The Nespresso Essenza
By Ryan Block 
posted August 15th 2005 1:30PM
posted August 15th 2005 1:30PM
When we asked a couple weeks back what the hot espresso
machine du jour was, a surprising number came out to recommend the Nespresso line. Well, friends, rejoice
in prepackaged bliss: your simplified coffee system has been improved in the Nespresso Essenza. Sure, capsule packaged
coffee may not ever beat the fresh-roasted, fresh ground kind, but it's also hard to compete with on price and
convenience.
[Via GizMag]
Sigh.... what can I say.
Pod coffee is icky.....
Actually, I can say one thing. I love Engadget, read it every day.
But you guys just "scored" the coffee equivelant of a "concorde digital camera" if the end product ie, taste, is the main comparison point. You coulda gone Canon 20D.... :(
Not to mention the long term cost of ownership. Somewhere on CoffeeGeek.com, I wrote an article doing a 1 and 2 year comparison analysis on the cost of ownership of a typical nespresso system vs. something like a Sylvia / Rocky combo or simiilar. I think the latter started being cheaper about 9 months in.
But it sure looks cool ;) This, plus the ever-lusting desire for convenience are the two factors that drive Nespresso machine sales.
You don't make money selling the razor, you make it selling the razor's blades.
"Pod coffee is icky....."
I agree. We had a pod-based machine at my last office and while it was okay at first (considering it was free), after about a month of drinking it, it started to taste like mud. We also had several different varieties and all of them started to taste pretty much the same after you got used to the novelty. They all also had a slight chemical aftertaste.
(No, there was nothing wrong with our machine, and we had it cleaned once a month.)
Most of the people in my office went out and spent $4 on a cup of coffee even though they could have the free pods in the office. It was a pretty well-known thing that you avoided the pod machine.
I'll drink almost anything in a pinch, and I am certainly not a coffee snob - I drink instant when I make iced coffee and I pretty often just go for Folgers when I want hot. In the morning, when I'm too groggy to even remember how to plug the stupid machine in, that's about all I have the mental capacity to deal with. I've even been known to stop for coffee at McDonalds.
But I do know good coffee when I taste it, I know what to buy when I want it and I know how to prepare it. And pod coffee is not good coffee.
(and btw, "espresso" *is* just coffee, prepared a certain way - there's no such thing as an "espresso bean". So we are talking about the same thing.)
Pods?! Please... get a real machine like a Gaggia Classic or Rancilio Silvia. I think they take pods too. If you're too cheap to get a grinder, have it ground at a local roaster and make sure to get new stuff every week or so, or else it won't give decent crema.
A few thoughts:
-on cost: Sure, each capsule is 50 cents. And that can add up. But for an 8-second, no-mess-whatsoever, fresh-everytime, cup of expresso, you probably cant beat this little bad-boy. It sure beats paying $2 to $4 dollars a pop from any Starbucks, and you dont even have to look at the tip jar either.
The selection of coffees is fairly complete, with seasonal offerings and limited collections as well.
Do yourself a favor: Stop drinking those "tall" or "grande" deserts they call "coffee", stop with the whole "lowfat milk" thing, and switch to the delightful experience of Less is More, or minus is plus, when it comes to your bean. And also consider giving-up Nutrasweet, and other forms of artificial sweeteners, that $%# will kill you.
I have owned a nespresso machine for about 6 months, it makes really, really good coffee very conveniently, cant beat that. although i wish i had a 5,000 Euro Italian machine, a butler to operate it and clean it, and the time to wait for my coffee to come out... I had to compromise. I competely recomend it, it shure beats starbuck's and illy coffee places.
Nespresso machines are a cut above other pod machines. If you are *really* obsessed with top quality coffee then don't get one, but if you just like good coffee then it's a good compromise for a home machine (very little maintenance). You can always go out to get a fresh espresso if you are desparate.
If you're getting "icky" coffee from a pod machine, there's something wrong with your pods/machine/water. My pod shots taste way better than coffee chain espresso shots. Plus the ground coffee shots taste as good as or better than the boutique coffee shop shots.
I don't want to get into a pissing contest here but if you haven't spent the time with a machine at home and haven't learned to use it, you can't comment on the coffee quality. Espresso pods or grounds require a commitment to get good results.
That espresso machine Ask Engadget post a while back was great and all, but it still left me not knowing which to buy, there were too many good recommendations.
I've had a Nespresso machine for about a year now. To be honest, at first I wasn't too sure, but when I did a blind taste test between it and a "Super Automatic", I was hooked. In fact, I love the thing so much, that I ordered an Essenza for use in my office. Can't wait till it comes in tomorrow!
