Hello a dumb question from a kinda coffee drinker

[Gunn]

Hello guys, my question is the following:

There is a coffee machine that accepts all the coffee capsules or maybe a coffee machine that use like i dont know like 3 different brands of capules?

I ask because i own a tassimo machine, but also want to use nespreso and dolce gusto capsules because there is some capsules that dont exist in the tassimo ones, but you need different machines for each 

So guys if you of a coffee machine that does that i will be very happy to hear of it 

Thanks

[8tg]

I would recommend buying a machine that has an option for reusable pods and just getting that and buying coffee ground or as whole beans rather than pods.

 

[Gunn]

14 minutes ago, 8tg said:

I would recommend buying a machine that has an option for reusable pods and just getting that and buying coffee ground or as whole beans rather than pods.

 

tassimo does

[Anghammarad]

Don't use capsule coffee... think about the environment and taste and get a full coffee maker you fill in beans with a grinder and steamer... yes they need some maintenance but you'll never go back from a good coffee from a machine like that.

[kasugatei]

My experience with pods by various manufacturers is that they have “shallow” taste. Nespresso pods for example have great smell, but the taste is one big meeeeh. 
Also price per serving is much higher with pods than with grounds. 
 

My daily driver is Aeropress and I am getting freshly roasted coffee from few local roasters. No capsule coffee can get close. 

[IRMacGuyver]

2 hours ago, Anghammarad said:

Don't use capsule coffee... think about the environment and taste and get a full coffee maker you fill in beans with a grinder and steamer... yes they need some maintenance but you'll never go back from a good coffee from a machine like that.

I'm not even an ecofreak and I agree with this.  Capsule coffee makers are terrible gimmicks.  Just get a real coffee maker and you can use it for all sorts of other stuff requiring hot water.

[Mark Kaine]

i use this, it cost 20 bucks and coffee tastes "almost" as good as from a ~€2000 espresso machine...

 

ive never used a "capsule" and i never will. i also only drink Lavaza, other coffee kinda tastes like dish washing water... eughh. 

[darknessblade]

If you plan on getting a new machine, why not a FULL automatic coffee machine?

it uses beans and real milk instead of those trash cups. that give a powdery flavor/aftertaste. when making milk dishes

[greenhorn]

There are some portafilter machines by Graef (german company) that have adapters for capsules for all of the larger vendors, but in my opinion it is not economically viable to buy those for that purpose.

[tikker]

8 hours ago, Mark Kaine said:

i use this, it cost 20 bucks and coffee tastes "almost" as good as from a ~€2000 espresso machine...

I understand what you mean, but have to say not really, because espresso is a completely different drink. A french press makes great coffee though.

 

I can highly recommend getting a french press if you don't mind the time and cleanup associated with it or a drip machine if you want a more set it and forget it option. If you're ready for a new hobby to burn money on, you can consider an espresso machine

 

Coffee is mostly about, you guessed it, the coffee you put in. The brewing method will emphasize different flavours or textures more, but a good cup starts with good coffee. That first means buying quality coffee. Secondly that means (if you can afford a grinder) buying beans instead of preground. Coffee grounds go stale much quicker than beans.

 

Grocery store coffee tends to be stale already, but Lavazza is the exception from what is available to me. That tends to be decent. If you can though, go to a local coffee shop (no not that kind) and get some actual quality coffee. Some cafes also sell the beans they use. They can even grind it for you if you want. A key aspect of having good coffee is the bag telling you a "roasted on" date instead of a "use by" date. The best time for brewing coffee hovers around roughly 1-2 weeks after roasting.

 

Coincidentally,  James Hoffmann did a video about every Nespresso pod recently:

 

7 hours ago, darknessblade said:

If you plan on getting a new machine, why not a FULL automatic coffee machine?

it uses beans and real milk instead of those trash cups. that give a powdery flavor/aftertaste. when making milk dishes

Full autos are heavy on maintenance though.

[darknessblade]

1 hour ago, tikker said:

Full autos are heavy on maintenance though.

Not sure where you have heard/read that but: full auto's aren't that heavy on maintenance. [the older ones where quite hard to maintain, while the newer ones are very easy to maintain]

 

all you have to do is rinse the brew unit. drip tray, and such once a week.

And use a glass micro fiber cloth to clean the inside [i would suggest to do this in the weekend before you go to sleep, so everything can dry overnight]

 

as for other maintenance, as decaling. if you use a "philips" full-auto machine with the recommended calc-clean filters, depending on your mileage a average filter last around 6-9 months [based on my mileage of 5-6 espresso cups of 80ml a day]

using the grease/coffee oil tabs is about once every 500 cups [or about 3 months for me]

 

depending on what milk unit/system you have. [i have a Saeco Xelsis so its milk system is extremely easy to clean]

i clean the milk circuit  after each use [Hygiene steam, to blast out any residual milk]. and do a deep clean every 1.5 months. [recommended is once a month]

 

This is just on my expierence. and i can easily maintain it without issue.

