I sold my Rocket Giotto, Mazer Mini and brought a Nespresso....

[drwevil]

Well I got over the mess and decided to downgrade and brought this.

The coffees are not the same quality by a long shot but they are also not horrid by a long shot. Way better than instant by a long shot.

I also found these L'or pods and they are better than The Nespresso pods and the pods are aluminium.

Both these L'or pods taste better than what we have tried from the Nespresso range so far.

The steam wand on the Creatista Plus is fully automatic and actually does a pretty good job of creating glossy micro foam and pouring a heart or a Rosetta is easy. Temp and froth levels are adjustable but Latte setting is about right.

We may get another rocket machine in the future but for now I don't need the hassle. Right now down sizing and dehassling is what I need.

Also considering I started Coffeesnobs AU forum I never ever thought I would buy a pod machine. We also got this one for a real bargain.

I am glad we found a supply of decent tasting pods. The PNG one is really sweet even as a shot.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mick]

I had an older nespresso machine a little while ago. It developed a terminal leak so my experience with it was very limited.

I decided to experiment with the nespresso after being given a couple of demo shots from one at a shop where I purchase my Chemex filters.

I was impressed enough to keep an eye out for a nespresso in the wild. Took a couple years but I did find one. Worked great for a while then started "bleeding water"

I can understand your abandoning your espresso machine. I was looking at my Pasquini yesterday and realized it has been close to a year since I last fired it up. I don't have the heart to take it off of the counter....... yet...

I've become deeply involved with roasting my own coffee. It is now to the point that I no longer drink any coffee that I have not roasted. I even asked for water at dunkin doughnuts a few weeks ago. This is something that I would never have done in the past.

 

[drwevil]

Yes we were the same and generally just as snobby.

I should note the only 2 shots we pull are espresso and ristretto. If you try anything longer than that you end up with over extracted pig swill.

If we want a double we use two pods with the machine set on espresso.

If a guest wants a long black it's a 1 or 2 pods pulled as espresso and hot water from the kettle.

So I haven't totally gone to the dogs.

These machines can put out a reasonable coffee as you follow the basic rule of "No shots longer than espresso"

For us it is forcing us to explore an aspect of the coffee culture we never thought we would and it is proving to be quite satisfying. Even TLOML was dubious initially but has come around. Her previous experience with pod machine was being offered the over extracted pig swill most folks put out that have a pod machine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Galhatz]

We have 2 coffee machines at my office. A brand new Nespresso that one of the guys brought in and he has a subscription to the pods and keeps buying them.
I found in the attic an ancient krups 972 (I even found the purchase receipt from 1997!), MADE IN SWITZERLAND, which I cannot count as an espresso machine, there is no pump, the boiler pressure is what's there. It does produces heck of a steam.

Anyway, the problem is not with the machine rather the coffee itself, garbage-in-garbage-out.
I source my coffee from the unanimously agreed upon as the best roaster in Israel. That guy is OCD, full of energy (well that's expected) and having met him at his business a couple of time - a riot of fun.

His stuff is amazing. When I make coffee at home, guests go nuts. They go nuts just from the smell, before they even drink it.

Once a month I place an order, for me and a bunch of folks, as well as the office itself.
We don't even have grinder in the office, so I have him shipped ground.

What can I say, with proper coffee it is leaps and bounds above the capsule stuff.
The hassle is so minimal if at all. Fill the tank, wait for it to heat up, load the portafilter and that's it.
Nothing much to clean either. Once in 6 months I descale it with grocery store vinegar. That's it.
We create such superb cappuccinos, that are better than almost any coffee shop in the area.
This is not because we are super baristas... I don't even bother to tinker with the preparation much.

The coffee itself is just good, so: awesome-in-awesome-out, even on a dinky maker like we have there.

Every now and then I give the nespresso machine a chance, if for instance the guy who likes it gets a new flavor and he raves about it. Blah. Sorry. It was the least worst with Diemme capsules. That's all I have to say about it.

