Who here actually likes Nespresso?

[pamount]

I'm curious as to whether or not anybody here actually likes Nespresso. I've tried it a few times myself and I'm yet to find a Nespresso coffee that I actually like.

If somebody mentions an actual Nespresso coffee that they like I might go to where I can get a free sample and try it. Although after previous experience I'm somewhat doubtful. Then again, who knows?

Thanks.

[flynnaus]

Why do you ask?
If you don't like Nespresso then why does it matter what others think? I doubt you'll find many here who do but let's say a few do like it, so what? If you said you did like it, I would understand your question a bit more.

I tried Nespresso once and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but not good enough to want to buy one.

I can think of other reasons why I wouldn't get one including the environment factor (more plastic empty capsules in the rubbish). But that's my opinion. I've tried other cofee that CSers might turn their nose up such as The Malaysian/Singapore kopi (coffee made with sweetened condensed milk) and it wasn't that bad. Likewise with the Vietnamese equivalent. But I only drank those because there wasn't much choice and the espresso based drinks weren't very good.

[noidle22]

The coffee is pretty rubbish, always will be. The hot chocolate capsules are ok though but it isn't really that hard to make hot chocolate so the convenience of having a machine do it for you is questionable based on the cost of the capsules themselves.

The build quality of Nespresso machines is a whole other subject. I'm yet to find any other coffee machine that comes anywhere close to the build quality found in a Nespresso machine.
They're fun to work on and use quality components. Seems a shame that all the brilliant design and engineering is wasted on the resulting coffee that it produces.

[Dragunov21]

Black, it's always gonna be rubbish next to properly-prepared espresso.

With milk, I can enjoy their dark/rich-labelled pods as coffee-flavoured beverages as two pods, extracted "ristretto", in a small-cap's worth of milk. Once again, not a patch on a "proper" one.

[Yelta]

Obviously a fair percentage of the population do like them Meet Australia's coffee pod tycoons and most other coffee drinkers are quite happy with some form of instant.

I suspect that we so called coffee snobs/geeks are only a very small part of the overall Australian market.

[Barry_Duncan]

I can see why some people like pod coffee.

It is an improvement on instant coffee. It can be one step towards getting real espresso with fresh coffee.

The machines are cheap while the process is easy and clean. However it is an expensive way to buy stale coffee.

The promotion by Nestles has been cleaver and slick.

I have tried about 4 pod coffees including Nespresso. I didn’t like any of them. To me they tasted stale and yucky. One I couldn’t drink and was poured out.

I take my dose of coffee as a macchiato so poor coffee is not camouflaged by milk or sugar.

Barry

[pamount]

It only just occurred to me this morning that I might've asked this question before. I'm just curious about it. Even if I was in a full time job I don't see myself buying a Nespresso machine.

Considering the coffee culture we have in Melbourne it would be interesting to see a break down of the sales figures on a city by city basis. I'll have to look at the links on that.

[blend52]

I can see why some people like pod coffee.

It is an improvement on instant coffee. It can be one step towards getting real espresso with fresh coffee.

The machines are cheap while the process is easy and clean. However it is an expensive way to buy stale coffee.

The promotion by Nestles has been cleaver and slick.
.

Barry

100% agree with you! and would add that dispite mr Cluney's persuasive efforts, only a minority of the home coffee drinkers ever drink Espresso without milk and as such are largely insulated from the taste limitations.
I suspect most users don't even bother with a warming flush befor trying to wring some taste out of those pods.
Most Nespresso buyers are attracted by the convenience and low initial cost of a home "espresso" system together with the aspirational "image" that it has generated.
Also, remember there are different Nespresso systems available, the latest being the "Vertuo" system with larger pods and a centrifugal extraction process. The "long black" I tried from one of those was very akin to a pour over (from dubious beans!)

[MrJack]

I would rather drink instant. I just don't like the taste of nespresso - even with milk (which, to me, seems to come out tasting "greasy").

[pamount]

I have to admit it would be fun to find some YouTube videos of people who are "proud of the shiny new Nespresso machines". Just the sarcasm it would promote would be fun to read.

[Rocky]

If anyone ever finds a pod system that is better than just 'drinkable' I would be very surprised.
Trying to find a "good" one is a bit of a lost cause.
The assessment has to be done on a 'long-black' style drink as the moment milk is added any "coffee" however bad, becomes less offensive.
I rate the average pod as slightly better than Instant coffee and about the same as a coffee bag.

[fruity]

If anyone ever finds a pod system that is better than just 'drinkable' I would be very surprised.
Trying to find a "good" one is a bit of a lost cause.
The assessment has to be done on a 'long-black' style drink as the moment milk is added any "coffee" however bad, becomes less offensive.
I rate the average pod as slightly better than Instant coffee and about the same as a coffee bag.

I've found that if I grind fresh, home-roasted coffee into my own pod a couple of hours prior I get an "okay" result. It's still a long way behind what I get at home, but it makes for passable coffee while at work (where we only have the pod option).

Even still, sometimes I don't both and bring a filter coffee in a thermos.

[TampIt]

I've found that if I grind fresh, home-roasted coffee into my own pod a couple of hours prior I get an "okay" result. It's still a long way behind what I get at home, but it makes for passable coffee while at work (where we only have the pod option).

Even still, sometimes I don't both and bring a filter coffee in a thermos.

Hi fruity

I nearly gave up on this thread until this post.

IF you take the time to grind / dose to match your machine and IF your machine is reasonable quality* you will find that fresh roasts will give a lot of CS'r's a shock: really good espresso.

reasonable quality*: an old "Nespresso clone" owned by a friend has an all stainless mechanism which clocks in at 92 degrees and 9.11 bar. If you use a fresh roast & a decent pod (i.e. one where you cannot taste the plastic / plastic coating) it will make a genuine espresso by any definition of the word I am familiar with. Evidently (secondhand info) early Nespresso machines were also all stainless - the new ones are aluminium / plastic rubbish and are not capable of making anything I would drink, let alone call an espresso. Clearly Noidle22 and I disagree on the build quality of the newer Nespresso machines...


FWIW, if I had to go with a known pod machine (I don't), I would definitely dial it in using fresh roasts just like a "normal" espresso machine. It would be worth the effort!

TampIt

[blend52]

Yes, fresh grinds will obviously make a big improvement ....though how long will they remain fresh ?
that, together with all the fiddling , mess, and time taken to empty, clean, and fill, those reuseable pods....eliminates the main advantage of the pod system. That of simple , quick, convenience.
..and yes, I have done this, several different Nespresso m/c,s , and several different reuseable pod types.

[Erimus]

The daughter in law has one with the milk frother attachment and it does make a very nice latte, better than most coffee shops in this neck of the woods.
I did try an espresso with the machine at the dentists and as expected it was quite bitter and had to add sugar, hides some of the sins.
Whatever floats you boat.