I’m extremely happy with my Profitec Pro 600, but after getting kids I just value sleep more than the perfect cup in the morning. After work it’s usually kindergarten pick-up, dinner, playtime and then too late for a cuppa.
Also, when having guests over, the constant noise of grinding 5-6 cups interrupts the conversation and takes time.
I’m seriously considering selling my dream machine and getting a capsule and/or the Fellow Aiden so I can at least make really good coffee, but with one grind and a batch for everybody at once.
What have been your experiences on this?
Am I being an idiot and should keep it stored for when I have more time in the future?
Do I just not love the process enough for such a quality machine?
Appreciate honest feedback!
Just no on the capsule.
I haven’t taken the dive into espresso as yet; however, I’ve moved from Aeropress and French press (Hoffman Method which takes forever) to a SCA drip machine for occasions when I need coffee in bulk or in a rush. I still have the Aeropress and French Press for single serve but usually use the drip for more than one person.
I see espresso as a hobbyist specialty (which I don’t think I have the patience for) and that’s one reason I haven’t invested in it for daily workflow. A drip machine (and I don’t include chemex or pour over here either) that can reliably make delicious hot brown caffeine is a different thing entirely. I wouldn’t get rid of the Profitec. It’s there for the weekends, holidays, and when the mood strikes. Like a convertible car.
Also, coffee is good yadayada but let’s not fool ourselves. Caffeine has a longish half life and will interrupt sleep so with kids already doing a good job of interruptions, I encourage everyone to keep it on the correct side of Noon.
I’m on the other side and wondering if I can justify the (at an extremely premium) counter space for an occasional use of a Sage Barista Express, alongside my usual brewing tools
I’ve had a deLonghi Magnifica for well over a decade and it’s virtually no maintenance. Press a button, it spits out a pretty good cup of espresso from real beans.
The frother jug adds a level of cleaning if you insist on that. Haven’t used that in years myself.
Never go back to the capsule machines. They all still suck.
An Aiden would be a good choice to supplement the Profitec but you could also look at a Clever Dripper which will do up to 500ml of brew at one time. Do you have a seperate grinder that could be used with a Clever Dripper?
I use a Clever Dripper at the office because it uses very the least amount of my time to make a consistently good cup of filter coffee. It is also quite forgiving if you get interrupted and the grounds steep for a few minutes longer than planned.
I have a two-group Astoria and a decent burr grinder at home, for weekend funsies.
I also have a 12 cup percolator for weekday sipping.
And an Aeropress for when I don’t want to deal with all that.
AND a jug of store-bought cold brew in the fridge, for emergencies, when I “just can’t even”
My point is - it’s good to have options; get something easy and fast for “most” uses, but keep your good stuff for “treats”!
Also, when having guests over, the constant noise of grinding 5-6 cups interrupts the conversation and takes time.
Grind in batches, even daily would be okay. I’m not sure if capsule machines have gotten better, but if not, I would expect grinding daily would still have substantially better quality, even it’s not ideal.
In your morning routine are you making coffees for multiple people? I find it hard to believe low single-digit minutes is eating into your sleep time, but could be if multiple people.
the constant noise of grinding 5-6 cups interrupts the conversation and takes time
I have a phillips 2200 series. It has a small lid on top where I can put in ground coffee and set it to skip grinding beans.
We use it for the decaf my wife wants, but it could solve that part of your issues
Just get something simple and fast to compensate and keep your existing gear. Chemex, French press, classic drip.
This, we have a moka pot that we used even years before having a espresso machine. In the morning wen you are in a rush and don’t mind a cold coffee brewed the day before, when people come over and your don’t want to expend 20 minutes doing coffees…
My bf took the grinder I gave him as a gift apart to clean, then lost the pieces. I still wish we still had it. Freshly ground tastes so much better.
time to lose the bf?
Yeah I will be keeping the grinder regardless!
Hope you find the pieces
Hi, i think there’s nothing wrong with having two different tools, that produce similar results in completely different ways and with differences in quality achieved.
I have an espresso machine mainly for my own enjoyment and a drip machine for guests. Sometimes I’ll drink a cup from the drip machine when a guest is around I’m feeling like it.Kids will grow up faster than you expect and with that comes a little bit alone time for the parents here and there. You may enjoy the fancier option than a lot. If not, you could sell it then?
