What’s the point in Nespresso machines?

[Boymum2019]

Hi all. I might be sounding really silly here, I hope I’m missing something so please let me know :). Myself and my husband treated ourselves to a Nespresso Vertuo machine this weekend. So from what I’ve read so far, to make just a standard latte/cappuccino for example you’d need a double espresso pod then you’d need to heat milk up in a separate vessel and then add. Is that correct? If so I’m struggling to see the point of the machine. Surely it’s more convenient to just make a regular coffee with a kettle, or buy another machine where you press a button and it’s done? If this is the case I’m assuming it’s all about the quality with Nespresso as oppose to convenience? TIA :)

We have a Tassimo but I never use it because I feel guilty about the waste because the pods are plastic. I used to work in recycling and there were sites with literally tonnes of so-called ‘recyclable’ aluminium capsules just sitting there waiting to go to landfill because no matter what the manufacturers claimed, in practice, the equipment wasn’t there to recycle them. Hopefully that’s changed now. I am mindful about packaging for everything not just coffee, but I think one day we’ll look back on this type of thing like using newspaper to wrap fish and chips, smoking in restaurants etc, like a crazy thing that was normal in the past.

I've got a beans to cup machine. I put coffee beans and water in it, press a button and fantastic espresso comes out of it. If I want a cappuccino or latte, I pour some milk into a jug and heat it up and froth it with the steam nozzle.

I absolutely love coffee and before I had it I was spending a fortune on take away coffee. I reckon this machine paid for itself within a couple of months plus the coffee actually tastes much better - presumably because I am using better quality coffee than the coffee shops use.

Nespressos were trendy a few years ago. We used to have one, everyone did. I remember people used to love them. The empty pods were collected for recycling.

We’ve moved on to a Sage ‘Barisra Touch Impress’ machine now, which I gather is very good. (I don’t drink coffee 🤷‍♀️)

You choose to use a nespresso pod when you don’t need to as there are other alternatives available.

The point is that while it may only be four pods a day it contributes to 56 billion pods every year being thrown away which are necessary. Justifying use of something that isn’t needed with whataboutery doesn’t mean it’s okay.

They are awful, just like single use plastic bottles.

Years ago, we were given a pod machine and ended up just using it for hot chocolate before giving it away. We got a bean to cup machine that made great coffee with no wasteful pods and made espressos and 'long coffees'.

Now we're a smaller household and have a Moccamaster filter machine that is much easier to descale and maintain. Does mean we have to grind the beans first, but that's easy enough.

Upstairs in my office, I have a L'or pod machine which uses the old style Nepresso pods. If you buy their own XLpods or use two little ones, you can make a full mug of coffee. Or you could just top up from a single pod with hot water. I might be using the wrong pods (I use compostable ones) but I don't think the espresso is strong enough to do that.

If I were a coffee snob expert or if I only wanted espresso, I wouldn't use a pod machine, but it makes half mug of decent coffee with a pod and that's perfect when I'm working from home because I never manage to drink a full cup while I'm at my desk anyway. A shot of espresso and a mug of coffee are different drinks.

Can You Recycle Coffee Pods and Caps?
In theory, you can recycle most coffee capsules and pods. Most brands/manufacturers have a recycling program set up where you can deposit your pods and capsules.
However, in practice, there are a few problems:
Only 6–9% of plastics get recycled according to the Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever madeand Plastics and environmental health: the road ahead.
The biggest problem here is the need for recycling bins. The pods and capsules must be recycled via the brand or manufacturer, which means taking the capsules with you when you buy new ones.
If you are ordering them online, this is a problem already. But it would be best to store them until you can return them.
As the numbers show, most people don't do this. It is also different from the reason to buy pods or capsules in the first place: convenience. The people who make coffee the most convenient way are probably not the best target crowd to ask to do some hassle to recycle the cups.
But even if people put them into recycle bins or hand them over, there are other problems. Coffee pods and cups are hard to recycle because of the way they are created.
According to Life Cycle Assessment of Compostable Coffee Pods: A US University-Based Case Study, removing the coffee grounds is hard for one.
Another problem is the materials inside the cups. "The capsules can't be recycled easily because they are often made of plastic and aluminium. The complexity of the packaging - often a mix of different materials - combined with the dregs of organic waste from unused ground coffee sitting in the bottom of the pod makes them difficult to process in standard municipal recycling plants," says Jan Dube, spokesman of the Hamburg Department of the Environment and Energy.
This means that many standard recycling facilities lack the technology to detect the minor components of a pod reliably. Telling only the brand/manufacturer can do this effectively.

I have one. I got a great deal so just took a punt. I love it! Makes really creamy coffees. I just heat some milk in the microwave, use a pod & done. Takes 2 minutes.
Not a hassle.

That’s what I wondered! It’s about 70 cups per kilo, I thought - roughly 12-15g each time.

So maybe 140 cups but 250 to 300? How on earth??

