Want to know how to make a barista-style brew at home or maybe where to buy the best coffee beans – or even which espresso machine is best? The Filter’s coffee expert, Sasha Muller, has been answering your questions.
Sasha has tested coffee machines, cafetieres, espresso machines and more for the Filter. You asked him about pretty much everything – from which decafs actually taste nice to the best grinders to use – and whether it’s possible to be too much of a coffee nerd.
Sasha has now finished answering your questions. Read the Q&A below.
Best bean-to-cup machines for caff and decaf?
Question from Crodd:
I would like a bean-to-cup but also want to be able to switch from caff to decaf regularly ie past midday! I’d also like to not break the bank. Thoughts?
Sasha:
Bean to cup coffee machines with dual hoppers do tend to cost a hefty premium, but one slightly more affordable option is the De’Longhi Rivelia. I do mean slightly, though – the most basic model which uses a manual steam wand is currently £575, and the fully automatic version I’ve tested in recent months is £675. It’s a great machine that justifies the premium over cheaper models – both in terms of its coffee brewing, which is superb, and its design. The masterstroke here is that the Rivelia comes with two plastic swappable bean hoppers which twist and lock into place. You do still end up with some beans left in the mouth of the grinder when you swap them over, but the Rivelia’s touchscreen gives you the option to purge the beans, or brew one last caffeinated (or decaffeinated) cup. And if only two types of beans isn’t enough then you can buy replaceable bean hoppers for £18 a pop.
Go-to budget picks
From JosephFrady:
Go-to coffee on a bit of a budget please! Beans or ground (or both). Many thanks.
Sasha:
It really depends what kind of coffee you like – and how you’re brewing it – but sadly I’ve struggled to find any real bargains. I’ve tried a bunch of the cheapest beans from the likes of Aldi and Lidl in recent months in the interests of science (and saving cash), and they’ve mostly been fine – but none of them have really hit the spot. It’s definitely worth looking out for time-limited deals on supermarket own brand beans and ground coffees – they can be surprisingly decent – but you’re partly at the mercy of how long the bags have been sitting on the shelves. With no roast dates on these coffees, they could be months old and past their best. It’s impossible to tell.
One of my guilty penny-pinching options is a big 1kg bag of Lavazza Rossa beans or similar. These occasionally come up on a deal for around £10 to £12, and although they’re by no means a refined pick – the experience is akin to someone smearing burnt toast and intensely bitter chocolate all over your taste buds – they make a mean Italian-style espresso and similarly potent cappuccino.
If you want something more refined, and which you know is fresh, then my advice is to hunt around the various subscription deals from UK roasters. Some have cheap trials to get you hooked, so it’s worth shopping around. I’ve got subscriptions to a couple of roasteries – Craft House Coffee and Clifton Coffee – and with the various discounts you can get prices down to about £5/6 per 250g if you buy in 1kg or 2kg bags. That’s not super cheap, but given the choice between potentially stale supermarket coffee and wonderfully fresh, attentively roasted coffee, you do definitely get your money’s worth.
Delicious decafs?
From Yhoughes:
The best decaf for an espresso experience without the jitters?
Sasha:
Best is a very subjective thing – I’m still working on taste-testing every decaf across the UK – but there are loads of independent UK roasters making wonderful decaf coffees to choose from. If you have any nearby, then I’d try out their house decaf and continue to work your way around the map until you find one you really love. If you need inspiration, then these are some of the decaf beans I’ve enjoyed: Square Mile’s Decaf Coffee (£17.25/350g), Climpson & Sons The Decaf (£12.50/250g) and Craft House Coffee Decaf Colombia Tumbaga (£9.75/250g).
Is mod life worth it?
From Badboy8:
I’ve got a 2012 Gaggia Classic which I’ve modded and upgraded and provides great coffee. I’m about to go down the whole PID route plus I may upgrade the boiler in the future (the steam generation is definitely the weak point of this machine.) Before I do, I’ve considered whether selling it and putting money towards a more modern machine might be a better bet? Any advice? I’ve got a very good grinder (cost more than the Gaggia!) so in terms of investment that angle is covered.
