revtothelimit - motorbike forum

I know there are coffee fans on here sooo...

I am fond of a coffee (flat white, cappuccino type of thing) in a morning and often pop into the nearest place to home with the excuse of 'I'll just pick up some xyz'. Fed up with shelling out 80p for parking and £3 for a coffee, I bought a £77 espresso machine. A Beko CEP5152B, because the reviews, particularly from Which are good.

It's a 15bar machine with single and double coffee baskets, 1.2l tank and steam wand, drip tray and warming plate. (Already have a burr grinder and a supply of beans as the missus likes filter/americano style coffee). Didn't go crazy as I don't know if the novelty will wear off and it will pay for itself pretty quickly).

It's pretty good for the £. It's not the most substantial thing but I didn't expect it to be. Shop bought ground coffee works fine (I bought a couple to try different types) as does the home ground Papua New Guinea beans that we have. Some people have put a finer basket in to give a better crema but I think with the right grind and tamping pressure it's OK. There are no bells and whistles, it doesn't give a set volume so you have to stop it when you have the right volume of coffee. Doesn't come with milk jug or thermometer and the tamper is just a bit of plastic with a scoop on the end.

The wand has a removable sleeve which you're supposed to leave on for max frothing and take off for latte style. Works fine with full fat, semi and a 50:50 mix.

Process is typical, run water through to heat the head/basket and warm the cup, quick blast of steam. Fill the basket and off you go.

Supposed to descale it every 2-3 months. I suspect a lot don't get done.

If anyone wants a machine that won't break the bank, it seems like a reasonable choice for two or three coffees a day but not for a coffee production line.

What's the benefit over making coffee using a paper filter (this is what we currently do)?
Is it a pig to keep clean?
How big is it?

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 4:46 pm What's the benefit over making coffee using a paper filter (this is what we currently do)?
Is it a pig to keep clean?
How big is it?

Pic here. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beko-CEP5152B- ... 3880&psc=1

It's 7.5"w×12h×11d. You can get a mug under the head, but not a tall one.
The stainless will probably get fingerprints on but otherwise it's just flush through with water and steam. For de-scaling you put the descaler in the water tank and remove a filter from the head. Haven't done it yet.

Main benefit is you can make a 'short' coffee and just add frothed milk whereas with the filter we end up with a more dilute coffee, Americano style and add a tad of milk. We do use a 1 cup filter and fill it almost twice though - stirring the grounds on the top-up stage.

So for espresso, cappuccino, flat white/latte I'd say the machine is the thing (frothing wand needed for the milky ones obvs). For Americano/lungo/allongé style the filter is fine. (You can get a similar result with the machine by just keeping the water flowing through the coffee basket until the mug's full).

Have to say I prefer what I've been making with the machine but wife likes her filter coffee as it's not so strong (and fewer calories ).

Count Steer wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 5:17 pm(You can get a similar result with the machine by just keeping the water flowing through the coffee basket until the mug's full).

That way lies the path of bitter dry over-extracted coffee!
Add hot water to espresso for an Americano.

If you're going to spend less than £500, you're better off with an Aeropress £30.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/AeroPress-82R0 ... C75&sr=8-4

I've had a basic Woolworths machine for nigh of 20 years now. Very simple and just works. It does get descaled every couple of months or so. Used at least 4 times a day between the wife and myself, now that daughter drinks coffee, that drags it up to at least five times a day. Simple is good.

I've got the previous version of this (it looks identical)

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/delon ... lsrc=aw.ds

Got the ex-display model they had in the local Currys when then new one came out for £375.

The wife uses it so much the descale light comes on weekly.

Kneerly Down wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 11:21 pm

Count Steer wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 5:17 pm(You can get a similar result with the machine by just keeping the water flowing through the coffee basket until the mug's full).

That way lies the path of bitter dry over-extracted coffee!
Add 5x or 10x hot water to espresso for an Americano.

Fixed that for you.

Add the same amount of water as your espresso for a "longue", much better.

Americanos are for people who like tea.

