[carboy]

Originally Posted by nishantgandhi

After much deliberation and research, I've zeroed down on the Morphy Richards Cafe Express. I'm looking for good espresso (not eXpresso) and my better half would want the fancy Latte and Cappucino stuff. So I guess this should serve the purpose well. I'm also getting this at a great price of around 2.4k.

Morphy Richards India - Coffee Makers - Cafe Express
Attachment 578917

However, carboy has been dissuading me from MR. I checked out the coffee makers at Croma and the cheaper ones looked very plasticky and not so long lasting.

I was referring to their drip coffee maker, not their espresso one. I have no experience with that. But it should be similar.

My Prestige & MR coffee maker both had to have their coils replaced.
The Prestige one cost Rs.175 total including labour - sourced & done by the company mechanic. MR quoted either 800 or 900 (I forget). I finally got it done locally - even that was pretty expensive - around 600, I think - because even the local guys source the parts from MR - they probably get it cheaper than retail customers.

Now I only use the Prestige - I got the MR repaired just a backup.

[Kamal]

I too love the aroma of fresh filter coffee.
In Delhi it appears that the coffee board outlets that used to roast & grind coffee beans for retail sale in beans/powder form have shut down.
But fortunately, there is a small shop called Devans in a corner of Khanna Market, Lodi Road.
They get the two varieties-Robusta & Arabica- in sackfuls & roast them in varying degrees-medium/ dark-& grind it Coarse/Fine as required & courier it to anywhere in Delhi/NCR.
Courier charges-just Rs10 per kg.Payment- just send them a cheque by ordinary post after the cofee is delivered!
I've been getting my coffee sitting at home from them for years & its truly wonderful quality, significantly better than the ones' available in CCD.
But the best coffee I've had is at my brothers, who gets roasted beans 2-3 kgs at a time from the US, stores the beans in the freezer & grinds the coffee 200gms at a time as reqd.Fabulous aroma, tho I can't recollect the brand of roasted beans.
He uses a drip percolator, while I use a traditional south indian style SS drip coffee filter which I picked up from Cafe Coffee Day-pretty good quality.
Recently, I picked up a coffee press again from CCD, for 200 bucks or so, good for 2-3 cups of coffee.This is a great device for a quick cuppa.
I also use a small little frother which runs on 2 AA cells for giving my coffee a neat looking froth head.

[nishantgandhi]

Originally Posted by carboy

I was referring to their drip coffee maker, not their espresso one. I have no experience with that. But it should be similar.

My Prestige & MR coffee maker both had to have their coils replaced.
The Prestige one cost Rs.175 total including labour - sourced & done by the company mechanic. MR quoted either 800 or 900 (I forget). I finally got it done locally - even that was pretty expensive - around 600, I think - because even the local guys source the parts from MR - they probably get it cheaper than retail customers.

Now I only use the Prestige - I got the MR repaired just a backup.

Are you referring to Prestige Espresso Coffee Maker PECMD? (Espresso Coffee Maker PECMD 1.0 - 0.24 Lt [espresso-cm-pecmd-1.0-0.24-ltr] - Rs.2,545.75 : Prestige TTK It is not clear from the description whether this makes espresso. This is a deal breaker for me then.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by nishantgandhi

Are you referring to Prestige Espresso Coffee Maker PECMD? (Espresso Coffee Maker PECMD 1.0 - 0.24 Lt [espresso-cm-pecmd-1.0-0.24-ltr] - Rs.2,545.75 : Prestige TTK It is not clear from the description whether this makes espresso. This is a deal breaker for me then.

As I said in my post - I am not referring to any espresso coffee maker at all. I am referring to drip coffee makers - from both Prestige & MR.

[Punzabi]

Originally Posted by nishantgandhi

I'm evaluating these 3 machines. Can someone suggest which is a good one?

1. Buy Black and Decker 4 Cup Coffee Maker DCM 55 at Best Price in India - Also find Specifications, Photos, Features & Reviews

2. Buy Morphy Richards Café Express - Coffee Maker at Best Price in India - Also find Specifications, Photos, Features & Reviews

3. Buy Kenwood Coffee Maker CM 70 at Best Price in India - Also find Specifications, Photos, Features & Reviews

My requirement is to have 2-4 cups capacity. I know the Morphy Richards one is an overkill (as it does fancy coffees as well), but still included it in the list.

One question - do all these machines accept beans or powder only?

And can I use Indian filter coffee powder in them?

Nishant I hope I am not too late to reply to your query but out of these three Murphy Richards is your best bet as other two are filter coffee makers. They won't brew your favorite stuff (Latte, Cappuccino etc.). Also, if you buy MR, its not dedicated drip coffee maker. I allows you to make filter coffee and drip coffee (as mentioned in the advert description) + you'd have to buy grounded coffee for this one (not coffee beans) as this one won't grind it for you. The top screw cap is inlet for water only (to produce steam to warm up milk or make froth). I hope this helps.

Regards
Punzabi

[nishantgandhi]

Guys - quick question - how is Delonghi EC5 Espresso & Cappuccino Maker?

