 Awesome Espresso and Cappuccino -- But At A Cost (5- stars) |
| Review Date: April 24, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Debbie Lee Wesselmann, the Lehigh Valley, PA |
At one time I owned a Krups espresso/cappuccino machine that I ended up using for only a few months since it was such a pain to set up and clean. Right now, it's sitting in my basement, gathering cobwebs. However, when I received this Nespresso machine as a gift, I now can have cappuccino whenever I want in mere minutes. I turn the machine on, wait for the solid red light to show proper heat/steam (it takes about 30 seconds), pop in a pod, and press the correct cup size for espresso or the larger "lungo." The coffee is forced through the pod and into the cup below in seconds, with a nice brown crema on top. For cappuccino or latte, you need only to then press the steam button (the machine comes with a steamer attachment), stick the tube in a cup of milk, press the lever, and watch the machine suck up the milk and deposit it, hot and foamy, into the cup. Clean up? A breeze. Even if you steam milk, you have only let the steamer suck in water for a few seconds and deposit it into another cup. The empty pods are tossed into an internal receptacle that holds ten or so. There is no tamping for preparation. No scraping the grounds out afterward. No dishwashing. It really is that simple. And the espresso and cappuccino taste just like they do in Italy.
Of course, there are downsides to every machine, and this one is expense. Not only is the machine pricey, but the pods must be purchased through Nespresso at approximately fifty cents per pod. (They come in sleeves of ten.) The Nespresso also must be particularly sensitive to power surges, since mine stopped working in less than a year, as did my sister's, for no apparent reason. But . . . the customer service is awesome. I called, and they sent a loaner machine overnight, with packing and a pre-paid label to send mine in for servicing. When mine was fixed a week later, I simply shipped the loaner machine back using, again, a pre-paid label. I didn't pay a cent. Still, I now leave my machine unplugged when not in use. Others may want to put it on a surge protector.
I was worried that the pre-measured portions of coffee would taste canned, but they have excellent flavor. Once you buy this machine, you will be part of the "Nespresso Club" (wait until you see how exclusive they make it seem -- you'll have to laugh!). You will buy your coffee off the web site or over the phone, and receive it within two days. The "Ristretto" pods make the best full-strength espresso and cappuccino. Even when I make "lungo" coffee, I tend to use the higher strength coffees such as "Arpeggio" since I'm not a fan of the milder types. "Decaffeinato Intenso" makes competent decaf cappuccino as well as lungo, although I wish they had an even stronger decaf. (The regular "Decaffeinato" is milder.)
This machine is a luxury, to be sure, and I doubt I would have splurged on my own. However, this is one gift that I use regularly, with as much appreciation for it as I had the first week. Unlike my Krups machine, this one sits proudly on my counter. Friends who come to dinner eye it longingly, hoping that, once again, I'll offer up espresso or cappuccino with dessert. Of course, I always oblige.
If you are more interested in "lungo" (regular) coffee, then I suggest you look at the new single-cup coffee makers such as Keurig B60 Special Edition Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System.
-- Debbie Lee Wesselmann |
Outstanding espresso
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| Review Date: June 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Vince J. Filippelli, NY, USA |
The Nespresso machines produce 1-4oz of coffee at a time. That's not a mug or travel cup, but a small, strong, but very drinkable brew. I state this because I have read reviews of pod machines, written by good ol' folks that drag them into the ground because they don't make quarts of coffee at a time. This is an espresso producing machine, not the local 7-11.
I received my re-conditioned D290 about a month ago. With a purchase like this I read extensively about different features of the different machines and their abilities. I chose this machine because it had the steam wand and hot water in addition to 2 programmable dose buttons.
The machine works excellently. Water tank is good enough size to make several drinks without being re-filled and is simple to re-fill when the time comes. Set-up was quick but deciphering the picto-instructions was a little bothersome and left out some detail. The espresso, lungo, and decaf it produces are of excellent quality. It is a little loud during use but not more than other pod/pump machines.
On the down side, the froth attachment is worthless. It's a contraption that attaches to the steam/water wand that does a poor job of producing steamed milk for latte/cappuccino. My advice is to use the steam function to heat/froth your milk and if you don't know how, Google it and it's easy to learn.
Overall I believe it's a good machine for a coffee connoisseur.
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