and which kind? beans, ground beans, capsules?
Beans. I bought used (and fixed) DeLonghi for 100 chf a year ago. It serves me well. I usually have at least one cappuccino a day.
I have two coffee at home, one is the āregularā on that I use for my morning espresso, usually Segafredo/Lavazza/Kimbo or what I find in offer, usually around 7-10ā¬/kg (if not here in switzerland, e.g. on offer at denner from time to time, I buy in amazon.de or somewhere around Basel -DE or FR)
and one is the ātreatā coffee, high end Arabica from Italy that cost usually around 20-25ā¬/kg. This one is mainly used 2-3 times per week, so a kilo lasts for a long time. I am talking about beans.
I think in this way my consumption is very optimized for the price 
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Speaking of Italy, Iām actually now on vacations in Lago Maggiore area and I keep thinking what kind of beans they are using, so that this cappuccino tastes so good.
Did you drive there (Lago Maggiore)? Or this is another option?
Yes, I went with car to Verbania. It was about 3-3.5h of drive.
Itās the water probably.
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Water is horrible here. It tastes like chlorine.
You can ask the barkeeper, not everyone uses the same. I really like Illy and Vergnano, are relatively mild compared to the hardcore italian espresso (more nutty than letās say Lavazza or Segafredo)
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Thanks for the info. I donāt like hardcore espressos neither, I like a mild-and-milky cappucinos, so Iāll give Illy and Vergnano a try.
I am drinking coffee again, and enjoying it, and aiming to keep my consumption below 1kg/month so that beans are never a major expense.
I have started grinding my beans manually with a hand-grinder. That is real work! Much less risk of āIāll just have another since Iām passing the kichenā or āwhy not make this one a doubleā¦ā Feels like a Mustachian solution.
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I ordered freshly roasted coffee beans for the first time in a while.
Cafe Noir for 31.20/kg is amazing coffee but a bit too expensive this time. Thatās the cost for 2kg including shipping and taxes.
Chronic for 25/kg is what I am trying instead. 2kg for CHF50 and they waive the shipping fee. They say that they roast themselves weekly.
If the Chronic coffee tastes as good as Noir then Iāll have this sorted out.
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Coffee is hard!
I have 2kg of freshly roasted coffee from Chronic and to me it tastes pretty meh. Itās fine but I donāt rate it above supermarket coffee. Maybe the reason I like Noir coffee isnāt (just) the freshness but the beans, roast, etc.
Iāll have to think about a new strategy to try in a couple of months when Iāve consumed the current stock.
Iāll share a tip. I found Cafe Trottet, roasted in Switzerland, to have the best quality/price ratio. They sell good origins coffee, and very often have 50% off coupons (eg now for newcomers and for black friday). Free shipping in all CH as well.
www.trottet.ch
Thereās no referral link, all the promos are directly on their site!
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Hi Together,
Soooo glad to find this topic. Iām also a coffee lover (maybe an enthusiast), and seeking my source in the region of Zurich for the best fresh roasted beans.
Cafe Noir (https://www.cafe-noir.ch/) is till now one of my favourite in Zurich city as well, but I think the beans are quite expensive (30 CHF / kg).
I made several tests with cheaper āsupermarket beansā (like Chicco dāOro, Gimoka, CafĆ© Royal, Boncampo, Caruso, Exquisito, M-Classic etc.), but the roastery beans were always better. From the taste and freshness definitely. Supermarket beans are roasted, stored, transported for several months, until the consumer buys them. Even I donāt really wait to buy fresh beans till they are in sale, and squirrel them into my pantry.
My frugal coffee set is simple:
- Grinder from Severin
- Moka Express pot from Bialetti
- Brita Waterfilter
- For milk steam/foam I would recommend Delizio MilchschƤumer, but I have also a Severin one
Beans are always freshly grinded (not too fine), water is filtered and heated to 90-95 Celsius before the brewing. Put the cooker on half, or the lowest gas level. Fantastic moka (not espresso) experience! Even with foamed milk I could enjoy my coffee an almost perfect cappuccino style 
Iām eager for many years to a professional espresso machine and grinder like in the link, but I think this is a super luxury for home.
I was researching other good roasteries around Zurich, and I found these:
Iāll try and test their beans, and give you an update.
I think if you can focus on the quality, and not to the quantity of the coffee, and you can really enjoy the moment to drink it, I donāt really care, if I spend 20-25 CHF in a month for a really tasty and good coffee. (We consume around 500g in a month I think)
Secret tip: try MA ME in the Josefstrasse, Zurich 
It is definitely worth for a coffee/espresso/latte/cappuccino (I love their flat white, or a latte with an extra shot)
Cheers 
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Sadly yes. Coffee and coffee beans could be up to 20-30% more expensive in Zurich city, than outside of Zurich. That is also the reason why I tried to look around for alternatives.
I want to make a visit at the KĆ¼ng roastery in Winterthur soon. They have several self roasted beans around 24-25 CHF/kg as well (look at their online shop)
I came back to Cafe Noir coffee. Itās my favourite and I enjoy it much more than everything else I tried. I reduced my consumption to the point where I can live with the cost and now I just enjoy it.
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Dear coffee lover Mustachian,
I wanted to give an update on this topic. It is long time since we had activity here. I found my super fresh roasted, tasty coffee beans finally!
The roastery is not in Switzerland, but next to the Swiss border, in Gottmadingen.
If youāre up for a cozy, small roastery, with friendly atmosphere, this is your place! The place is called Better Days Coffee and you can connect your grocery shopping on a Saturday with a visit at the roastery.
Manfred the owner is an enthusiast about coffee, and roasting coffee beans, I got a lot of hints and tipps for brewing the best tasting coffee at home.
Other update: I made a huge improvement in my home coffee brewing setup, and maybe it is not the most frugal setup which I recently purchased, but this is such a quantum jump in the coffee quality, that is every single cent worth for me.
I looked on the European market for the best value/money options regarding:
- grinder
- dual-circle espresso machine
Iāve chosen a complete set at a German dealer MoBa Coffee, and they offered also VAT refund. The set is this: Bezzera BZ10 & Eureka Magnifico
I could try and see the setup before purchase in Munich, and I was absolutely amazed!
I have to tell you, it takes time to get the perfect extracted espresso, and you have to practice. But once you keep on top of this, the difference is HUGE! I donāt want to hear anything about Starbucks, or an average coffee shop, Iām mostly drinking my coffee at home.
If you have any questions on it, Iām happy to discuss about this topic ācoffeeā 
Ciao
Mr.Paprika 
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Every simple coffee machine at the tank stop taste delicious in Italy. Maybe it is the water, maybe the personal holiday mood driving through Italyā¦
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