For those of you with espresso/coffee machines...

[rierie26]

Do you find that you don't buy coffee out as much as you used to?

 

[jewelz617]

I know it''s probably a waste of money since I do have coffee machines, but I still buy coffee nearly every day. I love all the special flavors and the foam... yum.

 

[steph72276]

We just got a Keurig for Christmas and I love it. I haven''t been to Starbucks since! There''s all kinds of different things you can brew: Tea, hot chocolate, decaf/reg coffee of all flavors. I would highly recommend it!

 

[Smurfysmiles]

I usually treat myself once a month to starbucks. Mostly because I haven''t figured out how to use the expresso side of the machine, I do love my drip coffee though Especially at Christmas when they have the specialty Peppermint coffee out, I mix it with peppermint cream, oooh it''s so good...makes me sad that we ran out

 

[yssie]

FI gets a 12oz coffee for 50c on campus.


We calculated that given the type of coffee he prefers and the amount of cream and sugar he uses, it''s cheaper for him to buy it.

 

[Indylady]

Wow, Yssie I wish I was on your FI''s campus!

I do buy less coffee because I have a coffee machine. I only buy coffee out when I am having coffee with friends (though now I often invite friends over for coffee instead of meeting them at a coffeeshop) or studying at a coffeeshop; for all other utilitarian purposes, I drink coffee at home.

 

[Clairitek]

We use a french press for regular coffee (I think this is more convenient than a traditional coffee maker) and also own a pump espresso machine (more durable and better quality than a steam only one IMO) that I had been using for lattes for a while. I do really enjoy being able to make my own at home and it does save me about $4 a day. I still buy coffee out sometimes if we are out of milk or I just was in a rush. I figure I am probably less skittish about making lattes and foamed milk drinks at home due to the fact that I worked in a coffee shop making those things for years while I was in college. I can make foam that you could stand a house on.

 

[yssie]

Date: 1/16/2010 11:55:45 PM
Author: IndyLady
Wow, Yssie I wish I was on your FI's campus!

I do buy less coffee because I have a coffee machine. I only buy coffee out when I am having coffee with friends (though now I often invite friends over for coffee instead of meeting them at a coffeeshop) or studying at a coffeeshop; for all other utilitarian purposes, I drink coffee at home.

Seriously!


Sandwiches are around $6, and tea is almost $2, so I daresay they make it up.. I do when we started dating in undergrad we'd meet at the Starbucks down the road rather than the library cafe, it was so much cheaper

I love the smell of brewing coffee, so I'm happy to make it at home anyway

 

[TooPatient]

We have a Cuisinart espresso machine & a Cuisinart burr grinder. Bought them on clearance for about $200 total.

They are amazing. Haven''t bought coffee in well over a year.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Date: 1/17/2010 1:28:49 AM
Author: Clairitek
We use a french press for regular coffee (I think this is more convenient than a traditional coffee maker) and also own a pump espresso machine (more durable and better quality than a steam only one IMO) that I had been using for lattes for a while. I do really enjoy being able to make my own at home and it does save me about $4 a day. I still buy coffee out sometimes if we are out of milk or I just was in a rush. I figure I am probably less skittish about making lattes and foamed milk drinks at home due to the fact that I worked in a coffee shop making those things for years while I was in college. I can make foam that you could stand a house on.

Clairitek, do you have any tips for making foam? I would love to be able to get that right, I''d be less tempted to buy coffee when I''m out if I can make it as well at home.

I use a la Pavoi hand pumped espresso machine to make a thermos mug of coffee to take with me in the mornings. It''s a big cup, so it usually has two shots in it. That keeps me going until around 4pm, when I tend to buy another coffee on campus. It isn''t cheap there - £1.60 for a small latte (that''s $2.60).

 

[MsP]

I''ve gone through a couple coffee machines... all were the pod-type (incl the Keurig that everyone loves) and the coffee was just ick to me. I continued to buy Dunkin Donuts coffee each day.

I researched why I wasn''t liking home brewed coffee and decided to look into brands that got excellent reviews: Technivorm, Zojirushi, and Capresso. I purchased one of them(a Capresso...the others were just too ugly to sit on my counter!) and also a french press(which almost everyone says makes better coffee than any drip could). Most importantly I got a burr grinder and grind the beans as I need them. One weekends we use the big machine, but day-to-day I''ll use the french press.

