Nespresso Machine?

[Ready]

After being a K-cup user for many years I've been thinking about trying out the Nespresso machines. The few times I've had a cup I thought they tasted better than the K-cups. There are so many different models out there that it's a bit overwhelming trying to figure out which one to get.

From what I've researched so far, the new VertuoLine has DRM technology which prevents third party coffee providers from selling compatible capsules, and the Nespresso brand of capsules can be over $1.00 per pod for the larger cups. So I think I want to stay with the "Original Line" where there is more competition for the pods.

I like to drink a large cup of coffee, so I'm thinking I will be making a "lungo shot" and adding some extra water to make it more like an Americano. With K-cups I make a 10 oz cup using one of the stronger brews and then add 3 ounces of milk. I'm OK with getting a separate milk frother, so I don't need one of the higher end units with the built in frothers. I generally sip my coffee very slowly anyway from a thermal mug, so I'm not sure how important the frothing really is. It seems to be more important for the visual appearance than taste, but I could be wrong on that. I'm not a coffee expert.

Can anyone give me some guidance on whether they have been happy with Nespresso in general, and which models and brands of coffee you use and what types of drinks you typically make with it.

I'm hoping to pick one up on Black Friday when everyone is having big sales on them.

Thanks!

 

[audreyh1]

Yes! I love it. It makes terrific espresso and so much crema! We bought a Pixie from Amazon a couple of years ago when we returned from Europe determined to buy one after using them often there, and just happened to stumble on them on sale.

Nespresso seems to have their sales in September when you can pick up a Pixie for around $160, normally over $200. And Macy's and Amazon seem to match their sale prices.

Yes - stay with the original line. Everybody seems to hate Virtuoline.

We've been very happy with our Pixie. The Nespresso pods are around half the price in Europe compared to the US, so we bring some back. This year we packed a box of 20 in our luggage. Picked it up at the Nespresso store in Amsterdam, so it was in the original hard cardboard packaging which protected it in the luggage. The pods are a bit fragile and you can crush the sleeves of 10 if you don't pack properly.

We don't drink espresso every day. It's more of an occasional thing which makes the Pixied perfect. Daily use - I think the espresso pods would seem too expensive, but that all depends on the user, of course.

No reason you couldn't do an Americano. I drink the Lungo size with a bit of sugar. If you really like a big coffee, you might need like two shots. I guess it depends on how strong or milky you like your coffee.

I haven't tried other brands of espresso pods. We drink decaf so that limits our choices.

 

[MichaelB]

I have a Nespresso Origiline and enjoy my afternoon double espresso. It's very popular with visitors, especially my daughters. They drink cappuccino, which I make with one lungo capsule and a separate frother. The Nespresso also make hot coffee, not lukewarm like many other options.

My morning brew is still made with freshly ground beans and a drip machine. On occasion I'll use the Nespresso maker, mixing 2 lungo and one espresso capsules, but I still prefer the fresh brew.

I think one K-cup gives you more caffeine than one lungo capsule - somewhere around 120mg vs 80mg. So, you may need 2 lungos to satisfy an equivalent caffeine habit. If that's not a problem, I think the Nespresso coffee is much tastier.

I've tried 2 alternatives to Nespresso capsules but didn't find either to have the coffee I prefer, so I just buy my capsules when they go on sale.

 

[brett]

We are coffee drinkers. We prefer a European style of coffee.

We have been making our coffee the same way for 45 years. Did it the same even when we were camping years ago.

We buy our coffee beans of choice. We grind the beans each time. We have two sizes of plastic cone shaped Melita filter holders-6 cup and 4 cup. We boil the water and then pour it through the filter into a cup or a pot. It makes great coffee.

It is much less expensive but the real bonus is we get exactly the coffee blend that we want. Went into Starbucks a few years ago and the clerk started talking about their 'pour over' method. She was in her early 20's. Once we realized what she was talking about we told her that this was hardly a new process and that we had been doing it for 45 years. She appeared to be dismayed at this. It is very common method in other parts of the world. The other bonus is that we have one less appliance cluttering up our kitchen counter.