After lunch, being an Israeli office, we have Turkish coffee. I never cared much for Turkish coffee, for two main reasons:
1) There is a cult like thing about how to make it, boil it, whisper to it, each person develops a technique that is a variation of stuff he learnt from his gramma and his buddies at reserve duty.
2) It sucks. The most popular brand is Elitte that Israeli ex-pats stock up on it, freeze it and simply can't live without it. It also gives me heartburn.

My co-worker is a proud die hard Elitte drinker. Nothing else would do (or did). He even bought speciality coffee in Istanbul and it wasn't half as good and cost a fortune. You gotta stand out of something right?

Guess what, that roaster also makes Turkish style coffee, with a warning that it is nothing like Elitte.
Well. it isn't . It tastes awesome. It doesn't give me heartburn.
Also my buddy is now an ex-elitte and it is that guy's fan.
And that roaster is my fan, because once a month I place an order for myself, the office, the co-worker and the co-worker's brother who is also a fant now.

So good stuff in - good stuff out.
Same for the opposite.
I simply cannot believe that you would sell a Mazzer and a Giotto for a capsule, unless those are super dee duper capsules and that the coffee you originally sourced left something to be desired.

 

[drwevil]

We have 2 coffee machines at my office. A brand new Nespresso that one of the guys brought in and he has a subscription to the pods and keeps buying them.
I found in the attic an ancient krups 972 (I even found the purchase receipt from 1997!), MADE IN SWITZERLAND, which I cannot count as an espresso machine, there is no pump, the boiler pressure is what's there. It does produces heck of a steam.

Anyway, the problem is not with the machine rather the coffee itself, garbage-in-garbage-out.
I source my coffee from the unanimously agreed upon as the best roaster in Israel. That guy is OCD, full of energy (well that's expected) and having met him at his business a couple of time - a riot of fun.

His stuff is amazing. When I make coffee at home, guests go nuts. They go nuts just from the smell, before they even drink it.

Once a month I place an order, for me and a bunch of folks, as well as the office itself.
We don't even have grinder in the office, so I have him shipped ground.

What can I say, with proper coffee it is leaps and bounds above the capsule stuff.
The hassle is so minimal if at all. Fill the tank, wait for it to heat up, load the portafilter and that's it.
Nothing much to clean either. Once in 6 months I descale it with grocery store vinegar. That's it.
We create such superb cappuccinos, that are better than almost any coffee shop in the area.
This is not because we are super baristas... I don't even bother to tinker with the preparation much.

The coffee itself is just good, so: awesome-in-awesome-out, even on a dinky maker like we have there.

Every now and then I give the nespresso machine a chance, if for instance the guy who likes it gets a new flavor and he raves about it. Blah. Sorry. It was the least worst with Diemme capsules. That's all I have to say about it.

After lunch, being an Israeli office, we have Turkish coffee. I never cared much for Turkish coffee, for two main reasons:
1) There is a cult like thing about how to make it, boil it, whisper to it, each person develops a technique that is a variation of stuff he learnt from his gramma and his buddies at reserve duty.
2) It sucks. The most popular brand is Elitte that Israeli ex-pats stock up on it, freeze it and simply can't live without it. It also gives me heartburn.

My co-worker is a proud die hard Elitte drinker. Nothing else would do (or did). He even bought speciality coffee in Istanbul and it wasn't half as good and cost a fortune. You gotta stand out of something right?

Guess what, that roaster also makes Turkish style coffee, with a warning that it is nothing like Elitte.
Well. it isn't . It tastes awesome. It doesn't give me heartburn.
Also my buddy is now an ex-elitte and it is that guy's fan.
And that roaster is my fan, because once a month I place an order for myself, the office, the co-worker and the co-worker's brother who is also a fant now.

So good stuff in - good stuff out.
Same for the opposite.
I simply cannot believe that you would sell a Mazzer and a Giotto for a capsule, unless those are super dee duper capsules and that the coffee you originally sourced left something to be desired.

