Nespresso coffee machine

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!

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?

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

aamstudent said:

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

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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).

TreeTiger said:

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

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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.

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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?

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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.

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.

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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!

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

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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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!

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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.