Home espresso machine worth it or likely to collect dust?

[soupcxan]

Looking at a $500 semi-automatic espresso machine for the kitchen. We drink drip coffee 7 days a week. When we're travelling, we get lattes at starbucks, but rarely when we're at home due to the poor value of paying $4 for coffee.

Is this the sort of thing that's cool for a year and then just collects dust?

 

[braumeister]

Forget it.
Same category as the bread machines mentioned in another thread.

 

[FIREd]

Ours -a wedding gift- collected dust until we gave it away.


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[rodi]

I've had 3 different espresso machines - ranging from a cheapo braun one to a midrange saeco one that was a few hundred bucks on sale. We end up using our moka pot more often. If you want steamed/frothed milk Bodum sells a milk frother thing - it looks like a french press but the plunger has a finer mesh screen. You heat the milk on the stove or in the microwave then plunge it to froth it.

We make moka pot coffee all the time - it's very similar to espresso (though technically not - since it isn't brewed under the 15 bars of pressure or whatever the official standard is.) It's easy and cheap.

Moka pot:
http://www.amazon.com/Bialetti-Express-6-Cup-Stovetop-Espresso/dp/B000CNY6UK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408664205&sr=8-1&keywords=moka+pot


milk frother:
http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-1446-01US4-Latteo-Frother-8-Ounce/dp/B00E99MM18/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408664274&sr=8-1&keywords=bodum+milk+frother

 

[ziggy29]

Ours -a wedding gift- collected dust until we gave it away.

Of course, finding someone in this situation and buying it for pennies on the dollar might also be an option, but it may take time and effort to find such a "motivated seller".

 

[FIREd]

I've had 3 different espresso machines - ranging from a cheapo braun one to a midrange saeco one that was a few hundred bucks on sale. We end up using our moka pot more often. If you want steamed/frothed milk Bodum sells a milk frother thing - it looks like a french press but the plunger has a finer mesh screen. You heat the milk on the stove or in the microwave then plunge it to froth it.

We make moka pot coffee all the time - it's very similar to espresso (though technically not - since it isn't brewed under the 15 bars of pressure or whatever the official standard is.) It's easy and cheap.

Moka pot:
Amazon.com: Bialetti 6800 Moka Express 6-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker: Stovetop Espresso Pots: Kitchen & Dining


milk frother:
http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-1446-01US4-Latteo-Frother-8-Ounce/dp/B00E99MM18/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408664274&sr=8-1&keywords=bodum+milk+frother

+1 on the moka pot (the one my grandmother used) and separate milk frother.

 

[haha]

Since many of us enjoy someone else making our treats and live within a 10 minute walk to several excellent coffee houses, it doesn't seem necessary to make any capital investment at all.

In an average week I will go to Starbucks once or twice with my GF down in her beach community, go to 2 coffee houses downtown,
and maybe two more in my home neighborhood.

I particularly meet interesting people in one place very near to The Pike Place Market, where in summer I meet many interesting tourists from all over.

Cocooning, or whatever it was called, just doesn't turn me on.

Ha

 

[Throwdownmyaceinthehole]

My neighbor bought one a couple of weeks ago, he hasn't been able to sleep since. Don't think it will last much longer.

 

[Chuckanut]

I've got one and really enjoy it.

 

[CaliforniaMan]

It is just hot water and ground coffee. It takes a $500 machine to do that? We still have a food processor we never use. It looked like a good idea until we realized it wasn't.

 

[rodi]

It is just hot water and ground coffee. It takes a $500 machine to do that? We still have a food processor we never use. It looked like a good idea until we realized it wasn't.

LOL - I used my food processor 3 times yesterday.
1) - blending pie dough.
2) - mixing up the pumpkin pie filling.
3) made some pesto.

(Have to say - I'm not a fan of washing all the gizmos... but it makes the food prep process easy - especially pie dough)

 

[M Paquette]

I have a midrange Saeco (Aroma) that I use several times a day, pretty much whenever I want a coffee. I hardly use the old Melitta filters or french press any more. I've had this thing for several years now.

