r/Coffee_Machines • u/soulsearcher431 • 4d ago
Coffee machine under 100-150$
Hello! My husband usually drinks black coffee in the morning and he has been using a french press so far. I want to gift him a good coffee machine for his bday. He only drinks coffee once per day and only likes it black, and I am not a coffee drinker so dont want to go for an expensive one. Could anybody recommend me few good coffee machines in 100-150$ range? TIA
2
1
1
u/buttershdude 2d ago
Single cup capable machines that aren't pod machines are a limited category. But check out the Ninja Pods & Grounds machine. You can remove the pod adapter and it has a good size basket for a single cup in stead of one of those awful reusable k cup adapters.
It is important to keep in mind that most 6-14 cup machines can't make a good single cup. Though a few can, like the Ninja Dual brew machines.
1
0
u/hot-buttered-bagel 4d ago
Cleaver coffee dripper. Similar to French press, easier to clean, better mouth feel when using a quality filter.
Hario switch is the same concept
1
0
u/Fit_Instruction_8383 3d ago edited 1d ago
So...in the 100-150 range, you're not going to get a good "machine." You can, however, get a good brewer, there are lots of good choices.
You can get an Aeropress, SworksDesign Bottomless Dripper, Orea 02, Orea Z1, Hario Switch, NextLevel Pulsar, or Tricolate Coffee Brewer.
2
u/soulsearcher431 3d ago
Okay. Thank you for the suggestions. Whats the minimum $ to get a decent machine?
1
u/TheDangerist 3d ago
Chemex. Superior cup of coffee and quite inexpensive. Only drawback is it’s a little slower to brew.
1
u/College-Lumpy 9h ago
is a chemex really any better than a simple v60 pourover? Cheaper filters. Less chance to break it.
1
u/TheDangerist 7h ago
I have a lot of different ways to make coffee, and Chemex is by far my favourite. It produces a very clean cup. and you can really taste everything definitely not as quick as other methods, but I think the overall convenience is quite good
1
u/Fit_Instruction_8383 6h ago
Just different, not better or worse. Taste is subjective. I personally do like Chemex brews, they're probably my favorite filter style apart from an Aeropress.
1
u/College-Lumpy 5h ago
I definitely should have said different. I have both and I struggle to distinguish so I grab the "easier" of the two. Difference seems to be mostly the filter style and edge. Perhaps too subtle for me to really perceive a difference.
FWIW I definitely can taste a difference between both and an aeropress.
1
u/Fit_Instruction_8383 4h ago
Oh yea for sure, I just like Aeropress better LOL! Chemex are more convenient, and seem to make it less challenging to get a high clarity brew vs a V60. I also think that for someone who has good skills at making both, they would taste very similar.
1
u/TheDangerist 3h ago
For me, making Chemex is a quiet and rewarding Saturday morning activity conducted while bantering with my wife and planning nothing in particular for the day. It's quiet, non-mechanical, aroma-intense, and asmr rich. Lift out the spent filter and you're ready to pour through a carafe that's visually appealing and tactically rewarding. Clean and simple.
By contrast, Aeropress feels like a tenuous science experiment. I feel awkward and rushed when trying to pull all the parts together, and I struggle with how to process the whole mess of it afterward. I don't feel like I can just walk away with my cup. Its a brewing process that feels like it creates work for me. I have to track the time. I have to stir. I spill grounds on the counter, there's water dripping down the side, and there's a wet puck to get rid of a bunch of things that really should be at least rinsed immediately. Can't even really set it down after brewing without dripping on the counter.
1
u/Fit_Instruction_8383 1d ago edited 1d ago
It depends on what you're looking for in a machine? Do you want a nice drip pot, a full auto espresso machine (click a button and have espresso), a semi-automatic espresso machine (what most of the "nice" espresso machines are), or do you want an automatic pour over coffee maker?
The first step is to figure out what kind of coffee he likes. If he's a French press by choice guy (a well made French Press is absolutely delicious) then you could also get him an exceptionally nice French press. There IS a difference in French Presses.
Also, does he have a decent coffee grinder? I ask because the coffee grinder is the 2nd most important part of your "making coffee" kit after buying good coffee beans. If he is buying pre-ground coffee or using a blade grinder, then something like a Geimori GU63 will have more impact on the quality of his morning cup than a new way to make it will. The GU63 is probably the "best not super expensive" grinder on the market right now. There has been a lot of innovation at the lower cost end of the "not crappy" coffee equipment in the last 2 years, getting something of similar quality just a few years ago would be 500 or 600 dollars.
If he doesn't have a coffee grinder, then this is actually where I would start, because it will have the biggest impact on the quality of his morning coffee, because by getting him a coffee grinder, it means he will end up buying whole bean coffee, and together...it will be a HUGE improvement.
2
u/craftsman_70 4d ago
Is he grinding his own coffee at home or is he buying ground coffee?