# Owners: How often do you still go out for coffee?



## vabo1 (Jan 10, 2017)

As boring as this may be, I ask from a purely financial perspective: how often do you espresso machine owners still find yourselves going out for coffee? One of the reasons behind wanting to get a coffee machine for the home (probably Gaggia Classic) is to get a bit more coffee bang for the buck. Worried that if there is still a huge quality gap between home made and barista coffee, I will soon end up back at my fav coffee shop twice a day!


----------



## NickdeBug (Jan 18, 2015)

Aim for better than coffee shop coffee with your home set up. Easily achievable with a bit of effort.

As to going out for coffee - whenever I am passing somewhere that looks interesting. My coffee intake would otherwise be restricted to pre-7am and weekends.


----------



## EwanEdwards (Apr 23, 2013)

Before having an espresso set up, I'd spent at least £2-£3 a day on coffee but often, £5-6.

On my current budget, thats ridiculous spending so, I've definitely save a lot of money.

Only times i allow myself to go to cafe's now is if i forgot to take my flash with me, or to meet friends.

Definitely agree that focusing on improving what you can make is useful. Both addictive and rewarding.


----------



## Pjay611 (Dec 12, 2016)

Since having a home set up. I've saved a great deal of money on coffee that I use to spend throughout a working day. My previous coffee habits use to eat up at least £25 per week. If you do the maths that's a coffee machine and a nice grinder by the end of the year.

Your coffee taste will advance when you make it at home and be less inclined to spend on coffee outside.

To me purchasing a quality set up is an investment.


----------



## Snowley (Dec 27, 2016)

Have to agree with the above.

I'm very early in my coffee adventure, but once I have the correct technique, I don't see myself visiting my local favourite coffee shop very frequently from now on.....


----------



## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

I go every day ( work allowing ) . I get the maths of " if i have a set up , i wont spend it on coffee " but I want a coffee a lunchtime , i want to relax for half an hour somewhere that isnt work ...

Plus for me the ambience of a cafe , talking to people that work or don't work there, makes it more than just going for a drink for me , and as a result I am happy to pay for a brew ( and or cake ) .

Its like going to the cinema , yeah i could download it and watch it at home but it's not the same experience .

Plus I dont tend to go to cafes that can't make coffee better than me ( although this isn't hard to be fair ) .


----------



## Dayks (Nov 19, 2016)

I only drink it at home now.

Admittedly I rarely went to coffee shops before I bought my set-up as I couldn't justify regularly spending £2-£3 on a coffee which one day would be nice and the next undrinkable.

Perhaps it won't make such a difference to you if your local makes good coffee, although it might not taste as nice for long if you get a home set-up.


----------



## Stevie (Nov 18, 2015)

a good equipment setup can cost enough for there to never really be a saving, but I enjoy making coffee and going out for it too. Plus I work in it!


----------



## UbiquitousPhoton (Mar 7, 2016)

For me, finding cafes that actually serve 'decent' coffee (never mind better than I can make) is a trial in itself, so my answer would be 'not that often'.

I probably would more often if such a cafe was on my doorstep.


----------



## Phobic (Aug 17, 2016)

I don't get the chance to buy from decent coffee shops very often so will go out of my way to try good places whenever I get the chance.

completely agree with @NickdeBug about aiming for better, though it's good to compare what you're doing with the decent coffee shops, also a great way to try more beans that you'd be able to on your own at home.


----------



## UbiquitousPhoton (Mar 7, 2016)

Yeah, if I go into London (for example) I attempt to plan my routes around decent coffee shops (not massively difficult when there is one in Kings Cross) just to try new beans and compare quality. Round here, though, neros is considered to be a great coffee shop, so....


----------



## PeteHr (Nov 18, 2015)

I rarely go to coffee-shops unless I am out for the day or away. It's not the cost, it's the quality. I prefer my coffee than most cafes....

I do like a coffee after a nice lunch though - although it usually isn't up to my standard !


----------



## Pjay611 (Dec 12, 2016)

Don't get me wrong it's lovely to have decent coffee out. Specially The weekends with the wife. But I stay clear of the high st chains now I've become a bit more educated on good quality coffee. But good quality beans come at a price!


----------



## 7493 (May 29, 2014)

Usually once a week but more to chill and for the ambience than the coffee. If I'm somewhere with a coffee place with a good reputation, I'll try it. But that doesn't happen very often.


----------



## Thecatlinux (Mar 10, 2014)

Finding a financial perspective to a coffee addiction would seem to be one of life's great enigmas .


----------



## Bruce Boogie (Dec 1, 2014)

Had our Piccino for two years and we don't deliberately go out for coffee nearby as most coffee shops make worse coffee than me. We normally have one coffee mid morning (both retired) and I have one in the evening with friends when they come over. We only have one regular coffee shop Miro Cafe in Hereford when we visit. Always great coffee and David spends 40 minutes each day cleaning his machine - he loves making and drinking good coffee. We sometimes go to a Costa, never Starbucks, when we don't know somewhere better, but we both have an extra shot In a small Americano.

