Let's Talk About Coffee Machines ....

[Alee Enn]

I wish I could give posts a thumbs up, there's some great advice here (which isn't surprising, I respect all of you).

My £100 budget is flexible, I'm thinking of getting a SMEG one for about £280 (they are also cheaper), so that gives you an idea of how flexible my budget is.

[CBJ]

As with most of their products, the SMEG machine looks great, and if that's a priority then go for it. Don't expect it to necessarily be the be the best, functionally, for the price though. I have a SMEG fridge which I've had for quite a few years, and it's starting to look like I might need to replace it soon. While I still love the look of it, and they still sell an almost identical model, I'm not sure I can justify spending that much again for a fridge that has performed only averagely over the years. I've also been told by a couple of people that their non-refrigeration appliances are usually worse than their fridges, but that's just hearsay.

[Chips]

I'll join Mork, I like filter coffee - it tastes great (and you can obviously grind your own or buy pre-ground of any variety).

Never got on with the frothy/milky coffee, and espresso can never slake a thirst either I may have pauper coffee tastes, but i likes what i likes.

If you struggle in your price range, may be worthwhile checking out second hand quality units. Depending upon where you are, you may be able to get all sorts of gadgets/gizmos second hand once people bought expensive, never use, and try to offload. They're definitely one of those things that had a spurt of people buying, but after a few months/a year many people ease up and give up.

[Alee Enn]

As with most of their products, the SMEG machine looks great, and if that's a priority then go for it. Don't expect it to necessarily be the be the best, functionally, for the price though. I have a SMEG fridge which I've had for quite a few years, and it's starting to look like I might need to replace it soon. While I still love the look of it, and they still sell an almost identical model, I'm not sure I can justify spending that much again for a fridge that has performed only averagely over the years. I've also been told by a couple of people that their non-refrigeration appliances are usually worse than their fridges, but that's just hearsay.

Interesting. I will re-look at my choices. Certainly looks are not important ... especially if someone has experience with a brand's products.
I did like how they looked though, I don't mind being honest.

[jlehtone]

Our version of a percolator
(But images model has larger window.)

Must be over 40 years old, but still as good as new (and spares still available).

[Santi]

For espressos you need a pump machine, I will go for 15 bar for house appliances, then you need to achieve 22 to 26 seconds pouring time. To do that you play around mainly by tampering the coffee, then how your coffee is grind and thirdly dose. Less than that you get dirty water, more and you burn the coffee and it will be very bitter.

Percolators, French presses, Moka espresso makers etc. do not have enough pressure to achieve "cream", that is what defines an espresso.

Things to take into account are spout clearance, lots of machines have only space for espresso cups that are tiny, a problem if you mostly drink lattes or cappuccinos as you do not want to be transferring the espresso shots to another cup doubling the stuff you need to clean up. If you want proper creamy froth, then the steam attachment is a must, some machines come with build in frothers with a milk deposit, those produce foam, not creamy froth.
Oh, do not forget to tap your froth jug against the table to make it creamier.

To start with, ground coffee is the way to go, plenty of really good choices in the UK and if you stick to the pouring time you will get great espressos all the time, after that, you should look for freshly roasted coffee beans. But that is subjective to your palate and refining the coffee drinking experience.

[Rice]

For espressos you need a pump machine, I will go for 15 bar for house appliances, then you need to achieve 22 to 26 seconds pouring time. To do that you play around mainly by tampering the coffee, then how your coffee is grind and thirdly dose. Less than that you get dirty water, more and you burn the coffee and it will be very bitter.

Percolators, French presses, Moka espresso makers etc. do not have enough pressure to achieve "cream", that is what defines an espresso.
...

yep thats where i posted once more, as it seemed i were wrong about the "type" of machine after CBJ mentioned his last brand and i looked at their "hardware", and the "Gran Gaggia" Line would suite the Price segment and is a Espresso maker, instead of a Coffeemaker.
it seems i were not alone with the misunderstanding

[Alee Enn]

Most people these days seem to buy "pod"-based coffee machines. I don't know a lot about these, but they would almost certainly meet your criteria of being easy to use and clean. The up-front cost for them also tends to be lower because, as with printers, the manufacturers often sell the equipment cheaply and make their money on the consumables.

The more old-fashioned machines, like the old Gaggia one I have, are more expensive to buy, and frankly a bit of a pain to maintain, but the quality of the coffee they produce is pretty much limited only by the quality of what you put in them. Unlike the pod-based machines, you can choose whatever coffee you like, choose whether to buy it ground or grind it yourself just before you use it, and so on.

Then again, I don't drink coffee any more, so maybe you shouldn't take advice from me.

I am now looking at these two thanks to CBJ-Bot's suggestion.
This Gaggia one for £170
Or this Gaggia one for £215

[Aye Capn]

I love the foot-pedal emergency boost of the Medco Autofuse, but my trusty Baxter Flo-Guard is much more reasonably-priced and has never let me down.

