Coffee.
Last October, a change in my circumstances meant I had to stop buying my coffee on the way to work every morning, and start making my own. I bought a French press, and got on with it.

There was a problem, though. My coffee went from being lovely strong, slightly bitter life giving black gold to wishy washy tasteless bland shit.

This week I decided to do something about it, and bought one of these www.amazon.co.uk/Kitchen-Craft-LeXpress-Espresso-Coffee/dp/B0001IX008/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1341056638&sr=8-5 I think they're called coffee makers.

Now my coffee is lovely again, and it uses much less coffee than the French press. It's win win. So fuck you, you stupid French Frenchies.

And all you lovely people here, buy a coffee maker.

Edit: I didn't buy the one I linked to. I bought a six cup one on the high street. The first time I used it, I filled up the grits compartment thing all the way, and felt a bit funny from the caffeine overload. Now, I just fill it half way.
( The Awful Puppy Bakery is still bored, Sat 30 Jun 2012, 12:49, 8 replies)

Fascinating insight here.

( Amorous Badger NAKED BEA ARTHUR PHOTOS 4U, Sat 30 Jun 2012, 13:42, closed)

Multiple coffee fail.
I suggest you go back to own-brand energy drinks.
( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Sat 30 Jun 2012, 15:05, closed)

Forget the rest - get the best
www.gallacoffee.co.uk/acatalog/bialetti-brikka.html

This costs 5X times more than average for a reason: it makes seriously good coffee, thanks to a valve at the top of the spout that retards the brew until the pressure is right. Still cheaper than a half-decent home espresso machine.

The trick with any of these is to pack the coffee in just right...ie not compressed at all.

Edit: in Italy they cost about 25 yoyos
(CADmonkey rollllllllled another one, just like the other one, Sat 30 Jun 2012, 16:09, closed)

Hmmmm, maybe one day,
but as my post says, the reason I'm making coffee in a £10 espresso maker is because I'm skint.
( The Awful Puppy Bakery is still bored, Sat 30 Jun 2012, 17:30, closed)

I've been wanting one of these for the last year, think I know which one I'll ask for for my birthday now...
(Something funny, Sat 30 Jun 2012, 17:41, closed)

Compression
Oh no, you have to press the coffee down and compress it.

But not a lot, otherwise it overextracts and gets too bitter.

It takes a lot of experimentation to get right for your own taste.
(MartinB9999, Sun 1 Jul 2012, 14:11, closed)

Aeropress
A bit more spendy, but means you can make decent espresso (ie coffee made under pressure) without a gas hob (really, the stovetop ones do *not* work well on electric; worse still on induction, and you usually need one of these fellas
www.amazon.co.uk/Ring-Reducer-Espresso-Coffee-Makers/dp/B0011EV9EU
to make sure your stovetop won't fall through the gaps)
is an Aeropress - works with a kettle and the disposal is much less messy than either a cafetiere or a stovetop; just a wee plug of grounds that pops out into the bin. Your missus'll thank you. Mine did.
www.amazon.co.uk/Aerobie-AeroPress-80R08-Coffee-Maker/dp/B000GXZ2GS
(MartinB9999, Sun 1 Jul 2012, 14:15, closed)

personally
not sure what all the fuss is about over 'espresso' coffee to the degree that it's the norm in coffee shops that sell drinkable coffee.

Showing my age but, in my early days (and now in my house) all there was available was "coffee" made through a filter, or called drip-coffee. Tastes great, make it as strong or weak as you like, and you can make 2 litres at a time and just slowly drink it all day.

www.amazon.co.uk/DeLonghi-ICM2B-10-Cup-Filter-Coffee/dp/B00076V8GC/
( ferret -> twitter.com/syfyautocorrect <-, Sun 1 Jul 2012, 17:09, closed)