One challenge is that where we live the number 6 filters can be hard to find. So we order them by the case from Staples.

We have an old fashioned steam based stove top unit for making expresso and cappuccinos. Bought it years ago at an Italian market. They had a coffee bar in the market. The gentleman showed us how to do it and how to foam up the milk to the proper consistency. Yah....guess we are set in our ways!

 

[Lsbcal]

We used a Nespresso machine in our Vienna Airbnb apartment. Worked nice and the little espresso pods were less then 50 cents US as I recall.

But in the US I prefer a standard coffee and I use a Cuisinart brewer. The price per cup is probably about 30 cents or so. I buy the French Roast at Starbucks and have them grind it. I store the grounds in a sealed container. Tastes good to me and less fuss then grinding the beans myself.

 

[audreyh1]

DH is a skilled barista and at our home over 20 years ago we converted our wetbar into an espresso bar with a big fancy semi-pro Italian Espresso machine connected directly to the water line, top of the line burr grinder, and all the acoutremonts. I was even roasting coffee beans myself, although we had several good sources for top notch roasted coffee beans for expression which we also ordered from.

Fantastic coffee.

When we went in the road full-time in the RV many years later, we had to say goodbye the espresso bar. We didn't get a small espresso machine for the motor home. We decided it was too much trouble, although we did carry along a smaller burr grinder. In Europe you can by these hand mechanical milk frothing cups. They work very well.

When we moved into another house we never got another espresso machine like we had, because again we decided it was too much trouble although we reconsidered every few years.

Then after a few trips to Europe we were very impressed with the Nespresso machines and loved it when one was in our hotel room. Wow - so little trouble! And great flavor and amazing amount of crema.

So we got the Pixie which is adorably compact. And guess what:

Fantastic coffee!

Of course it helps that we are particularly fond of the Nespresso Allegro blend and it is available in decaf.

 

[gayl]

Love GS1's Vertuline machine so much that DS is buying his own (it's only 'here' on school breaks). Cost is relative ..... it's $1.85 a cup @ Starbucks & Peets (I know there every day) so $1.10 and time savers seems like a bargain

But if cost is important than check out the refillable pods that you buy almost everywhere now. Won't fit Virtuline

 

[audreyh1]

We used a Nespresso machine in our Vienna Airbnb apartment. Worked nice and the little espresso pods were less then 50 cents US as I recall.

But in the US I prefer a standard coffee and I use a Cuisinart brewer. The price per cup is probably about 30 cents or so. I buy the French Roast at Starbucks and have them grind it. I store the grounds in a sealed container. Tastes good to me and less fuss then grinding the beans myself.

The Nespresso pods are 35 European cents in Europe, and 70 American cents in the US.

 

[Ready]

Thanks for all the feedback!

Audreyh1 - I was leaning toward the Pixie, glad to hear you're happy with. Best Buy's Black Friday ad says "40%-50% off every Nespresso machine". So assuming at least 40%, the Pixie would be $138. Or the bundle with the frother would be $168. I guess the frother is worth picking up for $30.

Any feedback on the third party vs Nespresso brand of capsules? The Amazon reviews are all over the place on whether the third party ones are any good. It seems the Gourmesso and HiLine are the most popular.

 

[audreyh1]

Thanks for all the feedback!

Audreyh1 - I was leaning toward the Pixie, glad to hear you're happy with. Best Buy's Black Friday ad says "40%-50% off every Nespresso machine". So assuming at least 40%, the Pixie would be $138. Or the bundle with the frother would be $168. I guess the frother is worth picking up for $30.

Any feedback on the third party vs Nespresso brand of capsules? The Amazon reviews are all over the place on whether the third party ones are any good. It seems the Gourmesso and HiLine are the most popular.

Wow, $138 is a great price for the Pixie!

 

[MichaelB]

The frother at $30 is an excellent value. DW uses ours for hot drinks and I bought one for each DD when they were expecting, also for hot drinks.

Any feedback on the third party vs Nespresso brand of capsules? The Amazon reviews are all over the place on whether the third party ones are any good. It seems the Gourmesso and HiLine are the most popular.