We were getting great coffees is was just over the mess.

There are some amazing roasters near me. One of the best is Coffeesnobs they have won multiple meddles for their blends.

Like I said the problem with most folks that have a pod machine or super auto is over extraction and we tend to have milk based drinks. Anything beyond 1 shot it's pig swill.

Our Nespresso does an acceptable job not a great job and is hands down better than instant.

We have had a chance to try more of the French packed L'or pods and they are better than any of the Nespresso pods we have tried to this point in time. The L'or pods are also aluminium. I don't think I'll ever put a plastic pod on it.

We are still enjoying exploring this area of the coffee culture that many of the CS's simply write off with out trying using the knowledge they have from their own outstanding machines.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mick]

I've used Keurg, Nespresso, and Illy pods on a Francis Francis.

All made good drinkable coffee

 

[drwevil]

I've used Keurg, Nespresso, and Illy pods on a Francis Francis.

All made good drinkable coffee

We have some truely amazing cafes near us.
One thing this has done its opened up date night/lunch with TLOML if we ever feel like a great coffee we can now go to one of them. [emoji106][emoji1604]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bbb34]

Guess what, that roaster also makes Turkish style coffee, with a warning that it is nothing like Elitte.

Turkish coffee is simple and can be amazing with right beans/grind. With some experimenting it's not hard to get consistent results.

I simply cannot believe that you would sell a Mazzer and a Giotto for a capsule, unless those are super dee duper capsules and that the coffee you originally sourced left something to be desired.

+1

I mean, I hope Nespresso works for @drwevil but forgive me for being skeptical on this in any way be improvement in quality of shots over Rocket.

I've used Keurg, Nespresso, and Illy pods on a Francis Francis.

All made good drinkable coffee

Define drinkable? Keurig really shouldn't have made that list.

 

[Mick]

Define drinkable? Keurig really shouldn't have made that list.

It is when used with my own home roasted beans

 

[drwevil]

It is when used with my own home roasted beans

I have done the home roasting and now can't be bothered with the time or mess. [emoji4]

And yes it works. The L'or pods are nicer than the Nespresso pods we have tried so far.

With the Giotto we were getting great shots but no one was prepared to clean up after using it so it's gone. It was having a few issues anyway. We had the thing for about 9 years.

No one in the household is complaining about the quality of the coffee, neither are our guests who don't know we have changed machines. They are still saying it's great. That's about as close to a blind test as I can be bothered creating ..... They are surprised when I tell them it's Nespresso, bear in mind tho we aren't running it as a usual Nespresso user does.

I remember back in the day when it was the Sunbeam 6900 vs the Rancilio Silva .... bang for buck the 6900 beat it hands down. Now the 6910 is out and fixed the bugs with the 6900 ..... still great value for money. The Silvia is a real hassle if you need to pull more than 2-3 shots.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bbb34]

Fair enough, and really unless you are straight espresso drinker (I am), it's not that easy to pick the difference and most people just don't care.

I have been considering Rocket on and off for few years now, and maintenance and need to have it warm up properly together with the fact that I nailed down Turkish to perfection for my taste (and have two amazing coffee shops offering great espresso nearby) are main reasons why I haven't purchased it yet. Friend of mine used to own one, for espresso shots it's probably as good as home machines get.

 

[drwevil]

Fair enough, and really unless you are straight espresso drinker (I am), it's not that easy to pick the difference and most people just don't care.

I have been considering Rocket on and off for few years now, and maintenance and need to have it warm up properly together with the fact that I nailed down Turkish to perfection for my taste (and have two amazing coffee shops offering great espresso nearby) are main reasons why I haven't purchased it yet. Friend of mine used to own one, for espresso shots it's probably as good as home machines get.

Yeah the Giotto is lovely machine and it is as good as it gets.

Also my interests have moved on too ....to DE Shaving and lock picking [emoji106][emoji1604]

It was just surprising the Creatista puts out a reasonable coffee ... if your not too hell bent on pumping out over extracted pig swill....

