza.
Maybe less convenient but less waste generated and still have access to my preferred coffee.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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The Lavazza pods are very comparable to ground in conventional type machine.
Of all the types I've tried, they would be the the one's I'd buy. Quite impressive quality and taste.
There's, more or less, two pod type if you go that way @DrLawn, check the availability of Lavazza and their size to specify a machine that can use those and match your wife's expectation.
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You know it makes sense.
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One of my nephews once came skiing in his camper van, together with his daughter, who was about 17. It was a small camper - not a big "RV" but it included a vast coffee machine, which he considered indispensable. I can't remember how it was powered, but he's a gas fitter and quite resourceful with stuff like that. The van was parked outside my (full of people) apartment and one morning when I went out early to chuck my rubbish in the bins, I found him alongside the van in the chilly late dawn, sitting on his Porta Potti, reading the newspaper. He said his daughter was asleep and he hadn't wanted to disturb her. Safe to say his priorities were different from mine.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Cheers @ski3, I'll check out what LavAzza pods are available down the supernarket,
then search for machines that take them.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I bought a Sage Barista Express Impress. Really like it. Buy freshly roasted coffee from a local place, makes a fantastic cup.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Having expressed an opinion earlier, in all honesty I drink Kenco rich instant most of the time. Its pretty much just hot brown stuff to me
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I have found that an AeroPress with reusable steel filter has been a low-fuss means of producing excellent coffee. Ground Lavazza for the everyday, beans from local roasters when I feel like a treat.
No, it's not an espresso, not remotely close, but it really is good.
I get free barista coffee at the office, so that satisfies my need for a flat white. That, and coffee stops during long rides through the Cotswolds.
Occasionally I have been tempted to get a counter-top espresso maker, but really they do seem to be a lot of faff. I haven't yet been convinced that Nespresso pods come close to decent beans or ground coffee.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Gaggia Classic is a good machine to start with, e.g. for the first 25 years.
After that, you'll be looking to upgrade to something like a Lelit MaraX.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Of course, after you've got a coffee machine, it'll be a question of a grinder. I recommend the EUREKA Mignon Specialità.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@narbs, I have an Opal One at home. It's a great little machine. I wanted one that could use Nespresso type pods, because most decent roasters now offer their own pods that fit these machines.
@DrLawn, consider the 'Opal One' as narbs mentioned. It's a great machine, small footprint and gives you the option to use Nespresso pods which are widely available from lots of different independent roasters, you're not tied into one brand / a handful of coffees. I buy pods from 'Grind' regularly and they're excellent wuality and not particularly expensive. Machine was purchased from Origin and bought as a bundle with a load of coffee to get me started.
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Curved ball. In terms of coffee drink priorities it is not a coffee machine but a good grinder that is important. On the same level as good single origin coffee beans. Almost spend crazy money on La Marzocco coffee machine when a good chap suggested V60 for non pressurised coffee drink. Never looked back. Still enjoy a good espresso occasionally at a good coffee place but on a regular day v60 pour over is my goto solution. Ask James Hoffman. Might not be a solution for you or your Mrs but why not try?
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| tomj wrote: |
I have found that an AeroPress with reusable steel filter has been a low-fuss means of producing excellent coffee. Ground Lavazza for the everyday, beans from local roasters when I feel like a treat.
No, it's not an espresso, not remotely close, but it really is good.
I get free barista coffee at the office, so that satisfies my need for a flat white. That, and coffee stops during long rides through the Cotswolds.
Occasionally I have been tempted to get a counter-top espresso maker, but really they do seem to be a lot of faff. I haven't yet been convinced that Nespresso pods come close to decent beans or ground coffee. |
+1
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I hated a Nespresso machine we were given- the coffee was always lukewarm if milk was added, it was a basic model though.
Since visiting Vietnam last year I know make my morning coffee with a Vietnamese phin filter. It’s great and my coffee is ready in the time it takes to unload the dishwasher!
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| DrLawn wrote: |
Cheers @ski3, I'll check out what LavAzza pods are available down the supernarket,
then search for machines that take them. |
With that route chosen, this https://www.currys.co.uk/products/dolce-gusto-by-de%E2%80%99longhi-piccolo-xs-bundle-coffee-machine-black-10262186.html I've direct experience of as my son has one and uses Lavzza pods in it.
This is what I'm comparing to my Gaggia Classic & the commercial 4 head café machine my friend runs. Apparently 15 bar pressure operating maximum, it does make comparable coffee to the others, which surprised us.
Notable of the pods, the need to strictly observe the dispensed volume (cup size used ) in making sure the pod is accurately utilised.
Lavzza make a cappuccino blend with separate milk pod to accompany their coffee, which is also capable of producing very good quality.
Its small, quite heavily built and with no dial etc, just observed the instructions to follow lights for "ready" as it covers correct temperature, I'll produce very hot and consistent coffee at easy demand.
I was sceptical (given the machine I own) but impressed with the performance overall of this very small machine.
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