Coffee maker

dereko1969 said:
Lavazza also do Nespresso compatible pods - and they're compostable in the brown bin.
[broken link removed]
I've found that website great, very quick delivery, also have great offers on the Lavazza bean packs. 10% off first order and free postage over 50e too - no affiliation just a happy customer.
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I think they just do the smaller pods, not the Vertuo ones.
 
I got a Delonghi in IRL and bought the same one in Spain. Great coffee machines for around 190.00 A tinchy bit shy of 3500 from moneybags Leper....more coffee for de peasants that the gentry but very, very good nonetheless. :D
 
What model did leper buy for 3500? Sorry if I missed it earlier in the thread.

I can understand other people not wanting to go near that
 
RedOnion said:
Perfect timing - available from this Thursday! 6.99 per kilo.
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Was down in Lidl last night, the Caffe Traditionale is in already at 6.99 a kilo, so I bought one.

Now just have to acquire a grinder. I keep trying to convince my wife that I'm saving money by buying all this stuff :)
 
Just wondering, How much coffee do you all drink everyday ??
I would have considered myself a heavy drinker in the past and maybe still am but over the last few years I have it down to around two mugs a day
Now I say two mugs but there two 20oz(pint) mugs, one for breakfast and one for lunch and the odd time I'd have one in the evening
 
Cervelo said:
Just wondering, How much coffee do you all drink everyday ??
I would have considered myself a heavy drinker in the past and maybe still am but over the last few years I have it down to around two mugs a day
Now I say two mugs but there two 20oz(pint) mugs, one for breakfast and one for lunch and the odd time I'd have one in the evening
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Between the missus and I we go through about 1kg beans / month, sometimes a bit more (with WFH, defo a bit more).
Each of us has 2-3 mugs for breakfast. If WFH, I usually have another 2 before Lunch.
 
Two smallish mugs a day for myself - but strong. A kilo of beans would just about cover me for two weeks. I wouldn't over extract - better flavour.
 
2 mugs a day, one at 11ish and one after lunch.
That's two regular sized coffee mugs (no pint buckets for me)

Pot of tea for breakfast, except sometimes at weekends, I'd have a mug of coffee before breakfast (waiting for swmbo to surface) and then pot of tea with breakfast.
 
One espresso in the morning is all I have. Only other caffeine is a cup of tea at lunchtime. I have trouble sleeping at night so I’m generally trying to keep my caffeine intake low.
 
Weekdays: instant for brekkie, instant at 11, half pot (2 mugs) for lunch
Weekends: half pot for brekkie, see how the day goes.

Filter machine (got my first as a present from my father when I went to college), currently prefer Tesco Italian, made not too strong because I take it unadulterated.
 
I'd recommend the Velo Roasters brand from Aldi - the best whole bean/ground coffee I've found in a supermarket.

I'm an Aeropress fanatic but haven't heard of the stainless steel filters - must try those out.

Otherwise I stick to local roasters - my go-to is Imbibe Roasters from Dublin 8.
 
I bought an Aeropress two days ago after reading about it here. It was delivered this morning.

I freshly ground up some Tesco own brand Espresso coffee beans (about €2.50) and used the Aeropress for the first time.

I'm currently having my first cup and it is miles ahead of any of the Dolce Gusto capsules I've tried.
 
French press, java beans freshly ground, 3 cups a day and find it hard to beat. The grounds are useful for the garden, the snails don't like paddling across them.
 

From today's Irish Indo; See below.​

The best home coffee machines​

Missing your barista-quality caffeine fix? Perfect your daily brew with our expert picks to suit all budgets, tastes and abilities​

