HackerBrew: the coffee HN keeps telling you to buy

“Get yourself a moka pot, aeropress or French press. Fantastic coffee for very cheap.”

“Id recommend you get yourself an aeropress. It uses a paper filter, and the coffee tastes magnificent, similar to french press for the dark roasts I love.”

“French press and v60. Coffee became a ritual I look forward to, not something I drink to achieve a goal.”

“The coffee was much better, with a creamy taste and mouthfeel that I'd never experienced before in the beverage, so I didn't bother replacing the drip machine.”

“If you want to save money get a Moka pot instead of that Keurig garbage.”

“I use a regular mokka pot, on an induction stove it literally takes <60s to boil, the whole thing is made out of stainless steel so takes 5 seconds to rinse and use again.”

“A pourover is quick and easy if you wing it on the measurements, timing, etc. As long as the beans are decent and freshly ground, the result is still miles better than the cheap stuff even when I flub the temperature or timing.”

“If you havent tried the classic pour overs with freshly ground specialty coffee, I would really recommend it. I used to be an espresso guy, but now I only drink filters.”

“The thing that's also nice about cold brew is that it's one of the most approachable ways to make a really good coffee.”

“I've been trying cold brewing my coffee lately, and I'm liking it a lot. No warm cup in the morning, but it tastes good and I can make it in large batches over the weekend.”

“Good beans will last more than 2 weeks, but yes-just as you wouldn't judge all sushi based on gas station sushi, we shouldn't judge coffee based on months-old pre-ground grocery store roasts.”

“People have mentioned the grind and the strategy for brewing, but the freshness of the beans is a big deal. Look for brands with a "roast date" instead of a "best by" date.”

“I'm not a coffee nerd at all, but getting a whole bean that you like from a reputable (local if possible) roaster and grinding it yourself is pretty easy and you get coffee that's considerably better than grocery store ground coffee.”

“Whole bean coffee, properly stored, can keep in the pantry for months. Once the coffee is ground, it starts losing its aromatic qualities within hours (even if you are storing it in an airtight, opaque container).”

“It works great. I had always assumed I would regret not buying a super expensive one, but it turns out you can have great espresso for not much money.”

“$600 espresso maker. Used it every day during quarantine. It has already paid for itself and more, and now the average coffee shop latte tastes terrible to me.”

“If you're going to drink decaf, be sure to drink decaf prepared via the Swiss water method. It has the least additives, healthiest option and tastes pretty good.”

“If you love coffee, the best alternative to coffee is decaf. If you buy directly from a great roaster, you'll hardly be able to tell the difference.”

“A $.70 Nespresso pod may not match a freshly ground light roast pour over, but to the dreary eyed wage slave just rising to seize the day, the taste consistency and convenience are distinct features.”

“As much as I want to believe a $10k La Marzocco is absolutely essential to good espresso, a $100 Nespresso machine and Kazaar roast is the best espresso I've ever had.”

“Buy a reasonably priced burr grinder, an Aeropress or decent pour-over, and some nice quality coffee, and you will be drinking better coffee than 95% of people.”

“The first recommendation I give to people that want to get into brewing better tasting coffee is to get a burr grinder, even a handheld one will do just fine.”

“The pourover funnel, filters, and a decent hand grinder are relatively inexpensive and, with only a little practice, the output is as good as any americano produced by the average barista at 1/5 the price per cup.”

“I also use a hand grinder because, uh, I sorta like the meditative aspect of it. And I do think you can get a higher quality grind for cheaper with manual grinders.”

“Or a pour over filter (like Kalita Wave or Hario V60) plus a grinder. That's a cheaper setup to start, and an easy way to get a big mug of great coffee.”

“After a decade of drinking turkish (I live in the Balkans) I recently switched to a v60 filter pour-over and I'm not coming back.”

“Try better coffee. Seriously. Get LIGHT-roast beans, grind them yourself, and get a Chemex.”

“I have a Chemex three cup and I can make one or two cups with it without any timer or scale. It tastes great to me and is really consistent.”

“Instead I have a $600 roaster, a $100 burr grinder, and a $10 Turkish coffee pot that have produced many thousands of good cups of coffee over more than a decade.”

“However, as long as you have an oven (and don't live in the immediate vicinity of a local roaster), you'll find that the DIY roasting route gives you 90-110% of the benefit that you get from buying online boutique roasts for store bought prices.”