I haven''t bought a cup of coffee since I''ve purchased the setup. That''s a big difference from purchasing every day--sometimes twice a day!

 

[Scorpioanne]

I have a Cuisinart too, got it on clearance for $180 CDN and the regular price is $400! Heckuva deal. I figure that if you have one latte a week it pays for itself. My DH makes me one every morning

so I rarely buy one at work. I love it!

 

[ts44]

Date: 1/17/2010 4:43:12 AM
Author: Mrs Mitchell

Date: 1/17/2010 1:28:49 AM

Author: Clairitek

I can make foam that you could stand a house on.

Clairitek, do you have any tips for making foam? I would love to be able to get that right, I''d be less tempted to buy coffee when I''m out if I can make it as well at home.

I want to hear Claritek chime in too because making perfect froth is truly an art form, but since I used to work the bar in a coffee shop too, I have some input in the meantime. The more milkfat is in the milk, the thicker and smoother the froth will be, but the harder it is to froth - you''re looking for what is called a "microbubble" texture, where all the bubbles are super tiny and the same size. No big, uneven bubbles. Skim milk is the hardest to get microbubbles in but the easiest to froth, for me the froth usually bubbled up and got real lacy looking, not thick and smooth. To achieve good froth, I''d start with milk at refrigerator temp, gently froth to 90-100 degrees and then drop the wand in and let it sit to 120 to build body. Some people like their milk hotter but it always started tasting burnt to me after 120.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Ah - this might be where I''m going wrong. I''m using skim milk it has the least ''dairy'' taste to me. I can get a lot of froth, but it is as you describe - big lacy bubbles.

I''ll have a go with whole milk and see how that goes, at least until I''ve improved the technique.

Thanks!

Jen

 

[soocool]

Date: 1/16/2010 10:42:55 PM
Author: steph72276
We just got a Keurig for Christmas and I love it. I haven''t been to Starbucks since! There''s all kinds of different things you can brew: Tea, hot chocolate, decaf/reg coffee of all flavors. I would highly recommend it!

Ditto here! I have a Keurig and DH and I no longer buy coffee. It is so easy to brew a single cup of coffee at home and then go out than to make a special stop and wait in line for coffee.

I especially love the Gloria Jeans hazelnut decaf!

 

[Rhea]

We received an espresso machine two years ago and love it. DH uses it on an almost daily basis and I use it several times a week. I have a thermos and often take it to work in the morning with coffee. We still buy coffee out, if we''re out all day or espresso after dinner, but we don''t spend near as much on coffee out. I wish we also just had a programmable drip coffee machine. I''d love to set the timer so it comes on every morning, which I can''t do with the espresso machine. That''s the biggest downside to it, but it was still very much worth the money.

 

[Indylady]

Date: 1/17/2010 3:26:13 AM
Author: yssie

Date: 1/16/2010 11:55:45 PM

Author: IndyLady

Wow, Yssie I wish I was on your FI''s campus!


I do buy less coffee because I have a coffee machine. I only buy coffee out when I am having coffee with friends (though now I often invite friends over for coffee instead of meeting them at a coffeeshop) or studying at a coffeeshop; for all other utilitarian purposes, I drink coffee at home.

Seriously!



Sandwiches are around $6, and tea is almost $2, so I daresay they make it up.. I do when we started dating in undergrad we''d meet at the Starbucks down the road rather than the library cafe, it was so much cheaper

I love the smell of brewing coffee, so I''m happy to make it at home anyway

Sometimes I''m amazed at how much coffeeshops charge for a cup of coffee! I mean, a no frills, nothing frothy, simple cup of black coffee. Its probably all of their overhead that trickles down. Is the school in a small down?

 

[decodelighted]

I use a French Press every day ... and our espresso machine once in a blue moon. I was on a real kick w/it for awhile but the steamed milk started to taste like blood to me? Can''t describe it any other way -- Don''t know if I was doing it too hot or what but needless to say it turned me right off of what had been yummy caps.

In the summer I REALLY love ice coffees though. Never gotten into making that at home ... so I spend WAY more in the summer months of coffee drinks OUT.

 

[Rachel9]

We got ours about a year ago and very happy with, the nearest Starbucks is crazy, another reason not to shop there anymore.