We've used a variety of espresso makers in the past, including most recently the Breville Cafe Roma, for which we've written a favorable Epinions review. Although we've appreciated the quality of the capuccinos produced by the Breville, there's a fair amount of hassle that goes into the production of such. The milk foaming has to be done just right, and the grind of the beans also has to be not too fine (or the filter plugs up) or not too coarse (or the water goes right through it). Also, the "tamping down" of the grounds has to be exactly correct, and determination of the amount of water to flow through for each cup was an inexact science at best. Lastly, the quality of the coffee was always somewhat unpredictable for espresso depending on the vendors we've used (ranging from Illy to Peet's and Starbucks) and the beans we selected.
Home Espresso sans joining the Barista Guild
Thus our fantasy of over thirty years duration that there MUST be a better way to enjoy espresso coffee at home without having to join the Barista Guild, with its arcane rites of passage on everything from milk frothing to grinds tamping. Then last December, during a visit to the local Sur la Table kitchen store, we were invited to try a capuccino with the Nespresso Essenza and milk frothing done by the Aeroccino electrical appliance that was sold with it. We were amazed by how rich and flavorful the espresso was, with a beautiful crema that holds sugar as well as any barista's -- as well as by the perfect foam produced by the Aeroccino. We bought the two machines on the spot and have been happily enjoying our barista-quality capuccinos at home ever since.
How it works for Us
You just fill the reservoir in the rear with water (we filter ours first), turn the machine on, and then wait for the two front lights to stop blinking. Then select the type of drink you want to brew -- left button for espresso, right button for "lungo", essentially a small cup of coffee -- and then insert the appropriate coffee capsule depending on your choice of button. Put a (pre-heated) 12 oz. capuccino cup under the spout, and press the button. The water then goes through the capsule, producing perfectly brewed espresso or coffee depending on your choice of capsule. The amount of water metered out also depends on your choice of button: approximately a small coffee cup for "lungo", and an espresso-sized cup for espresso. We let the flow run longer for our espresso, about 30 seconds versus the factory pre-set 15 (about 1/3 versus 1/6 cup, or 70 vs 35ml), which extracts more coffee from the capsule and creates a more "wet" capuccino. Both buttons can be set for times per the user's preference, or you can manually turn off the flow whenever desired by pressing the button a second time.
If you're making a capuccino, before you press the first button above you fill the Aeroccino foaming appliance to the appropriate level with milk. There are two levels, with a higher one if you want to make lattes and only heat the milk. For the latter function you need to change the head of the spinning propeller that operates in the bottom of the cup. We use 2% milk, but either nonfat or regular will also work, although not quite as well per our experience.
Sprinkle in a little sugar, and notice how well it holds up on top of the rich brown crema. Then add all the foamed milk from the Aeroccino, and sprinkle on some chocolate powder to taste. Lastly, stir with a capuccino spoon and enjoy!
Our early morning ritual is to have our capuccinos in our bathroom tub/spa together while relaxing and reading, an experience that far surpasses going downtown to the local Peet's or Starbucks.
Quality
This unit produces 19 bars of water pressure, or 27% more power than our 15 bar Breville unit -- and 15 bars is considered very good for a kitchen appliance unit. The sides are metallic in appearance, and the top lever is brushed steel. There is an internal collection space for the used capsules, and also a drain space for any excess water. The Aeroccino milk foamer's exterior is chrome metal, and the interior of the cup is a teflon-like substance which cleans easily with a towel. Reviews on other web sites have noted breakdowns if water gets into the electronics underneath the cup, so we're careful to always keep this area dry, never immersing the unit. There are two magnetically attached propeller-like devices that foam or stir the milk, and these are removable and thus easily lost if one is not careful. We lost the heating propeller and quickly received a complimentary replacement set, along with a caveat that future replacements would cost $5 per set. Check out the demo video of the Aeroccino making very picturesque capuccinos, lattes and macchinatos on the nespresso.com website. We'll confirm here that they taste as good as they look!
