Coffee machine

[Christie]

I've got 2 Nespresso machines, one with a foamer at home, and a smaller portable one at the office. We have got a fancy bean to cup machine in each department at the office, but the coffee could not match Nespresso coffee, so I eventually got a second machine.

Nespresso quality control on the beans and processing must be very good.

I like most of their fkavours, but I do find that I drink mostly 5 or 6 flavours, and get the rest and limited editions for some variation.

Ones I like best:

Indria, Rosabaya, Kazaar (limited edition, but I bought plenty to stash), vivalto lungo, arpeggio, dulsao.

Edited May 2, 2012 by Christie

[alleyne]

The nesspresso machines are great if you are looking for a quick and convenient way to enjoy good coffee. For me personally though i hate the idea of being tied into them with the pods. If I had some cash to burn I would go with one of the sprada machines that do it all (+- R5000).

 

But at the moment this is how i do it and i love it. This my pre-gym coffee in the evening, In the morning there is an equal esspresso to milk ratio.

[King_Crispy]

I've got 2 Nespresso machines, one with a foamer at home, and a smaller portable one at the office. We have got a fancy bean to cup machine in each department at the office, but the coffee could not match Nespresso coffee, so I eventually got a second machine.

Nespresso quality control on the beans and processing must be very good.

I like most of their fkavours, but I do find that I drink mostly 5 or 6 flavours, and get the rest and limited editions for some variation.

Ones I like best:

Indria, Rosabaya, Kazaar (limited edition, but I bought plenty to stash), vivalto lungo, arpeggio, dulsao.

And they're vacuum-packed: so the shelf-life is good too.

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I've got 2 Nespresso machines, one with a foamer at home, and a smaller portable one at the office. We have got a fancy bean to cup machine in each department at the office, but the coffee could not match Nespresso coffee, so I eventually got a second machine.

Nespresso quality control on the beans and processing must be very good.

I like most of their fkavours, but I do find that I drink mostly 5 or 6 flavours, and get the rest and limited editions for some variation.

Ones I like best:

Indria, Rosabaya, Kazaar (limited edition, but I bought plenty to stash), vivalto lungo, arpeggio, dulsao.

 

Rosabaya - My favourite as well, their Christmas blend was excellent too, and this new blend just released (Naora) is also good. My wife likes Dulsao as well.

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Will post pics and do a full review on tuesday.

 

Cool, that's even easier - hub reviews, cant beat that hey.!

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Favourie Nespresso flavours?

 

Like I said, I like the Rosabaya best, my wife likes Dulsao, and they have just released a limited blend called Naora, very good as well, go to the Nespresso shop in Sandton City when you get a gap and do a tasting there, you can drink as much as you like and its free, I always leave on a coffee high but its good for business as I always buy more than I planned.

 

Strangely enough the pods are cheaper there (at the Nespresso shop in Sandton city) than on-line, and you can buy one or two if you like, on-line I think the minimum is 5, cant remember exactly, otherwise you have to pay extra for the postage.

 

But I only buy at the shop now, I do a few samples and then buy a few packs, go away get over the buzz and go back for round number 2 - the guys there know me by name now.!

[Frosty]

Haven't been on the hub lately, and what is the first thread I come across...?? this one

 

Nespresso have pretty much perfected the art of "instant" coffee, not the soluable instant coffee, but the instant "quality" coffee. Insert a pod, push the button and voila... 1x caffe.

Coffee is like wine, each person has their own preference - red, white, sweet, semi-sweet, dry, blah, blah, blah., but every now and then a great bottle is made, when the grapes, soil conditions, amount of rain, luck, etc., are all perfect. Coffee is the same.

 

They (Nespresso) managed to get all the "perfect" elements into those little pods, but the water quality makes a huge difference to the taste of the coffee.

Tap water in Gauteng is too hard (too many heavy metals used in the purification process) and kills the taste. Use filtered or "spring" water.

 

If you're making coffee for the sake of drinking a hot beverage, then get an "instant" machine.

Likewise if you have a lot of friends over, more often than not, then a Nespresso (or similar) is the way to go.

