Reply With QuoteWe have a Delonghi Prima Donna Bean to cup machine and its probably one of the best things I have ever bought.
https://www.johnlewis.com/de-longhi-...ilver/p3350685
I'm thinking of upgrading my nespresso for a bean to cup automatic machine. Is it worth it??
I've looked at loads and to be honest cant see the wood for the trees.
The one I keep looking back at is this
delonghi prima donna 6900m
I can get it for just over £800? Is this machine decent?
Cheers
We have a Delonghi Prima Donna Bean to cup machine and its probably one of the best things I have ever bought.
https://www.johnlewis.com/de-longhi-...ilver/p3350685
Can't comment on your chosen model but I have Jura C60 which has been faultless in the near 2 years I have had it. Jura generally have a good reputation in bean to cup machines and I found it much easier to use than my previous machine which took ground coffee. Mine has now been supersed by the E60 I think:
https://petertysonappliances.co.uk/j...iABEgKJQPD_BwE
Had one of these for a few years now
https://www.hartsofstur.com/melitta-...iABEgI3NvD_BwE
Although mine isn’t the smart version it’s exactly the same minus Bluetooth, it makes fantastic coffee effortless literally touch a button, easy to clean and makes the Mrs her latte and frothy drinks at the touch of a button so she’s happy too. The only negative I have that with any milk drinks ie latte etc it needs 10 seconds in the microwave afterwards not an issue for me as I only drink black Americano or espresso usually. I sure all these machine would be similar due to only heating the milk for a few seconds.
The milk jug is designed to just plug in when needed so can live in the fridge door rather than sitting out
Just checked my receipts bought 3 years ago next month and it’s used heavily every day
Last edited by bootneck; 8th May 2020 at 20:56.
Have a look at Juraoutlet and see what they have.
16 yrs with a Gaggia Syncron Digital.........
Wouldn’t be without one !
https://www.amazon.co.uk/De-Longhi-E...8968511&sr=8-6
I managed to get one of these last week from Delonghi for £269.00, haven't managed to try it yet as my beans haven't been delivered yet, but the reviews on this are very good and the cheaper price is even better...
We've had a DeLonghi Magnifca for about 4 years and it's been excellent and makes very good coffee with supermarket beans. It has a steam wand so you have to manually froth your milk but that's not hard. I do boil a kettle to pre-warm the mugs with some hot water beforehand (not too hot or you'll affect the coffee taste).
One of these. 5 years on - flawless!
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I’d you go for a Delonghi…. Just get one of the base models…. I understand they all have the same brewing modules inside…. The rest is just fluff
Get a frother if you want a milky coffee and you’re golden
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07RZ6BZ..._KHCTEbRDH0PR2
Massive step up from Nespresso which tastes a little synthetic to my pallet…
Final tip - GET GOOD BEANS - hasbean and the like - makes all the difference
I picked up a refurbished Beko bean to cup from AO for £140 and it’s been ace!
Jura E8 is exceptional.
Always found machines with integrated milk system a pain to keep clean (or maybe I’m just lazy) have had a Melitta Caffeo Solo for 3 years, it’s quite handy if you tend to make 2 at the same time, have a separate frother which has a jug you can put in the dish washer.
Another + for Delonghi, we have a Magnifica S, three + years, used daily and just brilliant. Re Beans , Waitrose no 1 range are excellent. Cheers, John B4
I have a Krups been to cup and it is such a big step up from nespresso ot any other kind of pod coffee I have tried.
I only make black Americano out of it - there is some nozzle for milk or froth or something, and no idea how good this is, but the pure coffee is excellent
Some pretty tempting deals on hereOriginally Posted by justin44
Would probably go for one these above Deloghi proms Donna money…. Especially the E60 & <£500
https://juraoutlet.uk/collections/all
To add to this. - My Gaggia has had a new PCB in the 16yrs, and I do have a spare brew unit - as it allows proper cleaning and drying while the clean spare slots in.
I don’t use the integral steamer, as cleaning the nozzle of dried milk - is a faff. I invested in a Nespresso frother that someone had split from a Nespresso/Frother kit. Quite a lot are available cheaply like this, as many people who buy or are given a Nespresso KIT - don’t use the frother, so sell them.
