Automatic coffee machines, how to choose, which one do you have ? delonghi saeco minimex jrl ?

[LivinLOS]

Whatever you buy, buy something which has a parts supply system.. I brought a 1200 euro bean to cup and when the heating element went, even the specialist fix anything coffee machine service places turned their nose up tying to source parts (which are available online but that was too hard for them).

I since got a seaco machine, same as one sold in boncafe, and twice boncafe have serviced it and taken care of it (not cheap, but still done in a couple of days) when issues came up. Grinders do eventually need new plates etc.

Unless you can get it at throwaway money (often the case with ebay) be sure to buy something Thais know how to maintain and have access to parts.

For some reason the bean to cup systems seem very overpriced relative to overseas or combo grinder / espresso systems, the grinder / espresso combo machines sold here make a decent cup, you see them routinely in the low end coffee stall type setups churning out 100's of shots a day, but they are that bit more messy and involved when you just want to be self served an americano while bleary in the am.

[beachproperty]

No thank you, I look for something good.

Guessing your looking for something more exotic....

For me...... I just buy coffee beans, grind them, and then make simple black coffee in my coffee maker.

Similar to this for 450 Baht

http://www.lazada.co.th/otto-cm-025a-1626276.html

My apologies ....as I am not a coffee connosisseur, so my comments may be somewhat naive.

But wouldn't the MOST important ingredient to make good coffee start with the "bean" and then the machine.

And as for what's good coffee....isn't that a subjective thing (ie personal tastes of the drinker)

My little coffee maker does just fine for me....

Wish you luck though in choosing your "space-age" coffee/espresso/capucchino/mocha/latte/etc maker

Edited August 24, 2015 by beachproperty

[pieeyed]

Been using a DeLonghi CAFFE' CORSO for the last 3 years - no problems. Bought it a Power Buy on sale for 24k baht.

[maderaroja]

I have used a French Press for 20 years. I bought the most recent one from Robinsons, on sale, ฿400. Works marvelously. I use Thai Arabica coffee with a dark roast and grind the beans in the blender, about 1 weeks worth at a time. I keep the beans in the freezer and the ground coffee in the refrigerator. I drink it with a small spoon of cocoa, sucralose, and a dash of cinnamon.

[richard_smith237]

A few years back I was looking to improve my 'coffee experience'... I was bored with the French Press (Cafetiere) and didn't really fancy filter coffee.

I looked at many fancy machines from manual to fully automatic but figured they all required a little too much maintenance or work.

I settled on a Nespresso Machine and haven't looked back. Some will say that they prefer to roast their own beans etc... well, how much is your time worth it to you vs quality of coffee? I like steak but I won't slaughter my own cow for the best cut... equally so I don't want a burger...

Avoiding further digression, I have found Nespresso's range of Pods to be both excellent and fresh... the Machines have been trouble free.

So in answer to the Ops Question: I had found myself in the very same situation and never regretted getting the Nespresso Machine.

I've also heard the that illy machines and capsules are good.

Edited August 24, 2015 by richard_smith237

[RT85]

hi OP..

well what kind of coffee do you enjoy?

do you like with milk? and if so.. froth milk or just straight shots into coffee?

iced coffee or hot?

minimum fuss? then fully autos can start from about 30k onwards...

otherwise i will strongly recommend getting a capsule machine... get one from Doi Chaang.. because their coffee quality is way above the typical dolce gusto/ nespresso type machines (mostly from instant coffee, dont believe their ads)

i know a lot about the coffee industry.. beyond the flashy marketing gimmicks etc....

alternatively.. again depending on what kind of coffee you want.. you can even get a hand grinder or a basic conical burr grinder... freshl grind your coffee beans.. and make amazing drip coffee. very cheap setup.. just focus on grind, water temp, and timing..

again.. if you can tell me what kind of coffee you truly enjoy.. i can help you...

initially i was a latte lover.. after being into coffee a long time.. i now settle down like most coffee lovers... to a simple cuppa americano.. no milk, no fuss no frills.. just really good coffee.. (seriously try doi chaang, those in the biz will tell you what amazing beans they produce and roast)

[dominique355]

I am a fan of Nespresso because they have so many different flavors and variations and constantly try new things.

