Everything to do with Coffee

[Siress]

Recommendations? Definitely less than $1000, preferably half that. Grind and brew....

If you're interested in what my limited research turned up, the Tchibo is the only one I'd get under the $2-3k price point as I didn't find any other with a removable brew group - which is absolutely necessary. Even the nice Jura units have mold and mildew issues that you can only catch if you have access to the brew group. So, my backup plan is this unit.

edit: I forgot that doesn't have a grinder (as I still have that same old one I can bring out of retirement). This is the more suitable backup if you're giving up on espresso: https://a.co/d/gixgIYE

[flyweightnate]

My wife told me to get a "good" (enough) espresso machine when my bonus comes in this year, because, as Siress said, Nespresso pods are expensive (even the original size) and I started roasting beans.

Recommendations? Definitely less than $1000, preferably half that. Grind and brew... I couldn't care less about milk. I looked at a Breville (a friend has one), a Gaggia... not sure where to start but not sure I could keep up with the maintenence on the Tchibo without losing my mind. I'd come back from a week on the road to find a petri dish growing in my absence.

[Siress]

Unlike me in my younger years, I now have to balance my desires out with the rest of the household. As such, nothing can take center stage on the counter unless it's a super simple push-button operation.

While I probably should have gone with one of carafe/cup brewers with a built in grinder, I decided to take a risk on what maybe the cheapest superautomatic espresso machine on the market... it doesn't even have a model number, just the brand name: Tchibo. Coming from the Vertuo pods, this thing is estimated to pay for itself in 4 months of use.... because hot damn are those pods expensive.

So far, I'm astonished these things can be had for so little... ($370 after tax, with $50 coupon that randomly popped up on Amazon) It's not a luxury barista experience with no upkeep, though. It does make quite a mess internally and I can foresee how not cleaning it at least once a week could lead to mold in the catch tray and around the brew stack - as it does a terrible job of ventilating these areas where the hot water vapor condenses. I suspect I can fix that with some mods to improve ventilation. That said, it works... it beats the pants off the taste of the vertuo pod foam coffees. My wife and I were sick of the foam... this machine produces a modest but very real crema that I have long missed. It also doesn't accommodate some of the taller mugs. The tallest it can handle is about the average mug size in the US, and even that requires tilting to get it under the spout.

The best news, though, is that the water tank is just big enough to handle one of those cheap float valves - so I can automate the task of filling the water tank.

[BLachance75]

Very nice. I almost bought the Barista Touch on Black Friday but I resisted.

[CrowsFeast]

Thought I had posted to this thread already but apparently not!
I've joined you guys in yet another expensive hobby: espresso. For my birthday last year I received a Breville Barista Pro. A nearly $1000 'beginner' setup.
Of course I had to add/change a few accessories in short order: IMS portafilter basket, bottomless portafilter, tamping stand, better tamper (more comfortable and more 'heft'), knock box, handleless milk pitcher, WDT (with magnetic holder to go on side of machine), stainless dosing funnel (tamp through design) that locks onto the portafilter and fits the grinder.

I'd still like to put a nicer handle on the steamer switch and get the single dose hopper with anti-popcorn weight and bellows.

Found a local roaster that's got some good beans to try out (Black Sheep Coffee Roasters). Dialed in a few times though now I mostly just make lattes so I get my pulls to 'good enough' rather than really dialing in. Latte art is... challenging. I've watched a bunch of videos and tried a bunch of things but I still seem to have stagnated. I'm really inconsistent. Sometimes I can't seem to get it to 'float' and other times the milk is too frothy it floats too much to design with.

[bellicose]

Second vote for areopress. That is what I take camping. I'm not a fan of Nestle, so I stay away from them as much as possible.

[OpusX]

I hand grind my beans, at a course texture. Ten minutes at perk and it produces a strong cup.

[Spider!]

I'm kind of suspicious that perks make better store bought coffee because perk grind is more coarse and holds it's flavor better than fine filter grind. I could never duplicate my father's Maxwell house from his Faber-Ware percolator.

[OpusX]

Putting our vintage Corningware 9 cup percolator to work.

[Jonnydread]

🇰🇪 🇪🇹 🇰🇪 🇪🇹 🇰🇪 🇪🇹 🇰🇪 🇪🇹

[BLachance75]

Picked up some coffee for myself and Jonnydread from a local roaster.

5 lbs of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and 1 lbs of a natural processed Brazilian for me and Jonny got 1 lbs of Ethiopian and 1 lbs of Kenyan.

[BrickHaus]

As part of my Birthday gift, my wife got me this limited Edish Duet coffee that comes in a glass jar. It's a collaborative blend between two coffee houses. Onyx brew labs AND Proud Mary coffee.

It just showed up a couple of weeks late, so I'm having a mid day cup.

[flyweightnate]

Definitely crossed my mind, but I'd rather grab some pods from the drawer than bring my grinder and a bag of beans.

[pirhana92]

While not necessarily espresso, I've been using an Aeropress for backpacking/camping this year and it's been fantastic.

[flyweightnate]

I've seen a handful of portable, manual espresso makers. I'm thinking of one for camping/ work travel. If it uses Nespresso pods, that would be ideal.

What do you all recommend?

Wacaco, Staresso? Something else? Specific generations to buy or avoid?