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Aldi Expressi Coffee Machine Review - (Lots of pictures)

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  • #16
    Re: Aldi Expressi Coffee Machine Review - (Lots of pictures)

    Other problems.

    The case of the Expressi only looks pretty for a minute or two. The high polish and very soft plastic case gets fine scratches as soon as its touched and the static turns it into a dust magnet.

    Minor but annoying just the same - The power cord had disolved some of the sytrene packaging it was in contact with. Ive seen it before and assume some sort of petrochemical being released from the plastic plug that causes this.





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    • #17
      Re: Aldi Expressi Coffee Machine Review - (Lots of pictures)

      Conclusion:

      What started out with some promise quickly turned into the worst tasting coffee ever when I actually used the machine.

      Pros:
      * $79 is not much money for a coffee machine!
      * Looks neat
      * Good sized footprint for a domestic kitchen
      * 2 year warranty
      * Good manual
      * Easy to use

      Cons:
      * The coffee tasted disgusting
      * 7-8 times more landfill than fresh coffee.
      * $50/kg is too expensive.
      * Coffee is too old (7 months old already).
      * Roasted, ground and packed in Germany means it will always be old
      * No option to adjust temperature or rate of pour.



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      • #18
        Re: Aldi Expressi Coffee Machine Review - (Lots of pictures)

        Recommendation:

        Please try a coffee from this machine before you buy it.  If you cannot try it at your local store then feel free to call into the Snobbery and try mine.

        If you are on a really tight budget and want better coffee than I could get from this machine then buy yourself a $10 plunger, a $30 grinder and some fresh coffee.  You can always upgrade later if you feel the need and have the dollars spare.

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        • #19
          Re: Aldi Expressi Coffee Machine Review - (Lots of pictures)

          Wow, And I thought that the picture on the box was a graphical error, but nope, That there Espressi shot looks like a Guinness. If only it tasted like a Guinness...

          Oh well, I suppose this is still better then International Roast, but even supermarket beans and a secondhand Breville/Sunbeam off ebay would be a better starter option for someone who likes "real" coffee

          Out of interest, Do the pods look like they would fit the nespresso system, or are they a different shape altogether?

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          • #20
            Re: Aldi Expressi Coffee Machine Review - (Lots of pictures)

            Andy,

            Thanks for your review.

            I was thinking of going for a look but I wont need to now.

            I see that it says on the box:

            “If you are not entirely satisfied with this product, please return it to your nearest ALDI store for a full refund or replacement.”

            Are you going to return it?

            Or will you keep it in the Snobbery as a decoration?

            Barry.

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            • #21
              Re: Aldi Expressi Coffee Machine Review - (Lots of pictures)

              A great review Andy.

              A friend of mine tried an espresso from one in-store the other day and she said "I had the strongest one; terrible: weak, thin stuff with no crema at all".

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              • #22
                Re: Aldi Expressi Coffee Machine Review - (Lots of pictures)

                Originally posted by 587561737C7D7A73556052756071140 link=1322406344/18#18 date=1322433094
                I thought that the picture on the box was a graphical error, but nope, That there Espressi shot looks like a Guinness
                Guinness isnt as bitter!
                :

                Originally posted by 587561737C7D7A73556052756071140 link=1322406344/18#18 date=1322433094
                Do the pods look like they would fit the nespresso system, or are they a different shape altogether?
                Different shape.  Nespresso has something like 1700 patents protecting their design so even if a coffee roaster wanted to offer a local fresh version they would find themselves in court pretty quickly (just ask Sara Lee!) http://tinyurl.com/d4f5sgv

                While in store a guy had a Map coffee pod and compared it to the Expressi.... they looked the same size by eye but may have a different grind or pack inside???  Map capsule machines are $300 odd and their capsules are $6.50 per 10, 70% more than the Expressi price.  I would be interested to know if the Expressi capsule works any better in a Map machine.

                Originally posted by 567566666D4B50617A77757A140 link=1322406344/19#19 date=1322434905
                Are you going to return it?

                Or will you keep it in the Snobbery as a decoration?
                I should return it as it certainly doesnt produce anything like a drinkable espresso but instead I think Ill keep it here as a "community service".  If I can save a couple of people from wasting $79 +coffee then its worthwhile.


                Originally posted by 407C617A707166737B70140 link=1322406344/20#20 date=1322446804
                she said "I had the strongest one; terrible: weak, thin stuff with no crema at all"
                Interesting.  Maybe the build quality of the machines make this more of a moving target? I have no problem getting "crema" but its always white and bitter and gushes out of the spout akin to the way a pressurised basket in a cheap espresso machine does.

                None of the 3 different capsules I tried had any body so Im certainly with her there.

                As an experiment I cut open a few capsules and tried to pull a shot in the Giotto to compare the results.  It was ground too coarse get a fair pour (4 second gusher) so I didnt include the results above.

