Hi Shareholder -

I received one last year 2012 for the same reason.

Before the Christmas holidays, 2012, I bought a mixed sleeve gift box (200 capsules) and also received a "fountain" display for capsules resulting from the purchase. The two items made a nice Christmas gift. I use something different though at home.

A few years ago I found an old German crystal candy bowl with a lid in our basement collection of odds and ends. It is the type with 3 glass legs, and after cleaning it up, decided to use it as a capsule selection display. It holds 35 capsules, and like candy, one can see the various capsule colours through the lid.

Our guests and relatives find it both elegant and practical enough in the dining area near our kitchen, as I am constantly filling it with new capsules.

Nespresso's are nice machines, nothing wrong with them.... but, for a serious coffee experience, nothing tops a proper Jura Capresso. Simply, no contest.

I have been a Jura fanatic for almost 15 years now, and nothing comes close.

Having used a Tassimo for a year now (bargain basement Xmas 2012 stocking filler), I find the different coffees available for it to be quite variable - with some being really quite good and some being remarkably similar to posh instant coffee. But then I've had good and not-so-good "Clooneys" also.

The issue with the pod-based coffee makers to me is that they are quite expensive for what they are and lock you in to buying that manufacturer's coffee pods, which are more expensive than just making coffee the old fashioned way.

The benefit, of course, is that they're brainless. Put a pod in, press a button, and voila! But I think Nespresso is using the Apple marketing recipe: make people pay a premium for something that looks pretty and delivers a high-end-of-the-middle-market product.

I have used a Tassimo for the past 6 years and recently replaced it with a Nespresso/Aeroccino set up. I had primarily purchased the Tassimo for lattes and cappuccino. While I loved how efficient the Tassimo was and how little effort it took for me to enjoy a latte there were numerous issues with the Parmalat milk. It would chunk or not entirely dispense, the pods would expire quickly. When everything worked the Skinny Lattes via Tassimo were just great but I was getting tired of the guessing game and chunks in my drink.

With the Nespresso there's no guessing involved. Every cup is as I would expect it to be, fresh milk means no Parmalat funkiness. there's a bit more clean up involved but nothing substantial.

The Nespresso heats up faster than the Tassimo but that may be because my Tassimo is older. I think that the Tassimo is more versatile and has more of a variety of beverage offerings but the Nespresso is very good at what it does.

I hope this helps.

Oh I absolutely agree! However, it's the brainlessness that appeals to me :). At this point it's already a savings over my buying the beverage at my local coffee shop (the closes to both home & work being a Starbucks which I honestly don't care for).

I don't drink a lot of coffee but want what I do drink to be enjoyable. I have a Keurig for my morning cup. With our drip brewer I could only drink the first cup, as soon as the coffee started sitting I couldn't stomach it. My better half can drink the dregs all day long but it was basically a waste of a pot every work day. We had a Keurig at work and it was like a miracle the first time I had a cup...the coffee was fresh, it was exactly a mug full and I could have whatever blend I wanted while my better half could drink the acid laced tar that he prefers. Bliss!

With the Nespresso if I want a macchiato I can have one in about two minutes. I don't have to brew a whole pot and have it left over.

I have a Tassimo and think it's great. The variety of drinks is the key to its appeal rather than high quality espresso based drinks. I have no problem with the milk pods... possibly because I use them quickly.

if I wanted a pure coffee machine the nespresso would have been my first choice.

their licensing ran out i think. you can get alternative pods e.g. Ethical Coffee Company started by ex-Nespresso executive , or reusable pods with which you can fill your own grounds

" you can get alternative pods e.g. Ethical Coffee Company started by ex-Nespresso executive , or reusable pods with which you can fill your own grounds "


Are you speaking from personal experience ? Let me share mine.

One of my sons here in Switzerland has a German colleague that first bought a "Coffee Duck " pod, followed by the ECC pod you mention. He liked his German mix of coffee too much.

One month later his Nespresso machine jammed, and then would not work. The end result is that he was refunded his 11 CHF cost for the capsules, but was out of a Nespresso machine, as that damage is not warrantied, obviously.

Caveat Emptor. Est Tanti, ut sumptus ?

not the reusable pods. it defeats the purpose of hassle-free nespresso making.

but i've used ECC for over a year with no harm done. i particularly like the Arabica (brown capsules), price notwithstanding

I was using a very stylish small crystal glass water pitcher for my capsules, a very colourful mix of two sleeves of capsules from which I'd surprise myself with a morning blind selection. Often have four or five different styles mixed together for random selecting.

