Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Off Topic Coffee Machine Suggestions

Ha! Very true

Ironically "channelling" is the bane of any budding barista... you need to have serious tamping skills!

I find coffee is pretty much like hifi. You start off with a Nespresso machine... and before you know it you end up with a bad case of upgraditis and find yourself spending a small fortune on fancy Italian machines.

Thankfully the top of the coffee tree is more obtainable than the top of the Meridian tree!!

I have been informed, but I cannot reveal the source, that MQA will be applied to coffee in the next 12 months.

This will give full traceability to the countries of origin, even back to the pick time and individual bean picker.
The roasting and blending information will also be available therefore flavour correction via brewing time can be applied for the perfect cup according to your user specific machine.

Hope this helps

Hector

Owing to incorrect brew time correction, I now have cold coffee

Prior to purchasing my Miele Coffee Machine, Domestic & General insurance advised that they didn't provide extended warranties on any brand of Coffee Machine costing in excess of £1,000. One month after purchase, Miele wrote to me, offering a 5 year extended warranty: underwritten (ironically) by Domestic & General.

On registering my Coffee Machine, I'm entitled to 1 free 250g pack of Coffee Beans each month, for 6 months - courtesy of 'Coffee Workshop'. When the first bag arrived, I was surprised to discover its retail price was an eye-watering £9.00 (!).

I like Coffee, but not that much.

Eyewatering - depends on how you like your beverage! One way to frame it - assume you make a 300ml mug of coffee (a large serve) with one pod. Correct me if I am wrong, but an Nespresso pod costs upwards of 0.31p per pod (before delivery costs).

The ground alternative is then about 0.65p (900p/250 = price per gram * 18gm (60gm per litre of filter) = 0.65p) per large serve. At that dosage and with appropriate brew time (3-4mins) would be a very satisfying hot beverage. Yet it is double your cost including delivery charges which is not included in the Nespresso pricing - but ignore that.

If you like a strong, hot Nespresso beverage in the morning and use two pods - there is not much difference....and there are cheaper subscription services than Coffee Workshop for similar quality beans....

I own a Tassimo, Nespresso, and, B2C, brewers - so I'm fully aware of the comparative costs.

I often buy Starbucks' 250g packs of beans at £3.50 - and will typically get 35 drinks per pack (enough for the week).

I winced at the price of Coffee Beans at Carluccio's restaurant, at £5.95 - but the price of the Coffee Workshop offerings is, frankly, taking the p***

By comparison, my preferred roaster, Cooper & Co, typically charge between £4.00 - £5.00 for a 250g pack.

You know that you're a true Coffee fanatic when you don't just drink it, but you wash/shower in it too.

Thinkgeek.com have been selling caffeinated soap etc for years. And also a caffeinated lip balm which went by the unfortunate name of Spazzstick! I have their caffeine molecule t-shirt - everyone thinks it is something illegal.

I also remember a story from many years ago when I was in North Carolina before the coffee boom was in full swing. A guy used to go into the upmarket coffee store regularly to buy ground beans to take home. One day the proprietor needed to grind some to make up the customer's order so offered a cup of coffee while the customer was waiting. "Oh no", he replied, " I don't drink it, I use it for enemas".

That must have bean uncomfortable.

I just bought a 60 year old Coffee Pot on eBay

Old West Bend

We already have the same one at our lake house and when ever someone visits they got nuts over the coffee, no matter what we put in it.

I tried buying a new one and it was junk and returned it. And every coffee maker we looked at had significant percent of reviews that said "Died after X Months". The one we bought was one of the better rated ones.

So I decided to check eBay for grins.

The one we have is also 60 years old and works perfectly. 60 Years !!
They certainly don't make stuff like they used to. This one on eBay looks like new, which is kind of cool.

It’s about time!

US forum members will be already familiar with it, but Nespresso has finally launched their Vertuo System into the UK marketplace. Unlike standard Nespresso capsules, the newer system enables the brewing of a full mug of Coffee.

Hmm, we just use a couple of standard pods (or worse, a single pod and run water through it twice - which is probably doing the machine no favours...)