 

An espresso is the base of most coffee's, so if your budget is tight then rather get a good "espresso" machine.

You can always foam milk with a cheaper machine.

Make sure you get a "burr" grinder - it doesn't burn the beans like a disc grinder.

 

As for taste - play around with different brands and strengths, and blend two or three beans to get an alternative taste.

Making coffee is an art, it requires a little more effort than inserting a pod and pushing a button.

 

7g freshly ground coffee + 100ml water @ 94-deg Celcius for 30 seconds = 1x perfect espresso

 

my 2c (+interest)

[zuludog]

i went through this ...in the end its a nobrainer : nespresso

[Christie]

 

They (Nespresso) managed to get all the "perfect" elements into those little pods, but the water quality makes a huge difference to the taste of the coffee.

Tap water in Gauteng is too hard (too many heavy metals used in the purification process) and kills the taste. Use filtered or "spring" water.

 

 

 

I agree about the water. My household use about 4 pods per day, if we drank lots of coffee, I would rather have gone the bean to cup machine route.

 

I saw some blank pods for sale on the internet for Nespresso, so you could grind your own beans if you wanted to. (they were called "capsul'in")

Edited May 3, 2012 by Christie

[Tumbleweed]

The nesspresso machines are great if you are looking for a quick and convenient way to enjoy good coffee. For me personally though i hate the idea of being tied into them with the pods. If I had some cash to burn I would go with one of the sprada machines that do it all (+- R5000).

 

But at the moment this is how i do it and i love it. This my pre-gym coffee in the evening, In the morning there is an equal esspresso to milk ratio.

 

That is uber-cool. Where did you get it?

[Wayne Potgieter]

 

 

Like I said, I like the Rosabaya best, my wife likes Dulsao, and they have just released a limited blend called Naora, very good as well, go to the Nespresso shop in Sandton City when you get a gap and do a tasting there, you can drink as much as you like and its free, I always leave on a coffee high but its good for business as I always buy more than I planned.

 

Strangely enough the pods are cheaper there (at the Nespresso shop in Sandton city) than on-line, and you can buy one or two if you like, on-line I think the minimum is 5, cant remember exactly, otherwise you have to pay extra for the postage.

 

But I only buy at the shop now, I do a few samples and then buy a few packs, go away get over the buzz and go back for round number 2 - the guys there know me by name now.!

I was going to order online, but then realised to buy the minimum of each flavour would mean ordering over 700 pods. I figured best to rather go to the store. So will head out there tomorrow.

[canadonis]

Nespresso taste good nice variety of blends but the costs per cup is very high vs an autimated espresso machine. I currently use a Saeco Royal and u can vary bean grind to quantity of beans etc. Granted mine bit of over kill but the cost per cup is leSs thn half and I only use Origin or Illy beans. U don't want a coffee maker tht u don't want to use because it costs too much. The pod system generally small initial capital outlay but expensive running costs while espressos the opposite. Your consumption would determine the best option.

[TiBones]

Nespresso machines pump at 19 bar - probably 7 or 8 bar MORE than most machines (and 15 bar more than the mellerware/russel hobbs machines). A barista will tell you that the pressure is an integral part of the cup, allowing a richer, thicker crema and a fuller flavour to the coffee

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I was going to order online, but then realised to buy the minimum of each flavour would mean ordering over 700 pods. I figured best to rather go to the store. So will head out there tomorrow.

 

- Yeah, there's a huge variety and some are also decaffeinated which is not for me so I dont buy them. I agree, pop over to the store and do a few test runs until you find the ones you like, then its a simple process if you want to order on line.........but I still like going into the shop so make a trip there once a month usually.

[scuzzy]

The nesspresso machines are great if you are looking for a quick and convenient way to enjoy good coffee. For me personally though i hate the idea of being tied into them with the pods. If I had some cash to burn I would go with one of the sprada machines that do it all (+- R5000).

 

But at the moment this is how i do it and i love it. This my pre-gym coffee in the evening, In the morning there is an equal esspresso to milk ratio.

 

How do you do the froth?

['Dale]

Nespresso has a big corner shop in the Waterfront, Cape Town.

That is some serious real estate.

 

They must be doing well.