My machine is the

DeLonghi Nespresso Lattissima Pro

and even the cappuccino is easy to make and good.

[bil2054]

IMHO.... They all suck...I have used a French press for 30 years...wonder coffee,

And I drink 6 cups a day....oh, Bon Cafe All Day roast is great....grind your own

Beans for fresh taste.

This is my solution as well. I boil fresh, filtered water in my kettle. While that is going on I grind the beans, which usually I roasted no more than two or three days beforehand in a hot air popcorn popper. When the water has just come to a boil I put about half a cup in the press and swish it about to take the chill off. That water gets poured into my cup for the same purpose. Ground coffee into the press, fill with the hot water, stir. I will usually stir one or two more times over the next several minutes as I pass by on other missions. Use the plunger and enjoy the best coffee you can have, IMO.

The press I use is under the Thermos Brand. It is stainless steel, and insulated. It makes two very large cups.... I use soup cups for my coffee.

I look forward to my return coffee wise as the beans I bought in the hill country of Chiang Mai were excellent.

I know this is not what OP was after, but I am a little particular about my coffee, and being retired have no excuse to not enjoy the best brew for a small investment of time.

[richard_smith237]

hi OP..

well what kind of coffee do you enjoy?

do you like with milk? and if so.. froth milk or just straight shots into coffee?

iced coffee or hot?

minimum fuss? then fully autos can start from about 30k onwards...

otherwise i will strongly recommend getting a capsule machine... get one from Doi Chaang.. because their coffee quality is way above the typical dolce gusto/ nespresso type machines (mostly from instant coffee, dont believe their ads)

i know a lot about the coffee industry.. beyond the flashy marketing gimmicks etc....

alternatively.. again depending on what kind of coffee you want.. you can even get a hand grinder or a basic conical burr grinder... freshl grind your coffee beans.. and make amazing drip coffee. very cheap setup.. just focus on grind, water temp, and timing..

again.. if you can tell me what kind of coffee you truly enjoy.. i can help you...

initially i was a latte lover.. after being into coffee a long time.. i now settle down like most coffee lovers... to a simple cuppa americano.. no milk, no fuss no frills.. just really good coffee.. (seriously try doi chaang, those in the biz will tell you what amazing beans they produce and roast)

The Dolce Gusto coffee is not very good... However, I disagree with your comments on the Nespresso Capsules, the coffee in which is most certainly not instant and is of a high enough quality to make a thoroughly enjoyable cup. Yes, Nespresso has a lot of marketing behind it, but that doesn't mean the coffee is not very good.

It would be very interesting to run a side by side blind taste comparison between the Doi Chaang coffee and one of the Nespresso types (e.g. Indra which is my favourite).

[thailandforumaddict]

People talking about DELONGHI: your machines are not full automatic and I do not want anymore a stupid machine of that kind.

I only want to push 1 button as the machines displayed on Lavazza ( for fun ! :-) ).

I do not want to have to fill any system with coffee or machine more than once a week !

Thank you for real experience with FULLY AUTOMATIC MACHINE as the one that foodland has for example...

[thailandforumaddict]

I use Nespresso since the first day it was launched but I got bored with they monkey marketing and sales.

Anyway here it is too expensive, not that I cannot pay it but I don't want, and I also get bored to import a new machine in my luggages every few years when the machines break.

This time 3 of them dies almost at the same time so I think it's time to move for something better or something that I can fix/repair here at least.

Thank you.

A few years back I was looking to improve my 'coffee experience'... I was bored with the French Press (Cafetiere) and didn't really fancy filter coffee.

I looked at many fancy machines from manual to fully automatic but figured they all required a little too much maintenance or work.

I settled on a Nespresso Machine and haven't looked back. Some will say that they prefer to roast their own beans etc... well, how much is your time worth it to you vs quality of coffee? I like steak but I won't slaughter my own cow for the best cut... equally so I don't want a burger...

Avoiding further digression, I have found Nespresso's range of Pods to be both excellent and fresh... the Machines have been trouble free.

So in answer to the Ops Question: I had found myself in the very same situation and never regretted getting the Nespresso Machine.

I've also heard the that illy machines and capsules are good.