Making good coffee at home makes you very fussy.

I use RAVE Signature blend and find it suits us.


----------



## Robbo (Feb 17, 2016)

I have been drinking 'proper' coffee at home for about 20 years, 19 of which i still regularly went to a coffee shop as i considered their coffee a treat.

Then, around 1 year ago i joined this forum and it all changed. Now on the rare occasions i do go into a coffee shop, its only to sit there with a smug look on my face knowing that what i produce at home is far superior


----------



## DaveMak (Dec 6, 2016)

before making a cup of coffee became a hobby (only november) i would regularly visit a costa or nero for brew, purely because im not a thermomug type of guy.

but then i started reading a bit more and understanding some and getting some real(ish) kit, i've discovered a couple of local coffeeshops that roast their own beans so im quite tempted to go and give them a try.

more to pick up some info and tips, supporting local businesses etc etc.

so avoid the chains and look for local independent ones

but as for this being a money saving option then seriously think again, this has now become your hobby, its like fishing but more expensive and i probably have the same hit ratio with big fish and a nicely made coffee


----------



## koi (Oct 12, 2014)

I have a great home setup and can make a decent coffee but still regularly go out for coffee.

It's more a social thing and quality independent cafes that I go to. Don't mind travelling for a decent cuppa.


----------



## filthynines (May 2, 2016)

I probably go to coffee shops just as much. I work from home, and so often that will become working from the coffee shop nearest to where I happen to be that day.


----------



## mmmatron (Jun 28, 2014)

UbiquitousPhoton said:


> Yeah, if I go into London (for example) I attempt to plan my routes around decent coffee shops (not massively difficult when there is one in Kings Cross) just to try new beans and compare quality. Round here, though, neros is considered to be a great coffee shop, so....


Same here. Still love going out for coffee.


----------



## NickdeBug (Jan 18, 2015)

mmmatron said:


> Same here. Still love going out for coffee.


Ditto.

Completely different experience.

Coffee at home is my nice little OCD ritual followed by a rapidly consumed, and hopefully tasty, drink.

Coffee out is more of a social thing. The chance for a chat with a friend or even the poor bugger serving the coffee (who must just love the interaction with the local coffee geeks...maybe...).

I can't be bothered to get too fussy on whether or not I prefer my own coffee to a shop's offering. Sometimes I get mine spot on, but then I'm not trying to serve 100 coffees an hour. I ASPIRE to making better coffee than in a shop, but then I spend much longer making it AND select my own choice of beans.

It's a bit like trying to compare drinking a top end craft beer at home with a couple of pints of lager in the pub. One may taste better than the other but I know which is more fun.


----------



## forzamb (Nov 25, 2015)

I very rarely drink coffee outside of home unless I'm out for the day meeting with a friend etc. I don't wake up in a morning needing coffee no matter how terrible it is. If I can't enjoy it, what's the point of buying it?


----------



## Hal.E.Lujah (Aug 19, 2014)

When funds are low, never. When funds are fine, usually every day.


----------



## rizzyk (Jan 12, 2017)

I've had a Gaggia Classic for 3 years at home now (recently expired and about to be replaced with a Rancilio Silvia). I love having a nice flat white in the morning and afternoon at home.

But I also love to my local indy coffee place to compare notes and seek out new beans etc.

There have been times where I have held out till I get home as I know the quality will be good.

However when I justified the £400-odd to the missus, I based the payback on 3 coffees/day at £2.50 each


----------



## steveop (Jan 20, 2014)

The analogy above about a couple of pints down the pub is spot on I think.

I would only add that for me it will depend where you live and if the only pub that's near you serves only Fosters out of dirty taps and smells then you're better off staying at home.


----------



## Grahamg (Oct 24, 2013)

My coffee out tends to be purely at good independent places, and only then maybe once or twice a month. Normally meeting my wife at Full Court Press as they're little kiddie friendly


----------



## gindygoo (Jan 14, 2017)

Very rarely. Although financially better the main reason is I get my coffee how I like it every time with my home machine


----------



## shayne.herriott (Jan 15, 2017)

I'm a once a day - I still enjoy it for the social element and a reason to go outside!


----------



## Rhys (Dec 21, 2014)

To me this is a hobby. Trying out different beans, slowly upgrading when funds allow etc. You never 'save' money with a hobby, you just enjoy it. It's far easier to make a cup of instant, it's not as nice and you can't make pretty pictures on it but it's still a hot drink.

Going out for a drink in a coffee shop only happens with me when I go anywhere, like into town for a mooch around with my other half. Never bother when just out shopping or on my own. Closest I get to that is when using a Costa machine at the garage (it's ground fresh as least) with about 4 brown sugars to make it palatable. That's only when I'm driving home and I'm feeling a bit tired.


----------



## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)

Found myself in a coffee shop quite near my home recently. Saw the machine through the window then found myself asking about the beans while ordering.....

....eeew !! Specially imported from Italy or not I guess it is fair to say my tastes have come a long way since owning my own machine.

