How on earth did I forget about the Cuisinart Grind & Brew?! My girlfriend bought me one for my birthday earlier this month and it really is a fantastic thing.
Even on the highest strength setting the coffee is still a bit weak for my tastes so I'll usually put 7 cups of water in and set the dial to make 8 cups and it comes out perfect.
The cat doesn't like it though, he gets a bit freaked out when the grinder kicks in but he'll get used to it. Daft animal.
Our cat is completely ambivalent to the grinder now, which is odd because she lives in mortal terror of the tumble dryer...Originally Posted by burble
From what i can see, the only real difference between the one you posted above, and the lower models is the strength setting?
Would i really need the setting?
I think i really would like to keep it closer to £100 given I'm relatively new, is there any other machines out there that people can recommend? Im not too bothered about it being ground by the machine itself, i will probs get a grinder separately.
Last edited by Biscuit; 30-01-2013 at 05:22 PM.
Well, stop trying to put her in it.Our cat is completely ambivalent to the grinder now, which is odd because she lives in mortal terror of the tumble dryer...
The lower model doesn't have the adjustable cup selector on it, so every time you brew coffee it grinds enough for a full pot - so basically you have to brew a full pot. The model we've got means you can make exactly as much coffee as you want. Of course, if you get a separate grinder you could go with pretty much any filter machine, because you can grind only the amount of coffee you need to use. The main advantages of the higher model grind & brew are convenience, and that you can set it on a timer and it does everything for you. Otherwise you'll have to get up in the morning, grind 14g of beans then set your coffee machine away to brew 2 cups, all done manually.
Also, it's nigh on impossible to get a decent filter machine with a thermal jug, for some reason. A few years ago there were loads of them, priced very reasonably. Now they're very rare indeed. And a thermal jug does make a difference - with glass-jugged machines the jug is warmed by a hotplate which means it stews while it sits - and the coffee maker is constantly drawing power while it's ruining your coffee! Also, our last coffee maker - a cheap stand in while weighed up the advantages of a good one - needed about a shot-glass worth of water in the bottom of the jug to stop the coffee tasting bitter from burning on the bottom of the jug when it started brewing.
YMMV, of course, but having had a top-end Cuisinart I can't see me getting anything less in the future...
You may jest, but we wouldn't be at all surprised if that had happened at some point in the past - she's a rescue cat, and while she's a little better now there was a time she wouldn't go within 15 feet of the dryer. She used to stare at it suspiciously even when it wasn't turned on!Well, stop trying to put her in it.
Biscuit (30-01-2013)
Couple of options for you to get going.
Aeropress, covers filter type coffee, and can brew pretty strong coffee. Plenty of guides out there on using them as well.
Moka Pot. Makes a expresso ish coffee, also cheapish.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRdCic2f7PI
You could then add a hand grinder, something like a Porlex.
Biscuit (31-01-2013)
Hmm that would be a lot of wasted Coffee when generally it would only be used 2 or 3 times a day for 1 or 2 cups :/
See my parents have one with a glass bottom and i havent noticed it ruining the Coffee, but perhaps thats because i havent had much different?
Looking around i see what you mean about the sparcity of thermal ones though. I have found a phillips one that has no clever timers or anything like that and a melitta one that looks promising but hard to get in the UK.
I definitely notice the hotplate ruining the coffee, I have to turn mine off and rely on the residual heat to keep the coffee warm.
just get a good ground coffee and a cafetiere i like hi caffeine any supermarket will have a good choice of ground coffee and the strength will be marked on the packaging on a scale of 1 - 5 spend the money you saved on a coffee machine on Computer Hardware
I've never seen the strength marked on the packaging, just darkness of roast. Is that the same thing?
Last edited by kalniel; 30-01-2013 at 10:02 PM.
Cheers but i have the hardware is want and I would really like a machine... I find it hard to believe it's a case of spending £150 or don't bother :-\
Any standard filter machine (Russell Hobbs one I think I have) will do fine. I only use my filter machine for making large quantities of coffee. Caffetiere/French Press works because it's so simple and natural. Filter coffee filters out some of the oils that can add that extra richness. There are also pourover devices in from companies like Hario too which a lot of people like.
I used to make some in the morning then put the rest in a good thermos straight away and it keeps hot for ages whilst not ruining it like a hot plate which is basically cooking.
I leave espresso to the pros in soho, there are some fantastic (mostly antipodean run) places in central London.
Re Americano, a good americano is supposed to taste like watered down espresso, but if you have good espresso this can work very well indeed, also the chains will usually add way too much water to it. Much easier to make a good filtered coffee though and the range on offer just from the supermarkets is excellent. Some Starbucks blends are good too, special edition blends are almost always a good shout and the sumatra is really top notch (some are completely naff though IMO).
I am tempted to get an aeropress, never got round to it. The best description I've read is that it's most similar to moka pot coffee. It's close to espresso strength but without the unique espresso flavour. I imagine it's a great way of making home made lattes.
Biscuit (31-01-2013)
Missed this earlier, yeah I think I might get that to supplement a machine, but I'm hoping for something I can wake up too and it will be waiting for me. With stuff like that i will need a camping stove or something though :/
Cheers for the info, I might just go for something that has the features I need and not worry too much about glass jugs or anything like that. I think a lot of u guys are perhaps a bit toooooo addicted/professional for me!
Definitely going to invest in a thermos mug though, good shout!
Found this site everything a coffee lover needs also has a free 0800 number,
http://democoffeesite.com/forum/
I'll get slammed for this but never mind...
For a budget of £100 and for someone 'getting into' coffee are the espresso pod machines so bad? Really? Don't just blurt out an answer, actually think!
I picked up a cheap Nespresso machine and it makes better espresso than any coffee shop I've been into (granted mostly big chains) It's easy and convenient.
That was my starting point while I wasn't sure if I'd stick with the whole espresso thing, after spending time drinking it I'd now look at perhaps getting a decent machine (well, whatever is decent for a couple of hundred) and keep working up the line until the price/performance levels out.
If you do consider one then pop into a large departments store that has a Nespresso booth and they'll make you up some to try out, don't know them till you've tried them! Afterall, like I said, it's more of an introduction than a solution you'll stick with forever.
I've not tried Nespresso type things in the last few years - previously the ones I tried were more like syrupy filter coffee than anything like an espresso. Perhaps that's changed now, but if so I'd like to understand how they are doing it. What is it about the pod system that would enable them to produce espressos more cheaply than an espresso machine?
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