Nespresso coffee machine

Marion said:
To throw a spanner in the works, I have a Gaggia http://www.amazon.com/Gaggia-90500-Titanium-Automatic-Stainless/dp/B0007XXHD2/ref=pd_bxgy_k_img_a/103-9765314-3313401 (super automatic coffee machine.)It is not cheap. But, I reckon I have saved a fortune and that it has almost paid for itself. :)

Marion
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How is it for cleaning?

There's no doubt you can get equally good coffee from regular machines (well, ones with a decent pump that is), but the big advantage that I see with Nespresso is the much reduced cleaning required.

The question is whether this is true or not?
 
Bought a Gaggia too...wasn't keen on the idea of pods. No fear that Nestle will stop making them but it kinda limits you on the range of coffee you can get...I like trying out different coffee and picking up some when I travel...kinda like buying different wines I suppose. I find the Gaggia really good - I have the Evolution model and bought it in Arnotts.
 
I had a Gaggia XD also but changed it for the Nespresso machine due to the cleaning element. I was forever ending up with sink (and kitchen) full of used ground coffee and to be honest if you aren't religious in cleaning it the quality of your coffee suffers greatly. The Nespresso machine has no cleaning at all as the coffee used stays in the capsule and when finished the capsule just drops into a container in the back of the machine - very tidy.

I would have to disagree with the commment about the limited range - on top of the 12 blends which they constantly run there is a limited addition blend out at the moment and they produced 3 of these at the end of last year also so there's always something new to try.

I went for the Maximix Cube and bought the Aerocinno to go with it for making the milky drinks when the neighbours pop in - which I believe you get free at the moment as part of their promotion??
 
Just got given this one for my birthday. It is the most fantastic and easy to use machine I've ever came across and no mess to clean either!

I also have the Gaggia Syncrony Compact and Phillips Senseo but both of them are relegated to the back of a press to be forgotten about. Not only is the Nespresso easy to use and clean but the coffee is far better and is consistent from one cup to the next. I certainly don't feel limited by using their capsules as each blend is notably different and there is a taste to suit every palate. Making lattes, cappuccinos etc are also simple and straightforward and the website also has some interesting recepies for other coffees.
 
Thanks for this input - it more or less confirms what I thought: you can get equally good coffee from non-Nespresso machines, but to keep it consistant you have a lot of mess and cleaning to deal with.

I think it's that aspect more than anything else that explains their success, and it more than overcomes the higher coffee price and the fact it's a single-source supplier.

Looks like I'll be buying one, so.
 
xeresod said:
Just got given this one for my birthday. It is the most fantastic and easy to use machine I've ever came across and no mess to clean either!
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Have to say I am rather jealous. I have been dropping heavy hints for a couple of years now about a coffee machine. Having said that, I'm not sure about that price tag!
 
had a miele nespresso in our showroom and replaced it recently with a neff (grinding machine) and personally i find the neff just as handy from a cleaning point of view - actually the neff is a little easier as the contacts on the miele drip tray were a little over sensitive meaning you had to ensure they were dry before replacing, otherwise an error message would appear.
 
vinchenzbill said:
I had a Gaggia XD also but changed it for the Nespresso machine due to the cleaning element. I was forever ending up with sink (and kitchen) full of used ground coffee and to be honest if you aren't religious in cleaning it the quality of your coffee suffers greatly.
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I have a Gaggia Classic and there is an adapter that came with it where you can use ground coffee or 44mm coffee pods ( the coffee tea bags)

I find it very easy to keep clean when using the coffee pods.
Loads of variety of flavours available online ( I haven't really looked around any outlets here) and great tasting coffee. Thought I haven't tasted the nespresso coffee, so I can't compare it to that.

The reason I picked this machine was because I wanted the ease of coffee pods, but also wanted a machine that would accept ordinary ground coffee.
 
vinchenzbill said:
I would have to disagree with the commment about the limited range - on top of the 12 blends which they constantly run there is a limited addition blend out at the moment and they produced 3 of these at the end of last year also so there's always something new to try.
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Fully agree. Just had a "Roma" just now instead of my regular Arpeggio. They all taste different but every cup is consistently great.
 
Have just used our Nespresso to recreate a gorgeous dessert I had in an Italian restaurant last night -

Scooped Ben & Jerry's vanilla ice cream into a bowl and dumped a shot of Roma on top. Seriously yum!
 
