Aldi expresso maker

siochain

Hi folks

Is this good value

https://www.aldi.ie/red-espresso-maker/p/094036096314700

Cheers

babybuilder

siochain wrote: »

Hi folks

Is this good value

https://www.aldi.ie/red-espresso-maker/p/094036096314700

Cheers

Had the Lidl version a couple of years back. Lasted about 18 months or so. I'd say it's ok for an introduction to espresso.

surm00

I had the same question, and found that which.co.uk were the only place that had it reviewed in any kind of depth. It's behind a £1 trial subscription paywall mind, but I paid that rather than get stuck with a useless machine. The one quote that really stuck out for me is this: '...the flavour of the end result didn't impress. I thought it was bitter, watery and lacked punch. I have drunk better quality instant coffee.'

Which.co.uk also mentions that Lidl will be having their own cheap espresso machine over the next few weeks, and it will have an automatic milk frother. Anyway, here's the entire review for anyone trying to make their mind up on this today:

'Product overview

Launched 20 October 2016

Coffee fans on a budget may be tempted by this cheap coffee machine, on sale in Aldi from 20 October. The retro-look Ambiano espresso machine is only £60, comes in four colours and has a steam pipe for frothing milk - ideal for cappuccino fans. It's a purse friendly option but can this coffee machine make an impressive brew? Find out what our researcher thought when they tried it out for a first look.

Pros
Quick to make an espresso, cheap, good size drip tray
Cons
Espressos were consistently disappointing, milk frothing wasn’t brilliant either, drips badly after use, stiff portafilter, slow to heat up, not the easiest coffee machine to use

I was disappointed with this Aldi coffee maker. While it looked good, it turned out to be all style and no substance. It was tricky to use, the steam pipe produced lacklustre frothed milk and I didn't rate the espresso.

What is it?

A cheap ground coffee machine from Aldi with a retro look. You can make two espressos at once and can also froth milk for milky coffees, such as cappuccino. It comes with a measuring spoon which doubles up as the tamper (for levelling the coffee in the portafilter before making your espresso).

Like many coffee machines, it has an automatic switch off, which means the machines turns off after 30 minutes if not being used.

What's it great at?

Once it had warmed up, which takes more than 15 minutes, I found this machine pretty quick to make an espresso - by my count it took just 18 seconds.

I liked the decent size of the drip tray; it's easy to remove without spilling the contents and simple to keep clean. The machine's water gauge is visible from the front so you don't have to constantly peer around the back to check how much water is left.

It looks good and isn't too weighty so I found it easy to move around. It's also surprisingly small so it didn't really take up much space.

Is there anything I should watch out for?

Overall, the process of making a coffee is slow. At more than 15 minutes, warming up this machine takes far longer than other coffee machines we've tried, which take a couple of minutes at most.

And the flavour of the end result didn't impress. I thought it was bitter, watery and lacked punch. I have drunk better quality instant coffee.

Making a cappuccino yielded even more disappointment. Once up to temperature, there's a dial to control the amount of steam that comes out to froth milk. When I tried it, I got even but thin bubbles with no real structure that disappeared in seconds, and the milk was lukewarm too. Because you can't adjust the height of the filter or remove the drip tray for extra room you will need to make your espresso in a small cup first as a mug just won't fit.

I didn't think this machine was particularly easy to use. The instruction booklet is thorough but confusingly worded in places. Phrases such as 'flush through two fingers width of water' really didn't help me measure the right volume of liquid for priming the machine.

On the model I tried out, I also found the portafilter extremely stiff to lock into place, and had to get help from someone else. If you have dexterity issues this could pose a problem.

It also concerned me that the writing on the temperature gauge is so small. I found it difficult to see - you could accidently end up heating to steam temperature rather than coffee temperature.

Is there anything else I should know?

When I tried to make more than one latte in a row things got complicated. To bring the machine down to the right temperature to make an espresso after frothing milk you have to open the steam pipe up which dispenses steam and lowers the machine's temperature. Not difficult to do, but it takes a couple of minutes to get down to the right temperature and you end up with a steamy kitchen.

Keeping this machine clean might require a bit of effort. When I tried it, the filter dripped constantly after use, splattering the drip tray and body of the machine with coffee. It's worth keeping the bin nearby for the waste grounds, too. I found them to be very wet and had coffee dripping everywhere the first time I used it.

The fairly small 0.8 litre water tank sits at the rear. You have to remove it and then position the water feed hose into place within it. I found this a bit fiddly and got splattered with water on more than one occasion fitting it.

Which? first look verdict

I persevered with this machine but it continued to make poor tasting coffee and was messy to use. I would suggest spending just a fraction more to get a good, tried-and-tested coffee machine. Head to our round-up of the best coffee machines to see models for less than £100.'

The Gardener

Thanks Surm00, you've saved me spending €80 on yet another Espresso machine! Oh, and I owe you 50p for reading the Which review.