Attention all coffee lovers- your opinions?

[DorianH]

I really want to get a new coffee maker. I have a regular coffee pot and it's just not cutting it anymore, but the trips to Starbucks are too expensive!

I am debating whether or not I want an espresso machine or one of those single cup makers- do those make coffee and espresso? Anyhoo, I never owned one and don't know enough about it.

Any recommendations or buying tips?

[daisyHair]

Oh honey.. NOW you're talking!

Patrick (DH) and I spent several weeks reviewing and studying diff. machines..
we decided on just a good espresso machine.. because you can actually do a longer "pull" and make a good cup of coffee..

but the drawback is only one cup at a time..
this is a great site.. they have comparison charts and a very good forum to ask questions.

it's wholelattelove dot com

I love my little Carezza Gaggia

It is the most widely used in homes in Italy... I think it was around $450..

have fun!

[fluffybear2]

I just got one for my birthday. Its a Senseo brand coffee maker. It makes 1 small cup(1 pod) or 1 large mug (2 pods) in less than a minute. The little pods come in a variety of flavors and also decaff. Its easy to do and NO coffee grinds or filters. Mine foams the coffee too. I think it is strong enough to be like expresso (for the small cup), but its not an expresso machine per say.

[DorianH]

yeah I heard about that one- it doesn't make espresso though? I sure do LOVE my lattes!!

[Charski]

I have a Saeco espresso maker which I dearly love. Yes, it makes one at a time, but by the time I have 2 mugs of water and cream heated, I can make 2 double shots of espresso - one for me and one for DH! I love Americanos - fill a large mug half full with water, add a good splash of cream, nuke til hot and then pour in the double shot of espresso. I make mine decaf and DH's full octane. If it broke tomorrow I'd buy another just like it!

[nadi namaki]

we plan on geting a nesspresso machine as soon as we move back to the states( in 2 weeks). They have had great reviews. But it depends if u prefer to have good old coffee on mug with warm milk and cream. so many to choose from

[msgirl]

I have had the Senseo - and still use it at work but.....I got a Keurig and I LOVE IT!

You can buy espresso for it and a thousand other flavors and with boldness!

It is a one cup maker and I am pretty sure there are several people on here who own one and would recommend it.

Mine was around $200. It is quite an investment but works wonderfully without all the hassle of a an espresso machine. I just need my coffee too quick for those things

Have fun shopping!

[Cuelgirl]

I own a Tassimo and i just love it!!! It makes lattes... coffee... tea... hot chocolate (for my son) a lot of variaties... and has starbucks inserts as well... ( i havent tried those) here is the website: Tassimo - Discover Tassimo

i totally love mine

[DorianH]

OMG now I don't know which one I want LOL!

I couldn't care less about regular coffee- I hardly ever drink it and I still have my regular coffee maker for when I have company and want to make a full pot of regular coffee. This is for ME!! Heck, I gave up so much with the milk and cheese thing- and I love having a latte first thing in the morning. MMMMM

Anyone know the differences between the Keurig, Tassimo, and Senseo??

[JerseyGirl1969]

I have a simple espresso maker that I got at Walmart for $35. It does a small pot of espresso (2-4 demitasse cups) and you can steam the milk. Take it from this Italian, you don't need a very expensive machine for good espresso.

[DorianH]

LOL, I'm italian too- but I'm better with sauce than espresso.

That tassimo looks interesting though!

[Cuelgirl]

i got mine as a xmas gift from DH, best gift ever... since i'm the only one that drinks coffee in the house... so i really didnt do much research... i would recomend going to each site and seeing what coffee choices interest you... that way you can make a wise choice of what you like...

I actually buy my coffe inserts at Target... they dont carry all the flavors like the website has, but they are cheaper than buying online... Also, there are other stores that have them as well...

[lisabinil]

I have the Senseo and it is ok-it's currently in a cabinet lol. I think the Tassimo looks better between the two.

[lene]

Daisy, that's a good machine! I remember those being very popular when we lived in Italy. The one we have now is a DeLonghi Caffe Carmen, which looks like it goes for less than $200 at overstocks right now, but was almost $400 when my mom bought it for us as a gift. We've been using it daily for almost 5 years now, I guess, and it's great.

I don't mind being able to make only one cup at a time. Heck, even when I want a regular coffee and not espresso or cappuccino, I make just two cups at a time, using those filter baskets that you place on top of a coffee mug and use a paper filter with, two scoops of grounds per filter per cup. I boil water in my electric kettle and pour it over by hand. So, slow and fresh each time, no pot sitting around getting stale.

I tried a couple times to give up coffee because so many people said it would stall me, etc. Phooey! I love coffee, and it pleases me. And slowly but surely, I'm losing weight, and keeping my blood sugar controlled. So I'm keepin' it! <g>

[daisyHair]

Thanks Lene,

Glad to know that, I had read that and I LOVE the machine.. perfect crema every time!

even when I ran out and used some pre-ground Patrick brought from work. that REALLY suprised me!

they sell the Delonghi also on that site.. I think we looked at it and it was out of our price range maybe?

