Lattes

society4

I can’t can’t afford a sage barista coffee maker and I’m tired of forking out 4 euro for a latte everyday. I also don’t like the pod coffe makers …any ideas what I can buy to make a nice latte (not gritty or bitter)

What if I bought a filter coffee maker and I have a frother so could add froth to it or will that not work…

open to any suggestions that doesn’t require a lot of work !

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058385017/lattes

I'm not sure that would work. A latte is an espresso and steamed milk. With filter coffee, you have a much higher ratio of water to coffee than an espresso, so wouldn't give a lot of space for steamed milk (and would be significantly watered-down). Even a frother would likely give you more of a cappuchino than a latte (as a cappuchino is a combination of steamed and foamed milk).

What would your budget be? If you were buying a latte at 4euro, 5 days per week for 6 months, that's just over 500euro. You may not need to buy a Sage machine, but there are probably espresso machines with steam wands for 300-400 euro. Though I would note steam wands do take a bit of time and effort to learn how to use properly at the start, to get the right temperature and consistency.

the_amazing_raisin

Buy an espresso machine, if you're paying €4 for a coffee every day then the machine will pay for itself in around 6 months

I got a Sage Barista Pro and it's brilliant, although frankly if I was buying again I'd get the Barista Express and save some money

Wait for sales and keep an eye on prices, they vary wildly depending on the shop and colour of the machine

It's also worth keeping an eye on adverts.ie, plenty of decent 2nd hand machines going

As regards making a latte, it's a skill and like any skill you'll be crap at first but get better with practice. It's probably a measure of how understanding the Italians are that I wasn't assassinated for some of my early attempts 😂

After 9 months I'm definitely not up to the standard of James Hoffman or the like, but I can make a decent brew and it's better than what the local coffee shop produces for around 10% of the price

You can go the whole hog of getting a scales and measuring the ground and brewed coffee with scientific accuracy but tbh once you've got a recipe dialled in for your favourite roast you'll probably just stick with it

Penn

Actually OP, in early January I might have a Breville Barista Max+ going for sale (I recently upgraded to a new machine, but I just need to check over Xmas as I have a family member who might want it).

If it's available early January I'll let you know and we can work out a price.

the_amazing_raisin

One fairly cheap alternative might be to buy a Moka pot to brew the coffee and a milk heater/frother

To be clear, that won't make a Latte, it'll make a shot of coffee with frothy hot milk. Depending on what you're looking for that could be fine or blasphemy

Personally I found the Moka to be almost more hassle than the Espresso machine since you have to use a tiny pot on a big stove and watch the thing pretty constantly. It's difficult to argue with the price difference €30 versus hundreds for a decent espresso machine

There's electric versions now I think which look more convenient