They were demoing this machine at William Sonoma this past weekend. I tried the coffee from it...not too bad. It's 95 cents US per cup. Cheaper than Starbucks. It uses a bar code system to read the cup type and the machine determines the amount of water to use. Pretty neat!

For anyone who doesn't already own a Nespresso machine and is looking to pick one up: there's currently a promo running for $75 in free capsule credit when you buy any machine for $199 and up direct from Nestle in the US.

http://bit.ly/1kimhjw

As far as the Vertuo goes, I'm not a huge fan. I saw one last week at Sur la Table, and while it was a slick contraption, I like the variety of capsules available for the old system as well as the flexibility to use third-party capsules.

I wish I understood why they insist on a (short) shelf-life date for the capsules when they are in fully sealed pods. I know it is for the cash but I haven't found any difference in taste way past the date and I'd love to hear from someone trying some really old ones.

Coffee beans,grinder,cafetiere,hot water,fresh coffee.
Why complicate such a simple and pleasurable process unless you only have the brains of a rocking horse?

I am making progress downwards from full blown bean to cup Gaggias. If you like espresso I begrudgingly have to say that these little machines do a startling job and sadly your method isn't the same.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/17337194-post149.html

.....because some of us have to work for a living and accept the time/quality trade-off that allows a reasonably espresso (in my case whilst I'm ironing a shirt in a rush in the morning).

Hi UK1 -

The Gaggia line of coffee machines are excellent.

For many years, this was my first choice for coffee making, and I even ground and mixed my own beans using Santa Clara coffee beans from Brasil with good Mokka beans.

The problem was the prep time (using a Gaggia burr grinder), clean-up, storage, and the increasing time cleaning and working on my Gaggia Carezza machines. I noticed that my coffee was not coming out consistently, sometimes being too acid, sometimes, not.

Nespresso being a long-time local product was available anywhere. I sampled a demo demitasse one day, then again that week, followed by another, and it started making sense. Consistency.

My Carezza started having gasket problems ( perhaps felling scorned at my Nespresso sampling ) and I decided to make the jump. My treasured coffee equipment was repaired, cleaned, packaged, and went to a rental property we have for guests. When it finally died, and they do, it was replaced with a Nespresso Citiz.

I get more good comments on those machines from guests than anything else. Other than the occasional descaling every 6 months, and the restocking of coffee capsules, they are virtually maintenance free.

Apologies for not being clear, entirely my fault. I gave up the Synchrony ... in fact I had three..... and have a couple of Nespressos. Thrilled to bits with them.

You need to organise your time better to enjoy the good things in life.
It's why I no longer need to work for a living.

Order the Mocha Parfait beans online from the Algerian Coffee Store in Old Compton Street and you'll never drink another coffee.

www.algcoffee.co.uk

I use to order from Algerian green beans and roast and blend myelf ... use to go there regularly .. and now I'm out of London they have an excellent mail order service. Coincidentally, I had a club in D'arblay street a long time ago.

As it happens the Nespresso produces almost as good or better than anything I've ever produced even when I was blending and roasting and thought I was making perfect coffee. It took me years to try a Nepresso simply beliving a small machine like that with a pod could never do it. Once you choose the right pod for you any other approach seems pointless. Every pod is fresh and you get the same thing every cup. It's cheaper and more convenient. If you don't have coffee for a few days nothing goes stale. And there's no cleaning to speak of.

I had a sneaky feeling all along that you were Peter Stringfellow.

I am a youngster by comparison ....

The club days were wonderful days though. Soho in the 60/70's

First thing in the morning I do indeed have the brains of a rocking horse. In fact I NEED a cup of coffee in order to be able to MAKE a cup of coffee .

With the Nespresso, by the time my mind actually wakes up I'm already enjoying my coffee. Bliss.

And yes, the consistency is key to the appeal, at least for me. I don't drink very much coffee but I want what I do drink to be good. It's not medicine to be glugged down with eyes clenched shut and a grimace. I want to enjoy every sip.

Anyone tried the Vertuoline? I am looking to get a single cup type brewer and the new Nespresso intrigues me. Also, how would it compare to a Keurig? I think Keurig has many more refills. But beyond that, I'm clueless.