Nespresso machines

bugsrabbit

Anyone use these machines and can recommend one to buy?

nicklouse

had one for years.

it depends what you want out of it.

there are also some other makers of pods that work with them so you are not tied to their shops or mail order service.

proto

After years of use our old Krupps Nespresso machine broke, so we bought a Pixie and an Aeroccino. Very happy with it, simple and quick. The Aeroccino works beautifully. Only downside is that there is nowhere to warm cups (something our old one did). Other than that, can't fault it.

napoleond

Had one for years. Never going to be as good as a good machine and grinding your own beans but for speed/convenience they are excellent.

team47b

Ideal for people that embrace style over substance...

napoleond

team47b wrote:

Ideal for people that embrace style over substance...

Ironically I think he opposite! I have mates who have posh coffee machines because they look 'sophisticated' that don't have a clue how to use them!

team47b

NapoleonD wrote:

team47b wrote:

Ideal for people that embrace style over substance...

Ironically I think he opposite! I have mates who have posh coffee machines because they look 'sophisticated' that don't have a clue how to use them!

I agree

I was talking about the coffee itself not the machine, stale coffee made in a shiny machine is still stale coffee, coffee should be fresh, if you don't have time to make coffee properly, use tea bags and a microwave :shock:

simona75

I've had a Tassimo for years and would definitely recommed it. No the coffee isnt up to cafe standards but its far, far better than instant and is perfect if you are in a rush. They have a good variety of discs and if you buy in bulk it works out about 25p a cup. If you keep an eye out some retailers (Argos, amazon etc) will occasionally sell the machine at half price (about £60-70)

amaferanga

I have one in my office at work. The coffee is ok, but there isn't much choice in pods (even from other manufacturers) and you won't get pods for much less than 30p a go (again even from the other manufacturers that have started making them). I tried some of the Coffee Duck refillable pods, but no matter what coffee I used and how finely I ground it, I just couldn't get a decent espresso. I then tried some Necap capsules - they're single use capsules, but you fill and seal them yourself so you can use any coffee you want. They're dead easy to use and unlike the coffee duck capsules it's easy to get a good espresso. They still cost 10p a pop, but given how little coffee you need per pod it still works out way cheaper than the Nespresso pods and your coffee choice is unlimited. Lavazza coffee that's available in most supermarkets is actually finely ground enough for espresso and works well with the Necap pods if you don't fancy grinding your own (you'd need a burr grinder to get a fine enough grind anyway).

thegreatdivide

I was going to buy a Nespresso but then my girlfriend bought me a Handpresso for my birthday. It's a great wee thing!

http://www.handpresso.com/produit-1-17- ... ybrid.html

It makes great espresso and I can use it in the house, take it on trips or take it to work. Great for a swift hit in the car park before heading out on a race/sportive etc.

jim453

Try a topic search for 'Nespresso' or 'Crema' or 'Wank@r'.

This subject is amusingly and comprehensively covered about ten million times a year.

Just get some Kenco Millicano, according to the can I'm reading off right now it has 'smooth, full bodied taste and rich aroma, all in an instant.

I've just saved you hundreds of pounds a year. No need to thank me though.

jordan_217

I have the K-fee one that is sold by Tesco. Picked it up for £45 (introductory offer) and its £2 for 8 pods. Pods can be bought from Tesco but also direct from the manufacturer via Amazon. Its German made and very good quality.

Bloody nice coffee, much nicer than the Jura machine we have at work. Very convenient, especially for a cheeky espresso before an early morning ride.

roypsb

team47b wrote:

Ideal for people that embrace style over substance...

Don't agree at all. My machine doesn't look anything special but the coffee is great and quick to make.

metronome

I received the Magimix machine as a gift... It quick, easy, almost maintenance free and makes very tasty coffee. Just a bit of hassle to order new pods... No biggie though.

islwyn

Got one and love the taste, but can work out to be quite expensive... Depends if you don't mind paying for a decent drink!

upperoilcan

I have one of these and to be fair i cant fault it....


Place the capsule into the machine,close the lid and place the cup,press the button and machine fills cup,fill the milk container up to the required lvl shut the lid then press the button to heat and froth..once heated and frothed pour milk into cup and hey pesto you have a nice cup of coffee..

The whole process takes around 3 mins.....

