# Nespresso coffee machine



## MM3 (7 Apr 2007)

Hi,

Has any one got a nespresso coffee machine? Are they any good? I'm thinking of buying one - l love a good coffee first thing in the morning but hate the hassle with most of the non automatic machines.  I have sampled coffee from one and thought it was excellent but I'd be interested in the views of someone who has had one for a while.

Thanks,

M


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## shesells (7 Apr 2007)

Don't have one but stayed in a hotel room for a 3 nights that had one. Found it fab, so clean and convenient. 

My concern with any of this type of machine though is that the pods may become hard to find very quickly. These machines are always the great new thing for a while but are soon replaced. At least with a manual machine you know you can always find the coffee.


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## MidlandsBase (7 Apr 2007)

Pods are readily available at the Nespresso shop in Brown Thomas, Dublin or online which I have used on two occasions. They are delivered promptly by DHL within 4 - 5 working days.


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## TreeTiger (7 Apr 2007)

We bought a Nespresso machine in BT just before Christmas and we love it.  It's so quick, clean and easy, plus if you want a "bigger" coffee you can just microwave some milk up and make a latte.

If you're in Dublin you can pop into BT to top up your stock of pods - they'll happily make you a couple of coffees to taste out of their huge range, and give you a nice bikkie as well!


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## MidlandsBase (7 Apr 2007)

BTW if you are thinking of buying one we bought ours in Kildare Retail Outlet for €100 less than BT's price.


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## MM3 (9 Apr 2007)

Thanks for all the replies - I'll have a shop around and see whats the best price going.

M


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## vinchenzbill (23 Apr 2007)

A bit late on this subject but I have only seen it now. With regard to your fear of the capsules not being available in the future - I was informed in the Boutique in BT that they sold over 1 billion of these capsules worldwide last year and as they are part of the Nestle group I can't see them ceasing production anytime soon.

Very prompt delivery service and should your machine ever fault you're in for a very pleasant surprise with their repair service!

Hope this helps.

V


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## ang1170 (23 Apr 2007)

I must say when I first heard of these I thought you'd be mad to sign up a a lifetime of supplies from a single source. 

However, they do taste great. As well as this, by far the biggest advantage is the radical reduction in cleaning you need to do, and the ease of storage of the coffee. You can get equally good tasing coffee from other machines, but you'll be forever cleaning it to keep it tasting good. Similarly with storing the fresh coffee.

The fact that Nespresso is so popluar would tend to indicate the capsules aren't likely to disappear, nor to increase in price too much. They must be making an absolute fortune on it. It's just a pity they con't have a competing system to keep them "honest".

Having said all that, I'm a definite convert.


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## Surreal (23 Apr 2007)

Hi

We had one of these machines in our showroom for quite a while and it was great - the coffee was incredible.

Initially i was dubious about the pods - but they are made by nestle and i would doubt the likes of miele would enter into an arrangement with a company without having some assurances that they would be produced on an ongoing basis.

We now have a Neff machine (beans or ground coffee) which i would also recommend as an alternative - most importantly for a grinding machine it needs little or no maintenance

Regards
barry


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## bazman (25 Apr 2007)

Hi,

I purchased an automatic Nespresso machine a few months ago and it's one of the best things I've ever bought. There is no cleaning involved, it's simple to use and most importantly a consistant good cup of coffee every time. Machine is a little pricey but sale on a week or so ago in BT's where they were giving €60 off.

I would have no hesitation in recommending the machine to anyone who likes their coffee. Go for it.


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## gipimann (27 Apr 2007)

For anyone interested, IBOOD's daily offering today is a Magimix Nespresso Cube.  See www.ibood.com for details!


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## harvey (29 Apr 2007)

Great coffee from these.


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## Deleted 15555 (30 Apr 2007)

I agree we have ours about 7 years and are thrilled we no longer have to order online my hubbie just goes to BT and gets order. Arnotts sell the machine's also so look out for special offers. The important thing to look out for with a coffee machine is the pressure the nespresso one is 19 bar - the higher the bar the better the coffee - its what creats the nice cream on top. My sister tried to buy one from kildare retail outlet and they only had the expresso one's rather than a coffee maker !!!


