Bean to cup coffee

Dtp1979

I'm looking at buying a good machine, bean to cup and here for advice.
Never mind the price just yet, what I'm ideally looking for is a machine that's
Reliable
Easy to use
Adjustable cup sizes. Ideally up to 300ml
Easy to clean.

Can anyone steer me in right direction please.
Thanks

caviardreams

If you are looking for the best coffee a separate grinder & espresso machine are your best bet more thank likely.

However, I have a bean to cup and find the coffee good enough that it's worth the small compromise in taste for the added convenience. If you use good beans in it you will get a very drinkable coffee imo.

I use a DeLonghi ESAM myself - got it for around €230 3 years ago and it comes up around that price on amazon every so often so keep an eye out. A good few boardsies have one (or similar models) so if you search teh forum you should find some good info.

I recently came across a Moccamaster which looks interesting but have no experience with it so can't comment.

Dtp1979

caviardreams wrote: »

If you are looking for the best coffee a separate grinder & espresso machine are your best bet more thank likely.

However, I have a bean to cup and find the coffee good enough that it's worth the small compromise in taste for the added convenience. If you use good beans in it you will get a very drinkable coffee imo.

I use a DeLonghi ESAM myself - got it for around €230 3 years ago and it comes up around that price on amazon every so often so keep an eye out. A good few boardsies have one (or similar models) so if you search teh forum you should find some good info.

I recently came across a Moccamaster which looks interesting but have no experience with it so can't comment.

Thanks. Does it do large cups? The reason I ask is because I have a 500ml travel mug so I'd need roughly 300ml of coffee in the mug

caviardreams

What kind of coffee do you drink? If it's an espresso based drink (e.g. americano etc.) then normally you just make the shots using the machine and top it up as much as you like with hot water/milk so capacity isn't an issue in that respect.

Dtp1979

caviardreams wrote: »

What kind of coffee do you drink? If it's an espresso based drink (e.g. americano etc.) then normally you just make the shots using the machine and top it up as much as you like with hot water/milk so capacity isn't an issue in that respect.

Usually Americans yes. I'm just wondering is the machine capable of doing what a standard coffee machine in a petrol station does really?. As in place down mug, press small or large button and away it goes

P. Breathnach

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Usually Americans yes. I'm just wondering is the machine capable of doing what a standard coffee machine in a petrol station does really?. As in place down mug, press small or large button and away it goes

Near enough: you turn a knob that controls the volume of liquid.

Dtp1979

P. Breathnach wrote: »

Near enough: you turn a knob that controls the volume of liquid.

Any Idea how much max volume is? Are they hard to clean?

P. Breathnach

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Any Idea how much max volume is? Are they hard to clean?

I use a standard teacup, and think the machine delivers about 180 ml. I could set it to deliver 2 cups simultaneously, but haven't tried it. The two spouts are close together, so all could be delivered into one cup.

Cleaning isn't much of a problem. Most days there is nothing to do except discard the used grounds. About once a month it gets a good cleaning and descaling. It's a bit of work if you feel the need to chase down all the coffee grounds that seem to get everywhere. Usually I settle for getting rid of most.

wexfordman2

Take a look at the sage coffee machines, expensice but excellent machines.

wexfordman2

wexfordman2 wrote: »

Take a look at the sage coffee machines, expensice but excellent machines.

Jiat tollpw up, we have one now for aboit two years, previois macjine was a gaggia and lasted ablit a year. The sage, i got a friend who is a roaster to check it out for me, and have to say we love it.

Its not as automatic as the gaggia, the grinder while built in, operates independently and you tamp yourself etc, but thats all good stuff tbh.

I think a fully automatic machine does not gove you the flexibility that the safe does, and tbh, i think tje fully automatic ones are less reliable

mad m

Are they worth the money? Happened to be looking at a Delongi Prima Donna S deluxe type this morning. Display model so good chunk off.

Dtp1979

mad m wrote: »

Are they worth the money? Happened to be looking at a Delongi Prima Donna S deluxe type this morning. Display model so good chunk off.

Where was that?

Slaphead07

wexfordman2 wrote: »

Jiat tollpw up, we have one now for aboit two years, previois macjine was a gaggia and lasted ablit a year.

Just for balance.... I've had two Gaggia's and they both lasted years... current one still doing daily service. get the settings right, clean it regularly and they're great machines.

wexfordman2

Slaphead07 wrote: »

Just for balance.... I've had two Gaggia's and they both lasted years... current one still doing daily service. get the settings right, clean it regularly and they're great machines.

Yeah, to be fair, stuff just happens at times, I've had brand new laptops fail after a month of use, and that doenst put me off the brand, sometimes things break.

