Suggestions for a new coffee machine?

[Halcyon]

I figured seeing as most of us probably need a coffee just to bring ourselves up to "normal" in the mornings and the fact that this forum is full of experts when it comes to all things electronic/electrical and machine-like, what better place to ask?

I'm thinking of buying a coffee machine (and possibly grinder to go with it). I've never bought one before and if you talk to any salesman they are mostly full of hot air and want to boast about features and how much pressure the pump puts out through the head, so I tend to ignore their advice.

Now I understand pump pressure is important, nobody likes a weak stream but quality of construction is probably higher up on my requirements list, as are these points:

- Most machines come with milk frothers etc... I don't care one way or another, as long as it makes a good black coffee.
- On the topic of milk, I don't want one of those machines that has that milk container that takes up room in the fridge. If I want to froth milk, I'll use a jug, keep it simple.
- Something that's easy to clean, not just the head, but all parts in contact with beans/liquid.
- Space is not an issue.
- Price range; I'm happy to spend up to $1000-$2000, nothing crazy, but nothing shit either.
- I know how to use a proper coffee machine, so it need not be one of those "push a button, all automatic" type things.

Previously I've just ground my own beans and used a plunger, but I think it's time to upgrade.

Any suggestions?

[apelly]

I don't have anything concrete to say. At that price I'd buy a second hand commercial unit with 2 heads and never look back.

If you're less serious, I read a while ago about a group of guys that'd found a cheap, but sound, home unit and hacked it with a decent PID controller for temperature. Sorry, but I can't recall where I saw it now. Hackaday seems likely, but it might even have been on here. Maybe a very early kickstarter?

[Halcyon]

At that price I'd buy a second hand commercial unit with 2 heads and never look back.

I was thinking that, but I'm in two minds about a commercial unit for the sole reason that most of them are plumbed. It would involve cutting a hole in my stone bench top.

Then again, if it's to be a "permanent" fixture, I guess it wouldn't be too much of a problem.

[AndyC_772]

I have an ECM Mechanika III and a Mahlkonig Vario grinder. They make a great combination, and superlative coffee.

The most important thing is to find some beans you like, and grind them to exactly the right fineness. If you're using an espresso machine, it's critical that the the water flows through the grounds at the right speed. Grind the beans too coarse and you get insipid brown water, too fine and the machine simply stalls.

The optimum pressure to extract flavour from coffee beans is 9 bar. More is not better. If you buy a good machine, the supplier should be able to check and adjust it to that pressure for you. (Yes, there is such a thing as a calibrated coffee machine!)

[Fred27]

On the other end of the scale, I can really recommend Aeropress. Much like a small cafetiere but with a filter that you push the resulting coffee through.

[dave_k]

I've got a Sunbeam EM6910 and Breville Smart Grinder Pro .. both have been superb machines, making a perfect shot every day for the Mrs and I.

Recommended 

[Muttley Snickers]

Our first and last coffee machine was a Delonghi Magnifica which has been sitting in the bottom cupboard now for well over twelve months as we have switched back to instant again, the thing was a complete nightmare to clean, forever spitting up a descale alert and never got hot enough for our liking anyway. It was highly recommended by a mate who reckoned they were the best at the time, he got banished shorty after for that effort never to be seen again.

Other people we know appear to all have migrated over to those capsule based machines and seem to be satisfied with them, I don't know enough about them to make a valid recommendation and get totally confused just with the silly flavour selections alone, mocha chocka wacka cocoa milo soy decaf, for fuck sake just give me a tea instead.   

[tszaboo]

My grandparents swear that nothing comes close to this, when it comes to black coffee. But then again, they drink like 2 cl of something that reminds me of oil residue.

[1design]

If you want just straight coffee and no fuss around that with freshly ground beans, I would look at the Jura A1.



If you want to play around making it yourself I would look at two options:

Lelit Anita PL042TEMD - Integrated boiler and grinder for a reasonable amount of money you can make very good coffee.


Or a more upmarket option, the Rancilio Silvia and a Baratza Precisio or Rancilio Rocky:


So, different options for different needs/wishes

BR

[Gary.M]

Ask your question on the Aussie Coffesnobs forum and they will help you make the best choice for you. Lots of knowledge there.

Sent from my x600 using Tapatalk

[Muttley Snickers]

My grandparents swear that nothing comes close to this, when it comes to black coffee. But then again, they drink like 2 cl of something that reminds me of oil residue.

I think those percolators are the best thing ever, a fellow I worked with many years ago kept one in his van along with an airtight container full of ground coffee, he would have it on the boil at every possible opportunity, those were good days back then.   

[BradC]

I've had a Philips/Saeco for a few years now. Beans in, coffee out. No frills.

My wife bought me a Nesspresso and after 18 months I figured out I was going through about a grand worth of pods in a year, so we picked up the Saeco. Never looked back.

I'm not mega fussy about my brew. I think the beans make more difference than the machine, but everyone is different. It has a milk carafe, but that only comes out when guests are over.

[macboy]

Or a more upmarket option, the Rancilio Silvia and a Baratza Precisio or Rancilio Rocky:

So, different options for different needs/wishes

BR

I've had a Silvia for 17 years. I added the Rocky 10 years ago. Both still work like new, but I only use them on weekends. For daily use, I prefer black coffee brewed in a glass vacuum pot (aka "syphon" though that's a misnomer). I use a Yama brand one.