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                • #23
                  Re: Aldi Expressi Coffee Machine Review - (Lots of pictures)

                  Hi Andy,

                  How does the Expressi compare to a Nespresso? I think this would be the real comparison of the market that they are trying to capture. Is there a comparison of how much coffee in a nespresso etc etc?

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Aldi Expressi Coffee Machine Review - (Lots of pictures)

                    Originally posted by 3A2826302C490 link=1322406344/22#22 date=1322450352
                    How does the Expressi compare to a Nespresso? I think this would be the real comparison of the market that they are trying to capture. Is there a comparison of how much coffee in a nespresso
                    Well.. the real purpose of this thread was to review the Aldi Expressi capsule machine but...
                    The Nespresso typically has slightly less coffee per shot but does brew it a little better. Having said that it also suffers from similar problems in that the coffee is roasted and ground overseas and then sent via sea container to here. It then goes into distribution warehouses and as some point goes to the stores. The whole model ensures that fresh coffee can never be bought in Australia. Maybe in Europe it hits the shelves earlier but certainly not here.

                    As for "the market they want to capture"... I would assume any coffee drinking market would want good tasting coffee as a minimum. If there is a market for bad coffee let me know as I sweep a lot of beans off the floor and into the bin each year.
                    ;D

                    Every sucker customer who has come in here today has had a shot out of the Expressi. The faces they have pulled are priceless!

                    The consensus among them has been the same all day... great looking machine, good price but woeful, bitter espresso shots.

                    I guess the real question is:
                    What do you want from a coffee machine?

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                    • #25
                      Re: Aldi Expressi Coffee Machine Review - (Lots of pictures)

                      Great reviewing skills as usual Andy.

                      Originally posted by 1E313B265F0 link=1322406344/23#23 date=1322462434
                      Every sucker customer who has come in here today has had a shot out of the Expressi. The faces they have pulled are priceless!
                      That tempts me to buy one. ;D

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                      • #26
                        Re: Aldi Expressi Coffee Machine Review - (Lots of pictures)

                        Originally posted by 49666C71080 link=1322406344/23#23 date=1322462434
                        As for "the market they want to capture"... I would assume any coffee drinking market would want good tasting coffee as a minimum. If there is a market for bad coffee let me know as I sweep a lot of beans off the floor and into the bin each year.

                        I would agree, but the perception of a good coffee by most consumers out there is anything better than instant or those coin operated coffee machines at the work places such as my work place. For the general public who are used to instant coffees, for them a nespresso is a step up. Hehe, there is a market for bad coffee...its called the instant coffee market. ;D

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                        • #27
                          Re: Aldi Expressi Coffee Machine Review - (Lots of pictures)

                          Instant coffee is better than what I got out of this machine.
                          :-[

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                          • #28
                            Re: Aldi Expressi Coffee Machine Review - (Lots of pictures)

                            Absolutely brilliant review Andy. I was wondering about this after seeing the it in the Aldi catalogue.

                            When I was working for Nestle I did a few contracts with Aldi for food products. What I can say is that they are very strict with their suppliers on quality. They audited our factories regularly, they wanted mid range quality in the products at low prices but the incentive for suppliers are that they have minimal trading term fees and a fixed price so can work out to be quite a profitable customer. They used to buy joblots of Nescafe Blend 43 and cut the guts out of it to drive traffic into their stores. It used to cause all sort of problems amongst the grocery chains.

                            They want to get coffee right as they know it drives traffic but they know it is difficult as brands dominate. It will be interesting to see how this goes as there is a fine line between convenience and quality in the coffee category which can be hard to get right. Consumers perseption of quality is vastly different in the supermarkets but you only have to look at the shelf space being allocated to convenience type products to know that it is a big growth area.

                            Out of interest how did it go with milk?

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                            • #29
                              Re: Aldi Expressi Coffee Machine Review - (Lots of pictures)

                              Originally posted by 09252C2C2F2F18252B393E2F38394A0 link=1322406344/27#27 date=1322471363
                              Out of interest how did it go with milk?
                              Good question.
                              With milk and sugar it still sucked. ;D

                              Well to be fair I guess with enough milk and enough sugar it could nearly be drunk but I would seriously prefer a "white with one" instant coffee to this.

                              I feel sorry for the 1000s of people who bought one and will use it for the next 6 months... they really could be doing so much better with a punger, whizzy-blade grinder and some 1 week old coffee. Lower cost, better for the planet and far more interesting for their taste buds.

                              Today I tried some really short shots (ristretto-esk) and they were still bad. Seems that the first gush of bubbly mess that comes out of the machine contains most of the bitter white foam and it goes downhill from there.

                              The build quality of the machine seems good but they have missed the flavour mark by miles and I doubt their "sample group" were local.

                              This could be a case of the marketing team driving the project instead of the technical team?
                              :

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                              • #30
                                Re: Aldi Expressi Coffee Machine Review - (Lots of pictures)

                                Well I was in the local Warrnambool Aldi yesterday and there would still be 20 plus units on the shelf. And no Im not offering to snag any

                                Nice review Andy.

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