Which coffee machine?

[Sheets Tabuer]

I'm looking for a coffee machine for my morning brew rather than driving to the nearest coffee shop as it's miles away, I'm torn over which one I should get.

I'm looking at these two:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sage-BES875UK-Barista-Exp...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-Specialista-Pres...

Either of these any good?

[ZedLeg]

Delonghi machines are generally decent. We have one of their cheaper machines that's lasted for about 7 years so far.

[Funk]

You'll probably find loads of helpful advice already in this thread...!

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Sheets Tabuer]

Ahh yes, I couldn't remember the name of the thread, cheers.

[princeperch]

I have the touch screen version of the sage machine you are considering (mine is the "barista touch").

I like it a lot however I would not have paid 900 quid for it (I think I paid 330 from ebay - check out idoodirect). it has a few annoying quirks - the drip tray fills up very quickly, and the steam wand gets blocked a lot and you then need to clean it through.

idoodirect sell the sage machine you are considering for just under 300 quid at the moment - they will be new machines with the odd mark on the case. no big deal.

[Davey S2]

Just buy an aeropress, grinder and a milk heater if needed.

[anonymous-user]

Davey S2 said:

Just buy an aeropress, grinder and a milk heater if needed.

If we are giving the OP advice on things he didn't ask for - Why don't you just move closer to the coffee shop!!!!

Edited as my initial response was a bit facetious.

He's linked an espresso machine with a steam wand, and an Aeropress isn't designed to make espresso, a milk heater doesn't texturise milk and the frothers that do are much more effort to clean than a steam wand, plus you've made no recommendation for which grinder he should buy!!

I would go for the Sage Barista express out of those 2 options, but if you can stretch the budget a bit I would look to buy a seperate machine and grinder. Lelit machines, and Eureka Mignon grinders are good budget friendly options.

Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 22 December 14:48

[emperorburger]

Would you consider a separate grinder to the coffee machine?

[Freakuk]

I've had a few Delonghi's they're generally pretty good, my last one packed up mid-covid and there was nowhere who could service for weeks/months so ended up buying another.

I've also had a couple of Gaggia's again pretty reliable.

Some stuff to consider, you'll need to factor in the expense of descaling, replacing water filters timing will depend on usage. The Gaggia needed a yearly service which cost around £100, but ran perfectly in between.

[normalbloke]

San Remo Cafe Racer is the correct answer….

[andburg]

ZedLeg said:

Delonghi machines are generally decent. We have one of their cheaper machines that's lasted for about 7 years so far.

We've had 2 over 5 years at work having just retired the second due to a leaking milk frother

average 12-15 person occupancy at 2 cups a day each suggest they've done 20k cups each which is unreal for a £280 machine intended for home use.

[rewild]

I bought a de'longhi 4200 bean to cup machine for £180 in July 2018, and it's a little bit noisy, but otherwise great. I decide I'd upgrade it when it inevitably broke within a year or two, but still waiting.... It's used 5 times a day avg, and still going strong. 4.5 years, 5 brews a day... that's way over 8000 coffees. Great value, I'd say.

I have been thinking about an upgrade recently... I'm not sure I'd swap the convenience (and perfectly good shots) of the BTC machine for the extremely marginal gains of a better grinder and manual tamping, but I'm undecided.

[Funk]

rewild said:

I have been thinking about an upgrade recently... I'm not sure I'd swap the convenience (and perfectly good shots) of the BTC machine for the extremely marginal gains of a better grinder and manual tamping, but I'm undecided.

Depends whether you like/want reasonable coffee or really good coffee.

RobbieTheTruth made a comment recently on the other thread that kind of stuck with me; if I buy something around £200-350 I'll get an OK coffee but will probably hanker for better from a proper machine and grinder. Man-maths says to go straight to something proper that makes really good coffee and not piss about wasting money on machines that make average coffees only to upgrade a short while later...

[princeperch]

Delonghis do seem to be well made. I used and abused my last one for just under 5 years. didn't descale it anywhere near enough, probably twice a year at best. My last one had made 6000 coffees then started pissing water everywhere when I (ironically) tried to show it some love and give it a descale.