One of the simplest pleasures of our pre-lockdown lives was being able to swing by a local cafe on our breaks from the office. Since the shift to WFH, the quality of our daily caffeine fix has suffered greatly, but you don't have to settle for less. If you've held off on acquiring some home coffee kit or are looking to upgrade your old cafetière, there are plenty of options for all price points, tastes and abilities.
We asked the experts for their top recommendations to perfect your home brew.
Filter coffee makers
One of the most popular and affordable devices is the AeroPress (€32.50, CoffeeShop.ie), a piston brewer like the French press that delivers single servings of coffee in a couple of minutes. It can be used to make classic filter coffee, cold brew or an espresso-like shot that William Davenport of Sligo-based Red Rooster Coffee says "pretty closely duplicates [the coffee from] a €3,000 espresso machine”.
"It's €30, so it's not going to break the bank, it makes fantastic coffee and the clean-up is a snap,” he says of the AeroPress, which comes with a pack of 350 filter papers. He notes that it is also compact and lightweight enough that it won't take up valuable counter space, plus you can pop it in your suitcase if you're travelling post-pandemic.
There are two ways of brewing coffee with the AeroPress: the standard method and the inverted method, which William advises checking out on YouTube if you tend to buy your coffee pre-ground.
Another option is a pour-over coffee maker like the Hario V60 (from €5.80, BellLane.ie), suggested by Niko Sunko, head roaster for Bell Lane Coffee in Westmeath. "The V60 is actually a very traditional method but it has become a staple of the specialty coffee industry,” he says of the cone-shaped dripper, which is placed on a cup or server and fitted with filter paper before water is poured over the coffee as it drips into the vessel below.
"My biggest recommendation for anyone who is a beginner at home is to buy a grinder,” Niko adds. "Grinding fresh is super important — once you grind your coffee, it's going to lose all the aroma and the nuance very, very quickly. There's a wide range, but you don't have to spend a lot.” His picks are Hario's Mini Slim Pro (€54.45, BellLane.ie) and the Porlex Mini Grinder (€69.95, CoffeeAngel.com).
Dustin Khan of Dublin's Cloud Picker Coffee names the Moccamaster KBG Select (€229, Moccamaster.eu) as the best starting point for coffee lovers seeking to take home brewing up a notch.
"You know in American movies, you customarily see someone sitting in a diner given coffee from a pot? That's basically what it is, except more modernised and automated, built for the home user,” he explains. "The coffee tastes so much better than it is made to look in those movies.”
The Moccamaster can make between four and 10 cups at a time, within six minutes, and is also a more attractive option to store on the kitchen counter, available in a range of bright colours.
"It's perfect for large gatherings or a family of coffee drinkers,” he adds. "It has a hot plate built into it that keeps it warm for up to 40 minutes before auto switching off. That's a cheaper option than an automated espresso machine, and all you need is ground coffee and water.”
Entry-level espresso machines
Though you can find espresso machines for under €100, experts warn that they won't deliver the real deal. "They don't tend to make espresso — the pumps just aren't strong enough. They tend to make glorified filter coffee,” says Aaron Davis, wholesale manager for Badger & Dodo in Cork. "And if you like your cappuccinos, lattes or flat whites, most of the smaller, cheaper home espresso machines tend to not be able to steam milk very well.”
For a decent espresso machine, he explains, you'll be looking at spending at least €500. His pick is the Sage Barista Express (€589.99, badgeranddodo.ie).
"It comes complete, ready to run out of the box. You don't need a separate grinder, it's built in,” says Aaron. "The milk steaming wand is fantastic — you can create a micro foam exactly like you would see in a high-street cafe, and it allows you to pour latte art with it, it's that good.”
However, while the machine may be ready to run, you may not be ready to run it — Aaron notes that it typically takes about an hour's viewing of online tutorials or a chat over the phone with a barista to nail the basics, so it will require some getting used to.
Dustin Khan's pick is the Sage Barista Pro (€799.99, CloudPickerCoffee.ie), which has a digital display and sleeker build than the Express, and uses its "thermojet” heating system for a faster heat-up time of just three seconds from switching on. It also has a built-in grinder, milk steaming wand and a filter that needs to be changed every three to six months.
"It can be used in an automated fashion, with the one- or two-cup shot buttons, or you can manually program your shot times to suit the coffee you are brewing,” says Dustin. "It's a perfect machine for the consumer who may be new but wants to get pretty efficient at the craft, allowing them to switch from automatic brewing to manual when they are ready, allowing more control over their shots and flavours.”
Professional standard
If you're not really bothered about mastering the craft and would prefer to invest in a machine that does all the work for you, Dustin recommends the Sage Oracle Touch (€1,799.95, reduced from €2,399.95, CloudPickerCoffee.ie), which automates everything from grind time to milk texture and temperature.
"It has a touch screen, which allows you to pick just by pressing on the screen, or you can design a coffee to your preference,” he says of the machine's five pre-programmed options, with space for a further eight customisable selections. "I'd prescribe that for a family of coffee drinkers who all like something a bit different, the time-poor or those who simply want their cafe espresso but are not fussed on learning the ins-and-outs.”
Given we're in lockdown, perhaps you do want to seize this moment to learn all the ins-and-outs of home brewing. In which case, Aaron Davis names the La Marzocco Linea Mini (€5,261, BadgerandDodo.ie) as "the gold standard, the Rolls-Royce of consumer machines”. "It's phenomenal. It comes with a pretty substantial price point, but it is all hand-built, much like the La Marzocco espresso machines you see in high-street cafes that are serving 600 coffees a day — you could use that machine every day for 15 to 20 years,” he says.
The stylish machine has dual boilers, giving users complete control over the brew temperature, which Aaron notes is crucial in professional espresso-making. He adds that even some of the lower-end commercial machines in cafes don't give baristas the ability to control temperatures in the same way.
"If you work from home exclusively, outside the pandemic, and you drink two or three coffees a day, that is going to pay for itself very quickly,” he says. "You'll save money in the long run by investing in a decent home espresso machine.”
The pick of the bunch
Best on a budget: AeroPress (€32.50, CoffeeShop.ie)
If you don't want to splurge on an espresso machine, William Davenport of Red Rooster Coffee says this fast, portable and easy-to-use device "ticks all the boxes” for filter coffee drinkers.
Best for families: Moccamaster KBG Select (€229, Moccamaster.eu)
A great option for a household of coffee lovers, this brewer can make up to 10 cups at a time, with a built-in hotplate to keep the pot at 80-85°C for 40 minutes.
Best for the time-poor: Sage Oracle Touch (€1,799.95, down from €2,399.95, CloudPickerCoffee.ie)
It comes with a hefty price tag, but this bean-to-cup machine is fully automatic, so home users "only need to push a button to request their preference”,
 
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