Author Topic: Affordable Latte Maker advise  (Read 8087 times)

frugaliknowit

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Affordable Latte Maker advise
« on: June 22, 2014, 09:40:13 AM »
Getting hooked on lattés.  Would enjoy making them at home.  I don't want to spend $1200 and do not wish to buy a piece of junk.  Thoughts?

Rezdent

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Re: Affordable Latte Maker advise
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2014, 09:47:06 AM »
We don't own any electric coffee machines.   For daily cups we use a Melitta filter and boil water.  For Fancy cups we have a stove top Espresso maker which can be found new for ~$20.  I make the espresso in the stove top and heat milk in a small pot.  Bonus: if you use a stick blender you can "froth" the warm milk - AKA Cappuccino.

Frugalfrieda

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Re: Affordable Latte Maker advise
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2014, 10:02:42 AM »
You can also buy a tiny thing called an Aerolatte for $10 that does a great job of frothing your milk right in the cup. If you are near an IKEA, they carry the same item by a different name for less money. Unfortunately they don't sell it online. A stove top espresso maker is very inexpensive - mine cost $10 about ten years ago. If you like the flavored syrup, buy it at World Market or online. A bottle lasts a long time.

I recently celebrated my 60th birthday with a decidedly NON-frugal purchase. I bought a Nescafé Dolce Genio, a little machine that uses "capsules" to create FancyPants coffee drinks at home. I have coveted one for years and got a great deal on it. I bulk-order the capsules which keeps the cost down and I make myself one drink per day. The capsules get torn apart for recycling. I never got into the Starbucks thing, so this is my private luxury. If I ever tire of it, there's always Craigslist...

studentdoc2

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Re: Affordable Latte Maker advise
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2014, 10:53:04 AM »
I'm in love with lattes too. About six months ago, we got this one for a wedding gift: http://smile.amazon.com/DeLonghi-EC155-Espresso-Cappuccino-Maker/dp/B000F49XXG/ref=wr_it_dp_o_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2HU6R8OME1J1A&coliid=I1XLN3UBXOJWJ8. It's under $100, and it works really well. Sure, I'm guessing a $1200 model might work better and could handle more than one cup at a time, but this little guy has paid for itself 100x over. I use it at least once every day, and I've had no problems. HIGHLY recommend!!

Sunny

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Re: Affordable Latte Maker advise
« Reply #4 on: June 22, 2014, 11:31:00 AM »
I had an expensive espresso/latte maker which was a wedding gift.  It worked great until the kids put the espresso coffee grounds into the water container.

I bought a moka pot from Amazon for about $20.  Will probably last forever. Mi heat up a cup of milk in the microwave and use a $2 battery operated frother whack from Ikea.

I order syrup in block from Monin (free shipping).

ShortInSeattle

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Re: Affordable Latte Maker advise
« Reply #5 on: June 22, 2014, 11:38:10 AM »
Based on advice here I picked up an aerolatte frother and a Bialetti stovetop moka pot.  They produce a decent latte very cheaply.


desrever

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Re: Affordable Latte Maker advise
« Reply #6 on: June 22, 2014, 11:45:47 AM »
Even if money were no object I would strongly advise against a $1200 semi commercial machine in your home. The fantasy of treating friends to carefully crafted lattes with perfectly poured cafe rosettes turns out to be a pretty clunky reality -- they're noisy, slow, require a lot of calibration, constant cleaning, suck energy, twenty minutes to warm up, espresso grounds get all over your counter, etc. If you look at home-barista or other forums where they're nuts about this stuff, you will see that many if not most folk who buy high end espresso machines do so because they want to make lattes and other milk drinks, but in practice they wind up just making and drinking espresso straight. One reason this happens, is when you dial in the grind (which you'll have to do at least for each new bag, and possibly more often), you wind up having to taste straight espresso, and this is something you develop a fondness for pretty quickly.

I would just short circuit the above process, and get an aeropress (and a hand grinder, or a used grinder from craigslist) and skip the milk.

Please don't consider any pod based system without doing the math on the per serving costs, which are usually shockingly high.

projekt

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Re: Affordable Latte Maker advise
« Reply #7 on: June 22, 2014, 11:56:23 AM »
I went to the thrift store and found a little Krups[1] for $8. Oops, it didn't have the filter. I ordered one for $6. Now I make great lattes. An important piece of the puzzle is a frothing thermometer[2]. You can get the beans pre-ground at the store or buy a cheap grinder.

1. looks like this: http://www.viewpoints.com/Krups-Bravo-Plus-Espresso-Machine-reviews
2. such as: http://www.webstaurantstore.com/frothing-thermometer-nsf/913THFR17.html

SingleMomDebt

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Re: Affordable Latte Maker advise
« Reply #8 on: June 22, 2014, 12:45:34 PM »
What makes espresso different from brewed coffee? The grind is a lot finer and the brew time is short (for espresso)

Consider using strong brewed coffee in place of espresso.
Make your own simple syrup [1:1 ratio of water to sugar] or buy a bottle of torani syrup
Google Mason Jar Milk Foam (high fat milk works best for this. does not work with soy or almond milk)

And you have your own home latte in a matter of minutes.

bikebum

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Re: Affordable Latte Maker advise
« Reply #9 on: June 22, 2014, 02:26:38 PM »
I use one of those stove top moka pot things and I've noticed it gets a burnt taste if I have the heat on too high, and it takes a long time if the heat is low. So I start with high heat and leave the lid open. Then once the espresso starts coming out I turn the heat down. Maybe that's how you're supposed to do it?