Sasha:
I’ve also got a Gaggia Classic that I have a bit of a soft spot for – and totally agree that the steam can be a bit on the limp side. And especially so if you’ve modded the OPV spring to reduce the brew pressure. I don’t have any personal experience of any more involved modifications, but I’ve heard amazing things about the Gaggiuino. For about £200 – and the considerable effort it takes to install it – it adds a vast amount of deep control to the Classic – and a 4.3in touchscreen – which takes it into giant killer territory. Installation is not easy: if you don’t feel confident with soldering, wiring and flashing software, I’d hunt around for a local coffee repair engineer who might take on the work for you. If this sounds like your cup of
teacoffee, then the excellent Lance Hedrick did a deep dive into its wonders on his YouTube channel which is well worth seeking out.
Can you taste the difference on the high street?
From StanEthel:
Where I live I can get a £2 cappuccino from Greggs/McDonald’s and a £4 one from somewhere like Caffè Nero. Is there really any difference?
Sasha:
The main differences are to be found in the subtle variances of texture, flavour and mouthfeel, but the gamechanger here is that Greggs do the best bacon/sausage rolls. This makes the £2 coffee taste far better in my experience.
One technical difference is that Greggs/McDonald’s use commercial bean to cup machines whereas Caffè Nero uses ‘proper’ espresso machines. Consumer bean-to-cup machines tend to use lower dosages than espresso machines, and also struggle to produce the same intensity of well-extracted espresso. So, it is possible that you’ll get a slightly stronger cup of coffee from Nero. But would I pay £4 for a coffee when I could get a coffee and a bacon roll for less cash? Probably not. (And no, I am not on Greggs’ payroll. Not yet.)
To pod or not to pod
From JosephFrady:
What in the world possesses anyone to use a coffee pod, ever?
Sasha:
There are lots of valid reasons. Consistent taste. Zero faff. Quick. No mess. Big fan of George Clooney. I’m firmly in the latter camp – gosh, he’s a dish – but coffee pods can be pretty good in my experience. I was a bit of a naysayer, but I’ve since found myself enjoying both Lavazza and Nespresso own brand pods. And as various UK roasters produce third-party Nespresso capsules, there are some surprisingly tasty options which might sway the nonbelievers.
There was actually a super interesting James Hoffman video where he did a deep dive into the technology of the Nespresso Vertuo pods. It turns out that Nespresso uses some incredibly precise industrial grinders for the job – ones vastly more precise than even the priciest home grinders. In my experience, some of those Vertuo pods do taste really quite nice. Go on, give one a try.
The best grinder for the price
From CKT958:
What’s the best budget and counter space friendly coffee grinder?
Sasha:
If you want the absolute best possible grinder for the least possible cash, then it’s hard to beat a hand grinder. Well-designed models put all their effort into good quality burrs and bearings and the result is that a KingGrinder K6 (£99 at Amazon) can match or beat a £400+ electric grinder. Other models are available but I’ve loved the K6 over the past year or so I’ve had it. It’s sturdy, super adjustable and will tackle everything from incredibly fine espresso grinds to a super coarse cafetiere grind. The downsides are that you’ll get an arm workout with every brew, and even though the K6 has a larger capacity than some, you’ll have to grind about 35 grams at a time.
One slightly bonkers option is to use an adaptor to power a hand grinder with a drill at low speed. If you don’t fancy wielding a DeWalt at breakfast time, however, then one other nice option is a little battery powered grinder. I’ll be buying one of these – the Femobook A2 (£129 at Earl Coffee) – for testing as the reception has been so positive. It does everything from espresso to cafetiere type grinds, but capacity is still limited to around 35g at a time.
If your heart is set on a mains grinder which you can leave plugged in, then good cheap options are fairly plentiful. The Wilfa Svart (£80 at Kiss the Hippo Coffee) is a great pick for coarser grinds – it doesn’t do espresso – and it’s fairly cute and compact. There’s 20% off for Valentine’s Day at the moment, too. How romantic. If espresso is on the menu, then something like the Baratza Encore ESP (£159.95 at Coffee Friend) is a great place to start. If that’s too pricey, then bear in mind that Baratza does do discounts throughout the year – about 15% if memory serves. One other cash-saving option is to buy a refurbished model from a retailer such as Coffee Hit – they refurbish used models with official parts and provide a 12-month guarantee. You’ll need to be quick, though: a refurbed Encore ESP is around £96, and they sell out quickly.