“James Hoffmanns decaf project proved this for me, and his video about decaf sold me on the idea: decaf drinkers are the OG coffee drinker, drinking it purely for the taste, even without the drug-induced high that caffeine gives you.”

“This YouTube channel is excellent, I don't even brew my own coffee yet the craftsmanship, detail and thought that goes into every video makes them all a delight to watch.”

“Starbucks solves this problem for me by giving me an experience where I have perhaps a 95% probability of getting a pretty decent cup of coffee.”

“Actually, the tragedy of it is that Starbucks uses pretty good beans. If you buy their brand of beans and make the coffee yourself, you can make a damned good cup of coffee.”

“But having been in the military, I'm also perfectly happy drinking instant coffee with some sort of creamer: It's hot, it's caffeinated, it tastes better than water from the canteen.”

“I already prefer instant coffee (sublimated) to the usual coffee machine-grinded bean coffee (it always tastes off for some reason). Instant with milk always tastes perfect.”

“For the price of roughly 2.25 lattes, I can get 10 pods that last me an entire week. It's easier, cheaper, cleaner, and quicker than going to Starbucks or where ever else.”

“But I can't tell you how many times popping a pod in the Kuerig as I rushed out the door saved me - and gave me the time to smell other-than-coffee roses.”

“Drip coffee is amazing: A consistent grinder; fresh, light or medium roasted beans protected from oxidation; and a machine that heats the water to the correct brew temperature (190-195 F)is all you need.”

“People often forget how good a drip brew can be with good-enough coffee and a good-enough grinder. As a bonus it's a very lazy method for brewing as well.”

“If you are keen for a machine and you like it diluted, I recommend the Moccamaster. It's a good-looking classic machine that you could definitely sell.”

“My no-effort method is to get a technivorm (not cheap, but not super expensive) and run that first thing in the morning with fresh grinds -> Super fast for 3+ people and good quality coffee.”

“I have a little bialetti stovetop coffee maker. It's not quite espresso but it's thick and strong, just how I like my legal addictive stimulants.”

“I mainly use two different sized old school Mokka Express aluminum cans from Bialetti. Super cheap (got both for less than 20$) and very small/easy to handle and clean.”

“My mignon grinder and rancilio silvia set me back 1000$, but I have been using them daily for 4 years to make lattes for my partner and I.”

“The best espresso gear ages well, is repairable and is readily available second hand. The machines Rancillio Silva, La Cimbali Junior and the grinders by Mazzer are all readily available and affordable if you are patient.”

“SweetMarias.com among many others has an outstanding selection, low cost shipping and good prices. A better selection of beans than any specialty roaster.”

“Sweet Maria's is a great shop and resource for green coffee and roasting.”

“I've never understood the resistance to inverted brewing - with 200g of water, it's trivial to make it work with minimal-to-no risk of an accident upon inversion.”

“The nicest thing about the inverted method is the consistency of results, because nothing's leaking out during steeping.”

“consider investing in a cheap white plastic kettle for $5. Fast and energy efficient way to turn electrical energy into boiling water.”

“Aeropress + an electric kettle == pretty good coffee with roughly the hassle factor of instant.”

“Then I put it through a ~$200 Flair espresso machine. It is a manual press, so it has become a fun project/ritual.”

“It makes professional grade shots, has no unnecessary waste, and has nothing to really break.”

“If you like a large mug of coffee have a try of the Clever Dripper. Had Aeropress at home and CD at work and eventually bought a CD for home because it's so good.”

“The Clever Dripper is basically a french press with a #4 filter, so you still get a filtered cup - no sludge (you do miss out on the oils though). It's a foolproof method to a great cup of coffee.”

“I recently bought the Gaggia Classic Pro coffee machine for this very reason. You can get into and fix anything in this machine in under 5 minutes.”

“I think my whole setup was less than $600 and I have never regretted it. It takes some time to dial in your grind but you'll be beating your local barista's shots within a few months (and at a significant discount).”

“But full-auto coffee machine is easy peasy and I'd say it's 99% of the result (especially with quality grains).”

“If you're really into coffee get a superautomatic machine. Best coffee I've ever had, instant and with zero effort.”

“That coffee was Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. This particular one had its own distinct, subtle sweetness that hit the spot for me and was part of a basically-daily feel-good routine for years until their roaster stopped selling it.”

“In the meantime, I will have to content myself with our home-roasted Ethiopian coffee. I love those fruity dry process beans. Yum!”

“For real though, light roasts and a couple different beans and you'll really be able to taste the differences. I'm not talking subtle either.”