Google Mason Jar Milk Foam

Thanks for the tip!

avongil

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Re: Affordable Latte Maker advise
« Reply #10 on: June 22, 2014, 03:25:48 PM »
Cappuccinos and lattes made at a cafe are expensive for a reason. They are delicious and can only be made with an espresso maker and frothed milk.  Unfortunately this is not a frugal item, especially if you want to make more than one at a time. This will require a $1,200 machine since you need a heat exchanger or double boiler model.

Costs Per Cup:
It costs about $0.75 for a shot of quality espresso and the frothed milk.  It might be cheaper to just get them at a cafe at around $2 - $3 a pop. The ROI is around 200 - 400 cups.

This a an expensive world to dive into, so I'd say take it easy enjoy a few dozen cups at a good cafe and see if the buzz wears off. 

We have few vices left, one of them is my love of Americanos. My wife loves a cappuccino ever so often.   

Here is what I have and the running costs:
Rancilio Silvia + Grinder = $800
Coffee = $10 - 16/lb  (each cappuccino requires 16g of coffee and you waste at least 1)

you cannot really get by the grinder or the high end coffee or the espresso is not frothy. It's just not the same, it taste horrid. I buy in 5lb bags for 10$/lb and freeze it in order to keep the price at same as the supermarket brands.

So, if that does not scare you away and you just want to make one cappuccino per time, then a Gagia classic + baratza is the cheapest way to a cafe quality drink. The rancilio silvia's boiler is large enough to squeeze out two lattes at a time.



SingleMomDebt

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Re: Affordable Latte Maker advise
« Reply #11 on: June 22, 2014, 06:18:34 PM »
I use one of those stove top moka pot things and I've noticed it gets a burnt taste if I have the heat on too high, and it takes a long time if the heat is low. So I start with high heat and leave the lid open. Then once the espresso starts coming out I turn the heat down. Maybe that's how you're supposed to do it?

Google Mason Jar Milk Foam

Thanks for the tip!

You're welcome. Or for about > $15 you pick up a small hand milk frother.

frugaliknowit

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Re: Affordable Latte Maker advise
« Reply #12 on: June 23, 2014, 04:44:10 AM »
Thank you all for the great ideas!!

Thegoblinchief

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Re: Affordable Latte Maker advise
« Reply #13 on: June 23, 2014, 07:30:45 AM »
Get better quality coffee and learn to love straight espresso or Americanos.

Not a Latte person. The flavor is way too weak, though I may have to check out those stovetop espresso things.

rubybeth

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Re: Affordable Latte Maker advise
« Reply #14 on: June 23, 2014, 08:01:20 AM »
This may seem dumb, but I got a Pogo Whisk for my birthday, and my DH loves to froth his milk or coffee creamer with it before dumping in his coffee (we brew pretty strong coffee in our countertop maker, or use a French press with great success) for a latte-style drink. I'd suggest the whisk and just making strong coffee at home (the whisk is surprisingly fun to use and at under $15, a bargain): http://www.amazon.com/Pogo-Whisk/dp/B008VVUWNA

avongil

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Re: Affordable Latte Maker advise
« Reply #15 on: June 23, 2014, 09:34:08 AM »
The wisk style drinks are good. In Greece they make something similar with cold milk and instant coffee called a Frappe.  I'd say these drinks discussed above are Frappe style drinks, not lattes or cappuccinos.  They make it just like mentioned above, with either a shaker or a whisk but cold. It really hits the spot.
The wisest thing to do is not to become a coffee snob and stop drinking lattes and cappuccinos at delicious independent coffee shops.  Hook yourself on the Greek style Frappe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frapp%C3%A9_coffee


This morning, I ran out of my 5 lbs of coffee stash. That's going to run $50 and last 2 months.

NeighborGuy

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Re: Affordable Latte Maker advise
« Reply #16 on: June 27, 2014, 05:03:10 PM »
Here's my method. It's easy as could be, and costs practically nothing if you already have a stick blender. (If you don't, just skip the next four or five Starbucks purchases and use that money to get a decent Cuisinart or something)

1. Boil some water.
2. Grab your mug and pour a bit of whole milk in it. Microwave it a few seconds if you prefer your drink to be very hot.
3. Insert the end of a stick blender into the milk and blend until you get a good froth. Should take less than 30 seconds. There will be some big bubbles at first, but it'll die down after a few seconds.
4. Fill up the mug with the hot water. Pour it right into the froth. It won't mess it up, trust me.
5. Get a heaping spoonful of decent quality pure instant coffee. I use Nescafe Classico dark roast. Keep the spoon somewhat horizontal and lower it down into the liquid below the froth, then stir it around to mix it with the hot water and milk. The froth should stay intact, except for a little bit of coffee color where you lowered it in. Have fun with it by drawing stuff in the froth.
6. Add cinnamon or whatever flavorings you want.
7. Enjoy your no-mess minimal-equipment homemade latte that took like 5 minutes and pennies to make.
« Last Edit: June 27, 2014, 05:04:46 PM by NeighborGuy »

labrat

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Re: Affordable Latte Maker advise
« Reply #17 on: June 27, 2014, 07:19:46 PM »
Based on advice here I picked up an aerolatte frother and a Bialetti stovetop moka pot.  They produce a decent latte very cheaply.

+1.  The aerolatte produces great foam, and it's powerful enough to make small batches of whipped cream (dangerous!).  Practice your moka pot technique and you'll be fine.  Grinding good quality beans fresh each time really makes a difference.  If only you could get nice crema with the moka pot...

 

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