I have a Philips Senseo pod machine (the one that basically makes cafe cremas, with annoying fake crema on top), and so far my experience has been that it's mostly a case of GIGO: the machines aren't the problem, the readily available coffee pods are. I've been using a sampler pack purchased from an internet-only pod seller, and the difference between it and the store brands I've tried is astounding. Is this ever going to be competitive with freshly-ground, freshly-roasted coffee from a French press? No. But at its best, it's competitive with "name brand" prepack like Starbucks or Green Mountain run through a drip machine. (And honestly, the Senseo's cafe cremas with the good pods are better than the cups I was getting from the "superautomatic" espresso machine loaded with Starbucks French Roast whole beans at the last office I was at.) I have no doubt that if the Nespresso is given good coffee to brew with, it'll produce acceptable cups, too.
Admittedly, I am a bit of an espresso fan, but not to the point where I'd spend more than $50 on a machine. I don't drink it often either, so the inconvienence of ground beans being stale after a week would be too much of a pain. However, the only coffee shop in my area you can get espresso from is expensive, and their shots come out incredibly bitter, blech.
I might spring for that $30 Wal-Mart Mr. Coffee model a lot of people like, and see how that turns out.
my capresso c1000 rocks... i've had it for 5 years and could not be happier...
I'll be in the market in about 18 months or so for a fully automatic espresso machine, and will be spending in the 1-2 US-K range. Thanks for the site, Mark, I'm checking it as I speak. :-)
If you are looking for an espresso-like drink but don't want to shell out the cash, consider getting a moka pot like the Bialetti, http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Bialetti+moka+pot
Also, the reason why some pod machines are a cut above most coffee houses is because most coffee houses aren't good to begin with.
Poster #1 from coffeegeek.com is spot on.
Just to make an analogy:
coffeegeek.com:coffee as
engadget.com:gadgets as
slashdot:news for nerds as
avsforum.com:home theater
"the machines aren't the problem, the readily available coffee pods are"
Totally agree. I have a Melitta One Cup and the Melitta pods that came with it sucked. I ordered up a few different ones from podhead.com and was blown away at the difference, plus they send extra samples to boot. Not plugging for these guys, but I've been happily enjoying their coffee (as well as numerous co-workers that buy from the 'chains' a lot) for 8 months.
Yes, it's podhead and it's funny.
podhead.com?! OM-F-G, they have a site for everything. We are awash in quality content I tells ya. It's bananas - off the hook, even! :-P
We just reviewed the Nespresso Romeo - sure it costs more - but the coffee is nothing short of incredible.
http://www.singleservecoffee.com/archives/002281.php
Re, to the Senseo owners...
See. I'm not so negative on the Senseo as I am on the Nespresso systems. And only for one reason: The Senseos are so popular and sell so many units, that a couple of companies have come out with something very nifty that increases the quality of the served beverage exponentially: aftermarket "pod adapters" that let you use your own coffee in the machine. You can buy a Senseo, and with your own grinder, grind up some actual *good quality* coffee, fill the pod adapter device, and lock it into the Senseo. I've actually tasted some very intriguing coffee from this set up, on par with what you can get out of the only Krups machine worth buying, the Moka Brew, but with much less hassle and costs (long term down the road kinda thing).
On Nespresso, we're talking Nestle here. One of the Big Four. One of four companies responsible for buying over 80% of the world's coffee, and buying the world's cheapest coffee. Coffee so bad, that they have to do a patented steam bath on the green coffee, eliminating ALL flavours (the bad as well as whatever traces of good) before they roast.
The stuff in pods is not geniune "specialty coffee". It's flavoured C grade coffee at best, and flavoured Robusta, $0.15 a pound green at worst.
On top of that, it's stale beyond recognition. Most, if not all of the "flavours" you taste in the cup are chemically added flavours, not coffee's natural flavourings.
And on top of that, you'll locked into $0.50 to $0.95 per capsule pricing. Given that a shot of espresso at a decent cafe in the PNW can cost about $1.25-$1.50, what the heck are you paying for with the Nestle system? Marketing and packaging. And a CoO that will far exceed even a super automatic in the $500 range within 2-3 years. At least with super autos, you use your own choice of beans.
If you absolutely must use a pod system, stay away from proprietary designs like the Nespresso. Go for an ESE pod system, or in a pinch, the Philips Senseo, and look for the aftermarket pod adapter / ground coffee holders on Amazon.
#16 - Got a tip for you ;)
Espressione is coming out with a new super automatic soon that specially addresses some of my "four wishes" for super autos. Specifically:
- grind path distance from grinder to brewing mechanism
- adaptable, wide diameter filter piston for brewing
- path for brewed espresso from group to front spouts
- brewing temperatures
They didn't get *everything* right, but from what I saw at the SCAA trade show, they did a pretty good design for what is expected to retail for around $600-$700 US (very cheap for a super auto). Search for Espressione online, find the company marketing it in the US (I can't recall the web address at the moment, and I'm heading out the door) and give them an email shout about it.
