How to save money on a quality coffee machine
- 20 Jan 2022
No matter our budgets, we’re always looking for the best quality that we can buy in that range – and there’s good reason for it.
Better quality gear means a longer lifespan, and that actually means you DO save more money. If you have to buy a new car every 3 years because you keep choosing a crappy brand or model, then it’s time to start looking at different options.
While a higher price tag can often be an indicator of quality, it isn’t always the case. Price can also be hugely influenced by brand, and brand isn’t necessarily anything to do with quality – it’s to do with what customers think of a company. How people think about brand can be highly emotional or simply be a knee-jerk reaction to a familiar name. This is how mediocre products can keep successfully selling, and the brands that sell them capitalising on it.
That being said, sometimes brands have a good name for a reason, and sometimes you get what you pay for – having a little extra room to move in your budget for a new coffee set up can make a huge difference to how long your gear lasts, and how often you need to keep working out for new ones.
We’re cutting the brand chaff out of this article, and focusing on what is great value for money and built to last. The best coffee machines and brewing gear on the market isn’t always the most expensive, and it’ll keep dollars in your pocket for when you need them most.
Clever ways to save money: home coffee machines and alternative brewing
The world of home brewing has exploded in the last 10 years. A big part of that has been a drop in production costs – as demand rises, it’s cheaper for companies to sell their products at more reasonable prices. What was once a luxury item, the humble home espresso machine is now in reach for almost every coffee lover out there.
Alternative brewing trends have shaken this market up even more, with so many ways to brew your coffee at home or work coming onto the market and changing the way we drink our coffee forever.
So, let’s tackle the big three movers and shakers on the coffee machine market together.
Manual coffee machines
Manual coffee machines are the most recognisable type, looking like a mini version of what your local barista is working on all day to sling your favourite caffeinated beverage out you each morning.
Manual coffee machines can make the absolute best espresso coffee and good ones are built to last longer than a decent car. However, they do take a little love on your end to learn how to do a great job, keep them clean and get them regularly serviced. If you don’t take the time to learn your necessary barista skills, you’ll be drinking bitter brown water for a long time, feeling very dissatisfied.
The daily cleaning routine on manual coffee machines is lighter than automatic coffee machines, but getting the coffee right takes more work and learning up front. Not only do you need to get across your coffee machine, you need to learn how to use your coffee grinder too.
You’ll need to learn how to operate and dial in your coffee grinder, pack an espresso shot properly, tamp it into the group handle correctly and monitor your espresso shot for the right cut-off time. To do this you will need extra gear:
Read more about it on our blog for a walk through our Home Coffee Machine Buyer’s Guide.
We recommend doing a short home coffee course with us, or coming in store for a test drive (or both) so you can see what’s involved before making the commitment.
Here's Our Crews Top Picks:
Automatic coffee machines
Like manual coffee machines, automatic coffee machines are much beloved by many an Aussie. They’re something we’re very familiar with, finding them in offices and servos all around the country – we do love our coffee in Australia.
Automatic coffee machines can get a bad rap from those that love the manual espresso style, but they’re really arguing completely different points.
While an automatic coffee machine will never make an espresso coffee to the same quality that a highly skilled operator could on a manual, the reality is that very few home brewers are highly skilled. This is where automatic coffee machines really shine, because anyone who can press a couple of buttons can make themselves an 8/10 coffee every time – consistently.
As long as you clean these babies regularly and diligently, they’re fantastic units that take the fuss out of the morning routine or having visitors.
A good salesperson should be able to show you all the little non-programmed ‘hacks’ to trick the machine into making your coffee exactly as you want it too.
Pssst! Want an extra shot of coffee, but don’t want it to just run extra water through the same shot? Drop a short black into your cup first, then drop a full coffee on top of it. This will force the machine to pack and drop two separate shots, without watery espresso.
Like manual coffee machines, they do still need regular servicing to stay in the best shape so it’s important you choose a brand that can be repaired or serviced by a local and/or independent coffee machine repair service like the one we have at Crema Coffee Garage.
Not all brands of automatic coffee machines allow this – they don’t all release their coffee machine parts – so make sure to ask that question before adding to cart.
You can check out our range of automatic coffee machines online – we exclusively sell Swiss-made Jura coffee machines and are an official repairing outlet for both Jura and DeLonghi coffee machines. You can also drop in for a test drive of these in our Showrooms in Newcastle and Brisbane.
Here's Our Crews Top Picks:
Alternative Brewing: Pour over coffee makers, coffee cold brewing, French press coffee makers – they’re all good
When it comes to the quality vs saving money debate, alternative brewing gear isn’t exempt. The only advantage this collection of brewing gear has is its relative newness in the market – many brands in this space haven’t had the time to build decades-long brand identities to sway consumers, so they (mostly) have to actually deliver great quality for price.
There is a massive collection of ways to brew your coffee that isn’t espresso, including:
- Cold brew coffee
- Pour over coffee – also known as filter coffee or batch brewers
- Plunger or French Press coffee
- Stovetop Espresso coffee makers
- Cold drip coffee
- Handheld espresso makers
- Siphon coffee brewing
Within the brewing spaces listed above lie several options – and we can guarantee that the most expensive isn’t always the best quality or the easiest to use.
