I drink 3-4 cups of coffee a day and work from home. I miss the very expensive bean to cup machine at the office. I have my coffee black and I fancy a small footprint machine for home. Budget up to £250 What should I be looking out for. I don’t think I need bean to cup and would buy some pre ground to go in the machine. Thoughts, experience, ownership recommendations.
I have a Delonghi Magnifica S, bean to cup, which I've had for about 5 years now. I drink anywhere between 3 to 6 espressos a day, only coffee drinker in the house. Only maintenance I've done is the usual decalcification and tightened the grinder once. Plenty of videos on YouTube for both these processes. It's a bit loud. Other more up level machines fron Delonghi are quieter. But from what I saw when opening it up, there's plenty of space for some sound dampening. The Switch is on top in jest of smart espresso machines. If you don't mind pre-ground or even having a separate grinder, a moka pot is always a winner imho. Very budget friendly as well. Just a little more involved.
If you're lazy like me just get a Vertuo machine. Makes pretty good coffee - not as good as a standalone but heaps better than just about any other convenience machine. I have one at home and one in my office. Easy.
I am actually leaning to a Moka pot to give it a try. They seem pretty cheap and I guess with the right pot my new induction hob is a winner too.
I posted the below a few years ago in response to a similar question and having replaced it with a bean to cup delonghi machine and given this one away I can report both working flawlessly. When I worked on LNG tankers we used DeLonghi Coffee machines and I don't know of any of them failing, which when you consider the abuse they were subjected to on a daily basis is frankly amazing. The only advantage they had going for them was that the water was less than 3ppm NaCl. The oldest one I know of was 7 years and still going strong when I last went on that particular ship (only reason I remember it is that I was who drilled and bolted it down). My home machine is now 5 years old and has survived multiple moves and since moving to France several power surges and still works perfectly. In short for a cheap reliable machine I'd go straight to a Delonghi.
I'll pre-face this by saying I'm not a Coffee snob, I'll drink anything, even instant, so read in to that what you will I bought a Sage Creatista plus/pro Nespresso machine, in itself the machine has been great, but I didn't know what I was buying really it was a case of get something small and shiny the missus won't mind as a permanent fixture in the Kitchen, on that score it worked, the coffee is not bad either good crema but I like big ass coffee mugs, these little pods aren't really suitable for that really I need to run a couple through. So there would probably be a better option for me but not been able to fault its function otherwise, I've been using it daily since Covid, the milk frother is great for doing hot chocolates and cappuccinos so the whole family get some use from it too. I did read some people had issues with the frother clogging, it has never been an issue for me, but I run its cleaning thing twice after use.
I find Aeropress a faff compared to a Moka pot. Never heard of a jogo straw though. Time for research!
On the other hand, I am a certified coffee snob, yet still find Nespresso eminently drinkable. I've not tried the Sage one mentioned, but I don't think you can go too far wrong with Nespresso.
Just note that Nespresso original gives a shot of espresso whereas their Vertuo machines can do a big cup as well. But the pods range from about 45-65p each, and whilst you can hack them it's not geared towards aftermarket pods as they use a barcode system on the pods themselves.
Yup I found out about the vertuo stuff afterwards and thought it would have probably been better for my tankard but as mentioned I just run two lungos and I'm good, Nespresso capsules are pretty cheap around 15-25p a capsule so you could say a vertuo would make little difference on a capsule cost basis for what I like. On the machine side even the cheaper Nespresso machines seem to make an equally good job of it. Machines seem to have gone up in price, mine used to be in OPs budget, seem it is no more. Whilst I fancied myself an elaborate machine doing it freshly ground as we did at work the reality is, for me too much faff for a simple coffee at home, at work when I'm in the Kitchen chatting bollox to colleagues it was fine, outside I just wanted simplicity, easy to run, drop a pod in push a button job done and that is what it gives, biggest chore is filling the water tank, oh and don't drop that thing....it's not cheap to replace!!! I welded mine.
We've got one of these delonghi espresso machines: De'Longhi ECP35.31Traditional Barista Pump Espresso Machine, Coffee and Cappuccino Maker, Black https://amzn.eu/d/5iu7NeP Perfect for preground stuff like the lavazza bricks you can get in a lot of places. it's really compact but you can get a proper mug under it if you remove the drip tray. Steam wand is fairly decent too.
I have a basic Delonghi beans to cup similar to the one yuusou has above. Other than a deep clean every couple of months, I put beans in the top, water in the tank, and decent coffee comes out of the nozzle with a couple of button presses. Lack of fuss is key. For all my best artisan gourmet intentions at the beginning, I've noticed after a short time any machine/method that is more involved than (for instance) making a cup of tea simply won't end up being used much (if at all). On that note the frother is rarely used. Milk is warmed in the cup in the microwave
Illustarion not recommendation wrt the link but typically you need a hot plate that works with the induction gubbins and then place the Moka pot atop that as most don;t work with induction - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07KS4TJZZ [i'm sure cheaper ones are available] Other than that, i'm an instant-drinking pleb so my input on the wider topic at hand is probable as unwelcome as it is unhelpful.
My research so far is leading me to get a specific type that are designed (stainless steel) for use on the induction. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bialetti-Bronze-Anti-Scald-Induction-Stainless/dp/B09KZVCVL7/
Is anyone experienced in setting up and using proper barista-grade espresso machines and bean grinders? ... If not, just go for a (very) high end bean to cup machine. Miele do a range of very nice machines from several hundred up to £3k+, depending upon budget and expected workload of the machine. There's other brands that would suit an office; however, avoid 'home grade' machines as they won't be up to the constant use of a busier office coffee demand. Sage Oracle Touch may be a good option too for around £2k; however, at £3k you're in the range of commercial machines that come with service contracts so you may be better served going for something like that maybe?
Depends what your expectations are for 'good espresso' with a cheap machine. The only truly excellent espresso you can make at home for under £250 IMO is with the Wacaco Nano/Picopresso range. The little handheld pump can generate the 9bar pressure at the basket required for a good shot. Downside is setup time and clean up post-shot... but you'll get a significantly better coffee experience than with a £250 machine. Sounds a little snobby, but it's a fair shout by personal experience. If you can stretch your budget a little further, get a Gaggia Classic for around £400 - you won't get a better home machine anywhere else at that price and it can give you close to coffee shop quality out of the box. There's also a great modding community, that can show you how to upgrade the machine with temp PID sensors and other upgrades to give you a true barista grade home espresso machine for not a lot of £. If you cant stretch to a new Gaggia, get a used one. They're completely serviceable and all parts available so if you're handy, start overhauling and overclocking your first coffee machine!
Unless it's a small office with just a handful of people, consider leasing - machines in heavy use (epsecially bean to cups) will need somewhat regular maintenance that can add up, so leasing contracts take unpredictability out of this. Commercial superautomatics built for that sort of regular use can go up to £10k and beyond, as well. EDIT: And to second the Gaggia classic recommendation - second hand especially. These are often a gateway machine to more serious equipment, and are plentiful on the S/H market, and usually very well looked after.