In a different forum was recommended that I look at the new Nespresso Next, in its various iterations, suggesting that it makes a good approximation to filter coffee, when used in the “carafe” mode (my choice of word, taken from the icon in the image).
I doubt that my wife will agree to this Nespresso as it does not make coffee based milk drinks so the whole exercise may be pointless but, does this Nespresso Next (or other B2C) make coffee without using pressure and steam?
ascanio1 The problem is you want latte and cappa, which typically require espresso as a base, but a machine that makes filter coffee without pressure. Below is a machine that will automatically grind and brew, it’s relatively inexpensive as well and doesn’t commit you to pods. Melitta know what they are doing with filter stuff.
The problem is no one makes them with frothers, because of the logical exclusion of steamed milk into filtered coffee. This would then mean a separate milk frother which would take up counter space.
DavecUK Thank you Dave. The real problem is that I am married 🤣 jokes apart, of course you are correct.
My wife, today, uses filter coffee (⅔ or ¾) and adds milk (⅓ or ¼). Of course she’s not happy with this solution, and would much rather have an all-in-one machine that brews an espresso base for her caffé’latte. I also think that she is going to enjoy the cappuccino.
The Melitta that you recommend seems wonderful for my preferences but, alas, we are going with my wife’s preferences 🤷🏻♂️
I am not sure you will find what you want…although i seem to remember an all in one espresso machine and filter maker. Sort of like a sage with a filter machine tacked on the side.
ascanio1 I’ve looked around a bit. There are some, but they seem all really low quality (as in: £200-300 range for a ‘combined’ machine, sometimes including a smasher erm, grinder). De Longhi and Magimix are the two brands that keep coming up.
Thank you to everyone for your contributions.
It seems that it is irrelevant which B2C I will buy for my filter coffee. I have therefore shortlisted these:
Jura E8
De’Longhi Prima Donna Elite
Sage Oracle Touch
I will appreciate comments based on these three for other coffees as filter will not be an option. Thank you.
Whatever you do decide to go for, you may want to hold out until the Black Friday sales - still about 2 months away, but some places do start their sales earlier.
ascanio1 My opinion - unfortunately based on third party reviews and the thread here, rather than any direct experience:
If Dave says to avoid the Jura, avoid the Jura.
My perceived pluses of the Sage:
Quality of coffee and steam
Finely-adjustable grinder
Automatic steam functions
Well made - probably more reliable (but I have no evidence)
Fast and quiet (vs. the DeLonghi)
Sage cons:
VERY expensive
Requires manual moving and emptying of the portafilter
Footprint
More regular maintenance
If it were my money, I’d go for the Sage, but it is twice or more than twice the cost, and your wife may not be happy with the not totally automated ‘coffee transfer’. Plus… I haven’t even seen either machine, never mind used them for a while. The only review from someone whom I respect on ‘coffee matters’ is for the Sage; it doesn’t mean the DeLonghi is a bad machine, just that it has no reviews.
I’m fairly sure the Sage Oracle will make better coffee, but this comes at the expense of being a more manual machine. I suppose it comes down to how much the user / his girlfriend want to do when it comes to making coffee. If it’s a case of just pressing a button, the Sage isn’t the right machine.
I agree with Dave on the Jura. My brother has it and the coffee wasn’t a patch on my Sage Bambino Plus when I had coffee from it.
My in-laws have the Sage Oracle, and it’s a decent machine and easy to use. It autotamps the coffee to a set level (about 21g for the double basket), then you just move it across and press the double button and it gives a set time of water. Milk steaming is as easy as stick the wand in and hit go.
The only tweaking really required is adjusting the grind size if it comes out too fast or slow. In my opinion the coffee out is much better than even the very expensive bean to cup machines we have at work.
If you go down the espresso rabbit hole you can do everything manually, but in auto mode it’s very easy.
ascanio1 You may, but I can’t really answer as I don’t fancy getting sued, suffice to say Jura don’t like me much now. If you want to buy one though, go ahead, it’s one of the more expensive, but definitely not one of the best.
Melitta had a great system for the coffee, but sadly I think got rid of all their manual steam wands for the suck and quick froth systems…which are not great….read the review I did.
In the same way, one bright soul will come on here asking about an Elektra Verve Espresso machine, I will say don’t touch with a barge pole….but I don’t believe I could explain, without potentially being sued.
Do any of the B2C listed offer an option to pour boiling hot water and to ground coffee for use separately?
If yes, then could I not use that option to add ground coffee in a filter, inside a very basic filter holder on top of a cup and press hot water only?
@ascanio1 sorry if this has been answered already, but can’t you store an aeropress or V60 and a hand grinder in a cupboard somewhere and take them out when needed? An aeropress and suitable grinder has a small footprint.
Regarding Sage machines, I wouldn’t say they are particularly reliable, from my experience at least, and they are costly to repair. The grinder is adequate at best, and not what you would expect for such an expensive machine. From what I remember it’s the same grinder as used in their cheaper range of espresso machines (Sage Barista Pro and Sage Barista Express), both of which I have owned.
Although I’m sure milk steaming on the Sage will be leagues ahead of fully automated B2C machines. I just don’t think I could part with almost £2k for a sage coffee machine..problem is I’m not sure if there are any good alternatives in the B2C world.
ascanio1 the sage oracle would let you grind and use for something else, but to be honest I don’t think it would work as they’re not designed to go course enough for filter and they’re not low enough retention for switching either.
To be honest, I don’t think what you’re looking for exists. Picking whatever suits your wife best, and finding somewhere to stash a hand grinder and v60 is probably the lowest footprint option that actually meets all your needs.
