Not sure Iām any further on with the right thing to buy.
Jura E6 I have is pretty good although if you use milk function the cleaning is a bit of a pain.
E6 Platinum ā JURA Outlet Jura outlet is OK, although I got mine via Peter Tyson eBay site when they had a additional discount on.
I bought a used Sage duo temp pro to see if I could be bothered with the faff without spending much money. Three years on and itās still going strong and I donāt see any reason to upgrade.
Why go for the easy/automated option when additional faff is available?
'Tis the AA way:
Or even more faff - must be an ultrasonic probe which should deliver higher power than a bath, but may still be worth trying your Velvet Vortex!
Quite interesting and not the terrible article I was expecting
Can older people taste the difference, given that they have lost the ability to distinguish the higher frequencies?
This is something Iāve been looking at, we have an old DeLonghi EC330S which must be at least 15-years old now, still works OK but is getting quite noisy and would be nice to have an upgrade. Itās designed to use the ESS pods but I never have and just us shop ground coffee, mostly from Waitrose with the ones I like. I very rarely use the milk frother these days but is nice to have.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-EC330S-Machine/dp/B000C3MLJS/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
Are the Sage ones still the best options at the budget end of the spectrum (Ā£200-Ā£300)? A built in grinder would be nice but not essential.
Bambino+ and a grinder is the 
at the budget end.
Thanks, Iāll check it out.
Has anyone had any experience with portable coffee makers like the below, or could someone recommend something. Looking to be able to have a reasonable cup of coffee when I start my new job van driving without having to venture into Starbucks of Costas.
What is the difference between that and an aeropress?
You donāt drink from an aeropress??
I have the mini-aeropress which is a self contained unit with itās own cup, but tbh both require a source of hot water, and the Wacaco does seem like a neater less fuss option?
TBH I donāt know, I think they do the same thing just the Wacoco looks a bit easier/less fussy to use.
I have a NanoPresso for hiking/camping, itās a superb bit of kit for coffee on the go. When travelling light, using the Nespresso attachment is so clean/tidy.
Iām a real fan of lever machines - reliable, easy to repair - analogue way of making coffee, when compared to an all singing and dancing bean to cup machine.
Home system
Elektra Micro Casa a Leva (Ā£1034 from coffeeitalia.co.uk)
Eureka Oro Mignon single dose grinder (c. Ā£440 various outlets) - as my wife drinks decaf and I need caffeine
Brita water jug with MAXTRA Pro Limescale cartridges (as I live in a hard water area - c Ā£35)
Cheap scales Ā£10 from Amazon
Tamper Ā£17.99 from Amazon
Dosing Funnel Ā£7.40 from eBay
Office system
1970s Faema Zodiaco lever machine (Ā£1100 second hand - complete with inline Brita filter system and Flojet water feed)
Eureka Helios 65 grinder (eBay second hand Ā£350)
Cups from https://coffeecups.co.uk
Coffee Beans from Ethical Addictions - Brazilian Vira Mao single origin
Hi again
Got an aero press and bought a little hand grinder to play with but still looking out for a good machine.
The bambino plus is an option but if there are any more suggestions donāt be shy.
My main recommendation is donāt scrimp on the grinder. If youāre doing espresso, you need a consistent, sturdy, well made, espresso focused grinder. IMHO this starts at the Eureka Mignon level (with the specialita being the sweet spot in the range). You can pay a little less and get a significantly worse grinder.
With practice, most espresso machines will pull a decent shot, but you cannot get good espresso from a crap, inconsistent grind.