[CBJ]

This Gaggia one for £170
Or this Gaggia one for £215

Those look good. They both seem to take pods as well as grounds, which gives you the option of choosing convenience or coffee quality on an occasion by occasion basis. Nice!

Personally I like the look of the second one, and assuming that thermometer thingy is more than just a gimmick, I'd prefer that over the simple ready lamp that a lot of machines have as it gives you a better idea of how long you'll have to wait.

[Santi]

They look great, but seem to be a bit fiddly to use by the reviews, also the double walled pressurised filter holder and pre brewing sounds to me as something of a gimmick, or it may be it is needed for the pods.
They come with no tamper and seems that tampering is not necessary, so that puts me off a bit too.

Here is another link to the second machine with more reviews:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gaggia-Carezza ... op?ie=UTF8

[Hank001]

Santi:

Here is another link to the second machine with more reviews:

Couldn't get to link in US but Amazon Prime had 14 left @$349. Seriously thinking about it.

[muppetts]

https://www.koffiewarenhuis.nl/producte ... gKgu_D_BwE

Bought an Ascaso 10 years ago, still pumping out great expresso and makes a mean latte

[Morkonan]

... I may have pauper coffee tastes, but i likes what i likes.
...

^--- This.

Personally, when it comes down to the wire, I don't care. All I care about is getting my caffeine infusion via "coffee." All those other overloaded caffeine bottles couldn't do it for me like coffee does. So, I suppose I'm biased in my choices of preferred mediums.

Then again, I have and will chew friggin' coffee grounds if I have to... Though, that was a very long time ago under unusual circumstances. (Tears up your stomach and turns your digestive system into a fire hydrant... )

[Hank001]

Morkonan notes:

Then again, I have and will chew friggin' coffee grounds if I have to... Though, that was a very long time ago under unusual circumstances. (Tears up your stomach and turns your digestive system into a fire hydrant... )

Old Sarge says: Instant coffee. Take one pack out of the MRE, tear off top and bottoms up right in your gob. Don't drink, just let it disolve. Works like a charm. No MRE's? @$!# Airdog ANY @$!# instant coffee Okay? Jeez!

[Morkonan]

Old Sarge says: Instant coffee. Take one pack out of the MRE, tear off top and bottoms up right in your gob. Don't drink, just let it disolve. Works like a charm. No MRE's? @$!# Airdog ANY @$!# instant coffee Okay? Jeez!

^--- This.

That stuff was only "coffee" because it said so on the little packet... Nobody ever believed it, just like everyone knew why "Cheese Spread" was still labeled that, even though it was flavored spackling paste.

[Hank001]

@Morkonan:

Yeah I went to Folger's instant myself. That MRE coffee in my day (say 1985 when they started MRE's to 1994) wound you up tighter than a cookoo clock. (Caffine hell I think amphetamine is closer) But in a pinch you quaffed what you had to.

[Morkonan]

@Morkonan:

Yeah I went to Folger's instant myself. ...

I used that for awhile. But, then I figure out that I could make "more" coffee using an automatic drip coffee maker. "More Coffee" is better than "Faster Coffee."

I once worked in a government facility that, apparently because they were cursed with a purchasing department that just didn't care about anything, ended up with "Chock-Ful-O-Nuts" friggin' coffee in all the coffee machines. Every_Single_One.

There are two coffees I won't drink. One is "chikory" which isn't friggin' coffee, and the other is "Chock-Ful-O-Nuts." I drank gallons of that stuff, but no longer!

Here, I serve a fresh pot of Folgers House Blend ground and roasted coffee every morning. I buy it in the "Brady Bunch Size" tub...

PS - I also use the "Coffee-Mate" Natural Bliss Vanilla creamer, 'cause it's just real cream, sugar and vanilla. In my dotage, I have retreated from the "pure black eat-it-with-a-fork" coffee I used to need.

[Hank001]

@Morkonan:

Choc full of something! Think I'm going to snag that machine Santi posted about and I found on Amazon Prime in the US. Have to check my finances at the first. My single cup Hamilton Beach isn't cutting it anymore.

[Morkonan]

@Morkonan:

Choc full of something! Think I'm going to snag that machine Santi posted about and I found on Amazon Prime in the US. Have to check my finances at the first. My single cup Hamilton Beach isn't cutting it anymore.

For "espresso?"

You can get a stove-top espresso percolator for cheap. But, that's espresso. There are some combo units out there that are fairly decently priced, too. (IIRC, I remember seeing a stovetop espresso maker on the shelf at the local grocery store. Sure, it's probably crappy, but it'd be an affordable intro to espresso.)

One of the things that holds me back is maintenance. I don't want to have to do much more than run some diluted vinegar through the machine once every couple of weeks or so. Cleaning out gummed-up milk isn't something for me.