Chrissie Posted November 18, 2005 Share Posted November 18, 2005 Himself has decided he would like an expresso machine for Christmas, wants option of one or two cups, plus steam thingy on the side. Apart from that, I have no clues, and am rather at a loss as I'm not a coffee drinker Someone said the other day that he should get one that uses Lavazza pods/bags or whatever, so I looked at these in the supermarket and noted that they said "for use in E.S.E. machines only".Can anyone shed any light on what this means? Also any other views/tips on coffee machines (that don't cost more than, say, 80-100 euros top whack) would be welcome......Chrissie (81) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted November 19, 2005 Share Posted November 19, 2005 Hi Chrissie - well we have bought all kinds. We seem to prefer the ones that go on the stove top, but they don't do steamed milk. I can tell you which ones we were extremely disappointed in - Magimix. We forked out 400 Euros for one of their top line machines. Within one year, it was leaking all over the place (water leaks - probably bad seals). However, hubby could not open the $#*&$% machine as it required some sort of special tool. When we called the manufacture, they gave us the name of a place to take it. They kept it 4 months in a wet dingy storage area (along with tons of other things) till I finally said, just give it back to me and I'll find someone else. Never did. It sits in the garage until I decide to chuck it in the bin.We also ordered a very nice machine from Italy. Have enjoyed it, but hubby took it with him to his overseas assignment, so I don't have it. It was 200 euros, so still not in your budget, but makes nice coffee and froths milk well. Also, the seals are easy to replace ourselves.Here with me I have bought a Senseo. It uses those pods you mentioned. However, don't pay the huge price for prepackaged pods at the grocer. Go to Auchan and buy the plastic pods that allow you to put your own coffee in (MUCH cheaper) and they work in ALL pod type machines. I like the coffee the Senseo produces - with nice brown foam (forget what the real name for that is - crema or something) on top. It cost 70 euros, the plastic pods 12. I use it every day and like it. I foam my milk in a microwaveable plastic jug with my hand blender. Makes the best foamed milk I have EVER made. I like this system so much that there is no way I would pay the high prices for the other types of machines. They never live long enough to justify their prices.Good luck and enjoy your coffee ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted November 19, 2005 Share Posted November 19, 2005 I love my Senseos - I have one in France, one in England and I am just out today to get one for my office. I suppose that's am endorsement!Thanks for the tip about the refillable pods, I'll get a load next time I'm in France. I buy all my coffee in Champion/LeClerc because it's so much cheaper in England and there's a better choice - ma favourite is Carte Noir which is unavailable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janeyp Posted November 19, 2005 Share Posted November 19, 2005 Bought a Tassimo machine 2 months ago. Excellent, best coffee machine I've had. So easy to use. Uses pods to make different types of hot drinks filter coffeee (incl Decaff), cappucino (loveley!), tea, and hot chocolate. When I was last over in France found you could buy different pods eg. for mint tea.Thinking of buying a second one for our home in France.Janey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynarth Posted November 19, 2005 Share Posted November 19, 2005 We have had lots of different types including a Krups and a Murphy Richards, none were that great. Then last christmas we forked out an awful lot of money on a lovely red Kitchenaid it cost a fortune but it is excellent. That said I appreciate that doesn't help you but I would go with the consnesus ie is the Senso. Every week when we go shopping at either Auchan or Carrefour there are always people buying them so I think they must be good and they won't break the bank.Arthur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyh4 Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 If you are looking for one that uses proper coffeee rather than the extract sachets, make certain that it operates with a pressure of at least 15 bar. The cheap ones (and some of the not so cheap) run at low pressures and do not extract the coffee anything like as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 I am a fan of italian ones that go on the stove. Just the old fashioned style one in alu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janey Posted November 22, 2005 Share Posted November 22, 2005 We recently paid approx 300 euros for a big fancy machine, does filter coffee, expresso just like in the cafe,s, steam thingy on the side supposedly for cappuccino..that,s the only dissapointment, warms the milk but just doesn,t froth it enough, so now I warm it with the machine and then froth it with a little battery operated gadget I bought for pennies in Ikea. Wish I,d bought the Tassimo machine, going to buy it for my daughter for Christmas.JaneyP, think maybe you,d better sign yourself as JaneyP otherwise were going to get muddled upJaney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David M Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 Hi ChrissieThis depends so much on how dedicated an espresso drinker that he is. And in a way he'll never really know until he's had his own espresso maker for a while. So there are a few things to think about in choosing a machine.... the price range is very wide, but you can get a good Italian made starter machine for under €150discount in the UK and a substantial mult-user (home version) for around £750. I haven't yet found a source in France. You can of course pay €3000 for a domestic machine.There are lots of variables to making espresso (its from the Italian and refers to the way the coffee flavour is extracted from the bean, rather than the speed at which it is made). Most espresso addicts start with as many things as possible being fixed, such as using an electric rather than a manual pump, reputed brand blended ground coffee (loose or in pods) rather than beans. These things help you get a good result most times... you can still vary which coffee you buy and for how many seconds you run your pump when serving your coffee.So here are