Recommend a coffee machine

Buying house2020

Hi,

Bit of a coffee novice here, but since lockdown hit and I'm pretty much at home all the time now, I've decided I'd like to treat myself and purchase a coffee machine ,I have browsed various websites and the various products, I find it very confusing!

What I am looking for in a coffee machine:
A milk frother
A machine that makes lattes and cappuccinos
Extremely low maintenance and very easy to clean

Regarding coffee pods, do all machines take the generic pods e.g. the coffee pods from aldi/lidl?

Is there anything else I need to know/be aware of before I purchase?

Edit: budget would be 450/500 max
Thanks

Newtown90

What's your budget?

Its a dark hole...

Bigbooty

A budget would be good. You can get decent enough espresso like coffee with a stainless steel moka pot which will set you back about 25 euro. You can buy a milk frother for about 10- 20 euro. The Moka pot doesn't have anywhere near the pressure to replicate proper espresso but in my view it's not worth the cost difference. Especially if you're having it as a white coffee.

Otherwise you're looking at over 500 euro for something like a sage barista express. For the most part you get what you pay for within the coffee world.

Gforcemurphy

While I agree with most of this, there are options between €25 and €500+ in fairness.

OP mentioned the generic coffee pods so maybe a Nespresso machine with a separate frother would work? Or a machine with steam capability that’s not as high-end as the Sage?

Bigbooty wrote: »

A budget would be good.
You can get decent enough espresso like coffee with a stainless steel moka pot which will set you back about 25 euro. You can buy a milk frother for about 10- 20 euro. The Moka pot doesn't have anywhere near the pressure to replicate proper espresso but in my view it's not worth the cost difference. Especially if you're having it as a white coffee.

Otherwise you're looking at over 500 euro for something like a sage barista express. For the most part you get what you pay for within the coffee world.

sioda

Gotta say happy with my delonghi bean to cup it's the cafe corso and for a laziness factor a separate electric milk frother.

My machine cost about 200 and then 35 on the frother although it has to be said the machine cost fluctuates wildly. It's allowed me to try loads of different coffee beans

Blush_01

OP, what kind of coffee do you usually drink? Like, where do you buy your coffee when you're out?

Unless you're a connoisseur you'll get away with throwing a lot of crap into a milky coffee, so it's absolutely down to your preference.

I'm a coffee novice myself, I'm currently using a basic french press because I don't really use milk in my coffee - cost me €30. It wouldn't do what you want, sounds like you're looking for a shorter coffee.

You could pick up a Nespresso for €1 as part of their subscription service recently, if that suited your budget.

Aldi had their electronic frother back in in June, you might still get one, but it's not very likely, they usually sell out quickly.

You could get a bean grinder (Delonghi have a cheap as chips one and it's fine, does the job) and spend a few hundred euro on beans a month, or you might not.

So, from what you've said so far - you're interested in milk-based coffee drinks, you're open to a pod coffee machine, you want to get affordable coffee in the long run. You have a lot of options at a range of price points.

uncle_sam_ie

I'd say unless you want to go down that dark hole and you're willing to spend a lot of money, I just spent 450 euro on a grinder alone, the Nespresso subscription is a good choice. I had an Nespresso machine years ago and it did the job and the taste was OK. Using the aldi pods is what killed the machine in the end though.

Blush_01

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

I'd say unless you want to go down that dark hole and you're willing to spend a lot of money, I just spent 450 euro on a grinder alone, the Nespresso subscription is a good choice. I had an Nespresso machine years ago and it did the job and the taste was OK. Using the aldi pods is what killed the machine in the end though.

Subscription offer was pretty good, you got machine for €1, either original or vertuo, and the machine dictated the monthly cost. Commitment for 12 months as part of the contract, can cancel after that, and monthly subscription fee is uploaded as credit to you account to buy whatever you want - pods, cups, machinery, choccies and biscuits. After you finish the subscription, the credit is still valid for 12-36 months (need to check exact details there) and credit can be spent at boutiques or online. I think the Vertuo and Aeroccino was €50 per month, but essentially you're getting the machine free, just paying for coffee.

Newtown90

If you do like nice coffee I'd recommend saving a bit and buying a nice grinder and espresso machine.

Bought a Eureka Mignon Silenzio, and a Rancilio Silvia... Missus thought I was mad at the time... She now is also a coffee snob...

Buying house2020

Newtown90 wrote: »

What's your budget?

Its a dark hole...

450/500 max

uncle_sam_ie

Newtown90 wrote: »

If you do like nice coffee I'd recommend saving a bit and buying a nice grinder and espresso machine.

Bought a Eureka Mignon Silenzio, and a Rancilio Silvia... Missus thought I was mad at the time... She now is also a coffee snob...

I bought the Eureka Mignon Specialita and paired it with a Moccamaster Select. The grinder has made a huge difference in the taste.

Blush_01

Buying house2020 wrote: »

450/500 max

You'll get some decent starter kit for that, don't bother with pods.

Purists may disagree hugely with this, but this grinder does the job, it's the one I have, I use it about 5 out of 7 days of the week:

https://theperfectgrind.co.uk/delonghi-kg79-professional-burr-grinder/

For a starter espresso machine, I have friends who swear by this machine, you can fiddle a bit with it but it's fairly failsafe, and you can use it to steam milk.

https://www.brownthomas.com/tech-skus/dedica-pump-coffee-maker/144212889.html?channable=e20979.NTY2Nng1MTY3NDF4ZWM2ODVy&gclid=CjwKCAjwjLD4BRAiEiwAg5NBFikAn4HIY2AoYeTRXmh_Ov0cIFAfzQQhQf9C34lFIXgydPRfFXHiNBoC8nAQAvD_BwE

For c. €250 you have something entry level to start with, and plenty left for some decent beans. (Or an automated frother if steaming your own milk sounds like far too much work).

Caveat - also a novice, those better educated than I am may be appalled at my suggestions.

Bigbooty

https://www.gaggiadirect.com/coffee.html#!/Gaggia-Anima-1-Yr-Silver-CC-Membership/p/63352246/category=21558832

What about something like this?

Bluefoam

Go and check out the Sage Bambino thread... You can get one of those and a Smart Grinder Pro for your money... And it's beyond a beginner setup.

Samuel323

I recommend that the Nespresso Vertuo machine is the best coffee machine that you should have bought. But there are many kinds of Nespresso Vertuo machines and we get confused that which is the best machine to buy. We all face many kinds of problems while buying a good Nespresso Vertuo machine. There are many things in the machine that we have to check before buying like grinding capacity, easy to clean, storage of the water, and many more like that.

If you wanna get rid of this kind of problem and want to know which Nespresso Vertuo machine is the best visit here.

MattVader

If you want genuine espresso, you cant go wrong with a Gaggia Classic. The lads at <SNIP> have started selling them recently. It's probably the best quality espresso you'll get within your price range

Just remember, you'll need a good grinder if you want good espresso!

2ndcoming

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/114022756#Comment_114022756

Delonghi Automatic Espresso Machine With Magnifica Grinder | Fruugo IE

We have one of these and find it excellent. Bean to cup, very easy to use and maintain. Bought a kilo bag from my local brewhouse and it's saving me a fortune.