
March 12, 2023
Recommendation for hand coffee machine
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Bean-to-cup espresso machines
Electric Grinder
Baratza
Moccamaster
Aeropress
All answers
Cost
Ease of Use
Flexibility
Quality of Coffee
Flavor Enhancers
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Research
Source: "Aeropress vs French Press, which is easier to c..." (from reddit, r/Coffee)
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Aeropress
- Easier to clean
- Fewer parts to disassemble and clean
- Can push grounds into garbage/compost pile/disposal method of choice and rinse
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French Press
- Gets grounds stuck in the filter a lot and needs to be sponged/brushed carefully to get out
- Has five parts to disassemble and clean
- Trying to get grounds into the trash can is a pain in the ass
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Clever Dripper
- Even easier to clean than Aeropress
- Cheaper than Aeropress
- Don’t get as much sweetness with it as you do with pour over/AeroPress
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Other
- Cleaning all parts with large and small bottle brushes takes same amount of time for both Aeropress and French Press
- Aeropress is one of the easiest to clean coffee making devices
Source: "Automatic coffee machine" (from reddit, r/Coffee)
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Gaggia Anima Black Fully Automatic Coffee Machine
- Does four things: espresso, double espresso, espresso lungo, double espresso lungo
- Pretty much fuss-free, needs to be rinsed clean once a week and to refill beans
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Bonavita (non digital)
- Gets the job done and is quite comparable to a V60 for what it is
- Produces great cups of coffee and the metal pitcher keeps the coffee warm for hours
- Super easy to brew
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Breville Precision
- Has gone through Specialty Coffee Association’s approval process
- Can properly extract coffee
- No grinder option
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Technivorm Mocca
- Simple and reliable
- Brew temp is still perfect
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Sage Smart Grinder Pro
- Dial grind to “Filter” and select the number of cups
- Use with a standard electric coffee maker with Melitta-type filters
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Delonghi Magnifica S ( ecam 22.110.b )
- Makes decent coffee bean-to-cup
- Ease of use is 10/10
- Needs to push very dark roast beans into grinder manually
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Technivorm Moccamaster
- Makes really excellent drip coffee
- Switch on - cleanest/easiest to use automatic coffee maker
- Clean filter holder and coffee maker needs to be descaled
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Barratza grinder
- Grinds directly into filter basket
- Switch on - simple/clean design
- Timer feature is useful
Source: "Worth getting a hand grinder for espresso?" (from reddit, r/Coffee)
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Timemore C2
- Not recommended for espresso
- Can get a grinder for under 80 Euros
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Electric Grinder
- Second hand options like Rancilio Rocky, Eureka Mignon Manuale, Baratza Sette
- Needed for traditional espresso for dialing in
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Cheap Burr Grinder
- 13 dollar burr grinder off Amazon
- Connect a drill to it for faster grinding time
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Sozen Turkish Coffee Manual Grinder
- Tough to grind but fineness is ok
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Pre-ground Coffee
- With pressurized portafilter, preground is ok
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Antique Spong Grinder
- Buy size 2 and above to save on grinding time
Source: "Are hand pourers considerably better than auto ..." (from reddit, r/Coffee)
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V60
- Cheaper to get a decent brew compared to auto drip
- Can perfectly hit the required flow rates
- Can offer guests good drip even though most may be happy with a Senseo
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Moccamaster
- Good and consistent drip coffee
- SCA has an approved home brewers list
- Personal bias leans towards the Breville/Sage Precision Brewer and the Technivorm Moccamaster
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Cheap Drip Pot
- Can still make coffee taste decent
- Skill is more important than the machine
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Automated Drip Machines
- Make a big pot of coffee
- Can be fancy with good water temperature control and/or a trick shower head
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AeroPress/Pourover
- Can get a better cup of coffee out of it
- Can have more control
- Can highly caffeinate your coffee
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Paper Filters
- Take away flavors
- Produce a “cleaner” cup
- Block and absorb more oils
Source: "Hario V60 vs Drip coffee machine" (from reddit, r/Coffee)
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Hario V60:
- Requires precision in grind size and pouring speed
- Can tinker and experiment almost endlessly
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Automatic Drip Coffee Machine:
- Easier to use, with some immersion behavior
- More consistent
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Flat Bottom Drippers (Kalita Wave, Beehouse Dripper):
- Easier to use than V60
- Can protect against under extraction
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Generic Flat Bottom Dripper (Silicone Collapsible):
- Easy with no cleanup
- Limited in how exact you can be as the brewer
💭 Looking into
What are the most important features to look for when buying a hand coffee machine?
💭 Looking into
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a hand coffee machine vs. an automatic machine?
💭 Looking into
How much time does it take to make coffee using a Moka pot?
💭 Looking into
What is the grind consistency for each of these grinders?
