Recommended espresso machine?

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#721034 21-Nov-2012 22:55

Speaking of expresso machines, I see the Breville Dual Boiler is on sale with a free grinder over christmas at a few major retailers.

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freitasm

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#721084 22-Nov-2012 08:11

Damn, what a bad review. For $5 still worth trying.

dclegg

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#721088 22-Nov-2012 08:20

freitasm: Damn, what a bad review. For $5 still worth trying.

Yeah, YMMV. I didn't like the taste, and as I said it seemed to put undue stress on the cap loading mechanism on our machine (Delonghi Latissima Plus)

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#721182 22-Nov-2012 10:14

NZtechfreak: Speaking of expresso machines, I see the Breville Dual Boiler is on sale with a free grinder over christmas at a few major retailers.

I do like the look of the dual boiler and it gets some good reviews but money is needed elsewhere at the moment

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#721540 22-Nov-2012 21:47

Ok, walked down to The Warehouse today and bought one sleeve of "Espresso" (that's what I will call from now on as this is the marking in the box). As noted this is a South African product and the company seems to specialise in using the Nespresso system (just look at the machines to have an idea of design).

I know Nespresso is quite protective of their system, trademarks and wonder how long Nestle will leave this company undisturbed.

Anyway, $5.00 for ten capsules, which comes to half price when compared to Nespresso - and at least is available almost anywhere in New Zealand instead of online only (or from the Nespresso Auckland store).

I decided to compare to Nespresso Crealto, so here they are side by side:

As noted above, the capsule is plastic instead of aluminium. This makes for an interesting first experience when pushing the lever down to close the machine - it requires a lot more strength to puncture the plastic capsule than the aluminium one. It works but it feels strange at first.

Next, making an espresso (Crealto on top, Espresso on bottom):

And below Crealto (left) and Espresso (right):

Not much difference in terms of colour or crema. You can smell the difference though and the taste is remarkably more bitter and acidic on the "espresso".

For someone that is not a big coffee drinker the taste might not be a factor. But if you are used to drinking Nespresso you will immediately notice the difference. Of course it may come down to personal taste and getting used to it. I am still not sure I will buy another sleeve when this one is finished - let's see how I feel in a couple of days.

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#721544 22-Nov-2012 21:57

Thanks Mauricio, will be interested to read about whether you can get used to the cheap ones as we hoover through the Nespresso capsules.

Would be interested to get an idea of which Nespresso blend they resemble if your testing gets to that stage.

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#721545 22-Nov-2012 22:00

Certainly they're not smooth as Crealto...

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#721551 22-Nov-2012 22:08

freitasm: Certainly they're not smooth as Crealto...

I'm loving Crealto, I'm hoping they keep it on permanently. I'm looking forward to your final review of the Espresso capsules, maybe the cheap ones can be for guests :)

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#721552 22-Nov-2012 22:08

The ones you don't want coming back?

I will keep you folks posted.

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#721553 22-Nov-2012 22:09

meesham:
freitasm: Certainly they're not smooth as Crealto...

I'm loving Crealto, I'm hoping they keep it on permanently. I'm looking forward to your final review of the Espresso capsules, maybe the cheap ones can be for guests :)

That's what the last dreggs of the instant bag are for isn't it?

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#721561 22-Nov-2012 22:27

Did any of you ever get to try d'jhana from nespresso now that was by far the best coffee they have ever made. I haven't been a fan of crealto I would rather a Roma.

langers1972

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#721563 22-Nov-2012 22:29

Yeah we didn't like the Crealto, bitter after taste IMHO.

Arpeggio all the way

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#721569 22-Nov-2012 22:34

I got a tube of the ESPRESSO (also marked: 1), and a tube of LUNGO ( 4 ).
Yes harder to pierce in my "Cube".....

ESPRESSO seemed rather weak, compared to my last genuine capsules (need to order more) and I thought had a plastic aftertaste, but I may have been expecting that.
LUNGO had a stronger taste (supposedly a double shot)., so will see what I think after I've been thru the rest of the pack.
But definitely not a replacement for the real thing.

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#721574 22-Nov-2012 22:42

oxnsox:But definitely not a replacement for the real thing.

Funny, that's the thought I have in my head reading anything about the Nespresso machines...

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#721577 22-Nov-2012 22:47

Maybe try a ligher roast (it's in the picture you posted of the warehouse shelf). Usually, dark roasts are over-roasted and hence bitter and burnt. OK if you are going to mask the taste with milk *cough starbucks cough*, but if you are drinking espresso, lighter is often a lot nicer.

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