A bit of a query. I am considering getting one of these Carlos Fandango pod style coffee makers & am leaning towards the Nespresso (No particular reason, probably drawn in by advertising).
My nearest supermarket is ASDA, & they do not stock replacement pods for nespresso but do for a couple of other types (sorry, dont remember the exact names).
My question is 2 fold, firstly, are these devices any good? & secondly, are the pods from other makes compatible with Nespresso machines?
As ever, any/all advice welcome.
Uncle Wheaty says
I have a Tassimo machine that is very efficient and would recommend it. A good range is available in most supermarkets that I frequent – Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsburys.
The capsules are not interchangeable between machines as far as I know.
MyAmericanMate says
A real coffee ponce, me. I’ve used them in meeting rooms and conference centres and other peoples homes and those seem like the best places for them. Come round mine and I can whup up a cuppa for you about five or six different ways. But no instant and no pods. Is the coffee any good? I’d imagine if you got that Bloomin’ Hestenthol guy to come over and make you your tea, it’d be a pretty spectacular repast, but would it be as good as schlepping down to his gaff? Of course not. For me, the best part of having a nice coffee is being somewhere nice. Or different. A workplace joe is just something to stave off boredom, hunger and fatigue but at lunch I often like to nip down the Caledonian Road for something good.
Finally, however, the environmental impact of those pods is absolutely catastrophic.
JustB says
I’ve had a Nespresso for a few years. Really like it and they recycle the pods.
It’s not the best coffee you’ve ever had, but it’s very good. I hardly drink caffeine any more except for my one double espresso first thing. It’s perfect for my needs.
Leedsboy says
I’m with Bob on this. Nespresso coffee is good and it is very easy. You can buy compatible pods in supermarkets but they’re not really any cheaper than ordering online from Nespresso. I have a ‘proper’ espresso machine but it was too much palaver so it’s in a cupboard.
IanP says
I have an Aeropress and a stovetop Bialetti, either will make your great coffee and are loads cheaper than what you are considering.
Also you can try out so many different grinds, beans and blends.
Don’t do it; you can get better and cheaper.
DrJ says
Another vote for the Aeropress. Dead simple, fast, hella-cheap and as IanP says, you can dump any type of coffee into it. I’ve recently been using the Lidl Deluxe ground coffee when I haven’t time to grind my beans (ooh-er, etc) and it makes a great cup first thing in the morning. And the little puck of coffee grounds can be used to grow mushrooms http://grocycle.com so it’s environmentally sound!
Gatz says
Nah. Vote for Bialetti here. I have an Aeropress but found the coffee, whatever type I used and whatever YouTube video I copied (and there are loads of them) strong but tasteless. Bialetti, grind beans (Aldi whole espresso beans are fine), use boiling water in the reservoir if, like me, you have a slow electric hob, and the jobs a good ‘un.
I’m no coffee snob. I like the pod espressos I have had just fine, so @jackthebiscuit may well find a pod machine money well spent, but for home use its the Bialetti every time.
Milkybarnick says
Me too for the Bialetti. Tend to lob the results in a mug and top up with hot water (and a bit of milk) cos it’s a bit too punchy for me straight out of the pot.
It works well with whatever I’ve chucked in it. I’ve yet to try the 5 year old Tchibo ground stuff we found at the back of the cupboard the other week though (think that might be a bridge too far).
Locust says
I can’t stand coffee myself, but my Italian dad swears by his beloved Nescafé Dolce Gusto Circolo (=looks like a donut) for his daily fix of espresso.
bigstevie says
I was in the Italian city of Barga last week. A historic walled city in the mountains of Tuscany where nothing has changed much in the old town for hundreds of years. We were in a little bar at closing time and the bloke behind the counter was cleaning the coffee machine, getting it ready for the next day. It was one of these giant steel things which belts out high pressure steam from time to time….much to my surprise, he pulled out a tray, and it was full of pods!
I have a Nespresso machine which more or less only makes espresso and I love it. There was a decent thread about these machines a while back if someone knows how to search for it.
Gatz says
Mike_H says
My nephew and his girlfriend have a Tassimo machine. Coffee is OK to pretty good.
Personally, I use a Bialetti-alike stovetop pot (from Rickmansworth Waitrose). I prefer it.
Fin59 says
Nespresso is instant coffee. Upscale instant coffee perhaps but instant coffee. If having coffee instantly is the key, get one. if not, get a good quality machine and spend as much as you are able.
Dodger Lane says
I had a Nespresso at work and it was perfectly ok, but no better than a simple little Bialetti which I use at home. I have used the latter for years, never fails me, you can use a wider range of coffee and is cheaper.
dadwardo says
I’m in coffee snob Melbourne, so expectations are high. Loved both my Aeropress and Bialetti but recently Mrs. ‘Wardo bought me a ‘proper’ DiLonghi machine – nothing too flash, mind – and it has completely taken over both are relegated to the bottom drawer.