We’re gonna say it again – get great advice from people (us) who have used them all, and can make suggestions based on your intended use and needs. When it comes to alternative brewing, context is everything – not price.
How to choose the best coffee machine for your budget
If you’re looking for a new coffee machine set up or buying one for the first time, wading through the choices can be an intimidating adventure. Your average Google search will bring up enough options to make you want to snap your laptop shut: Breville coffee machines, Nespresso coffee machines, coffee machines Kmart, Price Drops, Extended Warranties – argh!
If you take anything away from this article it’s this – ask people who are in the know. A true coffee expert can hear and interpret your needs properly including: what you need one for, how you like your coffee, how much time you spend making it and a host of other questions to steer you to one of the main categories below.
From there, they’ll be able to help you make the right choice between the options in that area, and what the best value and quality for money is.
Some other great questions to ask yourself through the research process? Check them out
Do you like the ritual and preparation process?
If you don’t know, we highly recommend you do a fun home barista course with us to find out, or come in store to test drive some machines and alternative brewing gear so you can see what you’re in for, regardless of what type of coffee machine you’re planning to take home. If you hate the process, you’re not going to get value out of the coffee gear, so you’re not going to save any money.
Have a budget of between $2000-$5000
If you’re opting for a manual coffee machine, you’ll often need a separate grinder too, this price range allows for that. Avoid coffee machines with in-built grinders – they’re difficult to clean, useless if they break and hard to get repaired by a good service outlet. You can check out some great options in our online store, which you can test out in person.
This price range also offers options that are truly built to last, and with regular servicing can last a decade or longer. That’s a lot cheaper than buying a cheap machine for $1000 every year.
Have a budget below $2000?
You can find great options below this price range, but they won’t have the lifespan of those above, and you’ll find them difficult to repair because the cost for coffee machine repair isn’t any different to normal mechanical services.
On top of this, many brands in this price range do not sell parts to the public or independent repairers – it would encourage lower sales. With regular use, you can expect these to last between 1- 3 years dependant on your care with it.
Most people just end up replacing these types of coffee machines more regularly, which is fine if you’re taking the learning process slowly and want the option to keep upgrading.
If you’re opting for an alternative brewing set up, costs for a good one can vary wildly from $30-$2000. It really depends on what you go for, and getting out to local cafes and tasting different brews is good for figuring that out. The Crema Coffee Garage espresso bars boast a range of brews on offer every day, and will demo any bit of gear you want to see. The best part? Tasting the result!
Read reviews, read reviews
Make sure that you read reviews for machines that aren’t on the brand or manufacturer website. There are independent review platforms that exist for this reason such as www.choice.com.au and www.productreview.com.au.
Find out where you can buy the machines, as well as where they can be repaired – then read those reviews too! There’s no point buying a great coffee machine if you buy it from somewhere shoddy with terrible customer service, or there is no way for you to have it fixed.
Ask your coffee nerd friends their opinions, check out the many online coffee forums and read the debates. You can also find some great video reviews on machines all over YouTube, check out our Crema Coffee Garage YouTube channel for reviews and comparisons.
Calculate your current coffee expenses
If you do the math and figure out how much you’re already spending on coffee, that’s a good place to start when figuring out what is reasonable to spend. Say you buy 5 takeaway coffees a week – that’s an average spend of $25, or $1300 a year.
Not only is that a decent starting point for your first coffee machine or top shelf brewing equipment, it doesn’t even take into account the weekend joy you get from it or the visitors you’ll have that use it.
A $1300 machine should last you a couple of years without hassle (depending on make and model), but for a little extra it could last a great deal longer.
How often do you want to upgrade your coffee machine?
The difference in lifespan between a coffee machine that costs $1300 and one that costs $2300 can be as much as 5 years or longer, depending on the make and model. As we said, highly recognisable brands don’t always equal quality, but some certainly do.
Our team is always happy to offer some obligation free advice on the phone and web chat, and if you wander in store the coffee machine specialists can help you sort fact from fiction pretty fast – that’s kind of their whole job.
How often will you use your coffee machine?
If you’re not using it every day, then it makes sense to opt for something cheaper to tide you over. As long as you make sure to turn it on regularly and run some hot water through it to keep all the O-rings pliable and the brewing unit fresh, it’s a good place to start.
But if you know you’re going to use the machine consistently for years, a better model is still the best choice even for a light coffee drinker. It means you’ll get even longer out of it than the average user, with mid-price models of $1500 - $2500 possibly lasting a decade or longer for you.
Wondering how to save money each month? Buy the best coffee machine you can
Overall, spending a little more on the best coffee machine or brewing gear you can afford will net you something that lasts long enough for you to see savings – you might even still be able to sell it for a decent return if you decide to upgrade.
Much like anything in life, super cheap coffee machines keep you trapped in a cycle of purchase-replace.
The best coffee machines change that cycle to purchase-service/repair-replace. And the difference a little extra money upfront can make is a decade compared to a year – without having to spend a huge amount extra.
Don’t buy blind! You can talk to the team at Crema via phone, email, web chat and in person by coming in store to have test drives and tastings. If you have something in mind that we don’t stock, our staff will tell you honestly if it’s a great deal. It’s not all about us making a sale, we’re here to inspire your ultimate brewing experience. We’re about all people having access to great coffee and gear that lasts.
