Coffee recommendations please

Wow! So many varieties. Thanks for the posts.

Coffee pods not recyclable. Should we not be thinking about the environment especially after all the latest news of plastic in our seas etc. Just a thought.

Nespresso pods are fully recyclable - I get my pods delivered (free) to our corner shop (Collect+) and also send back a bag of used pods (free). The coffee grounds are composted and the aluminium is made into things like bicycles. “ Each capsule you recycle can come back in another everyday object such as drink cans, car parts, bicycles, Swiss army knives, vegetable peeler, ladders, window frames, watch cases etc.“
I don’t buy compatible pods as using them would cancel the warranty on the Nespresso machine and I didn’t want yet more plastic.

Grannybeck I have had a Dulce Gosto machine for years but now I have reusuable pods so can use any ground coffee and not sending plastic to landfill

Only Tesco Columbian instant. But I make it special by adding some dark brown Muscovado sugar, which is like toffee.
I drink a lot of coffee.
When we were in France I loved the tiny cups of very strong espresso, plus brown sugar. Gives you a real 'Zing'.

When our de’Longhi coffee machine broke we invested in Sage Blumunthal coffee machine which makes fabulous coffee. It’s a bit messier but have far more control than over the enclosed machines. I find Taylors offed beans to be pretty good and others I buy usually when they are on an offer.

Taylor's Lazy Sunday for me too.

Thanks again to you all for your recommendations, so many now to try, about to get stuck into pot of Taylor’s Italian as we speak, also have been very interested to see why can’t get genuine Blue Mountain any more, well unless I go to Fortnums? that would be a fab Christmas present to go on my list. Have to say, with responses from so many of you lovely people, is why I love Gransnet ?

Taylor's Lazy Sunday for us!?

I d not drink instant coffee. Taylor's beans to grind are fine. For our 11am treat e buy Rich Hazelnut (beans) from the Dreamy Bean Coffee company online. They do ready ground also.

The Blue Mountains of Jamaica grow the best expensive coffee. When we lived there it was sold to tourists or exported to Japan. We drank High Mountain coffee there with the indulgence of Blue Mountains .

The Blue Mountain Inn was a restaurant with stunning views , amazing food and they gave each female diner a beautiful rose. Fabulous.

Now we drink Taylor's of Harrogate and enjoy it, buying it when it's on special. ( not a patch on Blue Mountain but we enjoy it. )

I googled Blue mountain coffee, looks like you should be able to buy it at Waitrose, and Whittard, or on-line from the big retail company named after the mighty South American river.

I only drink black coffee and since losing my taste 8 years ago I struggled to find one that resembled proper coffee. I use Kenco Millicano as instant coffee both the normal and decaf. I also use the Tassimo L'or espresso (no 5) with extra water added and the Dolce Gusto Mexican. I do worry about the pods as the only way to recycle the Tassimo ones is to take them to dedicated outposts who collect them and return them. The nearest one to me is miles away. As they're plastic there should be a better way to recycle them!

My son only drinks espresso coffee made in the stove top machine - I bought him a new one a couple of years ago as his was looking very battered and he took it back to NZ with him. They're coming over for Christmas again so I'll have to find another but ones for induction hobs are not cheap!

Like you I have searched for, and tried, many different blends of coffee without finding one that just hit the spot. However, I now absolutely love Marks and Spencer's Peruvian blend. It is rich and strong - delicious.

I order and receive deliveries.https://www.beanbrothers.co.uk/

Grumpy Mule Colombian is lovely, and is also Fairtrade and organic. They also do the best decaf I know, which is decaffeinated without using chemical solvents.

(I buy the decaf from Abel & Cole, but I expect Grumpy Mule would tell you the names of the nearest stockists if needed.)

Have you tried www.coffee-direct.co.uk ? I'm sure you'll find something you like there...and they stock Blue Mountain.

Grandmama try stirring the coffee once the grounds are properly wet. It should plunge ok after that.

I find that it is difficult to press the plunger down when we use Lavazzo. We've moved from 4 to 3 as I found 4 too strong and usually it's one of the Waitrose 1 coffees. Sometimes the coffee tastes perfect sometimes it doesn't. How many scoops for a cafetiere (the 6 cup size)? I've been using 5 level scoops then a heaped one.

I absolutely love Asda's Extra Special Colombian. It is smooth and full of flavour.

Live on my own so use Waitrose Italian coffee filter cups. Give cup a good bash on the work surface to loosen contents then perch on top of mug and add hot water and let it drip through. Add milk - or not - to taste. I would call it a good Americano.

For anyone who likes a rich latte or flat white type coffee, Percol Espresso Noir is fab. It’s an instant coffee but full bodied, rich and flavourful. We heat milk in the microwave, then stir in the coffee to taste. I prefer a rich coffee flavour with plenty of body and this delivers. I now prefer it to many of the coffee shop offerings we regularly sample. Occasionally Home Bargains stock it £1.99. Booths supermarkets sell it for £4 a jar!! I’ve yet to find a ground coffee that’s exactly what I want!

The Nespresso compatible pods from Aldi - Ristretto at 16.9p per pod came out best in a blind tasting by 'Which. Better than Nespresso own and any other that we've tried

Another big fan of Nespresso. Mine was a basic machine as I don't like milky coffees. They have lots of different flavours and strengths but I tend to stick with Vivalto Lungo and it's decaff equivalent. You can return pods to their stores for recycling if you have one nearby. I order the coffee from Amazon. First machine was from JLewis and last machine from Currys. Worth looking round for offers, especially if you are not too fussy about the colour.

Viennese coffee from Coffee Direct. Absolutely delicious!