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Post by garry on Mar 21, 2022 7:45:55 GMT
After a few days down in Naples, I'm reminded how much I love proper Italian coffee and I really want to have high quality espresso at home. Anyone any ideas on good machines? What do i need to look for? What should I pay? What do i do to recreate my favourite Naples coffee shop in rural Lancashire?!?
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Mar 21, 2022 8:17:15 GMT
What do i do to recreate my favourite Naples coffee shop in rural Lancashire?!? Import a couple of Neapolitans and set them up in business?  |
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Post by bryan on Mar 21, 2022 8:17:17 GMT
We got a Delonghi bean to cup machine for c£300 from Costco which makes lovely coffee and a Dualit milk warmer jug which is much better and less faff than the one on the machine.
Not sure if spending more would get you a better coffee tbh
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Post by Andy C on Mar 21, 2022 8:24:59 GMT
I don’t like coffee so it’s Yorkshire tea out of a normal kettle for me .
My bro spent about £500 on a coffee machine recently from JL, they just left it on his doorstep when he was at work. It was still there when he got home from work, but he called them raging . They offered him a full refund and got to keep the machine.
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Post by Martin on Mar 21, 2022 8:30:39 GMT
Is it just espresso you want? We had a manual espresso machine and didn't use it as much as we wanted because of having to grind the beans, clean it afterwards etc, although that was worse when we wanted a milky coffee. Moving to an automatic bean to cup machine has been a massive improvement and we have a couple a day when we're working at home and it's much nicer than any coffee shop we go to. That's because we're choosing the coffee beans we like and you can preset drinks to suit (each person can have their own profile), adjusting the strength, amount of milk etc. Which sounds like a pain, but you quickly get there and that's set forever then and if you don't want to bother there are a number of presets. The machine self cleans at the end of each cycle, so it's just emptying / cleaning the grounds container when that's full and flushing through decalc solution when it asks for it. Our machine is out of date now, the latest version is the DeLonghi PrimaDonna Elite, but there are other cheaper options that do a very similar job. If you want to do more of it yourself but still have the customisation, then the Sage Oracle Touch gets very good reviews but it's a silly price imo. But if you just want an espresso, you could/should spend a lot less. I'd still want a bean to cup machine that cleans itself though, so something like the Smeg automatic machine might be a good option. www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/house-garden/coffee/smeg-bean-to-cup-coffee-machine-review-b1916398.htmlI'm sure what the best manual machines are these days. |
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Post by bryan on Mar 21, 2022 9:57:23 GMT
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Post by PG on Mar 21, 2022 10:10:21 GMT
We've never bothered with a machine. Electric coffee grinder (kept in a sealed tin once ground, caf for Mrs, decaf for me), cafetiere, hot milk from the microwave gives a great "grand cafe au lait", which I much prefer to cappuccinos or lattes.
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Post by Big Blue on Mar 21, 2022 10:10:26 GMT
IIRC we’ve got the non-cappuccino version of Martin’s DeLonghi. It still makes it but doesn’t have the milk float: you need to steam your own milk. It’s super, adjustable for grinding size and strength; you choose the length of your espresso, doppio etc. and the frother is great if you buy yourself a decent stainless jug. The only PITA is decalc time but that’s not going to be any different for any machine.
If you’re really into it or if it’s for an Office get a Franke machine. I’ve ordered them for two offices - but not the cheapest one as it’s not a genuine Franke, rather a rebadged other machine.
The other one to look at is the Sage Barista bean to cup. I think that’s the one with two boilers so you don’t burn you coffee if you use the milk frother in between cups. I worked with a coffee snob once and he swore by that one.
Oh yeah: find your favourite beans and stick with them. All this pissing around with different ones is nonsense.
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Post by humphreythepug on Mar 21, 2022 10:18:23 GMT
Get an Aeropress, Tina bought me one a few years ago, I can honestly say it is one of the best things that I have I love it, it is used daily, it is brilliant. www.aeropress.co.uk/Portable too so can go camping with you, mine has been to Glastonbury, it's lovely sitting outside the tent with a freshly brewed coffee. |
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Post by Roadrunner on Mar 21, 2022 10:28:12 GMT
Get an Aeropress, Tina bought me one a few years ago, I can honestly say it is one of the best things that I have I love it, it is used daily, it is brilliant. www.aeropress.co.uk/Somebody brought one of those into work a couple of weeks ago. I had never seen one before, but he really likes it. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2022 12:00:14 GMT
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Post by Blarno on Mar 21, 2022 12:08:11 GMT
Jar of Aldi Gold Roast, job done.
