Coffee Machine

Hi all,

Am in the market for a coffee machine but know v little about them. Have BT vouchers so will be getting one there...any ideas..have heard Gaggia are good..what things should I bear in mind etc. All advice appreciated,

Firefly.

I'm sure that there are existing threads discussing coffee makers.

I use ExpoBar myself. Good Spannish Machines.

B

Hey there, we got a Gaggia in BT's not so long ago... the other half is very particular about his coffee so he goes to a great deal of trouble to make an espresso...I used to have a very simple coffee machine that I got for 10 Irish pounds in a sale in Courts and to be honest I'd rather have it back!

The Gaggia does make a nice espresso...but theres a bit of preparation, it's not much but I really can't be arsed doing it every time I make coffee. And it does just make espresso, which is small and there's some very complicated way to add hot water...easier to boil a kettle but more work!
Two complaints...the place where you put in the espresso yokey, (where the water is pressed through it) is impossible to clean properly and it doesnt come off. We use a brush to clean it occasionally but you never feel its completely clean.
Secondly, the milk frother I think is lousy...comes with attachments which take a lot of pressure to remove from the steaming arm...

If you're really into your coffee, all this may seem worth it... I just like a nice cappucino which I got easily with the old machine and was easy to clean...

If you buy Gaggia, there is a 2yr guarantee but there's a condition that you have to post it within 30 days... I just posted mine now, so waiting to see what will happen as its well over 30 days.

Unless you're mad crazy about coffee, go for something simpler methinks!

Micamaca, what model do you have? I have the Evolution, and it couldn't be simpler to make esspresso. Was your old one a filter machine rather than an espresso one?

micamaca said:

The Gaggia does make a nice espresso...but theres a bit of preparation, it's not much but I really can't be arsed doing it every time I make coffee.

Click to expand...

Same procedure as any other espresso maker.

micamaca said:

Two complaints...the place where you put in the espresso yokey, (where the water is pressed through it) is impossible to clean properly and it doesnt come off. We use a brush to clean it occasionally but you never feel its completely clean.

Click to expand...

Most Gaggias have a screw on metal filter here, easy to remove and clean.

micamaca said:

Secondly, the milk frother I think is lousy...comes with attachments which take a lot of pressure to remove from the steaming arm...

Click to expand...

Unscrew the top of the plastic piece that fits on the metal tube. This loosens the grip on the tube. There's probably a slip on piece on the end of the pastic part that comes away easily enough, no need to remove the whole thing for cleaning.

Hey Leo,

we have the Classic Gaggia. The problems I mentioned before...the filter bit (that's the word I couldn't think of) is easy to clean and the same as any other, as you say. The place where the filter slides into...that little pocket on the machine for the filter, well that's the bit that's hard to clean. We use a brush on it, but because its facing downwards towards the tray, you can't see what you're doing. Thats why we have to turn the machine on once before using it, (prime it the brochure calles it) to run hot water down and clean out some of the old espresso powder from the last time. But I don't feel that cleans it properly. I think you can actually take a screwdriver to remove this...would you be bothered?

The milk frother does unscrew, but the part that unscrews is on top of the bit that's impossible to remove...I'm afraid i will break the metal arm from trying to push the plastic bits off for washing. It breaks up into four little bits and it's just very fiddley. My husband loves it, but I'm not a fan. He only uses it maybe twice or three times a week, whereas I might make nice coffee every day, a couple of times a day and these days I can't be bothered.

For the amout of money we spent, I think I'm not as happy as I'd like to be. And to be honest, I'm don't drink espresso much anyway so would have preferred something simpler but sure he got his way as he usually does when it comes to this stuff!

I suppose I'm just saying to anyone buying, make sure you decide which is more important.. convenience or espresso that tastes perfect...for me its convenience..

mica

[broken link removed]

Has anybody used this one?

Firefly said:

Hi all,

Am in the market for a coffee machine but know v little about them. Have BT vouchers so will be getting one there...any ideas..have heard Gaggia are good..what things should I bear in mind etc. All advice appreciated,

Firefly.

Click to expand...

I use a SUNBEAM model here in NZ dont know if you can get them in Irl -- lots of info on the www bout them -- only issue i have is that the frother is NOT good! "SUNBEAM EM6900 Two pumps, two thermoblocks, great package deal (including training) and good espresso production. Steam still needs a bit of work. Next generation will probably outstrip all except the Silvia. Will disappoint new users unless they buy the matching grinder"

Hope this helps

Ah, I know what you're talking about re the cleaning now Micamaca. Personally I think it's overkill cleaning that part regullarly, quick wipe with a cloth should do.

Do you have the standard frother or the fancy add on device? If it's the standard hard plastic one, the only part you need to clean is the part that slides off.

I'll admit to being a gadget freak, so maybe these things don't bother me
Leo

Does anyone know if there's a cnet.com equivalent for coffee machines?

Hey Leo,

you're right it is a bit of overkill for the place that holds the espresso but every now and again would like to have the option to do it properly and easily...

the frother is a disaster... the plastic bits are so small they would go down the sink in a second...have to keep putting plug in to make sure they don't.

Am no way a gadgets freak...the only gadget I like and appreciate is my bugcatcher and thats it.

Honestly don't make as much coffee as I used to since I got rid of my old machine

m