“As a general rule in coffee, light roasts have a variety of tastes and dark ones are just bitter.”

“I've had a Breville Barista Express model for years and it's been perfect. Daily use (4-8 doubles), easy to clean, very consistent shots.”

“I've got a Breville espresso maker (one of their "Barista Express" models) and the boilers warm up in about 20-30 seconds (i.e. by the time you grind and tamp, it's ready to go).”

“McDonalds in my country, Australia, has superb coffee. They have fresh-from-whole bean espresso machines in every store -- Often as part of a McCafe with a dedicated barista.”

“My favorite vendor is McDonalds; although I can appreciate a pour over at the local hipster joint.”

“OK but really if you want good coffee dont go to national corporate chains go to your local roaster is is passionate about good coffee. Always better.”

“I have a few good sources of coffee I use, but I prefer the local roaster. I do so because we can engage and he'll recommend a new coffee because he knows it's a match to my preferences.”

“I just prefer the taste and it reminds me more of Turkish coffee, which is my favorite way of preparation.”

“I actually enjoy the bits of coffee bean in french press coffee. Same as with turkish coffee which I also enjoy.”

“A year's supply of paper aeropress filters weighs about 1.4 oz. This is significantly less paper than a single Monday New York Times, so if you've ever read a paper newspaper, you've eco-sinned more than drinking a year of aeropress.”

“I use paper filters because it makes cleanup a breeze. Interesting to know there is a health benefit.”

“In terms of beans, I usually go for Blue Bottle (Three Africas is always a solid option, also their holiday Oakland Lights blend is really good right now).”

“I'm also lucky here in downtown SF to be close to a number of Blue Bottle outlets and other fine local coffee establishments.”

“I've pulled a few thousand cups of long espresso from this guy since we bought it two years ago. Much, much nicer and lower maintenance than a boiler machine.”

“It makes awesome shots, it's super easy to clean, and it's just really fun to feel the tactile feedback you can get when you're brewing a shot manually, because you can re-adjust your pressure on the fly to make the shot come out how you want it.”

“I have a breville burr grinder that i've used every day for the last 15 years and i've only cleaned it maybe 3 times?”

“I spent $700 on the breville machine and it makes far better coffee than the $2000 fully automatic machine at work that has to be disassembled almost daily to avoid mould build up which no one does.”

“The most important thing I found was not to use municipal water. Bean quality is far less important than water quality. Great beans and city water is undrinkable.”

“Actually, I'm surprised that nobody else has mentioned the importance of water. My cheap carafe filter makes a huge difference even to my relatively insensitive palate.”

“Weighs tenths of a gram (something you definitely want for coffee) and is quite rugged - have dropped it on the floor more than once”

“Truly you could be making great coffee at home with <$75 of equipment. Gram scale, eBay secondhand conical hand grinder, department store kettle, pourover funnel, filters.”

“It's an incredible piece of Swiss engineering and such a stark contrast to the world of disposable personal electronics I'm used to. Best $800 I ever spent on a machine.”

“Jura is the Apple of coffee, in my opinion. Swiss engineering, superb minimalist design, and fantastic coffee.”

“The machines are good for what they are, but their service (what they pride themselves on) is exceptional in my experience.”

“But instead I found the small plastic part on Baratza's website and successfully repaired my grinder. It cost me $8 and 20 minutes of my time.”

“I started with a popcorn roaster I bought second-hand for €10. Those work already surprisingly well, but will spread chaff (the thin membrane around the bean) around the house.”

“Get a hot-air popcorn popper. A $3 one from Goodwill (thrift shop / flea market) will do, so long as the heating chamber is metal.”

“I've been using my $20 Mr. Coffee for like 5 years now without an issue, still makes coffee and more than likely will for a long time.”

“With the same Mr. Coffee drip coffee maker I've used for the past 15 years or so.”

“Philz was the first place where I could actually taste the difference in flavors between the different beans. I think it's because they don't burn their beans like Starbucks does.”

“I'm a big fan of Philz, and pourover in general, but there aren't really pour over coffee shops in my area and I'd rather keep it that way than import more Californians.”

“For espresso it's vitally important. One extra gram of coffee takes it from smooth, sweet and acidic to being extremely bitter and unpleasant.”

“1. Get a pair of digital scales (learn to use the tare button) and spend half an hour making coffee of different strengths. Decide which you prefer and then always use that coffee to water ratio when you make it.”