I tried both of those, but at least 3 years ago. In both cases, ordering was challenging, the capsules didn't pour well, and I couldn't find one that tasted like my preferred N (ristretto). No doubt they have improved, so it's probably a good time to revisit. Nespresso is not shy about pricing aggressively.

 

[explanade]

I bought mine a few years ago for about $200, which came with the frother (which was suppose to be like $90 back then) and a $75 credit for the capsules from their online store.

I would definitely use foamed milk from the frother over adding extra water.

The machine itself is the most basic model, so it has a small footprint.

Last year, I got bored and got an Illy capsule coffee machine and a lot of their coffee pods, which tend to be a bit more expensive.

I alternate every couple of months between the two.

I tried one third-party Nespresso pods on Amazon. It smelled good but didn't taste as well and I really didn't save enough money. In Europe, you can get third-party pods from the stores like Monoprix. Never tried it and the savings are so so.

Nespresso will give you prepaid bags to recycle the pods but I just take the full bags to the Sur la Table stores nearby.

They also take used Illy coffee pods as well but they don't provide the bags.

 

[Chuckanut]

I would certainly choose Nespresso over K-cup. They are better, IMHO.

But, there is a much better way...

Get one of the machines that you fill with water and beans, push a button and it grinds and makes a cup of fresh coffee - anything from espresso to a full cup.

Like printers it is the price of the consumables that cost the most in the long run. While these machines are expensive, you can buy 2 and 3 pound bags at places like Costco and get a great cup of coffee that is better than the best pod or cup machine. My estimate is at about 1/5 the cost of those cups/pods.

https://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-ESA...4987&sr=8-3&keywords=automatic+espresso+maker

Or if you are one of those people who just can't seem to spend enough in retirement:

https://www.amazon.com/JURA-13626-J...r=8-2&keywords=automatic+espresso+maker++jura

I have had a Jura for 8+ years and it works very well. Italian design, Swiss made - a great combo, IMHO. And I'm sure I have saved the price of the Jura in beans as compared to those expensive cups and pods that make inferior coffee.

Oh, my Jura allows the use of pre ground coffee also, which comes in useful when a friend wants a cup of 'decafe'.

 

[Ready]

I stopped by the local Bloomingdales today to look at all of the models. I just needed a compact basic model so I was trying to compare the Pixie vs the Inissia model. I put them both side by side and couldn't really tell much difference. The Pixie supposedly has more metal parts versus plastic in the Inissia but they both seems to weigh about the same when I picked them up side by side.

The Pixie was $280 with the milk frother and the Inissia was $200, also with the milk frother. I asked the salesperson if they could give me the Black Friday price today. She checked her register and said I could have the Inissia bundle for $89.99.

I had to scratch my head a bit to understand that one. Just for asking, they dropped the price from $199.99 to $89.99? I had no idea there was so much margin in these things, but it seemed like a pretty good deal to me, so I went ahead and bought it.

I'm not much of an afternoon coffee drinker so I'll give it a good test tomorrow morning. In the meantime, I'll look around Amazon and order a bunch of different capsules.

Can't wait to have my first home made espresso!

 

[audreyh1]

Wow what a deal!

The Nespresso capsules I've seen on Amazon are the same price as buying directly from Nespresso.

 

[mn54]

I see that the inissia with the frother is going to be $100 on black friday at macys, only in red. reg price is 289. similar in size and shape to the pixie. their black friday starts tomorrow.

 

[Ready]

I see that the inissia with the frother is going to be $100 on black friday at macys, only in red. reg price is 289. similar in size and shape to the pixie. their black friday starts tomorrow.

Yes, that’s the one I bought. They offered to beat the Macy’s price by $10 if I purchased today.

The mall was dead.

 

[Ready]

Wow what a deal!

The Nespresso capsules I've seen on Amazon are the same price as buying directly from Nespresso.

I was going to try the Gourmesso line. I have a 16 pack of Nespresso brand capsules included with the bundle so this will give me a chance to see if I can tell the difference.

 

[Lsbcal]

Wow what a deal!

The Nespresso capsules I've seen on Amazon are the same price as buying directly from Nespresso.