Good job Shareholder -

I must mention that the original black wood Nespresso "books" were great with guests years ago, but too big today. I gave mine away in favour of the crystal candy dish.

I stick with Dulsao and Decafe, but I like your idea of a mixed random selection, at least for guests.

For an inexpensive option, I find one of these works well.

We have one of these

I can never get it to make coffee how I like it, but the wife does a fantastic job, so I just let her do it :P

I recently was at a Nespresso "Boutique" in Nuremberg Germany and could not help but laugh about how serious they take it. They really tried hard to make it appear luxurious and had little signs near the checkout with "Discretion please" on it hahaha when a sales staff asked me wether she could help me I just told her "no - i am just very discreetly standing here". In the end its just standard Instant coffee in a capsula (shake it and you will hear the powder)

I find NEspresso to make a good consistent cup of coffee... YEs it's hella expensive.. but consistent. I went with a super automatic which is pricier up front but as a family that drinks >6 cups per day it's cheaper in the long run...

FDW

Hi Plissken -

I agree.

In Germany, things are taken too seriously everywhere.

With Nespresso in North America, things are taken seriously, but with a good sense of humour.

With irregular times at home, flying etc, Nespresso is a good compromise for me. But of course I now and then sneak down to my lovely Barista Ellen, for a Double Espresso, the professional way
:)

I've had one since Christmas and think it's great, it's just the simplicity and quickness of it really.

I've got every coffee maker under the sun at home, stove top, aeropress, french press, espresso maker and I haven't used any of them since.

When you come down bleary eyed in the morning the last thing you want to be doing it getting out the grounds and boiling kettles etc. Turn it on, pop it in, press the button, done :D

I got a £70 gift card with it so that has kept me in pods for a while.

I saw yesterday that a new machine and pod is out from Nespresso.

http://www.nespresso.com/za/en/

There is a new Vertuo line, with smaller half-moon wrapped pods similar to the commercial variety sold before. The Vertuo machine makes either standard coffee, or espresso, offering your guests a choice apparently. It looks like a Rimowa with the side rillen, which is what caught my eye. ( I packed my Pixie machine for this trip and discovered the new machine whilst I was out looking for pods ).

My wife remains loyal to her Capresso ground-bean coffee machine, and her Downton Abbey mug, so I will let her try this and be the judge when I return home from ZA.

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. :D

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. :D

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. :D

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 :D

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.

VertuoLine
 

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.

No info on the Nespresso, but I have owned Keurig single-cup machines at home and work for many years. The main thing you need to know about the Keurig is that you cannot make espresso in this machine. Coffee (light to strong), tea, hot chocolate, and brew-over-ice cold drinks, but no espresso.

I currently have a Mini Brewer (http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com/A...ni-plus-brewer) in my office, and love the versatility.

Anyone else intertested in the age old question about pod use by dates might be interested in looking at the crema on my Arpegio pods with a use by date of October 2013. Perfect condition. Ignore the dates. They are sealed pods. As coffee people know, stale coffee will never ever produce crema. :)

Crema

How expensive are the phone cartridges.

I have been using a DeLonghi espresso maker which is good but a fair amount of work. Okay, I feel lazy, but let's forget that for a moment. I'm thinking if a Nespresso or a Starbucks Verisimo. Has anyone compared them? Thanks.

I have no experience with the Verisimo but you can find extensive discussions on it, including a review here: http://www.singleservecoffee.com/archives/040999.php

The singleservecoffee forums may also be a helpful read.

I have a Keurig for regular coffee and a Nespresso for espresso.

I had always dismissed pod brewers as expensive toys until we got a Keurig at work. The fact that I could have a fresh cup of coffee exactly how I liked it, whenever I wanted it was like a revelation to me. My husband will drink coffee all day long, in any form, and prefers it strong. I can only stomach it when it's fresh and prefer a medium roast. Plus I can use the refillable K cups for my beloved Community coffee.

With the Verisimo I don't know if you'd be restricted to Starbucks coffees? Which may not be a bad thing if you enjoy them (I don't).

Actually, can you find a shop that demos the machines? Usually places like Williams Sonoma and Sur La Table will do that...this way you can taste the finished product before committing.