some things to think about... in no special order... Will he want manual or pump? Most beginers prefer a pump to begin with... that way you get a consistent flow of water through the coffee grounds. I think someone has already said minimum pressure of 15/18 bar...Will he want to leave it switched on all the time. If he's a real dedicated drinker, he'll want his shot first thing in the morning, which means he'll want everthing warm, that's the handle that holds the coffee and the cups as well as the water... that means leaving it on overnight... I live in two homes, mine are only swithced off when I'm not at home.... that also suggest that it should have a brass boiler... will need critical parts made of metal not plastic (which warps and discolours when left on continuously) and will need a place to put the cups so that they get warmed to the right temparature (nothing worse than a cold cup lowering the temperature of your drink). It also means that the water is warm all the time, and not just heated when it is placed into the cup, as on cheaper models...... most steam jet frothers on starter machines are not very successful, they tend to work from the same boiler and create so much hot water rather than steam that they dilute the milk you are trying to froth... And if you don't intend to have it plumbed in, you'll want one that is easy to fill with water, easy to see the water level and easy to top up... dedicated drinkers will keep their water fresh...Most modern machines will use both ESE pods, both Illy and Gaggia make pods that produce very acceptable flavours, but you only get 1 fluid ounce from them, so you end up making two shots to get the usual 2 fluid ounce shot you'll get from a ground coffee. (An espresso requires 7 grams of coffee grounds to 1 fluid ounce of water at something like 93C pressurised through the coffee at between 15 and 18 bar. Most espresso (solo) in cafes will be 2 fluid ounces, 4 for a "grande". (I didn't mix the metric/imperial the industry did)Gaggia is about the only serious begginer manufacturer I would recommed for anyone who is more than a causal drinker of espresso. Check them out at http://www.gaggia.co.uk. Look for the special offers, the do their Cubika from around £99 and the "Classic" from around £150... these are "reconditioned" machines (I think they are returns), and the Classic is especially good value... they have the main features you would want, 15 or 18 bar pump, brass boiler, cup warming plate, take grounds and pods, mainly metal, solid construction...If you are willing to pay more, or are looking for a particular style, you could try La Pavoni (www.lapavoni.com) have some very traditional brass/copper/chrome styles... if he's a modernist, then the Allessi Coban designed by Richard Sapper is just brilliant. I use one at home in Ireland and the only reason I don't have one in France is because my wife likes the look of the LaPavoni brass and copper hand pumps in our kitchen. http://www.alessi.com At around €500 they are not cheap, but they have all the qualities a lone espresso drinker needs. You can buy the grounds model and get an extra handle for the pods for about another €25.If you get a grinder, it MUST be a birr grinder or mill, the ones with blades just do not produce a fine enough mill... ... a nice touch is a good cup. I use china. In Ireland a set from the Night and Day range by Wedgewood, and in France a set commissioned by the Barcelona museum... both are so superior to the thick chuncy cups you get in cafe's and do make a difference to the drinking experience...both hold enough for 2 fluid ounces of espresso and a little milk for the odd time I want a little froth...(with ground espelette chocolate and cinnamon bark)By the way, Francesco Illy invented the fist automatic espresso machine in Trieste in 1935...Hope that helpsDavid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikew Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 Try the Saeco range, ours is excellent, expensive, but excellent fresh coffee!http://prodotti.saeco.it/prodotto.asp?id_lingua=fra&id_paese=5&id_linea=1&id_articolo=740824349 Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 Yes it was a La Pavoni machine that hubby fished out the bucks for a few years ago and is still quite happy with... Had forgotten the name until I read David's post (quite informative). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissie Posted November 24, 2005 Author Share Posted November 24, 2005 Well, I never expected so many informative posts! thank you all very much. (Mind you, I'm a bit worried about you, David - are there counsellers you can consult about your coffee obsession???!)Fortunately husband is not a coffee nut - just the opposite, which is why he wants a machine that he can just get the odd quick cup from without a lot of palaver and feeling obliged to drink 2 pints. It will certainly NOT be switched on all day! Having absorbed all your info re steam pressures/refillable pods etc I feel much more confident about getting something suitable.Thanks againChrissie (81) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David M Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 Well I think I might be a tad offended by this remark Chrissie Getting these things right is not at all obsessive...I mean, dropping in to Dublin this week to review a couple of cafes here is just what I do for fun...and popping over to Warsaw next week because my brother in law says he's found a great coffee house in the old town... I mean I wouldn't call that obsessive...Or detouring to Oslo on my way to Sweden to have a coffee in Pascals with my other brother in law.. even that I don't think is obsessive...but I guess I admit, that catching a flight out to a small island just of the coast of East Africa, early next year, just to see how my beans are doing... you're right.. that is a bit sad... ..guess I need to get a life...But really hope he enjoys his coffee whatever you get him...D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissie Posted November 25, 2005 Author Share Posted November 25, 2005 Glad you're not too offended!Chrissie (81) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David M Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 never... I forget I really am obsessive... it helps to get reminded from time to time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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