What Bean to Cup coffee machine?

[The Artfull Bodger]

They've come on a long way, looks so much nicer than my old model. How easy are they to clean? The older one can be a proper pig with plastic moulding patterns!

 

[Yaayuh!]

They've come on a long way, looks so much nicer than my old model. How easy are they to clean? The older one can be a proper pig with plastic moulding patterns!

So easy to clean. The drip tray and waste container just slide out, the infuser you unclip then just shake and rinse in clean water and leave to dry and the de-scaling system is a breeze.

 

[Participant]

Thanks for that Rossi. Your espresso settings are almost exactly what I'm using, perhaps slightly less water volume than you.

 

[FTM]

I have an old philips saeco machine..its very convenient as the water tank and the grounds are both accessible from the front

its been very reliable and the wife has become a full coffee convert so its already been agreed that should the worst happen and its breaks, a new bean to cup machine will be purchased immediately!

brand will be determined by things like the water tank etc so I dont have to keep moving the machine...all the krupps ones I saw the tank was at the rear , what are the delonghi ones like

I think phillips/saeco are all gaggia branded these days?

 

[Phate]

That delonghi looks much nicer than mine!

Good to know that if/when mine bites the dust it'll be a nice upgrade when it gets replaced!

 

[Salty22]

Do you guys use third party descalers or the delonghi official one for your magnificas?
Had mine for 5 years now i think, got it dirt cheap on factory seconds (knackered box basically)

 

[moody]

Started getting more into coffee recently after purchasing some filter coffee from hasbean and a cores brewers mug. Haven't visited a costa since but know I could get even more from the coffee so after spending four nights looking at reviews etc I've gone from looking at £300 machines like the Magnifica to purchasing the Melitta Caffeo Barista T tonight. Decided to go for the T over the TS because didn't seem to be much difference for a £170 price difference.

 

[fezster]

I have a DeLonghi Magnifica and have been using it for a couple of years. I drink only latte's and always find the milk frothing to be very variable. Obviously, my technique is probably at fault, but sometimes the milk is creamy just how I prefer it, and other times not so much.

Having discovered automatic milk frothers, I'm considering the Dualit (about £50) or the Krups (about £100). Anyone with experience of either - any reason to spend more on the krups? And are other latte drinkers satisfied with the texture of the milk using these? Ideally, I'd like the end result to be like that of these small independent coffee places like Taylor St Baristas.

 

[Participant]

I have a DeLonghi Magnifica and have been using it for a couple of years. I drink only latte's and always find the milk frothing to be very variable. Obviously, my technique is probably at fault, but sometimes the milk is creamy just how I prefer it, and other times not so much.

I found that to start with, but I'm getting it right most times now having practised a lot.

I took the auto frother off mine and my latte technique (copied from a Delonghi-specific YouTube video) is to blast out residual water, then put the tip () just below the surface of the milk, stretching it up for no more than 30 secs, then I move the tip up and down () until I can hear the sound change to almost a simmer.

Nice and creamy most times. Start with milk as cold as possible.

 

[jpaul]

Do you use skimmed milk ? I have not experimented - but there seems to be an opinion that you get a more voluminous foam without the fat,
however a creamy taste imparted by fat is tasty (thinking of Jersey milk)

[ EDIT: forefathers had already been there

Well for one, Guernsey milk has a higher protein content, and its the protein content that creates the stable micro-foam. It's also got a higher natural fat content, which means the whole milk breaks the less-fat-is-more-foam curve. I steam whole raw guernsey milk every morning for my morning coffee, and i easily double it.

Taste-wise, its beyond comparison.

]

Can Magnifica be programmed for a double, I use a non-automatic, but always run doubles ~70ml and ~16g of coffee, would you just pull two singles ?
(absence of double option on nespresso seems like a market gap to me, too)

 

[fezster]

I found that to start with, but I'm getting it right most times now having practised a lot.

I took the auto frother off mine and my latte technique (copied from a Delonghi-specific YouTube video) is to blast out residual water, then put the tip () just below the surface of the milk, stretching it up for no more than 30 secs, then I move the tip up and down () until I can hear the sound change to almost a simmer.

Nice and creamy most times. Start with milk as cold as possible.

I pretty much do the same technique. Interesting you mention auto frother though. Need to check if mine has one - De'Longhi Esam 4000.b Magnifica.

Do you use skimmed milk ?

Yes, skimmed milk here.

 

[Phate]

Ok. Someone needs to post a video of their frothing fluffing technique!

 

[Aberfala]

Do you guys use third party descalers or the delonghi official one for your magnificas?
Had mine for 5 years now i think, got it dirt cheap on factory seconds (knackered box basically)

I've used both the Delonghi one and others, didn't notice any difference at all.

 

[Salty22]

I've used both the Delonghi one and others, didn't notice any difference at all.

I found a bottle of the stuff instead of the little packets so picked one of those up this time, i have always been worried about knackering it with third party descalers even though its probably the same chemicals

 

[Participant]

Ok. Someone needs to post a video of their frothing fluffing technique!

Not sure I want to post a vid of my fluffing technique , but here's a vid of me attempting to make latte milk:

Disclaimers: I don't profess to be an expert (any technique faults are gratefully received), and secondly you wouldn't ordinarily start the steamer before the wand is in the milk, but I couldn't hold my phone and start the steamer in the milk!

Also, as said earlier, I've removed the auto-frother that comes attached by default, otherwise it just turns the whole thing into cappuccino foam by the time it's hot enough.

...and here's how it makes a shot:

 

[Mr.Cookie]

Did a quick one as well, although kept the frother in as hadn't read the thread

 

[jpaul]

..and here's how it makes a shot:

whose are the beans then ? they seem very darkly roasted with, unusually, quite a lot of glossy oil on the surface, which (post in espresso thread )
can mean they may have a better taste but shorter life span.
Used to buy Italian roasters 'BAR' roast like those, they also tend to leave a lot more residue on the grinder too.

 

[Participant]

whose are the beans then ? they seem very darkly roasted with, unusually, quite a lot of glossy oil on the surface, which (post in espresso thread )
can mean they may have a better taste but shorter life span.
Used to buy Italian roasters 'BAR' roast like those, they also tend to leave a lot more residue on the grinder too.

They're Sumatra Mandheling from Waitrose. Best I've found in a supermarket so far.

I keep the packets in the freezer...I think that's frowned upon by coffee connoisseurs...

Yes they're oily so I guess they'll shorten the life of the machine somewhat.

 

[Shimmyhill]

I have my left dial set almost at the bottom, I hate the extra water being pushed through the ground to make a bigger coffee - I just add water from the kettle (temp controlled obv) and find I get a much better cup.

I actually had a problem with mine but repaired it, mainly with food grade silicone as the brew head was sticking and ended up depositing most of the grounds in the machine - came to light as I was getting very weak coffee

Love the machine, was in a right panic when it broke and while I have a Gaggia I just don't use it, I don't drink instant and tend to use Aldi beans for my everyday cups of coffee (americano) and Rave when I want a nicer cup!

 

[Participant]

I have my left dial set almost at the bottom, I hate the extra water being pushed through the ground to make a bigger coffee - I just add water from the kettle (temp controlled obv) and find I get a much better cup.

Is there a generally accepted size in ml of the optimum espresso shot then? I can then measure what my machine is producing and adjust accordingly.