[RT85]

hi OP..

well what kind of coffee do you enjoy?

do you like with milk? and if so.. froth milk or just straight shots into coffee?

iced coffee or hot?

minimum fuss? then fully autos can start from about 30k onwards...

otherwise i will strongly recommend getting a capsule machine... get one from Doi Chaang.. because their coffee quality is way above the typical dolce gusto/ nespresso type machines (mostly from instant coffee, dont believe their ads)

i know a lot about the coffee industry.. beyond the flashy marketing gimmicks etc....

alternatively.. again depending on what kind of coffee you want.. you can even get a hand grinder or a basic conical burr grinder... freshl grind your coffee beans.. and make amazing drip coffee. very cheap setup.. just focus on grind, water temp, and timing..

again.. if you can tell me what kind of coffee you truly enjoy.. i can help you...

initially i was a latte lover.. after being into coffee a long time.. i now settle down like most coffee lovers... to a simple cuppa americano.. no milk, no fuss no frills.. just really good coffee.. (seriously try doi chaang, those in the biz will tell you what amazing beans they produce and roast)

The Dolce Gusto coffee is not very good... However, I disagree with your comments on the Nespresso Capsules, the coffee in which is most certainly not instant and is of a high enough quality to make a thoroughly enjoyable cup. Yes, Nespresso has a lot of marketing behind it, but that doesn't mean the coffee is not very good.

It would be very interesting to run a side by side blind taste comparison between the Doi Chaang coffee and one of the Nespresso types (e.g. Indra which is my favourite).

i agree.. however.. just because it is instant doesn't matter it isn't enjoyable...

and just because it is enjoyable doesn't mean it isn't instant..

it's a trick in the industry... and although i would rather not reveal too much about what goes on behind closed doors...

i too do enjoy the occasional nespresso for convenience.

as another poster said.. how much time and effort is too much... or too little for good cuppa coffee?

i too enjoy steaks.. but i wouldn't rear a cow to slaughter...

when i first started studying coffee and brewing... it took me 2 hours to make a cup of (terrible) coffee...

with more experience and lots of practice and learning from the pros.. i now make a pretty darn decent cuppa coffee... much better than 90% of the cafes out there.. anyway..

good news is.. there are more cafes that are starting to pay attention to brewing techniques.. and i am starting to find little spots that make really great coffee...

anyway... from the bean to the cup.. the process and variations of methods are endless... at the end of the day... my answer is simple.. as long as you enjoy it... if you enjoy instant coffee that brings happiness to your day.. that's great! if you enjoy the process of grinding and brewing (i even went to the extent of picking cherries and processing in the mountains of chiang rai..), that's great too...

but if you want simple and hassle free.. with good quality.. trust me.. aero press, filter drip.. even percolator types... or.. moka pot (decent espresso like coffee)... these are low maintenance methods... just require some practice.. and remember good coffee is about consistency and basic knowledge... ie. don't use boiling hot water you will burn the grind... use good quality filter water... use the right amount of time and coffee grinds for the method.. etc etc...

and measure the water!!! or estimate if you do it regularly enough to know.

at the end of the day...

as long as you enjoy it!! good on you..

sorry for the long post/rant.. haha

have a good one everyone!!! btw.. the most convenient outlet for doi chaang if anyone wants to try in the sukhumvit area... is in Gateway Ekkemai (at ekkemai bts).. take the escalator to the ground floor and there is a doi chaang coffee shop... they also sell beans...

those who home brew and grind... seriously try it... i've bought coffee beans from almost every coffee shop in bangkok... and the grinds that come out from this... is so amazing.. those with barista style machines.. even better.. check out the cake that falls out... beautiful and clean. 99.99% consistent flow.

okay i'll end now before it gets too technical.

have a good week everyone and enjoy your cuppas!

[01322521959]

Can't move in the morning before I've had my couple of expressos in a full size mug made in my standard 6 year old Phillips coffee maker. Forget your frothy this and that.

[HamburgToBKK]

Hello,

What do you think about this one?

http://www.lazada.co.th/duchess-espresso-cm5000-1555681.html

I know its probably bad quality, but I only need it for my apartment, where I stay 1 or 2 times per month.

Is it any good?

