What slightly irritates you ?

tenderhooks pacifically

 

Queues..

 

Oh no, are you the guilty one?

 

The wife constantly moaning and interrupting when I'm reading the BBS even if we are away for the weekend

 

People who take their supermarket trolley back to the trolley shelter and just push it in without stacking. Next person does same. Winds me up

 

I started out years ago with a relatively cheap basic espresso machine with a steam nozzle (De Longhi I think) Don't make Cappuccini much so the steam feature did not get much use. I have since had a a variety of types including recons from the Gaggia shop that is /was? at Lakeside Village outlet from cheap basic all the way up to the all singing and dancing bean to cup models. The expensive ones which back then were £4-500 often have twin boilers meaning if you make steam you dont have to wait for it to cool down enough to then make an espresso. I tried pod machines - they may be cheap to buy but hellishly expensive to keep supplied with pods even if you get compatible ones if, like us you have 4 or 5 cups each a day. I stopped because many are not recyclable and bad for the environment. I used to separate mine into different components for recycling but that took me 40 minutes a week to do. They are though convenient and not messy.
No domestic ones have ever produced coffee to the standard you get from a commercial machine in bars and restaurants. Often the crema is poor or the coffee comes out not very hot.
That said my current one is the cheapest and best I have ever had- consistent, always hot and actually surprisingly well made . I discarded the pod machine, saw a really cheap conventional machine on Bangood and seeing the reviews gambled and bought one. It produces amazingly good consistent espresso hot and with a good crema. Large reservoir so not constantly needing filling . It cost me 69 euros!! I have seen them elsewhere at two and three times the price. Only problem is with Bangood any faults even under guarantee you have to pay P&P to return so given size and weight and purchase price not worth returning. Sadly after 3 months mine developed a fault -failed thermostat- but rather than aarraange a return they agreed a 30 euro discount as I had liked the machine so much I decided to double or quits gamble and order a replacement. Well over a year on it is still producing excellent coffee. Just remember to descale regularly whatever you buy. Mine still only ended up costing me 110 euros overall and I also now have spare parts too!! . Very simple to use and ergonomic. You need to buy a grinder though or ground coffee (not for filter but suitable Espresso machines). Burr grinders are best but very expensive.

Below is the link but it is EU (originally orders had to come from China so it took ages but they now have a distribution centre in Europe) . You may be able to get it in UK but no idea of cost. 85 euros here now. Like I said best machine I have ever had by a country mile.

https://www.banggood.com/BlitzWolf-...MIrbHG8vSb-gIVhJ3VCh3L1AdSEAYYASABEgIMwPD_BwE

 

Cheers Tekky I searched for that machine and it's not available for shipping to the UK but this one came up and is incredibly cheap (good reviews but I'm sceptical due to price. I would only make espresso with it, not bothered about creme, latte, cappuccino etc): https://www.currys.co.uk/products/l...chine-stainless-steel-and-black-10190336.html

 

That is scarily cheap!! So cheap unless you are living on the breadline (and if you drink espresso I somehow doubt it), it has to be worth a punt. At UK shop bought espresso prices even half a dozen a week even with the price of ground coffee and energy costs you will have recovered the cost of the machine in next to no time. Experience has told me price is no indication of quality, reliability or quality/temperature of espresso produced. Italian visitors are surprised when I offer them coffee and give them espresso because I am English and obviously we only make watery instant coffee in a mug
Most comment on how good the coffee is and comment on the machine as well. It is a pity it is not available in the UK though (A Brexit bonus?)

 

The misuse of 'pre'

Pre means before.

So to pre-book means the thing you do before booking something. What most people are doing is booking something before it's available to buy - which is just booking. If you still insist it's not then at best it's a pre-purchase booking.

 

Similar to during the pandemic when people couldn't get abroad so would say they are booking a staycation, which to them meant going away in the UK. But staycation means staying at home.

 

Espresso is a foreign word.

But so is Expresso (they way they spell it in Portugal)

 

I’m tempted!

 

Thing is, when it's busy it's easier to grab a trolley that isn't stacked.

 

Social media.
Young uns with no gumption!
Bullshitters and liars!
Smug Wednesday fans (from late 70s, can't let go)
Tony Blair.
Toryism!
Way ar lass and her family are when they're pissed on a half bottle of vino! (They seriously think they're 'mafiosi' fgs!).
Biological parents! Both are *****!!
People treating animals badly.
Rude people!
Jeeeeez!! I'm putting the brakes on and reaching for mi meds lol

 

Holy crap, try the assholes from..............always

 

Me when am asoiled

 

Liam Kitching's petulance. & the recent trend to use 'whilst', where it doesn't belong. Instead of sticking to 'while' & being just a little bit wrong..