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An Analysis of Nespresso

jimseven.com

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Re: An Analysis of Nespresso

#151

Post by true_religion »

Ellipsis753 wrote: post #29
caseyf7 wrote: post #27

I had a higher end Nespresso. The killer was how little espresso it makes. I don't consider myself a heavy coffee drinker because I only drink one cup in the morning. However it took 4 Nespresso pods (black ones) to get a decent amount of caffeine and not get headaches. And I usually order single shots when I go out.

You can adjust the amount made from a single pod. You can actually make a full mug from a single pod and it still tastes great (and not watery).

Well more water in the cup isn't the issue. It's that there's not enough caffine in each pod.

I tend to agree. I only get two shots of expresso and I'm usually fine with that, but with Nessprso's machine I couldn't get enough caffeine unless I put 4 shots in it.

Re: An Analysis of Nespresso

#152

Post by kazinator »

saalaa wrote: post #98
_benedict wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My personal experience is freshly ground coffee has a much better taste. Although not much better than when you first open a bag of store-bought ground coffee. If you don't notice the coffee get less flavourful over the course of a couple of weeks, and then tastier when you open a new bag, then there's a reasonable chance you won't notice a sufficient difference in freshly ground coffee. One thing you unequivocally g…

> freshly ground coffee This is actually the single most determining factor for a good coffee.

No, it isn't. Freshly roasted is.

The aroma and flavor of coffee degrades rapidly after roasting, whether you grind it or not. Grinding it accelerates the process, but you can easily get coffee in unground form, and the difference between ground and unground is visually obviously: a vendor can't sneak you ground coffee if you want unground.

How long ago beans were roasted isn't visually obvious.

Re: An Analysis of Nespresso

#153

Post by madeofpalk »

pbowyer wrote: post #30
Daneel_ wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is exactly why I use a Nespresso machine. At $5 and ~10 minutes per cup of coffee from the coffee shop, with varying outcomes depending on the barista, vs 70¢ + milk per cup and almost perfectly identical every time, it just makes sense to use one. Even at one cup per working day, that's a saving of over $20 per week for me. Even one of the top end machines would pay for itself in months.

You could replace it with... instant coffee, y'know? I've found the more expensive ones taste good, and it's only cents per mug. Sure, it's not the coffee-shop mouth-experience (I put a lot of that down to the frothed milk), but a Nespresso doesn't provide that either?

> Sure, it's not the coffee-shop mouth-experience (I put a lot of that down to the frothed milk), but a Nespresso doesn't provide that either?

Most, or some, Nespresso (and I guess the Keurig machine in the US?) had a little single-serve milk frother.

It's a little jug that contains a heating element with a small detachable magnetic 'whisk' component which is completely submerged. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L50Renw5LqE

Re: An Analysis of Nespresso

#154

Post by gdubs »

I invested in a mid-level DeLonghi machine. It's semi-automatic, and although it works with standardized pods, I use ground coffee.

It's a fantastic little machine. You can make a high-quality latte in under three minutes with it. I just can't get passed the amount of waste involved in the nespresso process. That, and when compared to an authentic espresso, I find the nespresso to be bitter and watery.

Re: An Analysis of Nespresso

#155

Post by kazinator »

_benedict wrote: post #32
keithpeter wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I take the OA's point, however most of us (I assume) will be using a cafetiere or a paper filter based coffee maker at home rather than doing the full artisan roast and grind. In my case, I'm using pre-ground coffee in foil bags from the local supermarket at around £3 to £4 per 227g standard pack. I make myself a large diluted coffee each morning using a 3-cup mokapot. The 5 minute prep time isn't onerous and the eco…

My personal experience is freshly ground coffee has a much better taste. Although not much better than when you first open a bag of store-bought ground coffee. If you don't notice the coffee get less flavourful over the course of a couple of weeks, and then tastier when you open a new bag, then there's a reasonable chance you won't notice a sufficient difference in freshly ground coffee. One thing you unequivocally g…

Store-bought ground coffee was roasted months and months ago, so you must be "freshly" grinding beans that were also roasted months and months ago, if you're finding the results similar.

Ideally you want coffee to have been roasted no more than about three weeks ago.

Re: An Analysis of Nespresso

#156

Post by zschallz »

gdubs wrote: post #154

I invested in a mid-level DeLonghi machine. It's semi-automatic, and although it works with standardized pods, I use ground coffee. It's a fantastic little machine. You can make a high-quality latte in under three minutes with it. I just can't get passed the amount of waste involved in the nespresso process. That, and when compared to an authentic espresso, I find the nespresso to be bitter and watery.

Which machine did you buy?

Re: An Analysis of Nespresso

#158

Post by gadders »

I got one of these last year, and it gets an awful lot of use. I think if you're a coffee gourmet, then it's not for you. If you're someone that wants a latte at home then (together with the milk heater) they are great for that.

Re: An Analysis of Nespresso

#159

Post by gdubs »

zschallz wrote: post #156
gdubs wrote: post #154

I invested in a mid-level DeLonghi machine. It's semi-automatic, and although it works with standardized pods, I use ground coffee. It's a fantastic little machine. You can make a high-quality latte in under three minutes with it. I just can't get passed the amount of waste involved in the nespresso process. That, and when compared to an authentic espresso, I find the nespresso to be bitter and watery.

Which machine did you buy?

It's called the Dedica. [1]

I'm very happy with it. I'm enough of a coffee person that I sometimes think I could have gone for a more "prosumer" machine, but for the price point this is a solid machine.

The barista grade beast at the office is certainly superior, but this home machine can hold its own.

1: http://www.wholelattelove.com/products/delonghi-dedica-ec680...

Re: An Analysis of Nespresso

#160

Post by jms703 »

jimseven wrote: post #92
rizumu wrote: post #74

I been keeping an eye on this Roast-grind-brew coffee machine startup and still can't make up my mind if it is worth it:( https://www.bonaverde.com/en ). I'm still happy grinding my own beans and slow brewing them in a vacuum press. Seems though that the all-in-one roast to cup would be tastier for a cup of coffee (not an espresso). I drank Nespresso for a few years at work. Always went for the dark/espresso roast bu…

I'd be genuinely astounded if they manage to build that machine and it works, let alone works well.

I'm a backer of that project and plan to write a review when it's released.
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