[Thakkar]

Why not just boil the kettle, put the coffee, sugar, creamer into the cup, pour in the boiling water,

give it a good stir, and your coffee is ready, simples.

<snip>

Amateur! I just empty a pack of 3-in-1 into my mouth and drink some warm water over it.

T

Edited August 25, 2015 by Thakkar

[NoshowJones]

Why not just boil the kettle, put the coffee, sugar, creamer into the cup, pour in the boiling water,

give it a good stir, and your coffee is ready, simples.

<snip>

Amateur! I just empty a pack of 3-in-1 into my mouth and drink some warm water over it.

T

As long as you enjoy it.

[RT85]

Hello,

What do you think about this one?

http://www.lazada.co.th/duchess-espresso-cm5000-1555681.html

I know its probably bad quality, but I only need it for my apartment, where I stay 1 or 2 times per month.

Is it any good?

by the looks of it..

that's a typical home use pressurized porta filter type barista machine..

good and bad and is a whole post by itself on the pros and cons of pressurized vs non pressurized PF..

this allows u to use most supermarket type pre ground coffee powder to make.. well drinkable coffee...

although in my honest opinion... not much better than instant coffee powders...

you can get better than instant coffee to decent coffee if you invest in a good burr grinder and get good quality beans..

being a pressurized porta filter means you won't be able to extract the full goodness of each shot.. the magical 20-24second shots with real crema...

however it also means that the allowance for errors are larger.. u can tamp loosely or tighter.. u can put more or less coffee grounds.. you can grind slightly too fine or coarse.. etc.etc. etc.. and you will still have somewhat decent-ish coffee.

in my personal opinion.. if you wanted something simple and hassle free... you either get slightly better equipment and learn brewing basics... or just do simple capsule machines or drip coffee (seriously drip coffees are by far the cheapest and one of the best ways to make black coffee)

once you get into the barista type equipment game.. it's never ending in terms of getting 'better gear'.. and then it's a little technical to really squeeze out the best possible shot with low end home use equipment... trust me i went down this road before... water temp... pressure.. shot time.. etc are all very volatile... again which is why all home type barista machines... use a pressurized porta filter.... once you have a good grinder and beans.. you can pull really really decent cups of coffees.. including iced lattes and everything in between...

i still have my krups ppf system with burr grinder...

my next coffee toy will probably be a form of aeropress or similar..

[slipperylobster]

Guessing your looking for something more exotic....

For me...... I just buy coffee beans, grind them, and then make simple black coffee in my coffee maker.

Similar to this for 450 Baht

http://www.lazada.co.th/otto-cm-025a-1626276.html

My favorite time of the day...5am..

I go down to the kitchen, grind up the beans, and brew up a good cup of coffee.

I suppose it has to do with the quaintness of it all. The aroma from the grinding, and the dripping of the coffee, along with the smell.

I don't do espresso, but I like a mocha cappuccino as a treat. Does not justify investing 800 dollars or more. A relative bought one of those expensive machines, and it broke down within weeks. (she was operating a coffee/smoothie shop)

One thing I did learn....make sure you can unscrew your coffee machine (when warrantee goes out) so you can clean out the dripping apparatus. Even in the cheap ones. The last one I had was a rubicks cube with lock screws that had impossible heads on the screws, that no screwdriver could remove. My dripping tube (a tiny, plastic straw like device, was clogged. I broke the whole shell out of frustration.

You must be able to get in there and clean.... Make that a key feature.

Edited August 26, 2015 by slipperylobster

[thailandforumaddict]

So nobody use a fully automatic coffee machine here apart from nespresso ?

[thailanddogerator]

Hi guys, my opinion after a lot of experience...

All fully automatic finally end with problems, I had 3 of the most famous brands and not enough maintenance/cleaning is boring but then when problems happens to wait weeks to get it repaired.

No secret why Nespresso is so successful !

Edited September 23, 2015 by thailanddogerator

[mfd101]

I'm an expresso guy and I've had a wonderful Saeco fully automatic in Oz for the last c20 years [Saeco Magic de luxe - cost me $A1400 in the late 90s]. Never a problem till now. It arrived here in Surin a few months ago after 18 months storage in Canberra. All fine & working beautifully with a medium roast from The Coffee Bean. Until a few days ago when I managed to pour some water into the bean container instead of the water container. Needless to say, that was the end of the grinder - despite best efforts with hair dryer & vacuum cleaner! And then the water container decided to spring a leak, so at that point I decided to buy a new machine.