 

[Jtalk4456]

i mean all discussions of eco aside, you can get a normal coffee maker that you put a filter in or has a filter built in and you just open the pod and pour it in, same experience.

[Mark Kaine]

2 hours ago, tikker said:

because espresso is a completely different drink

i mean thats true, but i was more thinking of cappuccino,  which you need an espresso machine for to do it properly, and with foamed milk it gets really close with a french press.(i also always either use no sugar or brown cain sugar, white sugar destroys the taste of everything - quite literally)

 

2 hours ago, tikker said:

coffee shop

actually we have a roastery here, they arent bad, but expensive,  i think almost twice as much as Lavaza, which is already not cheap by itself.

 

funny enough, in my experience you get the best coffee in italy period , like they have brands and stuff we don't,  I like Splendid , and i also like lavaza gusto dolce e cremoso specifically... ill never get those in Germany,  people here drink "kafe hag" yes it tastes like it sounds... lol.  

[tikker]

12 hours ago, darknessblade said:

Not sure where you have heard/read that but: full auto's aren't that heavy on maintenance. [the older ones where quite hard to maintain, while the newer ones are very easy to maintain]

We have some at work and what I've read due to all the moving parts. Drip tray, group head and decalcifying is alright, I have to clean do those on my espresso machine as well. But the full auto ones have the grounds collector and milk stuff as well. It's mainly the channels where milk comes out of that, as you say, should be cleaned after every use. The things at work are also broken very often, so I'm probably biased

11 hours ago, Mark Kaine said:

i mean thats true, but i was more thinking of cappuccino,  which you need an espresso machine for to do it properly, and with foamed milk it gets really close with a french press.(i also always either use no sugar or brown cain sugar, white sugar destroys the taste of everything - quite literally)

I completely agree that a french press makes a great cup. It's too weak for a cappucino though for me, plus no possibility for latte art French presses also make great budget milk frothers if you don't have a steam wand. I don't use sugar in my coffee, but I agree on the cane sugar. All the sugar (that wasn't cubes or sticks) I've had served at coffee or tea were either brown rock sugar or can sugar.

11 hours ago, Mark Kaine said:

actually we have a roastery here, they arent bad, but expensive,  i think almost twice as much as Lavaza, which is already not cheap by itself.

It may not always seem like it due it its ubiquity, but coffee is indeed an expensive luxury good. It's actually getting more expensive, because many varieties are rather sensitive to temperature and climate, which are rising and changing.

 

Getting beans (or ground) from a local roaster is definitely worth trying. Lavazza is good, it's my go-to grocery brand as well, but any fresh coffee from a local roaster will blow it out of the water. It'll have all sorts of textures and flavour notes depending on the roast and region of the bean.

[Rauten]

Since this thread has already been completely derailed, and there are apparently quite a few coffee connoisseurs present:

 

Any italian-espresso machine users that can tell me what the correct way to use it is? Because I've read that I should mount it completely, with cold water, then put it on a fire.
Or put only the water on the fire, wait until it boils, then mount then rest on top.

That I should fill the coffee holder (or whatever it's called) to the brim.

Or I shouldn't.

And I should push lightly on the coffee to make it more even.

Or I shouldn't.

 

So yeah... Halp plox?

I'm referring to one of these:

 

[greenhorn]

52 minutes ago, Rauten said:

Any italian-espresso machine users that can tell me what the correct way to use it is?
{snip]

 

I'm not an expert on this, I have used such a device a few times though. I've mostly heard it called Bialetti (which is one of the most famous brands that makes these).

As far as I know, the procedure is as follows:

• unscrew, put water at the bottom so that the water level is just below the small hole (which is probably a valve to prevent excess pressure)
• put the coffee into the appropriate container and assemble everything
• put it on the stove
• wait until the upper compartment contains enough brewed coffee and until there is not too much steam coming out of the duct in the middle of the uppper compartment
   

Don't set your stove too high, the water just has to boil and turn into steam. When the brewing process is finished, remember to disassemble the device and to clean it (not immediately after brewing since it will still be quite hot, but within a reasonable time frame).
 

I noticed that many of these devices are made out of aluminum, which I'm not a fan of. I prefer stainless steel ones, those are more hygienic.

[Rauten]

1 minute ago, greenhorn said:

<snip>

Thank you for the reply, though I already know the general steps to use one.

I've had a stainless steel one for nearly a year now (also not fond of aluminum), but I want to try to get the best results possible out of it, and there are so many conflicting "tutorials" out there that I'm just not sure what is right or wrong anymore.

 

I will take note of not setting the stove too high, though - had not considered that.

[Imbadatnames]

Oof the elitism here is just breathtaking, dude just wants a quick cuppa not wanting to become a barista. 
 