I find that frothed milk makes the coffee appear slightly sweeter than just hot milk, but that could be getting froth first
I had a delonghi bean to cup for around 5 years and it was decent. It did break a couple of times but all fixed under warranty/consumer goods act.
It died last year and I replaced it with the Sage Oracle. Now although it’s not a 1 button process they do class it as bean to cup. The quality of the coffee is night and day in comparison to the delonghi for both espresso and the quality of the milk.
For me if you’re going to spend Jura money then you should consider the Oracle. It requires a little more input from yourself but you will get better coffee.
Cheers
Ross
Jura S8 for me. Faultless so far.
800 should get you a refurbished sage oracle. Not bean to cup but a good compromise between full on espresso machine and bean to cup and I'd expect the results to be better.
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Jura S9 for last 10 years or so. Apart from a couple of seals it’s still going great. Find independent service though, Jura charges are ridiculous
Jura - end of.
We even used to run their domestic models when we had cafes and they stood up to the task.
Personally we have a J5 - retired from one of the cafes and been used daily at home with Lavazza beans for the past 10 years. We don’t use the milk side. It’s never been serviced, failed or even played up. Just cleaned through and water filter changes when it prompts you.
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We had a bean to cup machine in the mess area, and it was always going wrong, which has made me a little wary of them.
It was probably due to using a domestic machine like a commercial one, but not sure whether to give one a go or the new bigger Nespresso machines a try.
Had Nespresso for years until I discovered the Sage Oracle. Haven’t looked back, bloody fantastic!
I have one of these. Bought direct from delonghi. Good offer on now. Offers on other machines too. Easy to clean. I don’t use the milk jug thing. I use the steaming spout. Works well.
Get good beans.
https://www.delonghi.com/en-gb/produ...60w-0132215214
Regards
V
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Anyone any experience of the beko ceg5301X, a Which best buy?
I just want a basic machine that makes espresso, no interest in milk frothers etc.
Currently have a Nespresso that I am perfectly happy with taste-wise, just want to get away from using pods.
Cheers
Yeah - me!Anyone any experience of the beko ceg5301X, a Which best buy?
I just want a basic machine that makes espresso, no interest in milk frothers etc.
Currently have a Nespresso that I am perfectly happy with taste-wise, just want to get away from using pods.
Cheers
I mentioned it earlier in the thread…. I got a clearance one from AO for £140….
Very easy to use and clean…. Looks pretty sharp and stylish…
Very simply constructed…. Makes a nice espresso with a good crema…. You’ll notice the step up from a nespresso
I’d recommend it… I owned a Delonghi previously which is also pretty good
Cheers Wolfie, sounds good, think I will give it a go
Just googled those, how much?!
The coffee would have to be amazing to justify that! :)
You can get them refurbished on eBay for about 800 ish.
Still a lot of money but they're clever bits of kit!
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I just can’t work out how much easier a bean to cup would be. It appears it would be great for espresso but having to clean the milk input regularly appears a fuss. I suppose it’s not an issue if used regularly but if using 2-3 times a day it might just be easier to use an espresso machine
The cheapest coffee only Jura machine you can get and one of these for the milk and your golden.
https://www.onbuy.com/gb/severin-sm9...AaAgErEALw_wcB
No messing with the pinger for milky drinks...
I only use the milk input on mine max once a day for a morning cappuccino. Otherwise I have espresso or americano and add milk seperately if required so it doesn't need to be cleaned that often. I just rince it through with water and then clean the connections after using it for milk.
I either heat the milk up in the cup in the microwave first, or froth the milk in my Nespresso Frother while the coffee is making.
When the milk is in the microwave - the BTC machine is heating up.
No hassle at all.
That’s the beauty of the oracle, the steam wand self purges after use so all your left to clean is the jug you did your milk in.
Ross
We’ve had a delonghi which has been faultless for a few years now. I got an email saying Costco had this one as a hot buy starting tomorrow.
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Nespresso frothers are great but. Still additional effort than pushing a button and getting a coffee. Not a criticism at all, just that I was starting to get get tempted so I need to talk myself back around!
This. Excellent advice.