 

I'm now looking at a Minimex Meximo ES, currently going at 28900฿. It's the only thing I can find here in Surin that looks like what I'm used to (apart from 2 more expensive Minimex models). Anyone have experience of Minimex? service? spares/repairs? I figure that, being made here in Thailand, service shouldn't be a problem (even in Surin!).

[bendejo]

On 8/23/2015 at 8:07 PM, fatfather said:

Wireless.....

Fatfather

 

Ikea has version of the moka pot.

http://www.ikea.com/th/en/catalog/products/90163224/

Pain the arse to clean it.

 

These days I use the Melitta-type paper filters.  Turns out the sludge in the bottom of the cup was keeping me awake, so I stock up on filters at Daiso when in the Big City.

 

 

[fatfather]

20 hours ago, bendejo said:

 

Ikea has version of the moka pot.

http://www.ikea.com/th/en/catalog/products/90163224/

Pain the arse to clean it.

 

These days I use the Melitta-type paper filters.  Turns out the sludge in the bottom of the cup was keeping me awake, so I stock up on filters at Daiso when in the Big City.

 

 

???    Water in the bottom part of the "coffee machine", grind coffee in the stainless steel filter provided and then screw all together... Cleaning all parts of the coffeepot only with plain water.... (top part of the pot has a screen as well, so no "sludge" in the coffee) Cleaning takes less than a minute.

[bendejo]

12 hours ago, fatfather said:

Cleaning takes less than a minute

I was referring to the one sold by Ikea, there is a crevice in the part that collects the finished brew.

 

 

[fatfather]

On 8/29/2017 at 10:53 PM, bendejo said:

I was referring to the one sold by Ikea, there is a crevice in the part that collects the finished brew.

 

 

Never mind.... I just wanted to highlight that I'm very happy with this kind of coffee pot. You have to be happy with whatever device you choose to brew your coffee with. At the end it comes back to the fact, that the main ingredients are the coffee beans you choose. Enjoy.

Fatfather

[Dipterocarp]

No idea where you're located but would investigate whoever stocks and supplies espresso machines to cafes nearby. (Just for ease of maintenance). I went through a couple self-imported machines there was nobody to fix them.

 

(Full disclosure "I'm done" for now with machines and have a Nespresso Pixie. If it breaks they send you a new one from BKK, next day it will be in Chiang Mai.)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

[SS1]

I have a DeLonghi ESAM4000B fully automatic espresso machine and I'm very happy with it. Of course you won't get as tasty coffee as from a coffee shop, but most importantly it can make strong enough coffee for my taste, which is often a problem with some of the cheaper machines. This one cost only €300 with similar machines costing as much as THB 50,000 in Central. Be aware that these are often ridiculously overpriced in Thailand, so get one with you when you visit Farangland and bring it with you. I got my coffee machine its very own luggage, kept the styrofoam around it and it arrived in checked luggage without damage. 

 

 

[4evermaat]

Unless you need an expresso, perhaps a good grinder and a french-press would be good

[sfokevin]

I have the Delonghi EC 680... nice little espresso machine... HomePro sells them too...

 

a must use is a good burr grinder too...

 

 

http://www.lazada.co.th/delonghi-ec-680-m-metal-412955.html?spm=a2o4l.search.0.0.nS3aGo&ff=1

[ballpoint]

On 8/27/2015 at 2:30 AM, thailandforumaddict said:

So nobody use a fully automatic coffee machine here apart from nespresso ?

We have a Saeco, which is a Philips brand, automatic machine in our Bangkok office pantry.  It's had heavy daily use for at least 3 years now and never gone wrong.  I like that I can stagger into work in the morning, put a cup under the outlet, press one button, and it grinds, brews, and dispenses quicker than I could make an instant coffee.  The water tank is automatically kept topped up from the filtered  supply.  Just (have the maid) pour a bag of beans into it when it runs low, and empty the drips tray and grinds box when the display tells you to.