Hi
According to the instructions, the machine will grind and brew espresso (single or double), and what I call Americano, a longer drink which I believe is a shot of espresso mixed with hot water (again, single or double). It doesn’t do any ‘slow’ or ‘drip’ brewing as far as I’m aware
I tend to drink primarily americano, occasionally a double espresso, and very occasionally a cappuccino - the milk frother does seem to work really well on this machine, but I have no experience of any others!
Thanks
It must be a different model that does long. Yours is the same series as mine (Magnifica) albeit yours looks more modern but I suspect that the capabilities are very similar.
Just back from Portugal and very difficult getting an Americano outside of the Algarve almost impossible despite being with a fluent Portuguese speaker and explaining the process it was hopeless. An Abatanado is the closest but even that came in an assortment of strengths and sizes.
Although can’t complain this little snack - both coffees and cakes came to €3.50 - Portugal off the beaten track is such good value for your money.
Where in the UK can I get a Cafelat Robot?
Do those cakes have any calories, Mrs Pete claims there’s none when your on holidays. 
Hot Lava Java beans just tasted burnt to me when I last tried them last year.
My current recommendation would be Lavazza Oro beans - Waitrose currently have them on offer for the equivalent of £1.20 per 100g. Absolute bargain.
Mark
I have been on a coffee journey over the last 7-8 years. Where I am now is (1) never buy beans from a supermarket (2) buy only from small speciality roasters - but not all of them really know what they are doing (3) I now drink less coffee, perhaps three a day (7-8 years ago I would have had 5+ a day)but they are all really good. Quality not quantity.
I usually spend around £20-£30 a kg (I buy usually 1-1.5kg at a time - find a good roaster and that is free delivery if you spend £25 or maybe £30 minimum)
I do occasionally think I have backed myself into a corner down a really long cul de sac! But I am rather content there 
3 a day, I normally max out at 2. But they’re generally from my local coffee shop. A friend pointed out to me last night that I’m spending around $10 a day then proceed to multiple that by weeks to years. Some people just want to ruin everything.
As a separate question does anyone still drink instant coffee, I don’t believe I’ve had one for 20 years.
I still have instant when I make an occasional visit to the office or in the car if I have an early start. I still quite enjoy it but its very very different to espresso. At the moment I have a jar of kenco espresso instant in the cupboard that I use for americano.
It’s funny how tastes change and develop, when I was young the only places you’d get a “cappuccino” was in Italian milk bars and they were limited to major centres. Now in Aus there’s a coffee shop every 2 miles and mostly serving a great coffee.
You’re very lucky in Australia. The general standard of your coffee seems so much better than ours in the UK.
Yes I have to say it’s a bit of a disappointment you really have to search for a decent coffee in the UK, found the same thing in the US as well. It is getting better though.
So at present I am using some Rwandan beans, bought from the Java House chain operating in Kenya. Date on them was Nov, and bought back from a trip in December.
I have also bought back their branded Kenyan AA & Ugandan beans.
(I have also tracked down some Blue Mountain AA beans, when time on a trip allows).
Following a quick trip to Mozambique in November (cut short so I could attend the Dublin Audio Show!) I did bring back some Mozambique coffee.
If not able to avail of coffee from trips to Sub-Saharan Africa (on one trip there was 2.5kg of beans packed into my case, but then as a kid I remember coming back on the train from a family trip to London, with kilos of Colombian beans from Monmouth Street), I normally get coffee beans delivered under a subscription from Pact Coffee. https://www.pactcoffee.com/
I am on their Micro-lot subscription, but a loyal customer at the house rate, and probably their only ROI customer.
Why? Yes there are good coffee roasters in Dublin and surrounding areas, and I do take beans from Coffee Angel, 3fe and Roasted Brown.
But when Pact Coffee charge me £6.95 for a 250g bag delivered to my door, Coffee Angel want €9 and 3fe a whopping €12.50 - with the exchange rate currently in my favour and I have a separate GBP bank account, as an ex-pat I can.
Will probably all change post Brexit, with export tariffs etc. and the resultant collapse of the UK economy and I will have to investigate other coffee subscriptions (will keep you all posted).
Now brewing
I use 7g per 100ml (weighted on demand) and ground in a La Pavoni grinder, which has a container for the ground coffee, rather than a dispenser.
I also have a selection of ESE pods for the Expresso side, from single
Ily to double (14g) Arabica, along with jugs to steam and stretch the milk for Latte’s, Cappuccinos, Flat Whites etc.
Instant coffee wreaks absolute havoc on me - usually heart palpitations, which is most incommodious.The fact that it tastes filthy is much worse.
It made a lot of sense when I realised that they have to mix a surfactant into it to make it dissolve without clumping together. That foul taste is basically washing-up liquid!
Mark
Rarely drink instant but when offered it, I find it best not to offend by refusing.
Ah, yes, there is that instant mental estimate I have to do when offered ‘tea or coffee?’. If they’re British, I always plump for tea since very few Brits make an actively bad cup, and it would be considered the height of rudeness to do so. Serving dreadful (by my standards) coffee, on the other hand, isn’t considered a problem at all.
If they’re American, I make the opposite decision with precisely the opposite reasoning.
Mark
True, but so far nobody has offered me an instant for years.
I say “glass of water please” in that situation 
@Ebor So, as per your own reasoning, few Americans make a bad cup of coffee. Last time I went to America was over 30 years ago but in those days few places or people could tell their ristretti from their macchiati. Things must have changed since
My experience of what ‘most’ Americans drink is vast buckets of horrible cheap coffee from drive-through chains. Small wonder that they have those sickly flavoured syrups to add, so at least they taste of something. I’m sure there are decent coffee shops selling both beans and the finished product, but in most areas I’d say these not mainstream.