Do you keep both out at all times?
Thanks for the insight. I feel more like keeping it and accepting that life will change once the inheritance benefactor gets older
Yepp. Both of them on the counter all the time. As it’s a Mokkamaster and a Gaggia Classic, their foot print isn’t that large and I don’t have the room to put them away anyway.
Also, no spouse’s opinion I have to consider. :)If I were in your situation and had the room, I would most likely store the device and set a goal for myself to the tune of “If I’m not using it in 2/3/5 years, I’m selling that thing.”
Enjoy your nice machine.
Just buy coffee concentrate for when you just want a quick cup. I don’t know why capsule machines need to exist
Adding to this, in the states the Starbucks instant coffee is shockingly good. Its not the horrible instant our grandparents tolerated. I won’t drink it regularly but in a rush its perfectly acceptable.
Hehe I figured asking about a capsule in here would be blasphemy, but the missus wants one for flavored stuff and I’m hard pressed for arguments after she let me have this machine.
Maybe instant with flavor is better…?
I mean no reason to give up counter space if you can get instant that actually tastes better
Check out some of the smaller roasters that are now making their own instant. It’s not fresh ground, but I’ve had some absolutely good instant coffee that wasn’t bad at all.
I’ve realized recently that the fancy machines that make coffee from beans are really nice when you just want to get a cup of coffee for yourself fast, but when you need to make coffee for a group there’s no winning a good old dripping machine
Yes, this is why I’m considering the Fellow (which is basically a machine pour over that can do batches up to 1,5 liters) or a capsule machine that fires up in 30 seconds and everybody can pick their own poison.
The pucks don’t really go bad either.I grew up with the classic, indestructable Moccamaster, so I’ve seen how practical it can be. I guess there’s a reason “everybody” has one.
What capsule machine were you looking at? I can wholeheartedly advise against Nespresso, especially if (1) you’re the type to buy with purpose, or (2) you like good tasting espresso.
- Nespresso is owned by Nestlé. Should be enough said, but if you don’t know why they’re one of the worst corporations in the world, look it up. They’re basically comic book supervillain evil. Fortunately other companies do make pods that are able to fit and aren’t licensed (from what I can tell) so it’s possible to use without supporting Nestlé (other than the initial purchase of the machine, but even then there’s probably unlicensed Nespresso-compatible machines too).
- Unless you’re exclusively doing milk drinks, Nespresso pods just aren’t that good. They taste weak and thin, and are wildly expensive per gram compared to every other option available. If all you drink are lattes you probably won’t care as much but if you like straight espresso, those pods are shit honestly. I’m not even much of a coffee snob and I find them really unpleasant to drink.
I don’t have as much experience with other pod machines, but I’ve had a couple drinks from a Keurig and it was just kind of mediocre at best. I totally get the convenience thing though, I’ve got a baby who’s started daycare now and making coffee in the mornings can be rough while trying to deal with everything else. But if it were me, I’d steer clear of pod machines, especially Nespresso.
Not fan of the pods because of the extra waste, but damn I do sometimes miss my Moccamaster 🤣
I don’t know the pods you’re looking at but unless they’re instant coffee they definitely go bad. I got tons of undrinkable bulging pods from Amazon and have visited tons of people that have years old boxes for gusst… You get the point.
That’s not to knock the extra sleep and convenience. Just expect to have to deal with expiring pods and just ok and sometimes not great coffee.
When I was doing it(for the same reasons), I kept some pour over and cold brew options around for the weekends when I wanted to enjoy the ritual and take the time to sit with a good cup.
I must admit I’ve never had it myself, just read that the airtight ones often taste the same years after expiring.
Should not have stated it as a fact.Don’t currently have pour over, just my espresso machine, but I’m leaning towards sticking to it and hoping for more time in the future, and fixing something else for the missus and guests
I’ve got an ancient stainless steel IKEA moka pot that has served me indefatigably for about 14 years. While it refuses to die, I am locked in. It makes a cup of coffee strong enough for a whole day, and has been hilariously indestructible. I’ve had other, larger aluminium moka pots that simply fall apart in my hands within two years.