[TheWelly888]

I have an Aeropress for use at work (portable and convenient) and an electric percolator that sits in a standard cordless kettle power base for breakfast coffee. Can't beat either of these!

[Fsck]

I use a Breville BES840 and an OE pharos. Makes amazing espresso for the price. I think of the Breville as a disposable machine that will last <5 years. It's only like 300$ CAD. The grinder cost me 250$ USD (now it's priced at 300)
If you want to spend more, you could get a used electric grinder. The OE pharos is still the best bang for buck grinder, even though it's manual, you can mod it slightly with a coupler and a bolt to be run off a power drill.

You'll notice grinder quality over machine quality if you're only comparing black coffee.

[idpromnut]

I use a Breville BES840XL Infuser at home (suuuuper happy with it so far; I've had it since March) and the Breville Dose Control Pro Burr Grinder (both bought on Amazon). I have nothing but happiness from them both. They do require that you understand how espresso machines work and the method of extraction so you can tailor your coffee to your taste.

[steve30]

We got a Dualit machine with which you can either use your own ground coffee, or Nespresso style pods. Works well for a small home machine I think, but I don't use it much as I've pretty much perfected the way I do my cafetiere coffee at home. I normally reserve cappuccinos for when I visit the coffee shop.

I don't see much point in the capsule-only machines. They seem quite wasteful and very expensive. Given the size of beverage I normally make, I'd need two or three nespresso-sized capsules. With my Dualit machine I can put as much coffee as I like in (within reason).

[BU508A]

These coffee machines are a bit out of the price range of the OP but they are nice to look at. :-)

http://kaffeenator.com/blog/die-10-teuersten-kaffeemaschinen (sorry, it is in German but I'm convinced, you'll get the idea  )

And here for all you coffee-addicted some pictures:







And, a very traditional one:


 

[gertux]

We've got a Delonghi Magnifica S.
Beans in coffee out, perfect for home use, quite hackable pic16 something.
Cheap enough not to worry about it breaking down early, was 380€ excl VAT, runs for three years now without a hitch.

[idpromnut]

Note that if you are really interested in great coffee, it can not be stressed enough that the beans + grinder should be your highest priority. Fresh roasted beans, and the highest quality grinder you can reasonably afford (I have read that you should take your budget and split it at least 50/50 on grinder and espresso/coffee machine).

[metrologist]

I buy whole coffee beans and keep them in an airtight package in the freezer until I'm going to grind up what I'm going to use. I believe second to that is temperature - the higher temperature can extract a deeper flavor from the freshly ground bean.

I use an inexpensive Braun expresso machine that must be 20 years old now. As it heats up the water, it builds pressure that forces it through the grounds at hotter than boiling temperature. I do not waste my time with that frothing tube on the side unless someone else wants it, but that works well for me too.

I also have one of those percolator models shown earlier and must dust it off and give it another go.

BTW, an apple is a great way to wake up - it works better than coffee without the side effects.

[VK5RC]

+1 for the Saeco, I am on my second machine, the first lasted 12yrs making 4-6cups a day, Saeco (now Phillips) been in the game of automatic expresso machines  for decades. I did have a small manual machine before but could not be bothered.
Cheers

[ez24]

Over the years I have used many different makers and methods, including making Ethiopia coffee in Ethiopia with an Ethiopian coffee maker.  As someone said beans and grinder is the way to go.  Here is what I settled on:

https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Coffee-4-Cup-Switch-Coffeemaker/dp/B001KBZ95Y/ref=sr_1_9?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1499843315&sr=1-9&keywords=coffee+maker&refinements=p_36%3A1253523011

In your price range you could have virgins pick shit beans (sorry I forgot the real name) and have them custom flown in and throw a grinder party if you got the above maker.

Does anyone know the name of the shit beans?  Seems to me they are from monkeys who eat the beans and then shit them out.  Then someone picks them out of the monkey shit.   I just wonder who ever thought to  do this.  I believe this is the most expensive coffee (unless I am full of shit ha ha ha)

My favorite is dark roasted Costa Rica but I buy whatever organic I can find at Costco (all medium roasts).  I grind the beans in a $20 grinder.  I use good water not tap water.

I suggest you give this a try and throw the stuff away if you do not like it because it will not even show up in your budget.   


Another thing you could do is buy this stuff and a ticket to Ethiopia and make some of their coffee and buy their equipment:



What the video does not convey is the smell.  This is really a social affair and can go on for hours.

They used frankincense and mirth on the hot coals.   I think for one grand you could get their setup.

The equipment in the video is rather fancy and is not what normal (poor) people use but the idea is the same.

Happy drinking

[Halcyon]

BTW, an apple is a great way to wake up - it works better than coffee without the side effects.

Side effects? What side effects? *twitch twitch*

;-)

[AndyC_772]

Does anyone know the name of the shit beans?  Seems to me they are from monkeys who eat the beans and then shit them out.  Then someone picks them out of the monkey shit.   I just wonder who ever thought to  do this.  I believe this is the most expensive coffee (unless I am full of shit ha ha ha)

You're thinking of Kopi Luwak, and it's a civet, not a monkey. But no, I wouldn't drink it either.

I'll stick to Monsooned Malabar instead.