DW needs to limit the volume of coffee because it irritates her stomach. So she likes to add milk to an espresso shot. She would prefer lattes but they are more trouble to make. The Starbucks pods (we have a Verisimo machine) are $1 and not always easy to get.

Are there any deals on Nespresso pods or are they always 70 cents?

 

[MichaelB]

DW needs to limit the volume of coffee because it irritates her stomach. So she likes to add milk to an espresso shot. She would prefer lattes but they are more trouble to make. The Starbucks pods (we have a Verisimo machine) are $1 and not always easy to get.

Are there any deals on Nespresso pods or are they always 70 cents?

Nespresso pods start at $0.70, and have quite a few that are more expensive. The frequently offer 10%-20% off, which is usually when I buy.

 

[Ready]

DW needs to limit the volume of coffee because it irritates her stomach. So she likes to add milk to an espresso shot. She would prefer lattes but they are more trouble to make. The Starbucks pods (we have a Verisimo machine) are $1 and not always easy to get.

Are there any deals on Nespresso pods or are they always 70 cents?

I ordered a 120 pack of "Bestspresso" capsules from Amazon for $40, which brings the price down to .33 per capsule. I'll have a chance to compare them to the OEM line that came with the bundle, but Amazon has over 1,000 reviews with a 4.5 star average rating.

I made three shots this morning, so at .70/capsule for the OEM brand that gets a bit expensive for me. Hopefully the third party brands will be good enough that I'll just stick with them.

Nespresso is having a 35% off sale on their own machines right now, which seems like a decent deal. Or just wait until Friday and order from Best Buy at 40-50% off.

 

[tulak]

I ordered the Pixie combo from Amazon. It looks like everyone is selling these for $180 and they claim this is the Black Friday price. I’m curious to see if the price goes lower on Friday. Now it’s time to research capsules.

We’ve been thinking about getting a Nespresso for a while and have picked up a strong coffee habit after our summer travels, so this might actually save us some money.

Between this and the Apple Watch, reading this forum is getting pricey. Fortunately, I’m probably still way ahead thanks to all the great financial tips.

 

[Ready]

I ordered the Pixie combo from Amazon. It looks like everyone is selling these for $180 and they claim this is the Black Friday price. I’m curious to see if the price goes lower on Friday. Now it’s time to research capsules.

We’ve been thinking about getting a Nespresso for a while and have picked up a strong coffee habit after our summer travels, so this might actually save us some money.

Between this and the Apple Watch, reading this forum is getting pricey. Fortunately, I’m probably still way ahead thanks to all the great financial tips.

A Nespresso machine and an Apple watch - what a great Black Friday combo!

I've had three cups of the "BestPresso" coffee now. Two ristrettos and an intenso. I really can't tell the difference between these and the Nespresso branded capsules that came with the machine. They all taste great. Maybe I'm not enough of an espresso snob to notice the difference, but at .33 per capsule I see no reason to buy the name brand.

I'm used to drinking 12 ounce mugs of coffee in the morning, and now I'm running about 3.5 ounces through the capsules, plus about 2 ounces of milk, so my beverages have gotten much smaller. I'm still getting used to that, but the taste is amazing.

 

[HFWR]

Only if it comes with Penelope Cruz...

 

[Golden sunsets]

Thanks for all the feedback!


Any feedback on the third party vs Nespresso brand of capsules? The Amazon reviews are all over the place on whether the third party ones are any good. It seems the Gourmesso and HiLine are the most popular.

Ready; We switched to Nespresso from Keurig about 2 years ago and have not looked back. IF it is important to brew one cup at a time then Nespresso is the best in the moderate price macine category. The coffee is hotter than Keurig, one of my main complaints and the flavor ismore robust. Gourmesso and Hi-Line are the best sources for pods that I have found, with Gourmesso edging out Hi-Line (both from a cost and variety standpoint) even without discounts and free shipping which are regularly available. So perhaps .48-.54 cents per pod before a -10 to 15 percent discount and free shipping.

But it is important to note that the Lungo is not a full cup(8 oz). I happen to like Latte so I bought the machine with a frother and the lungo with milk is a full cup of coffee and my morning ritual.