I have been very lucky that my coffee does not stall me.. I think I would be in very sad shape without it!

You are doing GREAT Lene! wow.. I think I will fall on the floor and cry my eyes out when I FINALLY get under 199.. I have been close so many times this year so far.. but always end up getting discouraged (very slow losses always) and wanting to do something different and it always ends up being a mistake.. ah well.. I am learning!!!

[ElleMarie]

I bought the Breville Keurig a few months back and LOVE it. I can still use regular coffee in it any time I want but mostly we use the K-cups in it.

BUT you said you prefer Lattes and I have never had one so can't help you with that. BUT if you want coffee this is a top of the line, workhorse, LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

[daisyHair]

We recently had a Keurig in one of your hotel rooms..
I think it's a fun idea for a novelty.. but doesn't it get expensive, with all the little brand cups?.. and you can't do espresso can you?

I did think they were cool.. for a good cup of coffee though.

[ShapeUndefined]

Someone mentioned wholelattelove.com -- that's where I bought my Gaggia Titanium. They normally cost $1500 or so but I got a demo model for $995. For the last 2 years that has worked out to about $0.40/shot.

If you can afford it the fully automatic models are definitely worth it. If you can't, then go for the $100-150 fully manual models. I used those for years and learned how to make much-better-than-Starbucks-and-even-better-than-Peets espresso. It is sort of like baking bread -- the learning process results in a lot of bad bread until you get it right.

Espresso has less acid in it so it is a bit easier on the stomach.

[Charski]

Also check for reconditioned or refurbished machines - that's what my Saeco was, I think I paid about $150 for it (it's a $400 machine) - have had it at least 2 years now, make at least 1 Americano every weekday and often 4 or 5 on the weekends, without a hitch. It has a steamer wand too so you can steam whatever it is you're putting in your latte! (What ARE you putting in your latte, BTW? I know you don't do dairy!)

[fluffybear2]

One thing I think we can all agree on and that is coffee preferences and thus coffee makers are a very individual thing. My sweet DIL bought me my Sensea coffee maker (neither she nor my son drink any type of coffee). While it was thoughtful, I think I would have preferred something a little more versitile (one that makes cappucinno too), but they live in another state and didn't really know what I wanted, just that I needed a coffee maker.

[amiga74]

i've had a little krups espressomaker for about 10 years. i think it works well, sure its not the super fancy one (i'd love that but its too $$ for me). french presses can be nice, too.

[lippi]

We have this one and it's awesome! Only about $100 at Bed and Bath. I can't justify buying $4 espressos anymore when I can do it at home.

[DorianH]

Originally Posted by Charski

(What ARE you putting in your latte, BTW? I know you don't do dairy!)

Soymilk or Almond Breeze, mostly. I haven't tried to froth or steam either one, as I am usually drinking iced lattes right now. A couple good shots of espresso, flavored syrup, and soymilk thrown over some ice- yummy!

[amiga74]

Originally Posted by lippi

We have this one and it's awesome! Only about $100 at Bed and Bath. I can't justify buying $4 espressos anymore when I can do it at home.

that looks great! the one i have is just the espresso side!
bodum makes a nice milk frother...

[lippi]

Originally Posted by amiga74

that looks great! the one i have is just the espresso side!
bodum makes a nice milk frother...

It really is awesome. It has the milk frother too, which works really well and is easy to clean. The espresso side of the pot says it's 4 servings, but we always use it as 1. We tend to get a little hopped up.

[catne]

Have the senseo...love it. It's under $100 and easy to use, easy to clean. It froths the coffee (without cream in it so good for those who can't do dairy anyway.) Have found the pods are available at Target, Walmart, and some larger grocery store chains. You can even use the less-expensive Folgers pods in it (not the pot-sized version-these are made for individual serving machines) I actually prefer the taste of the Folgers French vanilla to the official Senseo French Vanilla. You can get all the various flavors online from Senseo and other vendors, too.

To make lattes with cream or cream substitute we use 2 pods dark roast but push the 4 oz brew instead of 8 oz brew. Makes coffee strong enough to use in an iced latte. I can't do cream or soy, so I actually use SF caramel syrup & SF cream soda to get an iced latte-like beverage (kind of a coffee-soda)

[Zib]

I've also bought some pods for my Senseo online. There are reviews at single serve coffee dot com on the forum there.

[daisyHair]

Dorian..
did you get a chance to check out the site?

the forum is FANTASTIC,
when we were trying to decide I had several serious espresso lovers really give us good advice.

As someone mentioned they do have great prices on refurbished ones too.

I can highly recommend mine for sure.