If you use it solely for making half-caf soy lattes, light on the foam, extra cinnamon on top, then, yeah, it will get old quickly and become one with the FoodSaver and the Bella Cucina Waffle Maker. If you recognize that you can use it for pretty much any cup-o-joe, er, caffe americain or whatever, it is really convenient for fresh brewing single cups on demand, and way cheaper per cup than that swoopy plastic capsule 'brewing' (instant whatever in a plastic cup) machine.

Mine sits on the counter next to the little Hario grinder and sealed containers of french roast and decaf beans. I just checked, and I made two cups of regular and two decaf today, no foam...

I believe I'll have another...


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[Chuckanut]

Those capsule machines are not as good as expresso or a drip machine, in my opinion.

 

[soupcxan]

We use our food processor and stand mixer every week or two, because we like to cook, so I could see us using this appliance. But I could also see it falling out of favor.

 

[naggz]

I make a latte (regular or iced in the summer) for my wife every morning. We keep a few different flavors of syrups on hand, so there's lots of variety. She loves it, and says it's better than Starbucks.

Costs under $1 a serving, so it's saved us a lot of money, but it takes a little over 10 minutes to make each drink and clean up.

I have this machine (and a breville grinder), it's been going strong for about a year now.
Café Roma Espresso Machine | Breville

 

[explanade]

Use my Nespresso every day.

Very little work. Not it's not as nice as stuff you can get at Peetes or wherever but I don't have to walk over to it, though it's probably not a bad idea to do so.

I have a cup before work. When I'm FIRE'd in a couple of weeks, I guess I could just walk to the cafe occasionally. But would have to deal with rush hour traffic and workers trying to grab lattes and so forth on their way into work.

 

[JTOrt]

We found ours in the clearance section of Home Depot, $50. We use it several times per month, Starbucks Lattes are pushing $6 dollars here so it has more than paid for itself. We do enjoy the occasional Starbucks for a treat.

 

[Turboslacker]

Have a $500 Gaggia super automatic espresso machine. Wife and I love it. Used it everyday for over 4 years and still running great. Mostly Americano style with coffee from Sleepy Monk in Cannon Beach Oregon. Great for entertaining friends and family too.

Recommend it only if you desire quality taste and high quantity of drinks and minimal prep/clean up time.


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[Midpack]

We've had our espresso machine for 15 years and probably used it a dozen times, even though we have espresso drinks a couple times a week. I've just newer been able to make espresso at home that was even as good as Starbucks, much less like any of our local independent coffee houses. I'd sell you our like new Braun for 10 cents on the dollar if it wasn't such a hassle to arrange...best of luck.

After wasting a few bucks when we were younger, we've learned that less is more in the kitchen for us. We'd rather have the best quality basic versatile cooking tools than any of the specialized tools. We rarely use our food processor, immersion blender, mandolin, bagel slicer, ricer, espresso machine, warming plates, pasta maker, etc. The added productivity usually doesn't justify the cost, space or (especially) subsequent cleanup for home cooks like us.

 

[lhamo]

We bought a Delonghi espesso maker used for about $600 (retails for over $1000 in China) about five years ago and it was one of our best household purchases ever. DH and I are both coffee addicts. I will splurge on another one if/when this one ever dies.

 

[NgineER]

Wife picked up a Delonghi Perfecta 5400 at Williams-Sonoma during their summer sale four years ago for $300, a 70% discount. Still use it daily, makes great drinks.

Some drawbacks:
You need to maintain it, unlike a moka pot
It takes counter space, quite a bit of it

 

[Bestwifeever]

DH uses a Nespresso machine almost everyday. He really likes the machine and the espresso, plus if I squint real hard he looks a little like this man, whose ad in Switzerland made me buy it:

 

[soupcxan]

This is the one I was looking at. Not one of the capsule machines like the Nespresso.

Amazon.com: Breville BES840XL the Infuser Espresso Machine: Semi Automatic Pump Espresso Machines: Kitchen & Dining

 

[Bestwifeever]

Nice machine, soupcxan. Go for it. DH wanted simple and less expensive so the Nespresso is perfect for him.

 

[bizlady]

Our DD spent just over 3K for a built-in machine with their new home. They called it their splurge. We gulped, but had to admit it made great coffee, lattes, etc. They love it and use it several times daily. That said, they are great savers, and well on their way to ER, so I was almost glad to see them spend some money for a change!