I think part of the probelm with the gaggia we got, was we bought it online, and it was imported, so when something went wrong, we couldnt find anyone to repair it, no one looked after that model.

wexfordman2

mad m wrote: »

Are they worth the money? Happened to be looking at a Delongi Prima Donna S deluxe type this morning. Display model so good chunk off.

If we are talking about the sage, again I suppose its all a matter of opinion, they are certainly at the pricier end of the market, but style, function and build quality are second to none as far as I am concerned.

I am a sage fan, we just bought the kettle recently as well :-) although cant stretch myself to the toaster, it just seems too far to pay over 200 euro for a toaster, no matter how good it is.

Dtp1979

So I finally got my machine. Delongi esam magnifica.
Any reccomendations for a good coffee bean? Something strong but tastes nice I guess. Nothing too bitter

Slaphead07

Dtp1979 wrote: »

So I finally got my machine. Delongi esam magnifica.
Any reccomendations for a good coffee bean? Something strong but tastes nice I guess. Nothing too bitter

My everyday coffee is Nicks "sweet wonders" from his shop in Ranelagh. Consistently good and not expensive.
I don't know that machine but generally there's a bit of "fine tuning" with those machines before you get it to deliver the best cup to your taste. Be patient!

Dtp1979

Slaphead07 wrote: »

My everyday coffee is Nicks "sweet wonders" from his shop in Ranelagh. Consistently good and not expensive.
I don't know that machine but generally there's a bit of "fine tuning" with those machines before you get it to deliver the best cup to your taste. Be patient!

Ideally I'd be looking for something I could buy online

Glebee

Have the same machine as yourself. Always used to get my coffee from https://badgeranddodo.ie/

Then I got some beans from Lidl and they were very nice at a fraction of the price. Dont be afraid to try different beans. Just because there cheaps does not always mean there bad.

flangemeistro

Glebee wrote: »

Have the same machine as yourself. Always used to get my coffee from https://badgeranddodo.ie/

Then I got some beans from Lidl and they were very nice at a fraction of the price. Dont be afraid to try different beans. Just because there cheaps does not always mean there bad.

+1 for the Lidl beans. They actually have them at the moment in a gold bag XXL.
I think it's €6.99 for 1kg whereas it's around €7.50 for 250g of B&D, they are amazing roasters but but worth 4 times the price.

I find the gold bag in Lidl nicer than the Italian blue bag which I got a stone in last year.

la ultima guagua

flangemeistro wrote: »

+1 for the Lidl beans. They actually have them at the moment in a gold bag XXL.
I think it's €6.99 for 1kg whereas .......

The last lot of XXL beans in gold bags were packaged as 1.2kg and were ( IIRC ) 35% robusta. I think the same bags can be bought for £4.99 in N.I.

Last years Italiamo 1 kg bags were 100% arabica, this years were cut with Robusta too.

While some people dont care for the taste of robusta, others seek it.

Expect to Have To drink a lot of coffee when setting up your machine

P. Breathnach

la ultima guagua wrote: »

... Last years Italiamo 1 kg bags were 100% arabica, this years were cut with Robusta too.

While some people dont care for the taste of robusta, others seek it....

This year they had both a 100% arabica and an arabica/robusta mix. I quite like the 100% arabica while I very much dislike the arabica/robusta mix. Both packs are fairly similar in appearance.

In any case, they seem to have finished with them for this year.

ALDI regularly stock an Alcafe brand of whole beans, 100% arabica dark roast, but in smallish quantities that sell out quite fast. Worth trying if you can find it.

caviardreams

Depends what you are looking for and I find half the fin is trying different beans tbh!

Some good online Irish roasters I have used before if you are looking for freshly roasted beans are
Bell Lane
Badger & Dodo
Cloudpicker
Ponaire
Coffee Mojo

la ultima guagua

P. Breathnach wrote: »

This year they had both a 100% arabica and an arabica/robusta mix.

I missed the 100%ers. Guess thats the price I pay for being a slow coach

P. Breathnach wrote: »

I quite like the 100% arabica while I very much dislike the arabica/robusta mix.

Yes & Yes

P. Breathnach wrote: »

In any case, they seem to have finished with them for this year..

Still some XXL packs cut with robusta on the shelves

P. Breathnach wrote: »

ALDI regularly stock an Alcafe brand of whole beans, 100% arabica dark roast, but in smallish quantities that sell out quite fast. Worth trying if you can find it.

I have never seen that product. Any chance you could tip me off ( pm ) if you notice it on the shelves ?

P. Breathnach

la ultima guagua wrote: »

...
I have never seen that product. Any chance you could tip me off ( pm ) if you notice it on the shelves ?

It's a regular stock item. It comes in the same box as some ground coffees (also, unsurprisingly, Alcafe). In the two ALDI branches I know, you can find it on the left near the entrance, on the top shelf. It seems to appeal to quite a few people, because more often than not the whole-bean packs are gone almost as soon as a new box is opened.