EDIT:

 

I’ve also tried all 3 of Dolce Gusto, Tassimo and nespresso. Not much point in getting all 3 there’s really not much between Dolce and Tassimo and most pods between them are the same. Nespresso is easily the best one quality wise but you have to buy the separate milk steamer jug thing for it but they do pod recycling for the metal capsules. 

[tikker]

2 hours ago, Rauten said:

Thank you for the reply, though I already know the general steps to use one.

I've had a stainless steel one for nearly a year now (also not fond of aluminum), but I want to try to get the best results possible out of it, and there are so many conflicting "tutorials" out there that I'm just not sure what is right or wrong anymore.

 

I will take note of not setting the stove too high, though - had not considered that.

There's not really a wrong way of doing things. Whatever gets you the tastiest cup for you is the right way.

 

[whm1974]

4 hours ago, tikker said:

There's not really a wrong way of doing things. Whatever gets you the tastiest cup for you is the right way.

While I can agree with this, I'm using a cheap 5 cup coffee maker I gotten for free. I'm also drinking cheap Ruler Foods(Kroger) Med-Dark. Their Light-Med Breakfast Blend does taste really decent. But only get 24 Oz while the former is 29.

 

I also use the grounds twice with dark, thrice for breakfast. I do this mostly to reduce the total amount of caffeine I'm consuming.

[whm1974]

9 hours ago, Rauten said:

Since this thread has already been completely derailed, and there are apparently quite a few coffee connoisseurs present:

 

Any italian-espresso machine users that can tell me what the correct way to use it is? Because I've read that I should mount it completely, with cold water, then put it on a fire.
Or put only the water on the fire, wait until it boils, then mount then rest on top.

That I should fill the coffee holder (or whatever it's called) to the brim.

Or I shouldn't.

And I should push lightly on the coffee to make it more even.

Or I shouldn't.

 

So yeah... Halp plox?

I'm referring to one of these:

 

Do they make an Electric one? I'm those are always set the right Temp. Not too Hot and Hot enough for coffee.

___________________

 

Like the who mention it depends primary on the grounds, that it what to go by first. Then worry about the Maker if that is even needed. Like I said, I just a free 5 cup one. Works well enough for even McCafe .

[IRMacGuyver]

On 12/14/2021 at 2:02 PM, tikker said:

I understand what you mean, but have to say not really, because espresso is a completely different drink. A french press makes great coffee though.

It's not "completely different."  It's just coffee made at high pressure and a french press can get you most of the way there with the right technique. 

[tikker]

8 minutes ago, IRMacGuyver said:

It's not "completely different."  It's just coffee made at high pressure and a french press can get you most of the way there with the right technique. 

If all you care about is your caffeine fix for the day then sure. Otherwise that's like saying a quick 5 minute sear on each side of a piece of beef will get you most of the way there of a 5 hour slow-cooked stew. A french press is immersion brew and doesn't brew at 9 bar pressure. The french press also gives you a weaker large/"normal" volume drink whereas an espresso is a strong(er) concentrated few dozen mL small volume drink. Then there are the very different grind size and brew times resulting in different extraction. There isn't a "most of the way there" between the two, because they are very different drinks. The result of the different processes is a different amount of coffee, a different texture/mouthfeel and different highlighted flavour aspects.

 

You can make a delicious cup of coffee with a french press, I use one at the office, but you cannot make an espresso with it.

[IRMacGuyver]

17 minutes ago, tikker said:

If all you care about is your caffeine fix for the day then sure. Otherwise that's like saying a quick 5 minute sear on each side of a piece of beef will get you most of the way there of a 5 hour slow-cooked stew. A french press is immersion brew and doesn't brew at 9 bar pressure. The french press also gives you a weaker large/"normal" volume drink whereas an espresso is a strong(er) concentrated few dozen mL small volume drink. Then there are the very different grind size and brew times resulting in different extraction. There isn't a "most of the way there" between the two, because they are very different drinks. The result of the different processes is a different amount of coffee, a different texture/mouthfeel and different highlighted flavour aspects.

 

You can make a delicious cup of coffee with a french press, I use one at the office, but you cannot make an espresso with it.

Stew and steak are made from completely different cuts and cooked WAY different.  The pressure is the ONLY thing that makes espresso special and a good french press can be used to pressurize the coffee to close to espresso levels.  It's not perfect but it's very close.  To take your analogy think about a 5 hour stew and stew left over night.  The 5 hour stew being the french press and getting you most of the way there but the over night stew stew being the perfect espresso. 

In this example regular coffee would be ground beef soup cooked in an hour.

[IRMacGuyver]

On 12/14/2021 at 2:02 PM, tikker said:

 

 

Coincidentally,  James Hoffmann did a video about every Nespresso pod recently:

 

The nestle Flavia bag system is actually REALLY good but I don't know if it's available to the public though.  I worked at a place that rented them from a coffee company that came in and did all the maintenance and restocking.