I love coffee and as such have a variety of brewers I use. My mainstay is my drip filter, it is by far the most used in my household. My fiancee doesn't drink coffee so I tend to make a mug at a time. This method, when done well, creates a great cup! I also have a french press, which is great for a larger number of cups and was my staple brewer until I bought a dripper. I also have a Tassimo machine which is similar to a Nespresso or K-Cup but takes different pods. It's been around for a while and makes a reasonable, quick coffee! I have recently picked up a Vietnamese filter which I saw demonstrated at a coffee festival and was amazed at how it brings the caramel flavour out
AND
What is the best coffee maker?

Nescafe blend 43 of course.

ok, i said that for effect. I actually drink nescafe expresso.

Robert Timms, $8 last over a month, might not be "the" best tasting but it is the best value.
And if there is not much milk in the bottle I shake it to make a "froth o chino"

Got a drip filter, a filter press and a two group espresso machine I picked up cheap
never make filter coffee

Breville expresso machine consistently wins awards. Theres probably a choice article. They usually have choice stickers on them

Enjoying the Nanopresso atm. Quick ,easy to use and makes a great short black

Wife

Moka Pot

Had a drip one for years which was pretty good, but I'd find by the end of the grinded bag the coffee wasn't as fresh, bought a grinder and would grind my own beans but then sometimes the drip would be too strong or too weak.
moved onto two different pod machines Nespresso and some different one, not bad at all and pretty consistent results, buying the pods was a full time gig and became expensive when you drink two or three coffees a day and double pods between the missus and me we were doing 60-80 bucks worth of pods a month ( at least) and when you had guests round you would go through pods like throwing $2 coins down a well, we had three relatives come holiday with us for a month and I think it cost us 300 bucks in pods for the month........

I gave up on them and said no more of this , also when you ran out of pods you would have to be a peasant and drink instant coffee until you could get to the right shop that sold the pods for each of the machines at different times.

I went and bought a breville with the grinder built in and the little metal cup thing that clips in and coffee comes out.
If I buy the best beans in the world at 40 bucks a kilo from yahava this will last a month and a half, you only need one shot of coffee as it actually extracts all the goodness.

If you buy cheap beans from the spudshed for 10-12 bucks a bag it still makes a better coffee than at half the cafes which makes me wonder sometimes the quality of the beans when you pay $5 a cup at a shop.

The unit was about 800 bucks and I didn't want to spend that much as I thought it was a rip off, I now haven't bought coffee on the way to work for two years and it has to of saved my household at least $1000 bucks every six months on alternative options either buying coffee or pods.

Its epic when you are going away or have to drove somewhere miles away as you can dose up at home on coffee and make a four or five shot thermos for the trip.

The only way to have coffee now..........

do do not buy a machine that grinds and steams the coffee internally as you cannot control the grind mix, it has to have the little metal cup thing that you clip in and twist, that way you can watch the magic happen.

I used a Bialetti for years. Now we use a Bellman stovetop. The missus likes the frothed milk.

I don't think it matters what machine you use. The important thing is to put the effort in to working out how you get a good cup. It took a while with the Bellman to get the right grind and the right pressure and the right amounts of water and coffee and all the rest.

I weigh the coffee and used to measure the amount of water in the Bialetti.

The other thing is how do you define a good coffee? With the Bellman I let some of the steamed out coffee into the jug. Technically it could be called overdone. The initial sips of coffee are a little bitter but then it gets good and the after taste is heaven. Leaving out the bitter coffee often results in a watery cup and very little after taste.

La Pavoni Professional.

Rocket Giotto
Great coffee every time from twin boilers and good steam for those who want milk.
Only need 14g per shot for excellent espresso or piccolo.
Saved heaps over the years

If you're happy enough with pods, the Aldi machine and pods are just as good as the Nespresso, but are a fraction of the price.

We pride ourselves on great coffee at my cafes
A great machine is paramount
Then the best beans milk and water possible
Then a great barista
At home I use an Atomic ' turns out a great brew with steam wand to texture your milk' no the cheapest stove top machine but I take it anywhere
With the covid shamozzle you can pick up shop machines for around a grand if you look
There is a lot of other knowledge like flowrates'
Grind texture' bar pressures' weight and milk polishing that go into a fine brew

I have a Rancillio S26 That I bought about 20+ years ago an it's still going strong but parts are getting hard to come by. Yes it takes time to make a cup but it tastes better than half the rubbish to pay for. Sorry but capsules or drip coffee don do it for me.

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Gazuki said..
Wife

I've been away for the weekend. I only scrolled this thread to look for a wife comment.
Cheers

we like our AeroPress

Had, over time, in order:
La Pavoni Europiccolo
La Cimbali Junior (aka the Panzer)
Rocket Giotto rotary; and now....
the Aeropress. Just brilliant.