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## vinchenzbill (8 May 2007)

I was in Harvey Norman in Swords over the weekend and they have a huge selection of the Nespresso coffee machines. They have a large tasting table with 3 machines being demonstrated so I sampled a number of the blends. The EUR 60 cash back offer is on until the end of the month apparantly.


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## MidlandsBase (8 May 2007)

SBW said:


> I agree we have ours about 7 years and are thrilled we no longer have to order online my hubbie just goes to BT and gets order. Arnotts sell the machine's also so look out for special offers. The important thing to look out for with a coffee machine is the pressure the nespresso one is 19 bar - the higher the bar the better the coffee - its what creats the nice cream on top. My sister tried to buy one from kildare retail outlet and they only had the expresso one's rather than a coffee maker !!!


 
I was in Kildare Retail Outlet yesterday and they had the Nespresso Cube and Essenza (both are coffee makers) versions. Must be very popular that they are flying off the shelves.


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## Lorim (8 May 2007)

Does the Nespresso Magimix give a normal cup of coffee or an expresso sized cup? Would all you owners out there recommend the automatic or manual? Thanks


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## vinchenzbill (8 May 2007)

All of the machines have the function to do both espresso and what Nespresso term as "Lungo" (long) coffees. Of the 12 blends which they produce 3 of them fall into the Lungo range including a Decaff blend.

The automatic versus manual option is purely a matter of convenience for yourself - they all make the very same coffee.


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## selfbuilder (8 May 2007)

Hi I am interested in buying a coffee machine and am wondering what make of Nespresso machine is recommended and how much do they cost?

Thanks for any replies.


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## Marion (8 May 2007)

To throw a spanner in the works, I have a Gaggia 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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## Ceist Beag (10 May 2007)

I'd also be interested in which Nespresso machine people have and what they think of them. I like the look of the cube myself but haven't made my mind up just yet so would like to hear what ones are most recommended.


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## ang1170 (10 May 2007)

Marion said:


> To throw a spanner in the works, I have a Gaggia 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


 
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?


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## Firefly (10 May 2007)

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.


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## ang1170 (10 May 2007)

But how is it keeping it clean?


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## vinchenzbill (10 May 2007)

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??


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## xeresod (10 May 2007)

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.


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## ang1170 (10 May 2007)

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.


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## Vanilla (10 May 2007)

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!


 
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!


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## Surreal (10 May 2007)

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.


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## Blinder (10 May 2007)

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.



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.


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## harvey (10 May 2007)

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.


 
Fully agree. Just had a "Roma" just now instead of my regular Arpeggio. They all taste different but every cup is consistently great.


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## TreeTiger (13 May 2007)

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!


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## boogaloo (13 Jun 2007)

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.


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## Ceist Beag (14 Jun 2007)

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!


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## boogaloo (14 Jun 2007)

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


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## gipimann (14 Jun 2007)

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!


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## Ceist Beag (14 Jun 2007)

Must try it out so gipimann!! ;-) And ye could be right on the offer, not sure when it ends to be honest.


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## aldark (14 Jun 2007)

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.


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## gipimann (14 Jun 2007)

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.


 
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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## boogaloo (15 Jun 2007)

Do Arnotts sell these machines?  I can't see them on their website.

Anyone know where in Galway I could get one?  

thanks!


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## boogaloo (26 Jun 2007)

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  

thanks!


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## gipimann (26 Jun 2007)

boogaloo, I've got the Essenza (not the automatic though!), and it just makes espresso coffee - there isn't an attachment for milk.  As I don't drink coffee with milk it's not a problem for me, but I guess you'd have to get the aerocino to get the hot frothy milk for your latte or cappucino!
€95 is a very good price for a machine, by the way!


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## boogaloo (26 Jun 2007)

hi  Gippimann  - its the magimix that's 95 euro, the Essenza is 155 I think. Could anyone tell me the main difference between the two?
Also, I presume I could always just microwave some milk and then add to the coffee to make a latte?