Morning ritual: beans from “Omar and the Marvellous Coffee Bird”, grind, pull, simply magic.
moseleymoles says
We have a proper DeLonghi and an aeropress. The latter is an extra-ordinary simple system, no more effort than a pod machine yet produces results so good it is an option in all the poncy independent coffee shops in that there brum city centre (6/8, Urban CC etc)
retropath2 says
Brum is suddenly rather good for coffee shops, craft ale bars and hipster beards, I find and approve. My fave of the first is the small chain called Yorks. It was dead handy for a pre-solicitor hit at my divorce lawyers. After generally meant the pub, maybe Pure Bar, close by too.
oscar patterson says
Oh, the amount of time I’ve spent on this exact topic…
Over the years, I’ve had a burr grinder, a blade grinder, a monthly subscription to freshly ground coffee (and beans to grind myself) from PACT coffee, an Aero-Press, a Bialetti Brika, a Bialetti Moka and a pro-sumer espresso machine…
I like a nice coffee, but I am deeply irritated by paying lots of money in a coffee shop for it. The dilemma is that I KNOW that I would be getting a good product for my money. It just annoys me to pay it. Go figure.
Anyway, I wanted to kind-of replicate this experience at home – with a very specific need. Basically, I wanted to be able to enjoy my morning coffee with the minimum of additional fuss, an acceptable (to me) cost level and a quality level that was better than instant from a jar.
The subscription coffee from PACT was awesome tasting and having beans and grinding them myself undoubtedly makes brilliant coffee, but is *simply* a faff too far at 6.15am!!
The Bialetti stovetop makes a rich brew – but you need to pay attention to stop it boiling over. However, topping the drink with crema is a bit hit and miss (and I do enjoy my crema). The Aero-press was better than a jar, but only just, I felt. The espresso machine itself was, again, just a bit faffy, waiting to heat up – etc etc. Bleary eyes needed caffeine quicker!
The other point I should note is that I am an Espresso drinker first thing, so milk doesn’t come into the picture very much. After a lot of dithering in the Christmas sales I bought a Dolce Gusto entry-level pod machine for about £25. The milky drinks require a coffee pod and a powdered milk pod – and frankly are pretty nasty with way too much sugar. I tend to avoid those – the best of a bad bunch is the Cortado pod – which isn’t that sweet and produces macchiato-like results.
However, the machine meets the brief in that it produces a very decent first-thing-in-the-morning-hit-of-espresso – I choose to use the ‘Barista’ or ‘Lungo’ pods (depending on if I want a shorter or longer drink). It heats up quickly and a box of 16 pods is £3.99 in most supermarkets (£4 in JS) I use two pods most mornings for a total of two drinks.
The Nespresso ecosystem seems to be more popular and as such the 3rd Party pod market is a LOT more advanced – you can get boxes of 10 for as little as £2-£2.25 on promotion. However, you will likely have paid more for the machine in the first instance – Tassimo, D. Gusto etc have a lower entry price. It is also worth noting that they will need de-scaling as much as a more expensive machine and our work Nespresso machine is on its last legs after about 18 months or so. I have bought my Dolce Gusto on the basis that if I need another £30 machine in a year or so, that’s OK…
So, overall. A coffee shop is nicer, but more expensive and probably not in your living room first thing. Stovetops etc are good but more for ‘coffee’ than espresso. Pods are therefore great for the sweet spot between quality, cost and convenience, I think. Hope that helps.
Sidenote: PACT have started doing Nespresso pods…no idea what they are like though
ianess says
You’ve had a ‘butt grinder’? Please elaborate.
Jackthebiscuit says
Many thanks to all who contributed, I very much appreciate the advice.
It is my birthday next week (My 60th since you ask), & with the amount of hints I have been dropping, I would not be the least bit surprised if the lovely Carol ended up getting one for me. If she does I will post an update.
Once again, I thank you.
Gatz says
Happy birthday in advance. If you follow all the recommendations here you should find that you can stay on a constant caffeine buzz till Christmas, if not your 61st.
Neilo says
Late to the party as ever here…Aldi sell Nespresso-compatible pods.
Mousey says
Those pod things are severely environmentally unfriendly, if that’s any concern to you
BigJimBob says
I have a lot of the above. In particular, I travel around a bit in China and India, so I always pack an aeropress and come decent Joe. However, don’t discount the potential of a cafetiere. if you use good supermarket coffee, I would say something like Cafe Direct Machu Picchu or Taylors of Harrogate Colombian, a cafetiere can produce good results with a nice hefty caffeine hit.
Askwith says
I have owned a number of coffee machines over the years and the thing that kills them all is maintenance. Here’s the scenario: your machine makes great coffee on day one and the only slight irritation is it’s fiddly to take apart and clean. by month two it will need descaling and thoroughly cleaning for the coffee to still taste as good. By month six, the ‘new coffee machine’ novelty will have worn off and you will be too lazy to do this. Result, the machine sits and back of the cupboard abandoned and you’re buying from Neros again
So…
The moral of the story, keep it simple and easy to clean.
I use an Aeropress which pulls apart and cleans very easily and a Hario Skerton hand grinder.
Grinding your own beans will give you infinitely superior coffee. I cannot stress this enough.
The Aeropress is cheap so spend your money on a good quality burr grinder.
Get good coffee beans. I get the espresso blend from here – http://www.monmouthcoffee.co.uk/
Cheers (raises his coffee mug)
Jackthebiscuit says
Update – Today, on our second wedding anniversary, my rather wonderful wife gave me a huge box & inside it was a Nescafe Dolce Gusto machine & a separate large bag full of various pods & I am sat down typing this while throwing this gorgeous coffee down my neck.
FWIIW, I think the coffee is fabulous & I could not be more pleased with it.
Many thanks to you all for your thoughts, comments & suggestions.