You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Is it possible to get something decent?
The De Longhi Magnifica (we have the cappuchino one at work - it will do everything including froth the milk at the single press of a button) sometimes sells around £250 and it's pretty decent, but not as good as my Gaggia Classic and a burr grinder.
So is that a no? 😀
No
Office bought one at £500 recently and even that was rubbish. Way too much maintenance per cup, very long wait and coffee was rubbish in the end anyway. They sent it back within a day of use.
+1 Gaggia Classic and decent grinder (and decent fresh roast beans, not supermarket). Though bit of a learning curve in getting the barista skills.
[url= http://www.coopelectricalshop.co.uk/Delonghi-ECAM22-360-S-Magnifica-Bean-to-Cup-Machine/id-DEL-COF-ECAM22360-S?gclid=CjwKEAjwlfO3BRDR4Pj_u-iO2U0SJAD88y1SFI5-5Yww1ue79DTYFSR7XSfCAfj6I6GoSmgRyn9ikhoCtD3w_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds ]This is the one we have in the office[/url]
It was on offer at Curry's just after Christmas - I think it was £250 or thereabouts. I did try using some expensive beans (Guatemalan Elephant from Whittard's – my long-standing favourite at home) but it didn't do them justice so I just use cheap supermarket beans in it.
Not sure for sub £200 but for £250 it seems you can. I've just taken delivery today of a DeLonghi Magnifica machine that was on here a few weeks ago. I got the slightly cheaper black model for a few quid over £250. I've only messed around with it for 30 mins or so and i'm getting espresso's out of it every bit as good as I could get out of my dad's Gaggia Classic. It has all the same features as the Gaggia machine - 15 bar pump. The grinder within it is a burr grinder, and unlike the Gaggia Classic (or certainly the model my dad has) it has a separate boiler for the steam wand, so no more waiting for your steam wand to warm up after you've drawn your espresso. You can alter the temperature of the water, the fineness of the grind, the quantity of water per draw, the strength of the coffee per draw, so has all the same things you can control than with a Gaggia Classic to ensure you get a nice smooth draw with a thick creamy crema. So far it seems to make bang on consistent coffee from draw to draw.
I'm no coffee aficionado, I just like a half decent espresso and this DeLonghi machine produces as good coffee as I have ever managed to get out of any manual machine, to my palate at least. It's not the machine that makes good coffee - its the beans and the grind.
Of course the reliability and longevity of the DeLonghi has yet to be proved, but based upon the very good reviews of the machine, some from people who bought one for their office, i'm expecting a good service from it. My own cheap manual Krups machine lasted for a good 10 or so years, my dad's Gaggia is still going strong after about 8 years, so i'm expecting that level of reliability from it.
So for £250 so far i'd definitely say you can get a decent bean to cup machine.