I actually made money on it - paid 300 in 2017, took out an extended warranty for 40 quid for 5 years. It broke with a week left on the warranty. Took it back to Curry's and got a 450 quid voucher sent to me 2 weeks later.

[RobbieTheTruth]

Sheets Tabuer said:

I'm looking for a coffee machine for my morning brew rather than driving to the nearest coffee shop as it's miles away, I'm torn over which one I should get.

I'm looking at these two:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sage-BES875UK-Barista-Exp...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-Specialista-Pres...

Either of these any good?

Quick answer without reading the other replies:

With a bit of effort, and using the right beans etc - you can get excellent results with the Sage.

Delinghi machine is garbage. With all the effort in the world, it cannot deliver an Espresso in the parameters that is now determined optimum

[RobbieTheTruth]

rewild said:

I bought a de'longhi 4200 bean to cup machine for £180 in July 2018, and it's a little bit noisy, but otherwise great. I decide I'd upgrade it when it inevitably broke within a year or two, but still waiting.... It's used 5 times a day avg, and still going strong. 4.5 years, 5 brews a day... that's way over 8000 coffees. Great value, I'd say.

I have been thinking about an upgrade recently... I'm not sure I'd swap the convenience (and perfectly good shots) of the BTC machine for the extremely marginal gains of a better grinder and manual tamping, but I'm undecided.

The gains aren't marginal IMO.

Bean to Cup is quick, convenient. Similar to pod, much better than instant.

With the right equipment, effort etc - the sky is the limit with manual.

There is a reason a good, independent coffee shops wouldn't dream of serving espresso based drinks from bean to Cup.

[RobbieTheTruth]

Funk said:

rewild said:

I have been thinking about an upgrade recently... I'm not sure I'd swap the convenience (and perfectly good shots) of the BTC machine for the extremely marginal gains of a better grinder and manual tamping, but I'm undecided.

Depends whether you like/want reasonable coffee or really good coffee.

RobbieTheTruth made a comment recently on the other thread that kind of stuck with me; if I buy something around £200-350 I'll get an OK coffee but will probably hanker for better from a proper machine and grinder. Man-maths says to go straight to something proper that makes really good coffee and not piss about wasting money on machines that make average coffees only to upgrade a short while later...

100%.

And it depends on your level of interest and personality with this kind of stuff

Some people will but Nespresso/Bean to Cup, see it as an upgrade to instant, and be happy forever.

Some will like the upgrade, start to explore other pods/beans, start to read up, and inevitably want to upgrade.

Both are fine.

My advice - if you care enough to post etc, chances are you're interested enough to try and get better and better coffee. My advice is based around getting as close to that 'end game' cup whilst spending the least amount of money.

It's not cheap - but I'd rather spend £800 than 'waste' £400

[--Cappo--]

I've tried a few different DeLonghi machines, owned and at work, and for me they just don't quite crack the making of a decent espresso (which of course is the base for any coffee). It's always slightly watery and without a decent crema. I'm not sure why, is it to do with the pressure they run at?

I started out with a Gaggia and when that packed up I tried a few different machines but ended up with another Gaggia, which is consistently reliable in what it makes. No bean to cup, just the coffee machine, you'd need a separate grinder if you want to do that. I just stick to one brand which I use all the time, ready-ground. We're all different of course, this one just suits my tastebuds.

[Mercdriver]

I do not like Italian coffee,too bitter, prefer American, probably cos beans used are continental with more roasting.

Anyone recommend a good filter machine?

Siemens by Porsche has packed up after a mere 23 years, wonder if Ferdinand is spinning in his grave

[Austin_Metro]

Sheets,

When you get to your nearest coffee shop what do you drink?

Is that coffee shop the top artisanal place in the area or Costa? How much time are you prepared to spend making coffee at home?

I ask because it makes a difference to what to buy. I am a coffee snob but not a complete coffee snob because I cannot be bothered to make proper espresso at home and steam milk etc. too much hassle, in cleaning.

At home, I use hario dripper for long coffee and a nespresso for espresso shots.