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## NC6000 (29 Jun 2007)

Sounds like these are they way to go, all the reveiws look very positive.  How much do the capsules cost?


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## vinchenzbill (16 Jul 2007)

NC these machies are the way forward. I've well and truly been bitten by the Nespresso bug!

The capsules are 33c each for the espresso capsules and 35c for the "lungo" blends.

Arnotts have 10% off them in their sale at the moment and they usually have one or two machines on in the store so you can taste the coffee before you buy.

In relation to the above posts re the differences between Automatic and Manual I think the fundamental difference is convenience. With the Auto machines you press the button once and it will dispence the programmed amount of water to pass through the capsule whereas witht he manual you need to stop the flow of water yourself. Both machines are built the very same inside ie. 19 bars of pressure and so make the very same coffee.


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## aamstudent (24 Feb 2008)

Hi,
I just bought a nespresso machine and placed my first order.
However, there is a hefty postage charge so that 100 capsules work out at €43.75 rather than €0.33-0.35 as quoted everywhere - i.e. advertising, this forum etc.  Its misleading to say the least.  That's an actual price almost 25% higher  than advertised.  Given that the only other source of capsules seems to be Brown Thomas Dublin or Cork, the price should be quoted inclusive of postage.  
The other gripe I have is that you only get 12 capsules - one of each flavour - to start.  A bit mean - delivery takes 4-5 days so with 4 coffee drinkers in the house the 12 capsules did not last very far.  Nor did it give us much chance to properly sample them.
It's looking like a very foolish buy.


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## gipimann (24 Feb 2008)

They do offer reduced postage for orders of 200 capsules (I think it's 8.95 for 100 and 9.95 for 200) so buying in bulk is better value if you have to order online.


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## aamstudent (24 Feb 2008)

That does not address the point I was trying to make.  I obviously was not clear enough.
€ 8.95 postage per hundred works out at almost 9 cents per capsule.  € 9.95 per two hundred works out at approx 4.5 cents per capsule.  That makes the true cost of the cheapest capsule either 42 cents if buying 100 or 37.5 cents  if buying 200 not, as was quoted earlier in this thread "33c each for the espresso capsules and 35c for the "lungo" blends." The true cost including postage is approx 27% and 15 % above the figures quoted as the cost of the capsules.   That is misleading.  Ryanair have been forced to amend its ads to include all taxes, fees and charges.  I think the same principle applies here.


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## TreeTiger (24 Feb 2008)

aamstudent said:


> However, there is a hefty postage charge so that 100 capsules work out at €43.75 rather than €0.33-0.35 as quoted everywhere - i.e. advertising, this forum etc.  Its misleading to say the least.


Are you saying that people on this forum are misleading people regarding the price of capsules?
I can (and do) go into Brown Thomas and buy capsules for €0.33 - €0.35.  How is that misleading?

Regarding your comparison with Ryanair, I'm totally confused.  With Ryanair one has no option but to pay these charges.  With Nespresso you can always get someone to go into BT for you and buy the capsules.  Why should they quote a price that is, by your reckoning, 27% and 15% above the over the counter price, especially as many of their customers are not ordering their capsules to be delivered?

I do agree with you though that the taster kit won't last long and it would be nice to get a larger pack.  I would also like to see a Fairtrade option, and a way of recycling the containers.


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## Ceist Beag (25 Feb 2008)

aamstudent said:


> Hi,
> I just bought a nespresso machine and placed my first order.
> ...
> It's looking like a very foolish buy.



That seems a bit of a leap doesn't it? Go onto any online shopping site and postage isn't included in the price displayed on items so why should this be any different? As TreeTiger said the price displayed is the correct price in BT or any other store selling them so there is nothing misleading about that. To compare with Ryanair is a bit of a nonsense, it would be more accurate to compare with any other online shopping site (take amazon as an example).