So folks, are we agreed that for a regular coffee/lattes/cappuccino, the nespresso is the way to go?

I'm looking for a machine that will make good coffee, the occasional latte with easy to get supplies.
It will only get light enough use (morning coffee for 2 people, and I suppose maybe a few cups each at the weekend).
What cheaper options could I look at?

What sort of price are the various nespressos?

thanks.
 
Well boogaloo I took the plunge (excuse the pun!) and bought myself a Nespresso last month and am delighted with it - I haven't decided which coffee I prefer just yet of the 12 available (actually 13 at the mo as there is a trial one on offer) but they are all delicious and for the first time ever (to my shame I never even considered doing this before!!) I now drink coffee without milk or sugar - it's that nice!! Still learning how to make the different mixes but it makes a lovely cappucino as well (although I put in two pods to make up a decent cup!). I paid €270 for mine (Krups manual one XN4050) and the offer at the mo is ye get €60 back so it works out at €210. Well happy with it personally!
 
thanks ceist beag.

Is there any difference in taste between the automatic and the manual? What are the advantages/disadvantages of automatic v manual?

wonder will Arnotts have them in their sale? I can only hope ;)
 
I've been bitten by the nespresso bug too (from reading this thread!), I bought the Krups essenza manual (€150 with €60 cashback to come). I thought that the cashback offer finished at the beginning of June?

I checked the prices in the various retailers before buying, but the prices are similar across them all. I found that some retailers were selling the titanium & grey colour models for a higher price (up to €195) than the blue and yellow models (€149/150). West + Gardiner in Clery's charged €150 for the titanium colour!

With the manual machine, I have to press a button to start the flow of water/coffee and press it again to stop. Presume the automatic doesn't require "operator assistance"? Not a major problem for me, I must admit!
BTW the limited edition coffee (Oa) is delicious!
 
Must try it out so gipimann!! ;-) And ye could be right on the offer, not sure when it ends to be honest.
 
I've got a manual coffee machine - used at least once a day, cleaning isn't that big a deal - once a month (or so) it needs a good clean with descaling tablets etc. The big advantage of the manual machine is a) infinite coffee varieties - you will really appreciate more freshly roasted beans than ones years old. and b) control over the brewing process.

Once a coffee bean is roasted it begins to lose flavour at an exponential rate. Once ground, the flavour dissapates in under an hour. The automatic machines use encapsulated ground coffee - probably packed with some kind of inert gas or other preservative to make the whole process easier. (From memory, a vacuum doesn't do coffee beans or grounds any good so it would have to be something else which preserves flavour)

But what I don't understand is why the machines don't need to be cleaned? Can anyone who owns one of these explain this? e.g. the coffee grounds have to go somewhere in the innards of the machine and be exposed to pressurised steam at a precise 92deg celsius, so are there not pipes or grinding plates etc. that need to be cleaned or am I missing something.

BTW, in my view, the difficult thing about manual coffee makers is the brewing process - getting the temperature and ground size right - which obviously the automatic ones do for you. Mind you it's all a lot easier with good quality coffee beans and a decent grinder.
 
aldark said:
But what I don't understand is why the machines don't need to be cleaned? Can anyone who owns one of these explain this? e.g. the coffee grounds have to go somewhere in the innards of the machine and be exposed to pressurised steam at a precise 92deg celsius, so are there not pipes or grinding plates etc. that need to be cleaned or am I missing something.
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Aldark, the Nespresso machines use sealed aluminium capsules containing the ground coffee. The water is forced through the capsule, and very little coffee grounds escape into the machine itself. It is recommended to rinse the machine daily (push the water through without a capsule in place) to get rid of any loose grounds and of course they should be descaled depending on the water hardness, but there isn't the extensive cleaning which may be needed with manual machines such as yours.
 
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Do Arnotts sell these machines? I can't see them on their website.

Anyone know where in Galway I could get one?

thanks!
 
hi,
I spotted this machine today - [broken link removed] for €95.
Question is, do I need to buy the aerocinno thingy in order to be able to make Lattes?

I think 95 euro is a good price for it, especially as it will only get light use. However, if it won't make lattes then no good!

Will the Nespresso essenza - [broken link removed] do a better job or is it just the same?

As you can see, I know very little about coffee machines :eek:

thanks!
 
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