I still buy coffee whilst out and about from time to time ..... Just to see if it is a place worth re-visiting


----------



## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Having my own kit has not saved me any money - I just drink more coffee! £25-35 a month on beans, and a few quid on Volvic. Before I had a dual boiler espresso machine I never bought bottled water either!

I still drink coffee out. But I'm much fussier about where. I like checking out local 'good' places and seeing how they compare to what I make at home. I also enjoy a V60 out - but haven't really got into doing brewed coffee at home, because I have my Rocket up to temperature and beans in the grinder. And no grinder for brewed, so it's still a treat to have one in somewhere that knows how to do a good one.

My motivation for getting more into coffee at home was never to save a couple of quid, which is fortunate really, as I've probably spent more on coffee and equipment than I ever did in cafés previously.


----------



## S-Type (Dec 27, 2016)

Going out for a coffee usually happens when I meet with my friends so we go to sit by the sea, enjoy the view with sip of coffee and pleasant company... but nowadays is harder and harder to find bar with nice coffee and trained staff (not that there aren't any but numbers are rapidly decreasing) because usually they hire students who do their jobs just to do it and then usually we get "drinkable" coffee, but it is often to get something that could not be declared as coffee drink  so if I want to really enjoy coffee I do it my own at my home with freshly roasted beans, Rocket Cellini Evoluzione V2 and Mazzer SJ... but if we are talking money... my passion for coffee and enjoying it at home didn't save me any money, quite opposite


----------



## Scotford (Apr 24, 2014)

I'm not really into the fussiness about what I drink. I'm more about drinking g what I want to order wherever I am. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't.


----------



## javacentral (Feb 3, 2016)

If I'm wanting to go on a morning date with my wife, I may take her out to a nice breakfast place and get some coffee there. Otherwise, I usually stick to my home brew.


----------



## TobiasM (Nov 16, 2016)

Here in Leipzig (Germany) there is no really good coffee shop, so I never go out to drink coffee, I just go to coffee shops to meet friends, but not for the reason to drink coffee.


----------



## joesoap73 (Jan 23, 2017)

Down to once a week !!!

more to encourage me experiment more st home


----------



## Hibbsy (Jan 8, 2017)

Not very often, but last week went to Millworks in Cambridge. Its a restaurant but does good coffee at reasonable prices for Cambridge... Staff are knowledgeable about the beans which are all supplied by hot numbers also based in Cambridge.


----------



## Spazbarista (Dec 6, 2011)

Almost never.

Good coffee shops are really rare round here. There is one good one in Bristol that I know of and one in Cheltenham (The Dispensary) that is really good too. In fact their coffee is flawless.

Elsewhere, even if they've got the kit, you usually end up with something where each constituent of the cup has been fubared. Murdered milk, frothed out of existence or milk that has had the steam wand waved at it briefly. Or piss weak coffee, or super-cremated cheap shit beans made even worse by no knowledge. In fact, you have to admire some places for just how much they can mess up making a cup of coffee.


----------



## Obnic (Jan 14, 2014)

I have too modes. I sometimes drink a coffee when I am out because I want a drink. Other times I go out to get a good coffee from a proper coffee shop. Perversely the former happens more frequently than the latter but on those occasions I do not think of what I am drinking as 'espresso' it's just a warm drink.


----------



## Missy (Mar 9, 2016)

I'm looking forward to moving. It's a coffee wasteland here, but there's a list of places to try when we move!! (Not til august though!!)


----------



## caffeinatedtrombonist (Oct 1, 2016)

Since getting my Gaggia Classic I try to minimise buying coffee in town to save money- I only live 10/15 minutes away from where I study so usually pop home for lunch and coffee. Sometimes I'm pressed for time and end up grabbing an espresso from one of the cracking independent shops that we have in Birmingham.

In answer to your question? Perhaps once a week now


----------



## peld (Jul 30, 2014)

very little - i have a smart cafe in work, and its only the odd occasion ill have one if im out at the weekend. Partly see it as a bit pointless in paying a fortune for something less superior than you can make at home (im talking Starbucks/Costa/Nero rather than an indie place)


----------



## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

If we are planning a day out somewhere and I know there's a decent/'proper' coffee place in the locality we will plan our trip to try it out. If there isn't a decent place we will find the best cafe we can and order tea, we usually manage to find a deli or similar and it is usually passable. Just.


----------



## Jack-Jones (Mar 23, 2016)

When you're picking up 3 bags of Manchester's ManCoCo's Finest beans, It would be a crying shame not to indulge in a flat white or two while waiting!


----------



## Crema&Confusion (Feb 10, 2017)

I rarely go out for coffee anymore unless I go to a cafe and try and get some work done. The wife on the other hand, probably 3£ a day. But I'm trying to get that figure down!


----------



## Benjijames28 (Mar 29, 2017)

I am currently without a home set up, but even when i had one i would drink out 4 days in every 8, aka when I'm at work.

Rarely happy with the coffee i get from Costa coffee tho.

I enjoy what i call the hipster coffee places and often make a bit of a trip to get a nice coffee on my days off.


----------