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## aamstudent (25 Feb 2008)

TreeTiger said:


> Are you saying that people on this forum are misleading people regarding the price of capsules?


Sorry, I did not mean to imply that AAM are misleading.  But I do believe Nestle are misleading consumers.  



TreeTiger said:


> I can (and do) go into Brown Thomas and buy capsules for €0.33 - €0.35.  How is that misleading?  Regarding your comparison with Ryanair, I'm totally confused.  With Ryanair one has no option but to pay these charges.



Actually, I have no option other than buy online.  This is the key point.  As I understand it, most of their sales are online or over the phone.  Thats why I think the Ryanair comparison is relevant.  I live outside of Dublin or Cork , along with about 2.5M other Irish consumers - and it is not practical to run into BT either in Dublin or Cork. 



TreeTiger said:


> Why should they quote a price that is, by your reckoning, 27% and 15% above the over the counter price, especially as many of their customers are not ordering their capsules to be delivered?


Because I think the majority of their Irish customers will have to buy online.  Also, if you think it through, Nestle must be taking a bigger margin on online sales.  They are either giving BT rent for a concession or a margin of the product sales.  Whereas it looks like the full sales price online goes directly to Nestle. They appear to be making the online buyer pay for all delivery whereas delivery costs for the otc customer are absorbed in the otc price.

Bottom line is all Nestle's press and marketing quotes the otc prices - not the online prices, which I believe are more relevant to the majority of Irish nespresso consumers.  And if you are considering buying a machine, you should be considering the true cost of the capsules to you.  In my case, the true cost is the full online cost.


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## vinchenzbill (24 Jul 2008)

TreeTiger said:


> I do agree with you though that the taster kit won't last long and it would be nice to get a larger pack. I would also like to see a Fairtrade option, and a way of recycling the containers.


 
TreeTiger... I have just seen this post now. Nespresso do have a "Fairtrade" option in the form of their "Volluto" blend. If you look on their website under the AAA Programme you can read about their strong partnership with the Rainforest Alliance. Remember Fairtrade is only one of many organisation promoting the ethical trading of commodities around the world. Most other NGOs such as the Rainforest Alliance give a lot more back to the likes of coffee farmers than Fairtrade.

Regarding recycling the capsules...they are alluminium so they can go in with your cans. I've seen Nespresso capsule collection points while living in France!


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## raindog (24 Jul 2008)

it seems that the Nespresso is the way to go alright  if i remember correctly  heston blumenthal's  The Fat Duck 3 michelin star restaurant uses the Nespresso system


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## galwegian44 (24 Jul 2008)

I have to say that these machines do sound very inviting. However I will be keeping my manual machine as I really don't think there is much cleaning to be done. I run a tanl of water through it once evey 2 weeks and unscrew the noxxle to put in the dishwasher about the same frequency.

Every time I make the coffee I just give the nozzle a quick rinse under the tap as I am also rinsing the milk jug...no big deal. having said that I would like a Nespresso machine just to check it out....and they are a much nicer looking machine than mine 

I travel quite a bit with the job and really enjoy bringing home a full range of coffees to try, I do think that 12 - 15 varieties is a limitation. And I'm a big fan of grinding just before I make the coffee, I do believe it makes a difference although from what I've read here the Nespresso taste is pretty damn good too....must give it a try.

I don't think cost is a major issue but for the purposes of comparison my average price per cup is approx. 20 - 25 cent. An increase to 35 cent would not put me off at all, especially with the added convenience......but I do actually enjoy the process of making a coffee with my manual machine.



raindog said:


> it seems that the Nespresso is the way to go alright if i remember correctly heston blumenthal's The Fat Duck 3 michelin star restaurant uses the Nespresso system


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## europhile (9 Feb 2010)

vinchenzbill said:


> Regarding recycling the capsules...they are alluminium so they can go in with your cans. I've seen Nespresso capsule collection points while living in France!



I don't quite understand this.  You mean it's okay to fling them in with your aluminium cans even though they have coffee grounds in them?

I'm guilt ridden about just fecking mine in the bin.


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