Six of the best: Gadgets for Coffee lovers

Krups milk frother from thecookskitchen.com.

Krups GVX 231 Burr Coffee Grinder - £39 from amazon.co.uk

For the nearest-to-perfect cup of coffee, there’s no way round it: you need to grind fresh from the bean. You’ll also need this machine, with its 17 settings from coarse to fine and the chance to pre-select the number of cups - from two to 12 - to cut down on waste.

Two timer

Undated Handout Photo of Aeropress from unionroasted.com. See PA Feature GADGETS Gadgets Column. Picture credit should read: PA Photo/Handout. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature GADGETS Gadgets Column. WARNING: This picture must only be used with the full product information as stated above.

Morphy Richards Red Accents Espresso Machine - £99.99 from morphyrichards.co.uk

However good freshly ground is, if you, like most people, are rather short on time first thing in the morning, then also having the option to pop in a coffee pod is quite appealing. Step forward this ‘best of both worlds’ machine, which gives you access to the ready-to-go coffee market but maintains its roots with a twin fresh coffee dispenser that operates and maintains a 15-bar pressure (the one Baristas boast about being ideal).

Palm pressure

Aeropress - £25 from unionroasted.com

Undated Handout Photo of The Barista Express from sageappliances.co.uk . See PA Feature GADGETS Gadgets Column. Picture credit should read: PA Photo/Handout. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature GADGETS Gadgets Column. WARNING: This picture must only be used with the full product information as stated above.

Those cafetiere/plunger based coffee machines make way too much mess, but thankfully there is an ingenious way to make extra smooth filter coffee more tidily. Many experts are backing this manually operated device as the best way to create a decent coffee in under 30 seconds; just load up your coffee in the chamber, stick in some hot water, wait 10 seconds and press the plunger. As you push, air pressure forces the brew through a filter and into your cup - without any of that dripping and splashing.

Milk machine

Krups milk frother - £97.50 from thecookskitchen.com

With three separate settings, this automatic milk frother delivers the ideal milk/froth solution for both latte and cappuccino based beverages - also pretty good for a hot chocolate on these ever-chillier winter nights.

Undated Handout Photo of Morphy Richards red accents espresso machine from morphyrichards.co.uk, PA Photo/Handout. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature GADGETS Gadgets Column. WARNING: This picture must only be used with the full product information as stated above.

Coffee king

The Barista Express - £549.99 from sageappliances.co.uk

There are loads of higher priced coffee machines, but this one from Heston Blumenthal’s range of appliances sets a new standard at a price point that’ll have the competition scratching their heads. The features on this machine include an 18-setting grinder, pressure gauge and steamer - and a pretty sleek look, too.

Coffee contraption

Undated Handout Photo Krups GVX 231 burr coffee grinder from amazon.co.uk. See PA Feature GADGETS Gadgets Column. Picture credit should read: PA Photo/Handout. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature GADGETS Gadgets Column. WARNING: This picture must only be used with the full product information as stated above.

La Pavoni Europiccola machine - £390 from lecafeshop.co.uk

Based on an original 1950’s design, this is as much a work of art as it is for practical work. Of course, the iconic machine really can deliver on taste though, with a few modern adjustments to ease it into the 21st century. The best choice for those who value design taste as much as the taste of their coffee.

App of the week - Baristame Free on Google Play: take expert advice on exactly how to put together the layers of your espresso-based brew, from pouring, to optimum temperatures and all manner of other information (beans, origins and brewing methods). Your caffeine hit with the hit of a button.

Top 10 Paid Apps

1 Minecraft - Pocket Edition

2 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Undated Handout Photo of La Pavoni Europiccola machine from lecafeshop.co.uk. See PA Feature GADGETS Gadgets Column. Picture credit should read: PA Photo/Handout. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature GADGETS Gadgets Column. WARNING: This picture must only be used with the full product information as stated above.

3 Five Nights at Freddy’s

4 The Chase

5 Tipping Point

6 Maps for Kindle Fire

7 Nav for Google Maps

8 Worms 3

9 Terraria

10 OfficeSuite Professional 7

Top 10 Free Apps

1 Paperama

2 Cat Simulator

3 Pirate Bash

4 Prime Instant Video

5 BBC iPlayer

6 Candy Crush Saga

7 Spotify Music

8 Facebook Messenger

9 Cookie Jam

10 Solitaire TriPeaks

(Both charts courtesy of amazon.co.uk)