Buy Delonghi EC5 Espresso & Cappuccino Maker at Best Price in India - Also find Specifications, Photos, Features & Reviews


Just came across this machine on Letsbuy and it's at a very attractive price.

However, I could not find an Indian website for DeLonghi. So service may be an issue.

Please suggest ASAP, as I wish to buy today.

[navin]

nishant,

it says cappucino but where is the milk input?

[johnjacob]

@Navin, these devices have a steaming wand which you use to steam or froth the milk and add it to the espresso. There's no separate milk input, I believe those are only in the fully automatic machines which are very expensive.

@Nishant, I saw some DeLonghi's when I bought my espresso machine. The model you link to appears to be a steam-driven machine.
Espresso machines come in three types: steam driven are the cheapest ($50-$100), pump driven ($150-$500+) and fully automatic ($500-$2000+). My personal preference would be to go for a pump-driven machine with atleast 15 bars of pressure. But in general, DeLonghi's are good and if you have the budget only for a steam-driven machine, then go for it. Here are some reviews I could find:
Amazon (read the customer reviews)
Coffee Maker Review.

[nishantgandhi]

Originally Posted by navin

nishant,

it says cappucino but where is the milk input?

Even I was wondering. Does milk go along with water at the top?

[Kamal]

As in Life, there's a downside to fresh coffee too.
-Its much higher on the caffeine count cf Instant coffee, so may be a no-no for people with hypertension & hyperacidity.
I have both so its a constant battle between the head & the heart.
If I drink coffee too near bed time, I need to awaken 2-3 times at night to drink water/pop Digene to quell the burning sensation.
Even without the High blood pressure bummer,your intake of antacids goes up a lot, to the joy of your chemist.
Any other fresh coffee afficionados facing similar problems?

[carboy]

Originally Posted by Kamal

As in Life, there's a downside to fresh coffee too.
-Its much higher on the caffeine count cf Instant coffee, so may be a no-no for people with hypertension & hyperacidity.
I have both so its a constant battle between the head & the heart.
If I drink coffee too near bed time, I need to awaken 2-3 times at night to drink water/pop Digene to quell the burning sensation.
Even without the High blood pressure bummer,your intake of antacids goes up a lot, to the joy of your chemist.
Any other fresh coffee afficionados facing similar problems?

Coffee does cause problems for people with acidity issues. However, I don't think it affects people with Hypertension.

There have been periods in my life where I have drunk more than 4 cups of brewed coffee every day. Touch wood, no acidity issues till now.

And yes, fresh coffee has much more caffeine as compared to instant.

[nishantgandhi]

Originally Posted by johnjacob

@Navin, these devices have a steaming wand which you use to steam or froth the milk and add it to the espresso. There's no separate milk input, I believe those are only in the fully automatic machines which are very expensive.

@Nishant, I saw some DeLonghi's when I bought my espresso machine. The model you link to appears to be a steam-driven machine.
Espresso machines come in three types: steam driven are the cheapest ($50-$100), pump driven ($150-$500+) and fully automatic ($500-$2000+). My personal preference would be to go for a pump-driven machine with atleast 15 bars of pressure. But in general, DeLonghi's are good and if you have the budget only for a steam-driven machine, then go for it. Here are some reviews I could find:
Amazon (read the customer reviews)
Coffee Maker Review.

The reviews on Amazon dont look too promising. Many users have complained of the extremely short froth stick, and the machine's inability to do latte and cappucino.

[Kamal]

Originally Posted by carboy

Coffee does cause problems for people with acidity issues. However, I don't think it affects people with Hypertension.

There have been periods in my life where I have drunk more than 4 cups of brewed coffee every day. Touch wood, no acidity issues till now.

And yes, fresh coffee has much more caffeine as compared to instant.

Actually,when I was first detected with Hypertension, my Cardiologist advised me to knock off smoking(which I did) & coffee, as caffeine is a strong stimulant & I was at that time in the habit of drinking 5-6 cups a day.
When I protested, he said OK, not more than 1-2 cups a day & that too light/Medium strength instant coffee.
I once did a before and after BP reading; my systolic went up as much as 20 points after a cup of brew!

[thoma]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Buying imported coffee is really a waste of money. Especially these big brand coffees.

Oops, I just gifted a Davidoff Cafe to my coffee lover friend. Didn't get a chance to ask him if he liked it or not. Do you mean to say that it is bad than the Bru instant we get here?

Though you write well, sorry, I like the instant coffee than the filter coffee. Bru instant is my favorite. Even Nescafe instant don't match it, says my taste-buds.

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by thoma

Oops, I just gifted a Davidoff Cafe to my coffee lover friend. Didn't get a chance to ask him if he liked it or not. Do you mean to say that it is bad than the Bru instant we get here?

Though you write well, sorry, I like the instant coffee than the filter coffee. Bru instant is my favorite. Even Nescafe instant don't match it, says my taste-buds.

Hello thoma,

Thanks for the compliment. There are people who do prefer instant to real coffee, just like there are people who prefer canned juice to fresh fruit juice.
That variety is what makes the world a better place to live in.

I have a Davidoff coffee gifted to me by a fellow BHPian. I intend to try it one of these days, but I am pretty sure it will be of excellent quality, just like most things Davidoff.