You can have the best machine, but if you don't know how to use it... I'd go for a good barista course. That will teach you stuff about the right grind, kind of beans and milk texturing etc. Then you can decide what makes the best coffee for you...
For me, a proper espresso with or without milk depending on the time of the day.

How has International Roast managed to be overlooked in this thread? It even has a fan club!
www.facebook.com/pages/category/Community/We-love-INTERNATIONAL-ROAST-COFFEE-and-arent-ashamed-to-admit-it-313342466303/

Apparently the flavour recently got worse. Hats off to them....that's certainly an achievement!
www.productreview.com.au/listings/international-roast-coffee-powder?fbclid=IwAR0lkFBQ9yNBBue1KsK4HCPe1PwbCM4THVc1qV8d_3UFAuha-KFrk8q2oLI

I'm liking our Breville the Barista Express Coffee Machine due to the built in grinder. Fresh ground beans are the way to go. As for pods, they're pretty good but I don't like waste plastic.

+1 for the breville
kids got me one for fathers day a few years back
with a bit of mucking around I can churn out a pretty good cup of coffee now.

We've had a basic Delonghi automatic one for a number of years now, you just pour beans and rainwater in the top and espresso shots come out the bottom.

Last year bit the bullet and bought an entry Breville 920 with grinder.

I measure every thing, beans in (grams) and coffee out (ml) along with time using Leffield Coffee (Fat Puppy blend).

Every morning is bliss only need a single shot.

Pretty rare to come across an equal coffee

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Hardcarve1 said..
I have a Rancillio S26 That I bought about 20+ years ago an it's still going strong but parts are getting hard to come by. Yes it takes time to make a cup but it tastes better than half the rubbish to pay for. Sorry but capsules or drip coffee don do it for me.

Now we're talkin'.

A good coffee is a bit like a good photograph. In order of importance subject, light, lens, camera. With coffee it's beans, grind, machine. Or something not unlike that.

A good coffee machine is a bit like carbon sports gear. Once you have it you can't go back. Nuevo Simonelli Oscar here, with its matching grinder. I've had it for 10 years so I'm maybe thinking of upgrading soon.

Believe it or not I'm using Aldi beans, the dark roast (espressos). $12/kg, and just recently added $6/500g too, and I give them a solid 4/5 stars. I've persuaded other coffee snobs to try, and everyone agrees. Plus at $12/kg you can afford to experiment; they go off before you cna finish them. Works out at about 19c/per double shot.

Had an Expobar office control for years with a good Breville grinder which I am still using.
Recently bought a $500 Breville Bambino espresso machine and I was gobsmacked as to what a great cup of coffee it makes and good micro froth . Heats up in seconds which I like a lot .I don't expect it will last forever as did my last machine but I'd have to say it makes a better cup of coffee.
Merlot coffee is one of the best I have found and maintains consistent quality but is $42 a kg. Ouch

Delonghi Dedica is a great coffee machine for its small size. Take the sleeve off the wand - its supposed to be some kind of automatic frother.... if you want some better quality microfoam chuck it in the bin and just use the rubber nozzle. Not as user friendly but once you get your technique dialed you'll be making some quality espresso

Best ever, over a decade old by Saeco. Service it every two years for a couple of hundred bucks. Well worth it!

These little fellas are great for a good travel brew

Bellman Espresso and Steamer CX 25P



alternativebrewing.com.au/product/bellman-espresso-steamer-cx-25p/

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evlPanda said..

Hardcarve1 said..
I have a Rancillio S26 That I bought about 20+ years ago an it's still going strong but parts are getting hard to come by. Yes it takes time to make a cup but it tastes better than half the rubbish to pay for. Sorry but capsules or drip coffee don do it for me.

Now we're talkin'.

A good coffee is a bit like a good photograph. In order of importance subject, light, lens, camera. With coffee it's beans, grind, machine. Or something not unlike that.

A good coffee machine is a bit like carbon sports gear. Once you have it you can't go back. Nuevo Simonelli Oscar here, with its matching grinder. I've had it for 10 years so I'm maybe thinking of upgrading soon.

Believe it or not I'm using Aldi beans, the dark roast (espressos). $12/kg, and just recently added $6/500g too, and I give them a solid 4/5 stars. I've persuaded other coffee snobs to try, and everyone agrees. Plus at $12/kg you can afford to experiment; they go off before you cna finish them. Works out at about 19c/per double shot.

I'm currently on the Aeropress and one of those Nespresso benchtop milk frothers. Someone told me 22g coffee and 60g water so that's my aeropress mix. Seems to work. I buy my beans from a local cafe (five senses) but going to have to try these Aldi $12/kg beans !