We had a Delonghi (can’t remember the model). It was off for repairs nearly as long as it was in use. After third fail we took it back to Costco for a refund. No questions asked.
We plumped for a no whistles Jura which has been excellent. Not much discount on offer but we did get frother thrown in plus tons of cleaning tablets & very nice selection of beans thrown in. Not looked back.
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Agree. The Aerochino 4 frother is miles ahead of the Aerochino 3 and even the Barista Recipe Maker but I haven't tried other brands such as Dualit etc
Guys I am having a struggle also with which coffee machine to buy.
There is only me and the mrs who will be using it and we essentially want the best espresso with minimal fuss out of a great looking machine.
We have looked at the Sage machines thus far but now my eyes have been dragged to all sorts of solutions on this website
https://www.coffeeitalia.co.uk/coffee-makers/
Does anyone have any experience with Expobar machines ? Or are there some coffee machine forums that can be recommended?
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I’ve not a massive fan of bean to cup. I get they’re easy to use but I prefer separate grinder and coffee machine. I have a super jolly grinder and la pavoni professional. It takes a bit of practice to get good but once you have it down, it really makes a good espresso. It does however take up a lot of space.
The other option is something like the rancilio grinder and machine. I’ve heard good things:
https://www.coffeeitalia.co.uk/ranci...yABEgI6xPD_BwE
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Such a coincidence that you posted as I have just spent some time looking at the La pavoni machines.
Also I read that built in grinders in the Sage machines are not all that. Hence...I guess the more professional machines don't have built in grinders.
Lots to think about but post appreciated as it looks like I might be going down this route..
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My friend has the sage dual boiler and sage pro grinder and gets good results. I can’t fault the mazer super jolly grinder , but the la pavoni takes a bit of getting used to. Once you have sorted the grind and got the pressure you tamp with consistent , you can then play about with the pull to get a really good result.
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Or are there some coffee machine forums that can be recommended?
I have found this one is very useful... lots of knowledgeable people on there....
https://coffeeforums.co.uk/
regards
V
I’ve been through a few options for making coffee.
Nespresso is incredibly convenient and great for a few coffees spread throughout the day. You are stuck in the pod-life though, your choices are what they offer you and it’s not as cheap as buying your own beans.
The Espresso machine I had was fun... for a few months. Then became a chore when I just fancied a decent coffee quick and had to become a barista. Every coffee is a creation, which is either the fun or the hassle of it all.
My Aeropress amazes me at how good it is. It’s not the answer to this thread though...
Now I have a bean to cup (Delonghi fairly low end model) and the coffee is great but the ‘running costs’ are quite high. The longest it will stay on for before shutting down is 3-hours before it goes through a full cleaning shutdown cycle... and then does it again to startup when you fancy a coffee. And if you like a longer coffee, eg Americano, make sure you buy a machine that can dispense hot water without having to use the wand (noisy and messy) or put the kettle on.
If you’re a heavy coffee consuming household and it’ll be used every hour or so it’s still the best overall option IMO. Finding your preferred bean, and then the best combination of grinding and brewing settings allows you to get something ideal for you. Just make sure everyone in the household likes it the same way or you’ll forever be fiddling. Once you get it all right though, perfection!
Think the Jura 1 stands out for a next step up from Nespresso. £485 from AO and you can just use an external milk frother from a different brand if you want to. Seems like a good medium and I completely agree with the comment before mine saying a full machine is more of an event. I've worked in offices with Rocket machines and it really is an event and sometimes puts you off making a coffee.
Anyone seen any deals on good quality beam to cup machines in the sales? I fear mine is on its way out, so may need to replace. I am only after something that does espresso / Americano as I don’t have any coffee with milk or froth
I can make various types of Coffee well enough with a £200 Delonghi EC685 ( bought from a Charity shop for £10 lol )
The main thing is the milk steam nozzle power is less than the commercial machines but you can make do and adapt and spend on quality Coffee instead of throwing money at the machine.
I have a decent Krups machine now that works well and I get decent beans for it. Would like to replace with something that will last for years
Just picked this up on sale in Costco for £190. Very good so far, and cheap!
https://www.costco.co.uk/Appliances/...0-222/p/275702
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