Pross

I had a Krupps for Christmas and it's the best present I can recall having as an adult. Quick, simple, good tasting coffee. My only issue with it is that the milk warmer doesn't get the milk hot enough.

ilm_zero7

i have bean to cup at home - which is the tops, but away from home have a nespresso citlz like the picture above, and the milk whizzer is brilliant

springtide9

I will say that they are great for convenience.

A friend has one and I have tried all of the Nespresso pods and I couldn't say I liked any of the coffees tbh. I'm no coffee expert, but it's like the coffee tastes stale / old.

Personally I prefer the standard machines and buying my own (pre ground) coffee from somewhere like Has Bean. Much better taste and a much larger variety of coffee, and you are obviously not tied into that proprietary capsules.

As for the convenience of the standard espresso machines, it takes me probably two minutes to make a coffee. Switch on, empty and fill coffee, insert and turn on.
I have a little coffee box by our 'brown kitchen waste bin' with a teaspoon and the coffee, so disposing and refilling the coffee is very 'clean and easily' - and no longer a challenge.

There is also no need to buy a monster of a machine; you just need to buy one with a decent pump etc. I have one of the Dualit - and it is a great machine.
Note that machines like the Dualit (http://www.dualit.com/products/coffee) will also take ESE pods, so you have the option of using pods when you want too.

And for coffee, I cannot recommend this place enough: http://www.hasbean.co.uk

But if you are more interested in convenience than taste, get a Nespresso. Now that Dualit and other similar machines are flexible to use ESE pods as well as bagged coffee, I can't see any reason for buying a Nespresso. I personally don't find using bagged coffee inconvenient. Filling the machine with water and emptying the drip tray is inconvenient, not the actual making the coffee part.

team47b

RoyPSB wrote:

team47b wrote:

Ideal for people that embrace style over substance...

Don't agree at all. My machine doesn't look anything special but the coffee is great and quick to make.

As I said before, I wasn't talking about the style of the machine, I was talking about the 'style' of the coffee.

napoleond

Aaah. I also think the coffee is better than a lot of people get out of their 'proper' machines because they don't know what they are doing...

amrushton

They have a good deal on their newer machine the Virtua(?). Think it's £75 for the machine and £100 of capsules. Starbucks now have a range of capsules in the supermarkets. Made by Nespresso, the packaging is the same but branded Starbucks. 2 x £5 in Tesco or Sainsbury's.

rick_chasey

The real cost is the pods.

Adds up.

ddraver

I have one when I'm living in France or Switzerland where nespresso coffee is better than average - which isn't saying a lot

When I'm somewhere I can get good coffee, I'll stick to 'proper' coffee

Jeremy.89

rick_chasey said:

The real cost is the pods.

Adds up.

It's a lot cheaper than going to a cafe*

*unless you live in Italy where a decent espresso can be had for 50 cents in places.

davebradswmb

My wife and I normally have 2 cups of fresh coffee a day at home. If we were to use a Nespresso machine that will cost us £8.40 a week in pods alone, or £436.80 a year. Using ground coffee it costs us about 1/4 of that, so we are saving over £300 a year, enough to pay for our espresso machine twice over. It's a no brainer.

darkhairedlord

I have one machine at home and one at work. The work one was £1 if bought with 300 capsules or something.
I use Amazon own brand Solimo ristretto capsules at work at the princely sum of around £7 for a hundred. Not great coffee but still better than starbucks.

elbowloh

Whats the deal with the pods? Are they recyclable (realistically).

Even so, it seems like a lot of waste, when you look at the prevent, re-use, recycle order of waste prevention.

Wheelspinner

Nespresso run a fairly good recycling program for their pods, provide you with (free) boxes to dump them in and return to the store if you can. I think I read somewhere they aim to recover and recycle 80% of what they sell, no idea if that's achieved though.

I also read somewhere that just in Australia alone we go through 4 million of the things per day across all brands. That's a horrific number if true and I expect the actual recycled component would be VERY low realistically.

I have a pod machine, but rarely use it, emergency only, or if someone wants a decaf. They are simply too expensive to bother with for everyday use. Bought a proper espresso machine and grinder, which have paid for themselves in less than 2 years and produce vastly better coffee.

photonic69

This year's revelation for me was an Aerobie Aeropress. Excellent coffee in next to no time. Quick and easy and very clean to use, almost cleans itself. Only residue is the coffee grounds and a small circle of filter paper (or you can get re-usable metal filters). Brilliant device.

Tashman

I'm due to receive a Smeg machine as a "freebie" after ordering a new kitchen. Anyone have any experience of these? They're pricey looking online but that's no guarantee obviously