I don’t know anything about your coffee maker. It sounds nice. I’m willing to bet most of your guests wouldn’t object to instant espresso. If they really like coffee, you could treat them with the real deal. It probably doesn’t make sense to do the whole bit for every single guest though.
I love old, indestructable things. Hope it out lives you and keeps making just what you want from it until then.
I gather you basically say: keep it and get a cheap backup for most guests?
If so, that’s been the main idea, but the thought of having something so expensive mostly gathering dust irks my the wrong way.Don’t let it gather dust, let it be your daily ritual. Some things can just be special, you don’t have to squeeze the value out of it. A better parallel example for me is that I recently built a computer. Used parts mostly, but top of the line. It can render video about ten times as fast as you can watch it. However, I mostly use it to play indie games and old stuff. It’s just a special thing for me, I’m not going to get 4K monitors and start playing AAA games at max settings just because I can.
The same can be true for your coffee. Let it be your special thing, and to hell with the pressure to make the most of it. It’s for you, you deserve something nice.
Cheers friend.
The analogy fits better than you could have hoped for: I literally ordered all the HW for my new build on Friday. Did I need to upgrade the 5600X and 3080?
No, but PC has been my main hobby for 20 years and I’ve never had a build this long ever (GPU was replaced due to 1080 dying).Thanks for chiming in and enjoy your new build!
You too, buddy. I’m kind of the opposite, wanted to build a PC for decades but always ended up compromising somehow or another. Finally escaped windows and built my own at the same time, feels great.
Thanks for posting this - I have a parallel (but different) dilemma and the answers here are insightful.
Hey had I known it could help you too, I’d have posted sooner!
Hope you’re satisfied with your decision
Have not yet made the decision! Still pondering. But this helped :)
If it were me, I’d keep the machine and get an easy batch brewer as well. Either a drip machine or a large french press. It won’t be as good but then you have the option of the good stuff when you have time on weekends or whatever.
I do agree, but I feel like keeping a machine this big and expensive around to make a couple of cups on the weekends is… wasteful?
It’s a lot of money tied up into a depreciating asset I feel deserves to be used more than I currently do, if that makes sense.
We’re not hurting financially, so it’s more of a “is this reasonable to keep around”-type of thing.It’s a lot of money tied up into a depreciating asset
That’s such a weird take. You already bought and enjoyed a machine most people would consider way too expensive “just for coffee”. Which means it’s a passion buy, not an utilitarian one. Especially since you, quote, “are not hurting financially”. Depreciating assets are for commodities, not passions and hobbies. Otherwise, what’s the point in life? Selling it would be a net loss anyways, because at some point in life, you might want to buy another one and you’d lose the depreciation on this one plus inflation.
Don’t sell or you’ll regret it. Kids grow up quick, you’ll find the time again to appreciate a nice espresso very soon. Get a cheap alternative for guests and/or inconvenient times. Keep the nice espresso machine.
I both get your point, and agree with most of it.
The core issue is that I don’t use it enough, find it impractical for the use cases I currently have, and don’t have the room to buy another machine to solve that issue.
Unless I go for a small capsule machine like Nespresso and stow it away between uses.My main reason for pulling the financial argument was simply that it will keep losing value, and if I never find the joy again, it’d be better cutting my losses now.
I am leaning more and more towards just keeping it and accepting that life has its phases and stop feeling guilty about it often gathering dust.
Fair enough. I get your point, I just personally disagree with it I suppose. Coffee is important enough to me that it’s worth the counter space, even if it isn’t getting used all the time. But that’s just me. Ultimately, this is a decision you and your partner should make, not random people on the internet. But I know if it was me and I sold it, I’d miss it and regret it.
I know you’re right so I’m leaning more towards waiting it out for the kids to grow and find a cheap solution for now.
The input here has been interesting.
Same.
Fellow sucks, they have no support or parts available. I would never buy from them again.
Having a moccamaster or other SCA approved drip maker for crowds does seem reasonable. Whether you use the espresso machine “enough” to keep it around is of course up to you.
Thanks for the input!
Leaning towards a cheaper secondary option that can be stowed away
