Coffee maker... help!

[Shantay]

So Christmas is looming and I'm trying to find a coffee maker for DH that will make fancy coffees. The kind you need to buy pods for.

There are so many!! Can anyone advise which ones are good? I have no idea where to start as I don't drink coffee...

Are the pods super expensive?
Are they easy to clean?

Thanks!

Save your money and just get an Italian stove top espresso maker.

I really like the Nespresso machine. We just have a small one, not too expensive. Easy to clean. You can get the Nespresso coffee pods, or use other brands. I've had a Tassimo machine in the past but IMO it was nowhere near as good.

Save your money and just get an Italian stove top espresso maker

Or an Aeropress.

Don't buy pods, buy a bean to cup machine. Much better in every way.

The Delonghi Magnifica is the answer to your prayers.

I agree, bean to cup is much better! But also much more expensive. I have a BTC de longhi and love it, but previously had a small nespresso and it was grand for the price. The pods can be expensive but you can buy cheaper online.

The Nespresso pods are upwards of £3 for a pack of 10. We mostly use the Aldi ones though which are about £1.80 for 10. Supermarket brands are anything in between.

Nespresso! The pods are a little dear but they're easy to use and the machines are cheap in John Lewis.

So can you use different brand pods in the Nespresso machine?

Googling Italian stove top, aeropress, and BTC!

Thanks so far :)

I love my dolce gusto. No mess, less than a minute idiot proof.

While I agree the super fancy bean to cup machine etc. are lovely. And I do have an delongi espresso maker with milk frother. Pod machines are easy and you can make one relatively quick in the morning without fussing with ground coffee everywhere and timing the pour / guessing / measuring your espresso.
I had a dolche gusto one that was good. Worked out about 50p. Per cup. Have pods with milk in too, so you can make a latte etc. Was nice enough coffee but there's no fancy blends and variety. You have to buy the dolche gusto pods as no other (that I found) do compatible ones.
But I think Nespresso machines have a great variety. More companies make Nespresso compatible pods and there for many more blends and tastes. But not sure they have milk pods, so you might have to froth your own.
A Tassimo i think is the kinda in between. Seems to have some brands on board with compatible pods, like costa and Cadburys but I couldn't comment on taste etc.

Yes, you can use other brand pods. Aldi ones work fine in my machine. With other brands I would try a pack at a time to make sure they work properly before bulk buying :)

I should've added... it needs to be compatible with hot chocolate! DSD would be very upset if I bought one that didn't have chocolate pods to go with it!

So can you use different brand pods in the Nespresso machine?

Yes, the original Nespresso capsules are now out of patent and can be legitimately copied. This is (probably) the sole reason Nespresso have introduced their new range of "Vertuo" capsules.

As well as Nespresso's own flavours (wich are very good if a little more expensive) many other brands are available - some of them are better than others both in terms of flavour and also of true-fit to the Nespresso machines. Nespresso themselves do capsule recycling if you're concerned green-wise.

FWIW I love bean-to-cup (and can afford it) but decided to go with Nespresso when my last bean-to-cup machine died simply because it's less faff.

The machine I have is this one www.johnlewis.com/nespresso-lattissima-touch-coffee-machine/white/p3455104 which is a great machine especially if you drink milky coffees as the little cappuccino thingy (detachable/storable and dishwasher safe) makes it almost automatic.

@NC4AntiOuting that looks amazing but a little out of my price range. Was looking to spend about £150. £200 tops! Thank you though and enjoy your coffee :)

chocolate pods

Ooh, never thought of Nespresso chocolate pods, but a quick Google found some. I might try these www.amazon.co.uk/Nespresso-Compatible-Chocolate-Smooth-Creamy/dp/B0173NBSKW?tag=mumsnetforum-21 - I'd use the milk attachment and tell my machine to make me a latte.

We have a Nespresso machine and their coffee is excellent. We were on holiday recently and the place had a Tassimo machine which read the barcodes on the pods to make the drink the required strength. Very clever. I never did work out how you tweaked anything to your own taste though.

but a little out of my price range

I recall getting mine on sale for about £150 or so - it was such a good deal I got two more for my office too, so it might be worth hunting around or, if it suits, eating for the post-Christmas sales?

*waiting

But eating seems appropriate too

www.johnlewis.com/nespresso-citiz-milk-coffee-machine-by-krups-with-milk-frother-cherry-red/p2867196

I'm thinking this looks good and you can get 150 free pods!

I wouldn't buy a pod machine because of the waste.

I have this espresso machine.

Is there recycling for the pods? Would like to buy a coffee machine but not if it means creating more waste for landfill.

That's what I liked about nespresso! You can recycle the pods :)

I have had a Nespresso pod machine for a few years but I wouldn't get one again, for so many reasons. Cost per cup, dishwater taste, faff, mess, environmental concerns... I could go on.

we love our Dulche gusto, I buy pods in Tesco and Lidl, lots of offers on around us at moment where machine comes with three boxed of different pods, there is less variety in unusual coffees to the nespresso machine but it has a good selection of what you actually need, regular coffee, flat white, espresso, lattes , capochinos, etc you use milk pods with coffee pods for some of the frothy coffees, so no hassle at all with cleaning , no milk frothing implements to clean, its just a drip tray down bottom.

My kids use it all the time no problem for hot chocolate, they are actually Chocochinos in the official gusto pods but went on internet and sourced galaxy and Malteser hot chocolate pods which are to die for. As the pods get a bit of bashing environmentally speaking I also online sources some reusable pods you fill with your own ground coffee.

id say why don't you take a trip round your usual local shop and see which refills they stock.

Nespresso claim that the pods are recyclaBLE, which may be so, but that doesn't mean that they get recyclED. Most likely they end up in landfill.