[I'MAMUM]

So you have purchased a coffee maker ... Which one? Would you buy it again and if you would, why? Also if you bought one that has not lived up to your expectations, please explain. Thanks.

[gettheetoanunner...]

Not keen on De Longhi - had two, with each having issues with the boiler.
Bought a Jura - and I'm devoted to her.
Perfect coffee, nice to look at, super simple to use - love her.

In case of fire, I might save the kids first but my "Jenny" comes a close second.

[*LucyE*]

First up, what style of coffee maker are you talking about?

Auto/semi auto/manual Espresso machine? Pod machine? Plunger? Percolator? Stove top?

[I'MAMUM]

LOL I will have a look at the Jura's.

Hehe LucyE at first your question confused me. LOL However, I think either a Pod or an Espresso.

[Curly Wurly]

Over the past 20 years we have had a variety of coffee machines. We currently have a $50 espresso machine purchased on ebay from China. It doesnt have all the bells and whistles some machines have but it does make great coffee.

Actually, I dont know how to use the machine. DH makes me an espresso every morning and has done for 20 years. I think our best buy was a coffee bean grinder (still going after 20 years) and the quality of beans.

[*LucyE*]

Hehe LucyE at first your question confused me. LOL However, I think either a Pod or an Espresso.

There's a bit of difference between a pod and good espresso machine. Do you want something fairly automated with little user variables?

How much of a coffee snob are you? How much coffee do you think you'll drink in a week?

With the pod machines, the coffee are in foil sealed pods so in theory, stay fresh longer. It doesn't change the fact that they have been roasted and ground, potentially 2 years ago. The coffee will never taste as good as a properly made espresso. But it's convenient.

With espresso machines, there are a few variables. You can get manual, semi automatic and fully automatic machines depending on how skillful/control freakish you are.

Even with a perfectly tuned machine, the biggest impact will be the beans. You want to only buy small amounts regularly. We've found grinding our own to be best BUT that's with a conical burr grinder which produces nice even grinds. I notice taste differences using the same beans but different grind settings.

If you don't want the hassle of an espresso machine but to still get the good fresh taste, I recommend a stove top coffee maker. It takes a few goes of minor tweaking til you can make very good quality espressos. I would choose this method over an automatic espresso machine.

Or, a plunger can make excellent coffee if you have the right sized grinds. The trick is to slowly depress the plunger. Again, I'd choose this over an automatic machine if I was drinking coffee regularly.

We have all of these and at the moment, the only one on the bench top and in use is our DeLonghi pod machine. We don't drink coffee at home much at the moment so it is the convenient option when it isn't worthwhile to buy even a small bag of beans. They go stale before we use them all. The pod machine is a convenient and tastier alternative to instant coffee.

We have the Lastissima which also froths up the milk so very easy to make fancy coffees for multiple guests too. The milk container just stores in the fridge until needed. It just makes everything so easy. The coffee is reasonable but for a Puritan, it doesn't have the depth of flavour and I think it has a bit of a funny 'finish'. Still easy and pleasant to drink. It's consistent and much better than bad cafe coffee.

[Lucretia Borgia]

Personally I'm not keen on the pod machines, but that's purely a matter of personal taste ...we have an espresso machine.....a Rancillio Silvio ....its great .....consistently lovely coffee with a really good crema.....it's a very sturdy machine...and I give my machines a work out!

[zibble]

We have an Aeropress and it makes a great cup of coffee. It's cheap, fast to make and super easy to clean.

I was planning to buy a coffee machine until we got this.

[I'MAMUM]

Thanks so much everyone for your contributions. Hoping to buy my husband a coffee machine during the after Christmas sales, so hopefully I can make a better decision due to this thread. Please keep the ideas coming.

LucyE are you a devotee or a barrista? You sure know your coffee. Thank you so much for your explanations.

[*LucyE*]

Ha ha ha. On e upon a time, I was a coffee snob. I'm currently off coffee while pregnant and breastfeeding although I do occasionally have a decaf - shock! Horror!

we have an espresso machine.....a Rancillio Silvio

We have a Miss Silvia too. I suggested we get the Miss Lucy but DH said he already had one troublesome and temperamental Lucy, he didnt need another before his morning coffee LOL