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 :)

Coffee made on espresso with texturised milk is so incredibly different to instant coffee made with hot water from the kettle that you just can't compare the two. I love a proper coffee and have several a day. I wouldn't touch instant coffee with a 10 foot pole. If you're happy with instant then a Nespresso machine is probably not for you and I can't actually understand what compelled you to buy it.

No problem - definitely try it again and have a look on the website for different sizes and flavours or if you have a Nespresso boutique near you pop in and have a chat with them - unfortunately my local boutique has closed down :-(

We just thought we’d treat ourselves as it was cheap on a whim. As I’ve said below. Not complaining was just asking a question.

Honestly it is worth it's weight in gold. You do need counter space, but it isn't as bulky as a lot of them, and it doesn't look overly cumbersome, fits in neatly for us. You do need a couple of coffee drinkers in the household or visiting etc to make it worth it, although I'd have it by myself. 😳

I find their coffee really weak!

Yes, I have a Nespresso pixie with a separate Aldi brand milk frother and I use it about 4 times a day. Dh and DS also use it.

The Nespresso pods are also much nicer than any of the other brands. Years ago I had a Tassimo machine but tried Nespresso at a friend's house and realised it was much nicer tasting coffee.

I used to have a lovely Gaggia machine but it went 'missing' during the last house move along with several other items including a Dyson hoover. Didn't fancy paying hundreds for a new machine and the Nespresso pods are convenient and I can post the back for recycling.

I'm very far from a coffee snob, but I need my source of caffeine.

At home we have a filter machine, which works well as I have time to prepare and drink my coffee (with plain milk, only use my frother on weekend mornings).
At work we have a Nespresso machine on our floor (and a "proper" bean to cup machine on the main floor). The machine gets used quite a lot, so whenever one stops working, someone springs for a new one; it just so happens that I bought this latest one.

I have Nespresso capsules and I run one two times to get pretty weak coffee, to which I add coffee cream (drinking espresso upsets my stomach). I rarely go to the main floor to get a "proper" cup of coffee, as it takes longer and I don't care that much, I just want my warm drink.

That said, I wouldn't get a Nespresso for home, as it does cost more than a filter coffee or French pressed - and I would need to find a storage space for the pods, which I have plenty of at work but not a convenient one at home.

I've got a Vertuo Pop and love it. I also got the nespresso milk frother thing, which does warm or cold, so can make a cappuccino style drink or a nice iced latte in summer.

Wouldn't be without it now. For me it works out a lot cheaper than the two Costas I used to buy each day when I was out of the house at work.

I don’t like cafetière coffees. They are different from espressos. We have a bean to cup espresso machine in my office and I always use that. At home. I can’t be bothered cleaning ground coffee so I use a nespresso with the proper nespresso pods. I have tried Tassimo and they made worse coffees.

Agreed with others that if you don’t drink espresso then a nespresso isn’t for you.

Does it not have a lungo setting?

But they're made from aluminium, you're completely missing the point

Checking in to report that I picked up a Podback recycling bag from the Costa in my local Tesco today. I will drop it back when full. The best bit is that the pods don't have to be emptied (although I do put the grounds in my compost bin). The scheme takes aluminium and plastic pods from many brands.

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 love my Nespresso machine. I don't drink milk. My partner sometimes likes milk which just takes a minute to warm on the stove in a little pot. The used -aluminium- pods go in a provided recycling bag which I take back when I buy new coffee. It's not the world's best coffee but far from bad.

My parents had a fancy machine which made lattes etc but you had to take it apart and clean out the milk tube bit with a special brush. Who could be faffed with that. I also personally don't have time in the morning to start grinding artisanal beans. I also found the cafetières to be more wasteful as you're making a pot rather than a cup.

That’s the nice thing about the ninja one. The milk wand cleans itself.

I love mine - it's a trade off- its basically the best balance between convenience and taste for me- i've had various other machines and could never be bothered with the faff (so ended up at the coffee shop) and i can't drink kettle coffee and a cafetiere just seems to create too much mess and too much coffee..
I don't have time or inclination to stand over a machine and i'm not enough of a coffee snob- my vertuo hits the mark

With the Nespresso machine you get a fabulous crema. But I’d never get a vertuo- pods are twice as expensive and not necessarily more coffee. With the original small capsules you can buy Starbucks pods as a cheaper alternative which are really nice

But an espresso is meant to be drunk in two mouthfuls. If you want a mug of coffee you need a different pod.

I got a Tassimo as a Secret Santa present a couple years ago, still going strong!