💭 Looking into
How easy is the French Press or Aeropress to clean?
Source: "A lot of the coffee machine recommendations on ..." (from reddit, r/Coffee)
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Baratza:
- Mentioned multiple times as a reliable and affordable coffee device
- Recommended for people who are looking for quality coffee, but have a limited budget
- Has a wide range of models with different features
- Mentioned as having a “lowest possible acceptable version”
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Gaggia:
- Mentioned multiple times as a reliable and affordable coffee device
- Recommended for people who are looking for quality coffee, but have a limited budget
- Has a wide range of models with different features
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Breville:
- Mentioned multiple times as a reliable and affordable coffee device
- Recommended for people who are looking for quality coffee, but have a limited budget
- Has a wide range of models with different features
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Magister:
- Mentioned as a reliable coffee device
- Has some downsides, but overall a good machine
-
Aeropress:
- Mentioned as a good coffee device, but not suitable for those who want to make more than one cup of coffee in the morning
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Intelligensia Black Cat:
- Mentioned as a good local coffee choice, with good cost/shipping
Source: "Do you have a coffee machine? What one and is i..." (from reddit, r/CasualUK)
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Delonghi Magnifica ESAM4200:
- Second one bought, the first did multiple cups a day for five years before dying
- 200 ish quid for bean to cup espresso, with a wand on the side for frothing milk
- Easy to clean, just pull open the front and throw the pucks out when it says it’s full and give the drip tray a wash occasionally
- Water tank holds a decent volume
- Keep the innards exceptionally clean, and the metal filter should be regularly scrubbed to avoid blockages
- Need to calibrate on a per-blend basis for the right grind and shot size
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Aeropress:
- Cheap way to decent coffee
- Takes up about the same space as a tin of beans
- Plunging coffee through a filter directly into a cup with the ability to filter out the bitter/greasiness
- Makes a really smooth cup of coffee
- Self-cleans on use
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Gaggia:
- Get one and a metal burr grinder for your budget
- Basic espresso with foaming
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Nespresso:
- Ridiculous amount of different flavour coffees
- UHT milk
- Limited to the types they make pods of
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Dolce Gusto:
- El-cheapo Americano DG pods from Aldi are better than all of the instant coffees
- Generates a huge amount of plastic waste
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Stovetop:
- Cheap, around 8 quid
- Moka coffee, needs finely ground coffee
- Can get one that makes cappuccino all in one
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Tassimo:
- Plenty of choice in coffee variety
- Drink doesn’t come out hot enough and it’s not nice enough
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Delonghi Scultura:
- On offer from Amazon, around £70
- Semi budget machine
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Oomph:
- Multiple times a day
- Great
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Dura Bean to Cup:
- Invested quite a few hundred quid
- Worth every penny
Source: "What kind of coffee machine should I buy?" (from reddit, r/Coffee)
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French Press or Aeropress:
- Inexpensive, simple equipment
- Flexibility to provide best results
- Melitta filter cone costs only US $2.88
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Hand Grinder (Hario Mini Mill/Skerton or Porlex):
- Cheapest way to get into good coffee
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Capsule machines:
- Limited selection of coffees
- Proprietary system locks you in
- Expensive and overpriced capsules
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Moka pot:
- Easy to use
- Results close to espresso
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Bean-to-cup espresso machines:
- Cost more upfront, but cheaper per cup of better coffee
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Flavoring:
- Add milk, cream, sugars, flavored syrups
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Buying from a cafe:
- No need to invest upfront
Source: "Manual espresso machine recommendations?" (from reddit, r/Coffee)
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Cafelat Robot
- Available in powder coat green, blue, white/cream
- Double spout is held on by a gasket and removable
- Possibility of choosing between the gauge (“barista”) and non-gauge versions, as well as which baskets you’d like (pressurized or non-pressurized)
- Build quality is phenomenal, and it’s clearly something that is expected to last many many years
- Level of control you get with a shot is really useful, and for levers you don’t really need to hit the 9-bar
- Workflow is a lot easier than the Flair (less pre-heating required)
- Cleanup is very straightforward
- If start to experience some channeling early in the shot, you can back off a bit on the pressure and in most cases still manage to salvage the rest of the shot
- Red model will be soon available
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Bartiza Encore
- Not designed for espresso
- Can upgrade to a manual grinder
Source: "Coffee machine recommendations?" (from reddit, r/Coffee)
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Bonavita 10 cup or Moccamaster
- Easy to use
- Price not to exceed $800
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Nespresso Vertoline
- Best tasting stuff
- Special little cups needed
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Filling your own Vertuoline pods
- Half an hour to do 40 pods
- Cost drops to about 20 cents per pod
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Non-disposable pods for Keurig
- Can use the same machine
- Inventor has apologized to the planet
💭 Looking into
What is the best hand coffee machine?