Coffee maker group test

In the last few years, buoyed by the success of Starbucks et al, coffee has overtaken Bovril and Horlicks as Britain’s favourite drink. Oh, and tea.

If you’re shopping for a coffee maker, you can practically pay what you like, from about a fiver for a stove-top percolator to thousands of pounds for a multi-nozzled espresso maker that’s only a tad smaller than your washing machine. For the purposes of this review, we’re looking at some of Pricerunner’s more popular models.

For espresso, you need at least 15 bar of pressure – the higher the better, to produce the slick of pale ‘crema’ beloved of caffeine fiends. Look for a large enough water reservoir and, if you’re English, enough room under the nozzle to put in a decent-sized mug rather than a piffling little continental egg cup, goddammit!

De’Longhi Bar14 Cafe Treviso

If you want a low-cost, low-maintenance machine, the De’Longhi is well worth a look. The relatively workmanlike coffee it serves up is not going to satisfy the purist – there’s little crema and froth is hard to muster up with its dodgy nozzle – and you’ll need to let it warm up for a good 10 minutes or so to get the best out of it. However, for the price, the Bar14 is an excellent workhorse. A passably good choice for those on a budget.
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Go to the De’Longhi Bar14 Cafe Treviso product page >>

Siemens TK50N01GB

It may look like it belongs in a scale model of a futuristic cityscape, but this coffee maker is actually reaching the end of its shelf life and is thus likely to be available on the cheap in the near future. It’s a superb machine if you don’t mind being stuck with Nespresso pods for the rest of your life, and a descaling programme should help ensure longevity.

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Go to the Siemens TK50N01GB product page >>

Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto KP210040

Krups used to be known the stark austerity of its designs, and maybe it should have stuck to that. However for 100 quid, assuming you don’t mind the looks, this is a bargain. If you’re not bothered about having the most exquisitely nutty, creamy coffee, its ease of use and compact footprint, allied to above average liquid results, make it worth a punt.

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Go to the Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto KP210040 product page >>

Francis Francis! X1

This is a statement piece, and isn’t going to sit comfortably in a fake-pine kitchenette purchased from MFI just before it shut down. However, it looks superb, makes very very good coffee and has a distinct feeling of longevity to it, with its substantial build and brass water reservoir. There are better coffee makers for the same or a bit less, but nothing matches the X1 for panache.

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Go to the Francis Francis! X1 product page >>

PriceRunner recommended
Magimix L’Expresso 11402

A wonderfully solid piece of work, the 11402 has a decent-sized, filtered tank, plenty of pressure and is very simple to use. It’s perhaps odd that a Magimix should score so highly, as the company is hardly known for its barista-friendly wares, but this is as good as anything on test, despite being just £150.

Click to read the full review >>
Go to the Magimix L’Expresso 11402 product page >>

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