Getting Serious About Coffee

at

From top: Morphy Richards Rose Gold Collection Filter €69.99); De Longhi Dedica Coffee Machine (€219.99)

Happy International Coffee Day!

It comes around so fast.

*jitter*

To celebrate, Currys PC World is celebrating with offers on coffee machines in stores nationwide.

Time perhaps to ditch the instant?

Lia Stokes writes:

During lockdown many of us had no choice but to start perfecting our own orders at home and Currys PC World saw this reflected in the sales of coffee machines, which, in the height of lockdown over March and April, saw sales online grow by over 1300% YOY.

Bean-to-Cup machines were the most popular machine type, with consumers becoming their own barista!

But what machine should I get?

Head of Electricals at Dixons Carphone, Jaimie Cantwel, writes:

The Beginner:

If you’re new to the world of coffee and looking for a quick fix at the touch of a button, a coffee pod machine such as the NESPRESSO by Krups Vertuo Next Premium Coffee Machine (€119.99 save €100) is a great option. Many of our pod machines also have integrated milk frothers so you can enjoy everything from an espresso to a latte.

If you have a no fuss approach to coffee, a filter coffee machine like the MORPHY RICHARDS Rose Gold Collection Filter Coffee Machine (€69.99 save €30) could be just the trick, with a pot of coffee ready to pour as you need it, throughout the day.


The Semi-pro
:

“If you’re looking to upgrade your home coffee experience but enjoy the ease of a pod machine, an espresso machine such as the Breville Barista Max (€449.99, save €100) is perfect. Taking all the guesswork out of making the perfect cup, this machine, with integrated grinder and milk frother, precisely controls the water temperature and lets you choose between a single or double shot of espresso for your perfect cup.

The Barista:

Many of us have been missing our to-go coffee treats over the past few months so if you’re looking to go pro at home, a bean to cup option is as close as you can get!

The De’Longhi Autentica (€829.99) can make all kinds of coffee at the touch of a button.

Currys PC World

No cash, coffee beans were given for this post.

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41 thoughts on “Getting Serious About Coffee

      1. Holden

        You called them “Currys PR” world in the blurb.

        “To celebrate, Currys PR World is celebrating with offers on coffee machines in stores nationwide.”

      1. Nigel

        OH YEAH ADDING TO THE AIR MILES EH? haha jk there’s no such thing as ethical consumption under capitalism. What do they do with them, though?

        1. Vanessanelle

          Couldn’t tell ya Nidgie

          But I won’t be giving up my urban creature comforts
          or even attempting a Good Life experiment

          I can’t even do a detox programme without crashing out before bedtime on day 1

        2. Mick

          I just got my latest delivery of Nespresso pods and 5 recycling bags today. And they collected my full recycling bags yesterday, 8 bags full of used pods, roughly 150 pods per bag. That saves on emissions, etc., as the nearest Nespresso retailer to me (County Sligo) is either Dublin, Belfast or Limerick. I don’t have to travel specifically, and a courier collects them as part of his usual delivery run.

          They’re aluminium pods, that’re recycled “into a variety of products from beverage cans to car parts”, while the used coffee grounds are used “as biogas and a soil improver”. https://www.nespresso.com/ie/en/recycling-initiatives

          1. Nigel

            Honestly, I wasn’t being that serious, but if true (and corporations do greenwash, the sneaks) then good for them.

          2. Rob_G

            I’m sure you are doing your best, but the the emissions required for creating single-use, single-serve metal pods to put a few grams of coffee in is a genuine catastrophe for the environment.

    1. Tom Six

      Nigel,

      Perhaps you should list out the things you do approve of, and don’t approve of, so that we don’t infringe on your inalienable right to be unoffended?

      FWIW I am not a fan of Nespresso. See below.

      https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/jul/14/nespresso-coffee-capsule-pods-branding-clooney-nestle-recycling-environment

      Nespresso uses aluminium because it is light, strong and durable, making it the best material for a sealed container that must be flown around the world and then subjected to extreme heat and pressure on someone’s kitchen counter. Only a tiny amount of coffee is used in each pod, so less coffee is wasted than in a cafetière, or with other methods, in which many grams can be used per cup. And the pods are, in theory, 100% recyclable. But because they contain plastic as well as aluminium, they can’t just be dropped in a regular recycling bin. Instead, used capsules must be dropped off at Nespresso boutiques or some convenience stores; in some countries, Nespresso offers a service that collects them from customers’ homes.

      1. Nigel

        Please in no way curtail or shape your speech to please me, that would be weird and passive-agressive, but neither am I going to shape or curtail mine to please you.

        I was being flippant, of course, for the lulz. However, since the vast majority of plastic recycling has recently been revealed to be a scam, that report is not a comfort, but neither is it a problem particular to Nespresso.

  1. Brother Barnabas

    the de longhi autentica is a decent machine but that currys price is bonkers- could get one for €100-150 less.

  2. GiggidyGoo

    I get a perfectly good cup/mug or ‘Costa’ (or other brands) from my Tassimo. Machine less than €100 and the pods (if you time the special offers right) work out at 32c each or even better. very little cleaning. Run a descale every 4-5 months, and it’s grand. I’ve my machine, in daily use, for over 3 years now with no problems.

      1. GiggidyGoo

        I have a couple of caffeine shots around 2:30 AM :-) Charger though gets in before me somewhere around 11:40 the previous night.

    1. Charger Salmons

      Correct Ms Chainsaw.
      A cafetiere is really all you need for a good cup of coffee.
      I always purchase mine online from these purveyors of fine coffee and tea.
      Their shop in Soho smells out of this world.
      https://algeriancoffeestores.com
      Seeing as you’re asking it’s Mocha Parfait beans.
      I like to grind my own.

      ( Insert grindr jokes here )

    2. scottser

      every few weeks i get a stash from jj darboven’s in dun laoghaire. it is nothing short of fantastic coffee and they grind it for cafeterre or whatever you’re using.

      1. missred

        I use so much ground coffee (cafetiere in work and moka jug at home) that I get it all from Lidl to keep costs down, but must check this place out, I pass it and its lovely scent by far too often

  3. selfpercolating

    I think my percolator is the best and i recommend the velo coffee from aldi, apparently from cork but don’t let that put you off.

  4. goldenbrown

    when it comes to machine espresso no matter what you try at home you will never ever beat a proper commercial machine (e.g. a €6k La Marzocco) in the hands of a competent barista….those top line at home machines you see in BT or Harvey Norman are for those with more money than sense

    the very best bang for buck at home espresso machine which can get you as close to professional results as any of those €900 units will deliver is the little De Longhi Dedica which you can get for around €200

    also forget grinding your own, to get it right it has to be a burr grinder which is an expensive device. instead get your local coffee shop to do your bags (Darbovens in Dun Laoghaire are great) or at supermarket those vaccum packed bricks of Lavazza will see you right, they do a decent wide flavour and roast pallette, chocolate to citrusy.

  5. Bertie Theodore Alphege Blenkinsop

    I drink coffee with one sugar and loads of milk so they all kinda taste the same to me

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