Variety
Nespresso offers twelve different blends of espresso, ranging from Ristretto (the strongest) to Cosi (the most subtle), and including three decaffeinated blends. It should be noted that the caffeinated blends all contain the same amount of caffeine, and what varies is the strength of the coffee flavor (caffeine is flavorless). Two of these capsule blends are of the "Lungo" type, which means that they're designed for producing what is essentially a small cup of coffee.
We purchased a large "sample pack" of all the different blends, and have come to the conclusion that Ristretto (the strongest) is our only choice for capuccinos. The other blends are best sipped "straight-up" in espresso cups, and in this presentation they are a wonderful treat at home in the evening after a hard day's work, with just a touch of sugar and half&half added. We tried these other blends in capuccinos, and they just don't deliver sufficient flavor for such. Enjoyed alone, however, their subtle and exquisite flavors fully shine through to one's taste buds.
Sometimes, when we want a high octane pick-me-up, we use two capsules of Ristretto instead of one, and run the water flow for half as long for each, prior to mixing in the foamed milk. Absolutely no coffee shop's concoction (that we've experienced, and we're serious coffeeholics) has come close to providing the psychophysiologic "buzz" and exuberance that results from this combination.
Cost
With our Breville espresso machine we were using the large (one ounce) grounds-holder to produce each cup of capuccino, For us, using this holder to produce two cups resulted in a drink that was too weak. Our Breville review describes this situation in more detail.
If an Illy 8 ounce espresso blend is purchased for $12, that works out to $1.50 for each cup of capuccino. If we purchased a 16 ounce bag of Espresso Forte blend at our local Peet's Coffee for the same price, that results in a 75-cent cup with the Breville and similar espresso makers.
The Nespresso capsules, in contrast, cost 52 cents per cup. If you like your espresso half as strong as we do (ie, per Breville's recommendation), you'd thus spend 37.5 cents per Breville cup.
Add $6.95 for two-day shipping of the capsules, regardless of your order size (for example, approximately 4 cents per capsule for an order of 200). You can only get the capsules online, so that may be an issue for you -- although we've received ours within two days.
So the bottom line, for us, is that the coffee cost actually compares favorably for this unit, in spite of one's first impressions regarding the fabricated capsules. This takes into account that we use twice as much coffee as recommended in our (non-capsule) Breville unit. Per the above, we're running the Essenza's water flow longer to extract more coffee from our capsules for each cup.
Compared to the standard Breville brew you'd be spending about 20 cents more per cup for the Essenza (including shipping), which for most people will be a small price to pay for the greater ease of use and rich variety of blends in a convenient home package.
On the down side, costs could go up and you'd be held hostage, given that this is a one-vendor monopoly. And in fact Nespresso just this month raised its per-capsule price from 49 to 52 cents per cup.
Cleaning & Maintenance
Every six months or so the unit should be cleaned using a kit that can be purchased on the Nespresso.com web site for $6. Between sessions a small amount of water should be run without a capsule to keep the unit clean. The collection space for the used capsules holds about ten, so you'll need to empty this out regularly. The water drain space will also need to be purged and rinsed out regularly.
Et Cetera
The web site offers special deals on cups, spoons and other espresso paraphernalia. We also purchased an attractive wood display case for holding three of each of the twelve blends of capsules. Inlays in the case describe each blend, and the case is a nice presentation when serving espressos to guests, offering them an enticing way to choose their drinks.
Lastly, as part of the large sample pack that we purchased initially, we also received a small book which describes the blends in much greater detail, including their origin and preparation.
In Summary
We continue to have the highest respect for our Breville espresso maker, and even gave one to our daughter for her birthday (before we knew about the Essenza). However, we'd be less that honest if we didn't disclose here in Epinions that we've discovered what we believe to be a better consumer choice. And we certainly don't miss the time-consuming morning rituals of grinds-tamping, water-metering and milk-foaming that came with the Breville.
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