Can you be too nerdy?
From MatthewSparkes
How do you know where to draw the line and stop on the line of diminishing returns? When does enthusiasm become coffee nerd obsession?
Sasha:
This is something I’ve thought about quite a bit in recent years, but I think it boils down to fun: if you’re not enjoying the process, then you’ve gone too far. After all, while some enjoy the science lab nerdery just as much as the coffee (and maybe more so), others just like good coffee made as simply as possible. And ideally as cheaply as possible, too.
It’s a great age to be in both camps, but it’s lovely to find that the more affordable side of things has flourished in recent years. Buy good coffee, a simple plastic Hario V60 (£6.95 at Amazon) or a nice little immersion brewer such as the Clever Dripper (£25, at Coffee Hit) and partner them with a quality hand grinder, such as the KingGrinder K6 (£99 at Amazon), and you can make a stunningly fine coffee. A simple cafetiere can produce stunningly good brews, too. The only genuinely nonnegotiable components are the good grinder and freshly roasted coffee.
And even if you do want to do espresso, you could pick up a De’Longhi Stilosa (£105, Argos). I was bowled over by the quality of the espresso which came out of that plasticky little machine. Could I tell the difference between it and a £500 or £1,000 machine? Blindfolded, probably not – but maybe this is something we need to put to the (blind) test.
Not everyone’s cup of tea
From Troy_McClure:
Do people who prefer tea to coffee know that they’re weird or should we remind them at every opportunity?
Sasha:
Definitely remind them. Every day.
To be honest, though, I think that a lot of those tea people would like coffee if really good coffee were more ubiquitous. Good filter coffee often has tea-like notes – some of the bags I have sitting around at the moment mention Darjeeling and Earl Grey in their tasting notes. In fact, I was drinking some while wandering around some very soggy Cornish beaches over half-term, and it was remarkable how similar it was to a more robust Rooibos tea.
High street coffee chains are partly to blame here. They’ve done nothing to guide people around the world of coffee – and the only flavours they’ve allowed people to explore are added in squirts of flavoured sugar syrup. Filter coffee shouldn’t be a cup of jet black disappointment. Next time you find a tea person drag them (willingly) to a good independent local coffee shop and show them what good coffee can be. You’d probably convert them to the cause.
If you want affordable simplicity
From: jamandflippers
I am looking for a quick but great daily coffee solution without using a pod. I have been using a stove pot but is there a better alternative? Must be quick, cheap and produce great coffee. Thanks
Sasha:
Buy a cafetiere – I tested a whole range recently and you don’t need to spend much. Buy the size that suits you. Buy an insulated model if you like the idea of leisurely sipping coffee throughout a morning or afternoon.
The ideal technique is easy. Use fresh, coarsely ground coffee, pour in water fresh from a kettle and wait. James Hoffman has an excellent video about doing it right but the big takeaway is not to rush it. Give it at least five minutes brewing time, stir it and go away for at least another five. If you use boiling water it’ll still be scalding hot by the time you come back. You might be surprised at how good the results can be.
Storage solutions
From: WildBillHagy
Can Sasha cast some light on his preferred coffee storage method?
Sasha:
I grind my coffee on demand, so don’t need to worry about keeping ground coffee fresh. Most of the coffee I get comes in big, resealable 1kg bags of beans with little vents in, so I just squash them down, seal them tight and – if I’m particularly bothered – put another bag on top (or something sufficiently weighty and close to hand) to stop them expanding.
Although I’ve seen all the various fancy vacuum sealing containers, which can be very expensive, I think they’re probably overkill. Coffee doesn’t hang around in our house for very long, so it doesn’t normally get a chance to go stale.
If you prefer to grind coffee in batches, then I’d just use a basic, sealed tupperware container or – if you want something fancier – a glass mason jar and keep it somewhere cool that isn’t the fridge.
• For more, read the best coffee machines for every home and everything you need to make great coffee