Mark
I don't agree with the coffee being C grade in most coffee pods.
As a person who has visited both Green Mountain Coffee and Baronet Coffee in person and seen them making pods - they take great care in producing the pods in less than 24 hours with the highest quality coffee available which is freshly roasted.
If you have had bad pod coffee - try moving on from the Senseo and get the Bunn My Cafe and get some fresh pods from either Baronet or Podhead.com.
I agree - an ESE system is a good way to go if you like espresso. We reviewed the FrancisFrancis! X5 and found it to be a decent machine, but you need to look at the kind of coffee you want to drink, the method you are willing to make it every day, and the variety you want access to.
Pod coffee? That's it, I'm done with this site forever!
(just kidding. But I am going to head over to coffeegeek.com and cleanse my palate by checking out the reviews on the Quickmill Andreja Premium, which is *the* home machine to get for the real espresso-heads out there)
Jay: re: the Nespresso Romeo: That's quite a thick head of crema. Impressive...
Wow, the man behind coffeegeek on engadget -- two of my favorite sites (two of my favorite podcasts too, incidentally). Dude, this is like a an old comic book where the superheroes cross over. Mark from coffeegeek is seriously the MAN when it comes to anything coffee related and I would give his opinion some serious weight if you are a serious coffee drinker.
That being said, not everyone is looking for the same thing in a cup of coffee that super-purist like Mark is, so if you enjoy your pod coffee, power to you.
The Nespresso makes a serious cup of espresso. The head on it passes the dreaded "3-5 second" sugar on top test.
To clarify - when I was talking about C grade and Robusta in pods, I was talking specifically about Nespresso TM'ed capsules. Sorry I wasn't more clear.
To add to that, Melitta's pod coffee is the same stuff overall that they have in their whole bean and ground bags of coffee.
Philips' proprietary pods, I do not know the contents.
For ESE... here's a lil' pimpin' for Intelligentsia - not a well known fact, but they do Black Cat espresso as ESE pods. Prolly the best pod I've tasted (which still isn't saying much, but you make due with what you make due).
Mark
Mark: Thanks for the heads-up. :-)
Right now I have a Cuisinart Grind/Brew (original, non-stainless-steel model) coffee maker (and am, oh yes, so very painfully aware of it's limitations), and a trusty old Nissan coffee press in stainless/matte black plastic.
I redeem a complete dirth of decent brewing equiptment (though the press is emminently serviceable and has performed admirably f/years) by roasting my own beans (using the popcorn popper method. As Alton Brown says, you gotta use a multitasker. ;-) I've been wanting to get an automatic for a while, and am finally zeroeing-in on purchase time. :-)
I'm pretty sure I've actually been to your site before. Time to check the bookmarks...
Most pods, k-cups, and even Nespresso capsules are starting to have "best by" dates. Even the new Tassimo from Kraft we are testing now has "fresh by" dates on their T-discs.
However the best "best by" date can't save bad coffee.
ESE pods sometimes have "best by" dates on them. Most of the italian pods we've received to review have a mixture of some dated - most not.
LOL! "Best by" is usually 30 to 45 seconds after the coffee is ground! Given that ground coffee loses 80% of its major (and in many cases, sole) flavour transporter, that is Co2, within the first minute after grinding, you gotta wonder what your drinking.
And while I may trust a "Used best by" label for bread or such (if it's within a few days of my purchase - I don't trust the ones that say 3 months after), it's not gospel - its the manufacturer trying to make you buy the coffee and not worry about when you use it. There's no onus on them to put in an accurate date, and if there were, they wouldn't sell it in the first place because the used best by date would be about a minute after the thing is ground and packaged.
Oh well, now I'm getting far too geeky, even for Engadget. Time to step back.
Agreed. There is only so much coffee gospel a place like this can take.
I love reading the coffee-wonks bray their litanies of disdain! If it isn't gawd-awful expensive, requires a black belt in Barista Fu and carries enough onboard pressure to qualify as a munition, it can't make good coffee!
The Nespresso Essenza makes the best shot of espresso for the effort and cost involved. Only mutants with 100x the taste buds of the rest of us can tell the difference between what the Essenza makes and what you can get from an effete shot puller in Milan.
freshly roasted.
freshly ground.
french press.
don't know how something so simple turns people off as a form of effete snobbery. do y'all need special blue LED, chrome and plastic home keg systems to drink your bud light?
good coffee aint rocket science folks.
Wow, what controversy!