“Bought $7 reusable pods on Amazon which make it slightly less convenient but environmental friendly and cheaper”

“I used to have a Keurig but instead had a refillable filter - instead of pods I just filled the filter with whatever coffee I wanted. Still super convenient, easy for just one cup of coffee, no waste.”

“I typically use a 30/70 blend (30% arabica, 70% robusta) from an artisanal roaster in Helsinki for my espresso. It's the cheapest one they have, but for espresso (and derived drinks), it's by far the best, imo.”

“I also think arabica varieties are overrated in general, and a good blend that includes a robusta, with its excellent crema-producing properties, is almost always a better cup.”

“Baratza Encore burr grinder! I might upgrade soon, but it's served me incredibly well for a year.”

“Anecdotal, but if anyone is looking for a good coffee grinder that doesn't break the bank, can't say enough good things about my Baratza Encore. 10+ years of near daily use.”

“Excellent build quality and grind for the money. A joy to use every morning and I expect it will last a long time.”

“1zpresso grinders are fantastic and (as you said earlier) a buy-it-for-life thing.”

“My reply is always that it was the best money I've ever spent and the worst investment I've ever made. It's a lifestyle choice, and a questionable one at that. But one I'd make again every time given the opportunity.”

“Recently bought this piece of hardware, you can but a lot of good coffee instead, but it is an amazing machine that produce really great coffee:”

“Dark roast coffee is less acidic, and when made into an espresso + texturised milk drink it becomes very sweet and smooth tasting.”

“I admittedly tend to use darker roasts when I make coffee at home as well.”

“Having tried many different methods, I've settled on using a stainless filter and brew into a measuring cup and let it settle out for a minute or 2. It's easy, and not worried about putting so much pressure on the rim of a mug with boiling liquid.”

“I bought the metal screen filters off of amazon for cheap. Far better than the paper filters.”

“I'm just a rookie at making espresso but I would argue my <$100 DeLonghi espresso maker paired with either fresh ground coffee from a local store or illy Coffee from online is at least on par with most chain coffee shops.”

“Our espresso machine (De'Longhi) makes cold brew in like a minute or two. Brilliant.”

“For brighter, more citrus-y coffee (Intelligentsia brand excels at these lighter ones), I favor the pourover or Aeropress method to really highlight the fruity notes.”

“If you get the chance, try the Honey Badger from Intelligentsia coffee, it has an amazing inherent sweetness, like a faint aroma of freshly made molasses.”

“A $10 (or cheaper!) blade grinder makes a noticeable improvement over pre-ground for nearly everyone, and you can absolutely just stop there and enjoy the step up and that grinder will probably last as long as your drip machine.”

“The $15 blender-like grinders? Just fine for most. As long as your beans are fresh you'll have a vastly better cup of coffee.”

“I use the Hario hand grinder and it is by far the best grinder for anyone that is price conscious. It is significantly less expensive that other ceramic burr grinders.”

“I have a Hario mini-mill that I love while traveling, it has ceramic burrs though, never used one with metal burs for traveling.”

“I drink Stumptown which I grind at home for my espresso machine -- their caffeinated Hair Bender blend in the morning, and then in the afternoon I'll often have their decaf Trapper Creek (Swiss water process) on the days I don't need an extra jolt.”

“I would suggest Intelligentsia coffee, Blue Bottle, Stumptown, or Counter Culture.”

“When a Peet's opened in the town where I went to grad school, I thought I had died and gone to heaven.”

“Peet's has never failed me latte wise or even coffee wise.”

“I have a Pavoni Europiccola, and it's made approximately ~11,000 espresso shots (about half of those ended up as milk-based beverages). It makes excellent coffee, and I live in a place where there are a _lot_ of good coffee places around to compare to.”

“After getting over the initial learning curve, this machine has consistently given me some amazing espresso shots, all while on a tight budget.”

“Lavazza seems to get a lot of hate on coffee snob forums, but they make consistently decent coffee that's not burnt to ashes or weirdly acidic.”

“Nespresso isn't bad at all (we have one here at work), but even better is a Lavazza machine, which takes cartridges like the Nespresso, but the resulting espresso is an order of magnitude better, in my opinion.”

“Hario makes pretty good hand-crank burr grinders in the $35-$40USD range; I bought mine in 2012 and it's still going strong with occasional cleaning”

“I much prefer the coffee that comes out of the pour over for the same reason; it definitely makes a more tasteful coffee.”

“I've been using Bottomless since January. I love how it doesn't make me think at all - there's just coffee. Always.”

