Nespresso owners.....HELP!!

[AlanThePig]

Been thinking of buying DH one for Christmas but I'm hugely confused.

Do all machines take all pods or are some not compatible? He likes latte's so I'm looking for the easiest (and cheapest) machine that will do that but by the same token I want a machine that accepts all pods.

Looking on Argos at the Inissia it says it does espresso, lungo and latte macchiato but the same machine on Curries just says offering 22 varieties of espresso and lungo.
I'm so confused! Help me please. I don't even drink coffee

Different brands take different pods. So you can't use Tassimo pods in a Nespresso machine for example. However if you want a Nespresso machine but don't want to order Nespresso pods then supermarkets also sell 'nespresso compatible' pods you can use in the Nespresso machine.

To add, I don't need a machine with a milk frother as I have bought one for hot chocolate seperately.

I have a Tassimo, DH uses the L'OR discs and I use it for tea, but he tried a coffee from a Nespresso in Lakeland a while ago and really enjoyed it.

I'm confused as to if you can use any nespresso pod in a nespresso machine or are some model specific?

The inissia is good for milky drinks as you can use the seperate milk frother to make the milk part of your drink, it does hot and cold (the DC love milkshakes and hot chocolates made with the milk frother). The coffee machine part takes the standard sized pods, any of them, and you can make two different cup sizes by pressing the button for which size you want - espresso and lungo.

For how much you're paying at Argos you might be better off getting a subscription direct from Nespresso. You pay £1 for the machine you want and then a monthly subscription fee.l for twelve months. For the Inissia I think it's £25 a month but you get that £25 back as credit to use on their website. You can spend it on pods, cups, biscuits, chocolate, accessories, etc with free next day delivery.

The waste those pods produce are so bad for the environment and it's also more expensive to use as you need to buy the pods.

Get a coffee machine which uses ground coffee or a bean to cup one. Then he can get fill his 2 espresso cups, froth his milk and pour into a latte cup for his fancy latte.

If you don't need the milk frother then the Essenza is decent enough model.

www.nespresso.com/uk/en/subscription?cid=SEM_B2C_UK-EN_LOC_R_Google_NESPRESSO%7CUK%7CGOOGLE%7CB2C%7CBrand_Subscription(E)%7CGBR_NESPRESSO%7CUK%7CGOOGLE%7CB2C%7CBrand_Subscription(E)%7CGBR_nespresso+subscription_e&gclid=CjwKCAiA9efgBRAYEiwAUT-jtGy1ikjjbwT8R4FQfn6sy4v7n725JzNPaKSeVyGcZ4wAFDc0IwpH9hoC9mIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Nespresso give you a bag for recycling the pods, once it's full you can drop it off at your nearest boutique or mail it back to them.

We've had bean to cup machines before and found it a faff. We recycle our pods and I believe Nespresso run a similar scheme so will continue to recycle them.

If you have a milk frother other already then you just need espresso pods to make a latte. The nespresso (branded and compatible) only come in espresso and lungo, they don't do milk pods like tassimo and dolce gusto.

I assume Magimix just have the licence to make machines? Thats confused me a bit as well, I thought a Nespresso was just a Nespresso and was surprised to see different manufacturers.

Have looked at the Essence Ewits , currently top of the list, thank you.

There are two different kinds of Nespresso pods now and the machine you buy will only take one or the other.

The 'original' pods are thimble shaped and you can buy compatible pods in most supermarkets these days.

The 'vertuo' are the newer one, the pods are flatter and only available direct from Nespresso.

In terms of machines it depends what kind of coffee you want. You can get a separate milk frother (aeroccino) or a bigger machine that you put milk into to create lattes and macchiatos. I've had both of these and neither lasted long. Aeroccino is hard to clean and the machines that include milk just don't get the milk hot enough.

It's better to hear milk in the microwave and add the coffee shots from a basic machine into the hot milk in my experience.

Get an Aeropress... cheap, light weight, portable, quick & easy to clean with a 5 second rinse under the tap. It's really easy to use - just put a scoop of coffee grinds & water in and press down. It's gets the seal of approval from coffee geeks over at the coffee forum, yet it's accessible for us coffee muggles too. You have the entire market of coffee varieties and price points to choose from - you're not tied into one pod system. And yes, the pods are an environmental nightmare for disposal. Theoretically recyclable, but they're made of composite materials, so tricky and energy intensive to recycle. Probably most get shipped off to the far east and landfilled.

What MrsCholly said - the machine that takes the original thimble shaped pods takes all of them, plus the nespresso-compatible ones produced by other manufacturers. As the thimble is out of patent now, they recently brought out the new capsule shape and this only works with the specific machines.

Oh, interesting as I've just bookmarked a Vertuo. Think I'll stick with the Essenza as it's not hugely expensive and he can still buy compatible pods.

I agree with the pp about getting an aeropress instead. I bought a nespresso machine years ago but haven't used it for the last two years - I use an aeropress and a hand grinder with fresh roasted beans from a local independent roaster. The coffee is much nicer and cheaper and the aeropress and grinder would cost less than a machine.

I have a Magimix Nespresso machine, the Inissa I think. I've got a frother too. It does espresso size and a big one, never used the big one. It uses the 'thimble'shape capsules.

Loads of Nespresso compatible capsules on the go; supermarkets have a lot and online.

I just can't see DH using the Aeropress. We've had all sorts of fancy machines before including a stupidly expensive Gaggia and it always came down to him chucking a pod in the tassimo.

Still, thank you all. It's a lot clearer!
I shall go and make myself a nice cup fo tea now.

I have a Nespresso and love the variety of coffee pods you get with it. I always use the recycling service and really hope they genuinely recycle and dont just dump the returned pods.

The only thing I dont like is that is doesn't make the coffee hot enough. In the mornings I just have coffee from the machine and add a drop of milk. At weekends I use the milk frother and have a latte or cappuccino depending on my mood. But the coffee is never quite hot enough so am currently experimenting with microwave timings for the perfect temperature

My Dad has one too and tried the compatible capsules from Sainsburys - he said they were horrible and will only get Nespresso own brand from now on.

I have had different nespresso machines , and then bought the cheapest version I could find for our holiday home. It cost £50-60 and is very basic. However the coffee is not very warm and overall the taste is not so good so I would say it’s worth spending a bit more to get a better machine