I love espresso... great shots are best enjoyed straight up. I prefer espresso more than any other way of brewing coffee (a Bodum vacuum pot comes in second). My home system consists of a decent conical burr grinder, an old-school Estro vibe pump machine that's built like a tank and kept clean, and the most important ingredient: fresh roasted beans from a local coffee roaster. I am usually disappointed in the shots from Starbucks and most cafes. I've tried using pods, but didn't like the results at all (bleh!), and I've also used a $10k commercial machine at a friend's office (a gift from a client). I think I make pretty decent espresso shots, if I don't say so myself.
After the last thread here on espresso machines, I was convinced to go check out the Nespresso system for myself. Williams Sonoma allowed me to play with a Nespresso D150 one night. I was expecting to be disappointed. Pod coffee. Well, OK, not the same as pods, but Capsule Coffee? The coffee gurus on the net said it would be terrible stuff. I'd probably have to drive into Seattle and stop by Cafe Vivace for a double ristretto to reset my palette.
Prepared for the worst, I brewed a purple shot ("Arpeggio"). Hmm, it looks good. Smells good. Take a tentative sip. What? Wow. I smile. This is actually quite tasty. Smooth, velvety, creamy, rich, with a lingering aftertaste that soon had me craving another "hit."
I couldn't quench my curiosity, so I took the machine home. A side-by-side taste-test confirmed my suspicions... this was not good at all. I'm ruined. Nespresso beat my own shots by a mile. My hand-crafted shots were now "undrinkable" in comparison.
So, that's the story from THIS skeptic. Like mom said, don't knock it till you try it.
Nespresso coffee... Well... Are you guys at Engadget planning on writing some article on new microwave ovens for microwave-ready food packs? Yeah, I can't wait, this rocks!
Three words, my friends..."Saeco Magic Deluxe". That's all you need to know if you require serious caffeinated goodness. No futzing with *anything*. Just turn it on and press one button. It's easier than making regular coffee, makes quality expresso for the most discerning aficionado and will even eject the grinds for your lazy ass. At $850, it will set you back some coin, but you are probably already dropping three bucks a day at Starbucks anyway. The only negative is that it consumes some counter space. Oh, and you can no longer scope out the talent at your local coffee haus.
I purchased a nespresso a few weeks ago due to a temporary lack of access to my Silvia/Mazzer Mini. My plan was to put the Nespresso up on ebay once I could grind/tamp/pull the old-fashioned way again.
Anyway, the Nespresso pulls a pretty good shot - not as good as I do at my best, but the Nespresso is obviously more consistent.
One big advantage to a pod system is the ease in switching to decaf. My wife cannot tolerate caffiene so pulling a decaf shot has me pulling out my old grinder, rinsing the Silvia, etc. I know I am whining, but the Nespresso's convience is addictive - super-fast & no clean up.
Nespresso is VERY expensive - a double shot is $1 (not including shipping costs). Also, is Nestle abandons the pods, you could be sunk.
Nestle is basically selling a lifestyle with the Nespresso line. Their website, machine design, and price structure. Still, I am going to find it hard to part with this thing for the convenience factor of pulling a quick, reasonably good espresso shot in under a minute.
Superautos are kinda cool. I had a first-generation Saeco Vienna (via Starbucks discount) at the office for 18 months until it finally developed an internal leak. Starbucks customer service was very good. Turned out it was a common problem with that version - the internal plumbing was not up to the task of constant heat and pressure. The new model was supposedly improved in that respect, but was also much more expensive. Starbucks couldn't fix or replace my machine, so they refunded my money.
There are downsides to superautos, aside from the initial expense. The path from grinder to brew mechanism is long, so the first few shots of the day are made with stale grounds and not drinkable. The bean hopper on that machine quickly staled the beans due to heat from the machine (I soon disconnected the cup warmer element up top since it only contributed to the problem). You need to periodically remove, rinse, and lubricate the plastic brew group mechanism, as well as empty the coffee puck bin.
So I could've spent $800 on a new Saeco for the office, or $90 on a discounted Nespresso D150. Four good Nespresso shots a day runs me $1.80. Four good shots plus 2 sink shots from the Saeco ran me $1.00 a day ($10.75/lb). That's well over two years before I catch up to the cost of a new Saeco. Both beat spending money at Starbucks. My decision was easy considering the quality, consistency, and variety from the Nespresso. YMMV.
To the poster advocating the French Press.. yeah - I break mine out at home once in a while. It's not espresso, though!
this is the equivalent of someone designing a "wine making machine" where you tip grapes in the top, it blends and strains them, mixes in some ethanol and Viola!! wine!!
seriously, to consider this machine a good coffee/espresso machine is blashphemy. this is a crud producing no-brainer product aimed at people with no appreciation of decent coffee
Seriously, if you enjoy coffee from these machines, go buy canned coffee, just as much caffeine, more flavour, and about as much per shot as you pay for the cartridges.
plus your lazy ass doesnt even have to go through with the pretense of making coffe, just pop the tab and you are done !!!