My daughters Nespresso on the other hand is awful.... even with milk frothed on the Giotto. Mind you from memory it was over extracted. I'm not sure the exact model hers is. But it's small and red


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mick]

Been 2 months and I was wondering how you like the Nespresso?

Still using it regularly?
.

 

[drwevil]

Been 2 months and I was wondering how you like the Nespresso?

Still using it regularly?
.

Yeah I do and loving the convenience and total lack of mess.
We like the stronger pods which help mask the fact it’s not as good as the Giotto but it is very close, well about 70-80% there and hands down better than any super auto I have tried. Certainly better than instant.

Some of the pods I am able to drink as a shot. Which is unusual for me as I normally do Lattes.

Here in Aussie we have the L’or pods which are also aluminium like the real Nespresso pods.

If you do get a Nespresso machine do not use the all plastic pods as it required to much force to close the brew mechanism and it ends up leaking. Fortunately for us the place we brought it from gave us a swap over for a new machine.

So yes very satisfied with it performance. [emoji1604]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ruckin]

I can't help on the pod coffee but to the gentleman that was lamenting the warm up time for an espresso machine. I am lazy and keep mine on 24/7 but make espresso in the mornings and evenings and through out the day when I am home. My machine has a "on/off" timer so I could do that but I have not bothered. But it shouldn't be too hard to add a timer to have an espresso machine warm up and be ready when you wake up in the morning.

In terms of maintenance (over the last 5+ years) I have had to replace the group gasket/filter periodically. The drain valve for the steam boiler developed a drip so I replaced it, and the display developed some dead pixels so I replaced that as well. Over all I am happy with my GS3 and LaMarzocco has been quite helpful whenever I have had questions or wanted parts.

I am considering getting a drip machine and grinder so my wife and I can take a thermal much of coffee to work.

 

[Mick]

........to the gentleman that was lamenting the warm up time for an espresso machine. I am lazy and keep mine on 24/7 but make espresso in the mornings and evenings and through out the day when I am home.

Waiting the hour or so for a stable head group temp is no big.

I just make a 2 cup pour-over to pass the time while I am waiting

 

[drwevil]

The warmup time on mine is about 10 seconds.

We brought the current top of the line machine, the Creatista.

The model down takes about 30 seconds and has less adjustment settings and costs about $200 less.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Toothpick]

I love coffee. And I'd love to have a machine like this. Or anything similar. But what stops me is the price of the pods. I have a Keurig K400 that sits unused because I don't want to pay 10-14 bucks for the pods. I got it for $50 and at the time I would pick up the boxes of Kcups dirt cheap when they went on clearance where I worked. $2-$5 per box. I know it's cheaper than a coffee from starbucks or where ever but still. With as much coffee as I drink (2-4 cups a day) I'd be spending about 40 bucks +/- a month!

And that's just me. I don't live alone. For now I'm sticking with the 30oz Foldgers or Maxwell House via the autodrip.

 

[jamesearthdrum]

Have you explored these?
https://www.amazon.com/Resuable-Reu...19004&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=keurig+k400&psc=1
You can pick them up at a Bed Bath and Beyond also. I use mine with my home roasts in the morning for the quick cup or two before leaving for work.

 

[shavingcyclist]

Also considering I started Coffeesnobs AU forum I never ever thought I would buy a pod machine. We also got this one for a real bargain.

Rocket to Nespresso!? The capsule cost is insane (Quick math adds to about $1,750 CAD per year based on my household consumption), the coffee is drinkable however no where near what you get with a commercial or semi commercial set up.

I would never give up my commercial Elektra and Eureka grinder for anything!!! It takes 1 Hour to start up (So I leave it on 24/7) runs on 220v and requires a ton of work to make a coffee, hence it relates directly to wet shaving with a straight razor! Slow and complex and expensive-ish just the way we like it here .

If I understood correctly and you did start Coffeesnobs AU, thank god you're posting this in a shaving forum otherwise people's heads might explode.