“Love this product. Very warm feeling getting the "coffee is on the way!" Email every few weeks :)”

“There's a bit of art to pulling a shot on a lever but once you get used to it, it's a really fun way to make your coffee every day.”

“Before you spend many thousands of dollars on a machine better suited to a coffee shop, consider getting a minimalist lever machine.”

“Eventually I learned that this only happens with very dry beans. Adding a few tiny drops of water before grinding is enough to get rid of it pretty much completely.”

“A little atomizer ("spritz" bottle) of plain water serves well here. NB: this is for single-dose grinding - e.g. measuring a small amount of beans loaded into a grinder to grind immediately.”

“Filtered coffee from the 'right' (for me) ground coffees seem to hit right balance between ease of use, speed, and taste.”

“For a long time, I used to believe the old adagio that American coffee is just too weak, but then I started to appreciate it for what it is, and I enjoy it a lot.”

“Then again, my favorite preparation of cold brew is a shot of concentrate straight from the toddy.”

“You can make 15-20 cups of cold brew at once (which has a decent shelf life) and if you use the optional filter bags, cleanup is super easy.”

“I bought a metal filter years ago and it's still going strong - probably the best upgrade possible.”

“I have a very fine stainless steel mesh strainer for my aeropress (replacing the little paper discs). Using it, I'm able to let the coffee steep for 45+ seconds, gaining the benefit of the inverted method without needing to mess around with inversion.”

“Big coffee guy, not really a fan of sbucks, but their "via" blonde roast is the best instant coffee I've had, ideal for camping coffee.”

“I make Starbucks VIA instant coffee at home and it's quite good. If I make it at work it's horrible so I'd say water quality is a big factor.”

“And I'm pretty affluent, and all the sudden, I can make my own Illy espresso at home, or Kerig on the go, and spend way less than a buck.”

“My favourite coffee brand is Illy and that comes in an easily recyclable aluminium can, so you can avoid the little plastic coffee bags too if you're careful.”

“Try something like a Hario switch, it's an interesting blend of immersion and percolation brewing and you can even make different recipes that are unique to the combination of both, say 15 seconds immersion then flip the switch and 30 seconds of percolation.”

“I use a Hario Switch to make coffee. It takes 3:30 to brew, so I pour the water and then brush my teeth and prep while waiting. Async coffee!”

“A cheap proper coffee hand grinder like a Timemore C2 would go so much further than a blade grinder that would shred the coffee beans up inconsistently.”

“If you don't need espresso fine grounds buy a timemore c2, normcore or 1zpresso jx.”

“Niche Zero coffee grinder. It has a mechanical switch! This thing won't charge me a subscription or sell my data.”

“Tangental: I have a 3 yr old Niche Zero, they are excellent - but they are not first conical.”

“Sage/Breville Dual Boiler and do the slayer mod + drip tray mod, you can then pull espresso that rivals any machine out there for a fraction of the cost.”

“Makes excellent espresso with almost no fuss, very forgiving. You still need a good grinder with stepless control, but other than that it's super easy to dial in.”

“and I have a coffee subscription because the owner lives down the street from me and it's fresher than I'd get in the grocery store.”

“It's similar to coffee subscription services that give you a different bag each month. Those services helped me define what I enjoyed and now I just buy coffee directly because I know what I want.”

“I think Folgers classic roast is pretty dang good.”

“I guess I'm a philistine, but I am happy with my $12/lb local roast & my $8/can Folgers, and I really don't feel an emotional connection to the far-flung places my food is grown... nor am I pursuing one.”

“I know, I know. I'm doomed to Coffee Hell for my blasphemy, but it really is the best coffee I've had.”

“Dunkin Donuts is better (particularly the dark roast) and I also enjoy the new McDonald's coffee (although it seems to depend on location, some McDonald's seem to be better than others).”

“Those are Clover machines from a company they acquired like 15 years ago. They're very good and in my opinion a big improvement over their traditional batch brew-and-store coffee.”

“I really love coffee and the Starbucks Ethiopian Yirgacheffe made on the clover is one of the best cups of coffee I've ever had.”

“Went to specialist local coffee shop and the brew was fantastic. Had the kick of an angry mule and a really rich flavour.”

“Hard disagree, a phin filter is superior to a french press in all ways, and I exclusively used french presses for about a decade.”

“There's good instant coffee these days. Both Sightglass and Ritual Roasters instant coffees are excellent.”

“Their single origin Sweet Tooth espresso was pretty amazing when I had it last year, you could really taste the cantaloupe in that particular version.”