A friend bought a reusable pod for hers. Not sure how it works but it can be done. Like you,I won't use a pod machine because of the environmental impact worldwide.

Friends have an Nespresso knock off and serve us teeny tiny (espresso size) coffees in mugs, topped up with lots of frothy milk. Not nice. When we stay with them we take a box of pods so that I feel comfortable getting a double shot of a decent quantity and taste. But it is always tepid.
We have spells of using a plunger (what you would call a cafeteire) or a drip machine. The coffee grinds are put onto the garden/compost.
While these at-home options are okayish, nothing beats a barista made trim flat white - every second day I escape from working from home to buy a coffee made by an expert. Tomorrow morning I will try using microwave-heated milk.

You can buy pods that make different size cups of coffee - espresso, mug or large mug size

The only point of them is to part people from their money, nice solid income streams selling those coffee pods.

Thank you @serendipity70 I didn't know that.
The machine has been in the cupboard for a long time

I view for Bialetti also. I take mine on holidays if I'm using an Airbnb.

There's a certain irony in people saying that they had a Nespresso machine and then changed it for x and then y and then z, the environmental cost of machine manufacture and not using something to the end of its lifespan is huge. I've had the same Nespresso machine for 11 years.

There's also this https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64293750

Then there's also the accessibility aspect. My MIL has Parkinsons disease and the ability to safely and easily make herself a coffee is a huge thing in letting her retain some independence. She's no longer able to safely use a regular kettle.

They don't suit everyone, if you blindly buy a Nespresso when you like big mugs of coffee then the thing that is lacking is your research ability.

Also my 4 year old can make me a coffee with the nespresso

she can’t use the kettle but she can stick a pod in and press the button!!

hoping in a year or 2 she can bring me coffee in bed 🤣🤣

You've not been using decent beans then!

As people have mentioned, different coffee tools have different uses.

We use a cafetiere for dinner guests because it's nice to have the coffee just there on the table.

Nespresso machine for a quick black coffee in the morning.

A hob top Moka pot for a strong after dinner espresso.

An aeropress for a 'clean' middle of the day single cup of coffee.

And the gigantic Siemens machine for frothy, milky, speciality coffees (flat white, cappuccino etc.).

They each serve a purpose.

I’m amazed that you didn’t research it before buying such an expensive waste of money.

Agree, they’re hard to recycle using normal recycling methods. But if you do recycle them through one of the recycling schemes, that seems fine to me? That’s why we didn’t get one till we’d figured out the recycling options.

Plus they use a lot less coffee and hot water than cafetière.

https://www.podback.org For those who have pod machines, take a look at this and see if you can use this scheme. It’s v handy for us. Takes ages to fill up a bag - nowhere near filling one and we’ve had it a couple of months so far.

If you can afford it, a De'Longhi integrated milk, bean to cup machine is fantastic. It tastes arguably better than the take outs, has a digital screen with options for lattes, cappuccino, espresso, cortado, machiato, flat white and many more, extra shots, sizes, temperatures and customisations. You can save your personal preferences eg extra shots/intensity, drink size etc, and save profile for each person, with their specifications on. I also make hot chocolate/babycino for dcs, they love having a profile each and pressing the button. It literally does feel that you have a personal barrista in your kitchen.

I was weary at first, but dh, and I never buy ourselves anything, got it at Christmas after a shit year. It is paying for itself, has a great guarantee, and I am no longer getting unpredictable take away coffee with the wrong milk, strength or temperature etc. It should last us years. I highly recommend, and it is really easy to clean as well, no more messing around with wands/ratios first thing in the morning. I just put my large take away mug underneath, let it do it's thing while i'm sorting dc's breakfast, in the car and done. Honestly they need to pay me commission. 😂

I also have profiles saved for family, for when they come over. I lost a parent, and wish more than anything I could have a profile for them. I do see their favourite coffee and have one in their memory sometimes. I can hear "that's a lovely coffee love" in my mind and smile.

Vertuo isn't a great nespresso machine imho as it doesn't come with the frother and that's what we like (have used them in Airbnbs as well)! We have a citiZ from about 15 years ago that is still working - just! Comes complete with frother. Much nicer than dolce gusto type coffee.
Not sure we'll bother with another Nespresso when this dies as I'm not drinking coffee atm for health reasons (although I do still use the frother for milk).

@NotAlwaysasitSeems - that sounds amazing! When I go back to drinking coffee again I will investigate it .

I think you probably didn't research which machine to get tbh. I've got a sage bambino plus a burr grinder. Makes americano, latte, mocha as quickly as a cafetière. Also have a fondness for my trusty aeropress though!

We just bought it on a whim as it was cheap. Im
not complaining I was just making sure I had the right idea of how to use it. It’s sometimes better asking real people of forums etc as opposed to instructions, videos and the like, as users may have their own tips and tricks. If we were on the lookout for a coffee machine and was spending a good amount on it then obviously we would have done research. That was all. :)