Kneerly Down wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 11:21 pm

Count Steer wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 5:17 pm(You can get a similar result with the machine by just keeping the water flowing through the coffee basket until the mug's full).

That way lies the path of bitter dry over-extracted coffee!
Add hot water to espresso for an Americano.

Agreed. That's what I'd do but the manual suggests the other method (which is a bit odd for a company making coffee machines). I should have added ' according to the machine manual'

I descale with citric acid which is the active ingredient in a lot of descalers but cheaper.

Trinity765 wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 8:31 am I descale with citric acid which is the active ingredient in a lot of descalers but cheaper.

I use this...

https://astonish.co.uk/products/special ... 4363271347

(it's Vegan).

Trinity765 wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 4:54 am If you're going to spend less than £500, you're better off with an Aeropress £30.

....and a Dualit milk frother.

(£228! )

TBH I probably can't tell the difference between a £500 machine coffee and a £76 one. The Beko stuff tastes as good as the coffee from my local place and their machine cost £'000s. I like a coffee but am not an aficionado..........yet!

Might get an Aeropress for travelling with though.

KungFooBob wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 8:40 am

Trinity765 wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 8:31 am I descale with citric acid which is the active ingredient in a lot of descalers but cheaper.

I use this...

https://astonish.co.uk/products/special ... 4363271347

(it's Vegan).

I use this. I dissolve roughly one t spoon per 1/4 pint of water and use at as any other descaler. I sometimes put it in a squirty bottle to clean the shower etc.

I would like to see a vegan eat it.


Citric Acid 2kg - 100% Pure Food Grade Fine Crystals https://amzn.eu/d/dploBxh

KungFooBob wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 8:40 am

Trinity765 wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 8:31 am I descale with citric acid which is the active ingredient in a lot of descalers but cheaper.

I use this...

https://astonish.co.uk/products/special ... 4363271347

(it's Vegan).

Use Oust in our Delonghi - 60-odd pence a go

v8-powered wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 9:47 am

KungFooBob wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 8:40 am

Trinity765 wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 8:31 am I descale with citric acid which is the active ingredient in a lot of descalers but cheaper.

I use this...

https://astonish.co.uk/products/special ... 4363271347

(it's Vegan).

Use Oust in our Delonghi - 60-odd pence a go

It's not Vegan/Cruelty Free, tho' so my wife would never buy it.

Everything she buys from cleaning products to cosmetics and fragrances have to have a leaping bunny logo on the back.

Count Steer wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 4:00 pm I bought a £77 espresso machine.

The John Lewis version looks suspiciously similar, with the same specs and for £27 quid less

https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-pa ... lsrc=aw.ds

Thankfully I don't have the counter space for another gadget so will stick to a cafetiere and aeropress at home and a jogo straw when out n about

MrLongbeard wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 10:17 am

Count Steer wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 4:00 pm I bought a £77 espresso machine.

a jogo straw when out n about

We've got those - haven't tried them yet though.

I assume you carry a load of grinds around as well?

We've used a Nanopresso for out and about and it works pretty well tbh.

Rockburner wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 12:16 pm I assume you carry a load of grinds around as well?

Not routinely no as I'm only drinking 2 cups a week nowadays, but if we're away for a weekend or such it's easier to just take coffee rather than coffee + aeropress / cafetiere

MrLongbeard wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 10:17 am

Count Steer wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 4:00 pm I bought a £77 espresso machine.

The John Lewis version looks suspiciously similar, with the same specs and for £27 quid less

https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-pa ... lsrc=aw.ds

Thankfully I don't have the counter space for another gadget so will stick to a cafetiere and aeropress at home and a jogo straw when out n about

Quite a few exterior differences but probably exactly the same insides.

TBH I went with the Beko because of the Which? tests and recommendation. (+ it's from Amazon so it arrived in nanoseconds ).

Counter space is an ongoing issue but really only because there's stuff that I should bung in a cupboard and fish out as needed. At the moment I stick the machine in a corner and plonk it on the island unit when I use it in a morning. It's small and light enough not to need a permanent location.

Will investigate jogo straws.

Next review - soup maker.

For the man cave

https://makitauk.com/product/dcm501z