“You can buy a $4 bag of Cafe Bustelo (pre-ground) and get both better tasting and cheaper espresso.”

“I'm super lazy. I skip all the beans and grinding and just use Cafe Bustelo. It's great coffee and works really well in an Aeropress.”

“Sudden Coffee totally blew Starbucks Via away. It's about as much better than Via as Via is compared to the horrible Nestle stuff.”

“I had a batch of this and can confirm - not only did it taste like pour-over, it tasted like one of the best pour-overs I'd ever had. I was shocked.”

“The exception to that rule is Espresso Vivace in Seattle, with (at Capitol Hill location) a couple 3-group La Marzoccos at the bar and a collection of modded Niche Zeros on grinding duty.”

“Vivace is certainly one of my favorite coffee shops in Seattle.”

“Check out Gaggiuino. Sadly not really open source (Gen3) but you can get a cheap $500 Gaggia Classic and add fine grained control with an Arduino and display”

“Gagguino is a great example of this approach, licensing scandal aside†.”

“I recently bought the Fellow Prismo AeroPress Attachment [1] which is a metal filter and a new valve head which makes any inverted brewing method simpler and, to my taste, gives a more espresso-like result.”

“After having an inverted AeroPress explode on me in a hotel one time, I bought a Prismo for it and never looked back.”

“It brews faster than a Keurig since the reservoir is always on. It's also about as good of a pour over as you can make given the constant stream of perfect temp water.”

“Things like this make me wonder about our Keurig, which could have been replaced years ago with a Bunn dual burner for less money and probably better coffee.”

“Properly made espresso brings out flavors and smells which are not extractable with the Aeropress.”

“Although a great cup can be had with aeropress, drip, pour-over or even a percolator, Espresso is the ultimate form of the beverage.”

“I even found some instant decaf which I took on a camping trip shortly after stopping caffeine, which tastes pretty good. Mount Hagen, for reference.”

“I've switched almost exclusively to drinking Mount Hagen organic Fair Trade instant coffee. It's very, very good at a decent price.”

“I'm not sure what the parent uses but I really enjoy using my Comandante Mark IV (which solves some issues with Mark III had, namely around body design). It's high quality, reliable, and consistent, and also easy to maintain since there's only a few parts that need cleaning.”

“On the other hand: if you drink 1-2 cups of coffee a day, and don't mind putting in some elbow grease - a manual grinder like a Comandante or Kinu often produces much better grinds for the same price, since money can be allocated towards a better burr set instead of a motor.”

“Baratza Virtuoso (bought used). Our Encore was starting to be inconsistent after a few years, and the Virtuoso was a noticeable upgrade.”

“I've been using a Baratza Virtuoso grinder for 2 years now. I'm really happy with it, and it probably suffices for everything up to super fine espresso grinds.”

“Mixing half decaf with regular beans is a great idea, I've been doing that for years.”

“No need to quit if you don't want to. Just drink less. Mix your coffee with decaf.”

“Again, it's beautifully designed - almost impossible to damage, very simple to use, comparatively quick (about a minute longer than an Aeropress for one or two large mugs of coffee), arguably even easier to clean than the Aeropress (invert over bin. Done.).”

“Or a pour over filter (like Kalita Wave or Hario V60) plus a grinder. That's a cheaper setup to start, and an easy way to get a big mug of great coffee.”

“So far I love my Delonghi magnifica, no display or programming so it also doesn't do much and it was around $230 a few years ago.”

“I have a de longhi machine. It's our favourite appliance. Pays for itself easily.”

“Ask for medium roast, not light. You might like dark roasts, especially if you drink with milk or fakemilk.”

“If bitterness is a concern, people should also look for beans that are medium roast (which tend to be more balanced) or lighter (more acidic/sour).”

“I was missing them, so did a bit of research into home espresso and bought a nespresso and semi-automatic milk frother. My homemade cappuccino is excellent.”

“You can get simple, cheap, milk frothing devices, however, which work pretty well.”

“I have owned both Hario's generic handgrinders and I swear by Porlex. It's higher quality construction and easier to hold and use.”

“I have a $50 Cezve bought from a local store, and a $100 porlex grinder that actually does a grind fine enough.”

“I have a little percolator, which I love when camping or something.”

“A much better device for that use case is a percolator though. They sell them at IKEA for like $10.”

“That's basically Mecca for us coffee geeks :-) so consider adding it.”

“Love how interactive the community is. Everybody is pretty much obsessed with coffee and you learn so much.”