Nespresso knock offs at the Warehouse and Countdown

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bgould14

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#114159 10-Feb-2013 18:39

has anyone tried the knock off pods at the warehouse? I did just before new years and was bitterly disappointed. excuse the pun! I figured for half price, even if it was half decent, I'd get by. But it was atrocious. My wife just bought some from Countdown - bit more expensive at 7 bucks but couldn't believe it when she opened the box - same blimmen pods the warehouse is flogging, but packaged better. so for 2 bucks more, a different box, but same crappy pods, and unfortunately same crappy coffee. she got all varieties to try - there goes 28 bucks down the gurgler! might put them on trade me! ;-) wondering what others thought? I wonder if anyone else has figured out that the warehouse and countdown are selling the same product, but packing it differently to try and extract more money for the same product. so lame. while I'm a bit peeved I've got to go back to nespresso to order online, at least for the money i'm getting *some* value in that theirs are consistent, and dare I say it tasty!

mattwnz

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#759111 10-Feb-2013 18:42

Are they parallel imported? The market they are made for may have different taste requirements. They had this problem with some imported milo recently and it was on fairgo, as it was parallel imported from asia where they have a slightly different recipe.

bgould14

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#759114 10-Feb-2013 18:45

no idea. the ones i bought at red shed are from south africa. the ones my wife bought are packed by a new zealand company from what i can gather, but they don't say from where. you just take one look at the pod then one look (and smell!) at the coffee and you know it's a recipe for disaster. i assume the nz company is just importing them in bulk to repack at a higher price point. the machines that cd and red shed are selling are identical.

keewee01

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#759120 10-Feb-2013 19:08

Suggest also check out this as the alternative pods and machines were discussed there too --> Recommended espresso machine?

oxnsox

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#759121 10-Feb-2013 19:08

If you're using them in a true Nespresso machine, check the drip tray. It's possible some of the flavoursome coffee makes it's way there.

Nespresso have at some point changed the pod holder slightly with the result that in some machines the pods don't seal well and product ends up in the tray rather than the cup.

Personally I use a mix of originals and supermarket/redshed pods. (we've all got varying taste I guess).

There are a few other threads on Geekzone about coffee/machines/capsules.

freitasm

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#759129 10-Feb-2013 19:12

The "parallel imported" topic was touched for a few pages in the other topic. Having said that I think we can continue this discussion here specifically for the Nespresso machine and alternative sources of coffee for that system.

I tried the "parallel imported". Yes, it's made in South Africa. No, I didn't like it. It's 50% of the Nespresso price but very bitter.

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bgould14

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#759151 10-Feb-2013 19:52

totally agree. which is why i was so excited to try a 'new' version at countdown, which we just got home over the weekend. so annoyed it's the same product, just rebranded. and 2 bucks more! i guess that's why they call it a knock off!

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Wade

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#759153 10-Feb-2013 19:57

I've been using the red shed lungos since they came out and I don't mind them, mind you I dose them up with sugar and chocolate powder which masks any bitter

There is a guy on trademe pimping off the same pods in bulk also, although by the time you factor in delivery (no pick up) it works out more than the red shed

freitasm

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#759154 10-Feb-2013 19:58

Well, I drink my espresso with nothing else - no sugar, no additives or anything...

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richms

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#759211 10-Feb-2013 21:33

Im quite happy with most of the redshed ones. except the green ones.

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#759282 11-Feb-2013 07:19

They aren't the same pods as Countdown, the capsule itself maybe the same but the foil tops are different. If you look closely they are sealed differently. The countdown foil is just silver whereas the Warehouse ones are colored.

As to the coffee, you get what you pay for and for the price I think its ok. I do think the countdown is better and like the Decaf option that i didn't see at The Warehouse.

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#759287 11-Feb-2013 07:26

does anyone worry about the boiling water passing through those pods with plastic and aluminium foil, and what nasties might be going into your body there?

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freitasm

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#759291 11-Feb-2013 07:41

Perhaps more about the plastic capsule than the aluminium foil really. You never know these guys could be using a BPA-loaded plastic from China...

This is another thing I'm finding every day in the markets. Buy a can from a famous local brand peaches thinking it's coming from sunny Hawkes Bay and find it's actually coming from China. We usually buy organic stuff but are not fussy so if something is not available no problem, let's buy the other stuff. But the amount of local companies importing food from China and still advertising their products as being from [insert known region here]. I guess they get away saying "it's seasonal and we have to buy some to attend the demand"...

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tchart

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#759297 11-Feb-2013 08:17

My 2c

Weve tried the decaf pods from Countdown, terrible! Tasted like an ash tray. Yuck :( We wont try any others as a result (definitely not the same make as the Warehouse ones).

The Warehouse ones we actually buy all the time - in fact my machine is the Kensington from the Warehouse. The orange "mild" capsules are what the wife likes (and no complaints there). The green ones (lungo?) are strong but bitter. The purple ones are my preference but they always seem to run out :(

Anyway, no real complaints here on the Warehouse ones. I have noticed they are a bit inconsistent sometimes - 90% of the time its great but the other day I had to do two shots as the first one was so weak! Not sure if it was the capsule or a poor seal, anyway hardly ever happens.