It’s fair to say that I’m more than a little obsessed with coffee. I even bought my own roaster years ago, so that I could choose different beans and roast them the way I wanted, enjoying them fresh.
With Black Friday now upon us, there are lots of machines on sale, and choosing the right type can be hard, depending on the type of coffee that you want. To make things a little easier, here are a few good deals on machines I can genuinely recommend.
For the latest deals in other categories, check out our Black Friday live deals page.
Ninja Luxe Café Pro Series ES701UK
Coffee isn’t just a single type of drink, made one way, and the way that you brew makes a big difference. Espresso is great for an intense shot of coffee or as the base of milk-based drinks, but filter coffee is ideal for more gentle blends, giving a smoother cup. If you like to change how you take your coffee but don’t want to be inundated with machines, the Ninja Luxe Café Pro Series ES701UK is ideal.
This coffee machine can make espresso, filter and cold brew, and all types of milk-based drinks thanks to its frother. Its Barista Assist technology makes life easy, too, monitoring how a drink pours and then telling you which grinder setting you need to use to get the best drink.
Is it the best at all styles of coffee? No, but it does everything very well, and there’s no other machine that’s quite as versatile.
Normally, the Ninja Luxe Café Pro Series ES701UK costs £699.99 but you can buy it from Amazon for £549.
Save £150 on the Ninja Luxe Café Pro Series ES701UK
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De’Longhi La Specialista Opera EC9555.M
Making coffee shouldn’t be a chore; it should be a process that you enjoy. An art, if you will. If you’re into the process, the De’Longhi La Specialista Opera EC9555.M is an excellent manual espresso machine with an integrated grinder for convenience.
With an integrated tamper, it’s also very easy to use. There’s a bit of a learning curve to get the right coffee dose and grind level, but the central pressure gauge helps. Once configured, the De’Longhi La Specialista Opera EC9555.M is capable of pouring excellent espresso with a nice, thick, oily crema on top. And, this machine isn’t just for hot coffee, as it will pour a fast cold brew, too.
Manually milk frothing works brilliantly, too, and with only a little practice you can get finely textured milk.
If you want to take control and want the best espresso, then this machine is great. It normally costs £749.99 but you can buy it for £637 from Amazon.
Save £113 on the De’Longhi La Specialista Opera EC9555.M
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Melitta AromaFresh II Therm Pro
Filter coffee can be superior way of drinking coffee, particularly for those more lightly-roasted single origin coffees. And, filter coffee has the advantage that you can make a big pot of coffee, which is great for drinking throughout the day or for when you have a dinner party.
My favourite filter machine, and the one that I use at home after giving it an excellent review, is the Melitta AromaFresh II Therm Pro. The Therm part of the review tells you that this machine has an insulated thermal carafe, so doesn’t use heat to keep the coffee warm; that’s good, as constantly heating brewed coffee can slowly spoil it.
This machine can make up to eight cups of coffee: fill the hopper with beans, select the number of cups you want, fill the tank with the right level of water, add a disposable filter bag and hit go. That’s it: perfectly brewed coffee is done in a few minutes, and you can even time it to make coffee on schedule, ready for the morning.
The Melitta AromaFresh II Therm Pro normally costs £289.95 but you can buy it for £134 from Amazon.
Get the Melitta AromaFresh II Therm Pro for better than half price
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De’Longhi Rivelia
Bean-to-cup machines are good for convenience: tap a button and you get a drink from fresh beans with very little effort. What makes the De’Longhi Rivelia stand out, and why I particularly like it, is because it has swappable hoppers, so you can have different beans on the go.
Whether it’s because you like a certain type of coffee in the morning and something a bit lighter in the evening, or because you want a choice of regular and decaffeinated coffees, the Rivelia lets you swap beans when you want.
It ships with two hoppers, but you can buy more if you fancy having more. Excellent espresso and decent automatic milk frothing, mean that you don’t have to sacrifice quality for convenience.
The De’Longhi Rivelia normally costs £749.99 but you can buy it for £649.99 from Amazon.
Save £100 on the De’Longhi Rivelia bean-to-cup coffee machine
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Nespresso Vertuo Next
Pod machines don’t always have the best reputation, but I think Nespresso has nailed it, particularly with the Vertuo system: a brilliant choice of coffees and a brilliant centrifugal brewing system delivers perfect, rich coffees by the mugful.
Of all the machines, the Nespresso Vertuo Next is the best choice, in my opinion. It’s a good size, has a water tank that makes plenty of coffees, and it’s easy to use with just one button to press. And, this machine is compatible with the full range of Vertuo Capsules.
Normally, the Nespresso Vertuo Next costs £149 but you can buy if for £79 from Nespresso.
Save £70 on the Nespresso Vertuo Next
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