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Post by garry on Mar 21, 2022 16:38:56 GMT
The Smeg machine looks about right for me. Its only for espresso and I'm the only one who will be using it in the house. I'll take a look. Thanks.
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Post by racingteatray on Mar 21, 2022 17:09:36 GMT
I'm afraid that whilst you might expect otherwise we don't have a fancy coffee machine.
My wife swears by an old-school Bialetti Moka, of which we have several in assorted sizes. Irrespective of whether we are in London or in Italy, first thing in the morning, the Moka goes on the hob, filled with Lavazza Crema e Gusto, Illy Classico or Kimbo ground coffee.
We also have an ancient (2012) Nespresso machine with separate milk frother that all somehow still works. The frother is used daily for our morning cappuccinos (no self-respecting Italian will drink a cappuccino after about mid-morning). The machine itself is used, with Illy capsules available from Sainsburys, if we are in a hurry or just want an espresso.
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Post by racingteatray on Mar 21, 2022 17:18:32 GMT
After a few days down in Naples, I'm reminded how much I love proper Italian coffee and I really want to have high quality espresso at home. Nothing in my experience comes close to Neapolitan coffee! I still think that by far the best coffee I've ever had was at a tiny bar somewhere in the warren of alleys off Spaccanapoli. They do a sort of beige cream/sugar/coffee mix called cremina that they plop in the top of an espresso that creates a fantastically creamy and smooth shot quite unlike the sort of bitter watery gunk so often disappointingly served up in this country. Mercifully this place is yards from my office and serves quite the best espresso macchiato I've ever had in this country: www.bestcoffee.guide/pages/cafe-bespoke-cyclingIf you're ever in the area and in need of caffeine, it's worth a visit. |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Mar 21, 2022 19:33:55 GMT
I love the smell of brewing coffee and I’ve tried every type all around the world. Unfortunately, I don’t like any of them so it’s good old Rington’s tea for me, delivered every month by a man in a van. With 2 chocolate digestives.
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Post by ChrisM on Mar 21, 2022 20:14:13 GMT
I'm not a big fan of coffee and am quite happy with instant (I much prefer tea) but the guy who owns the company where I currently work is a big coffee fan. The machine that was in use when I started went wrong whilst just under warranty a couple of months back so it was returned for full credit. In its place came a £2000 replacement but even that wasn't good enough; a few days later we were greeted by a machine that apparently cost about £6000 when new; this was from a leading chain of hot drinks and pastie shops who had replaced it with another of newer design; the company fridge was attached with an electric drill so that the new machine could have a direct pipe of milk to feed it......
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2022 20:27:04 GMT
I tried the Costa part instant part ground coffee tin (100g) and it is complete shite. Intense dark roast? My 'arris it is. Floor sweepings would be a generous description.
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Post by garry on Mar 21, 2022 23:04:49 GMT
After a few days down in Naples, I'm reminded how much I love proper Italian coffee and I really want to have high quality espresso at home. Nothing in my experience comes close to Neapolitan coffee! I still think that by far the best coffee I've ever had was at a tiny bar somewhere in the warren of alleys off Spaccanapoli. They do a sort of beige cream/sugar/coffee mix called cremina that they plop in the top of an espresso that creates a fantastically creamy and smooth shot quite unlike the sort of bitter watery gunk so often disappointingly served up in this country. Mercifully this place is yards from my office and serves quite the best espresso macchiato I've ever had in this country: www.bestcoffee.guide/pages/cafe-bespoke-cyclingIf you're ever in the area and in need of caffeine, it's worth a visit. Is that part of the bespoke cycling shop? I work around there quite often. I’ll make sure I try it next time I’m in London. Thanks. Next , I’m looking for a place that can make a Lemon slushie like the ones on Capri! |
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Post by racingteatray on Mar 22, 2022 9:48:34 GMT
Yes, it is - that place is like a Ferrari dealership for bikes - given it's opposite the entrance to our loading bay, I occasionally take my wretched old hybrid in there for some running repair. It's a bit like taking an aged Volvo 4x4 into HR Owen's supercar centre. But the coffee is very good. I can literally see it from my desk, so if you fancy a chat over a coffee any time, let me know.
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