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Rating:  -
I've had the machine for a year now, so this is not a hasty review. Nor need it be long. Having this machine is a constant source of pleasure every single morning. Plain and simple, it supplies excellent-tasting espresso for less effort than making regular coffee from a coffee machine. No grinding, not messy grounds, no waste, and essentially no cleanup. If you're like me and don't have the time, energy, or patience to be screwing around in the kitchen in the morning, a Nespresso machine is as good as it gets. Regarding cost: let's say you average one espresso drink a day like I do, it works out to about $18/mo - i cannot imagine spending significantly less than that with ANY alternative coffee-making method short of Folgers. Commenting on other eomplaints: environmental waste and "Fair Trade" coffee. If discarding the equivalent of 1/13th of a soda can's worth of aluminum bothers your conscience, then after each use scrape out the coffee and recycle the pod. If you're worried about whether or not Nespresso coffee is harvested sustainably, their processes do aim at ensuring this through their own AAA Sustainable Quality
Program. Unless you're into conspiracies, then you can be confident they are at least showing some concern for sustainability. If none of it is good enough for you, then what are you doing on a computer looking at Amazon.com?? You should be living in a tent snuggling prairie dogs in your handmade hemp blanket. Hope you're having fun!
Rating: -
My wife and I got hooked on Nespresso when we were visiting a friend in Paris. If you have never been to one of their elite boutiques you will be in for a shock (greeter a the door, tasting room etc.).
I've tried making my own espresso at home (two machine, both now in the basement) and never got to the 'expert' level plus I was the only one who could make it. So after Paris we bought one of this model from Amazon and have never been happier! It's the same model as the one our friend has in Paris (she's been using it for years). It makes great espresso, it is easy, it is fast, and simple and the pods are not all that expensive ($0.60 for a cup - compare that to an espresso out!).
Others have written about the temperature of the espresso, we do preheat our cups first by running the machine without a pod and that provides us with steaming hot espresso. Now all I have to do is convince my wife I need one of these for the office!
I've also found that you can use the machine to make a great iced coffee, just run the pump a little longer into a cup of ice, add a little milk stir, and wonderful!
Rating: -
We go out to eat frequently and my husband likes to order an after dinner demitasse. This gets kind of expensive in NYC. We were skeptical about the longevity of espresso machines but figured if we got a year out of this gadget, it would be worth it. We opted for this model because it was the least expensive but were told that its pressure capacity was the same as the fancier automatic models. That was over 4 years ago and the D90 is still going strong. It makes a consistantly good cup.
The price of the capsules aren't as reasonable as they used to be: In 2005, they were 48 cents. There were two subsequent 2 cent jumps. Now I see they just went up another 3 cents to 55 cents which is a 15% increase over 4 years. The cost of shipping, IMHO, is ridiculously high. Fortunately, I was able to go Nespresso's office in Manhattan to pick up the orders. Recently,they have opened a cafe/retail store on Madison Ave, which is even more convenient. Perhaps Nespresso will open other retail stores nationwide. I hope they don't get it into their heads that they are free to raise the capsule price at will because they have a captive clientelle.
When we first got the D90, I had a few questions that were satisfactorily answered by their "Club's" tech support. But, as another reviewer indicated, their operators/salespeople do have a bit of a snooty "Euopean-ish" affect that is not really necessary.
Some tips:
1)Do warm your cup first.
2)Regular descaling is important and the kit is rather expensive, but you can get around the process by using only DISTILLED water...the coffee tastes better, too.
3) Flush the unit out (as per instructions)after every few cups.
4) Don't forget to turn the unit's power off between uses!
5) Ristretto and Arpegio are the strongest...no need to bother with the others if you like your drink strong. We like to stir a tiny bit of heavy cream in as the cup is filling...it makes a reapectable, creamy froth on top.
Since we no longer order restaurant coffee, this machine has indeed paid for itself several times over. Even when you include the nominal cost of electricty for the brewing and in our case, water distillation, it is less than 1/2 the price that they charge even in moderately priced restaurants or Starbucks.
On the other hand, if you're not a big expresso drinker, but like to entertain, have a little extra counter space and money to spend, it is a nice indulgence.
Rating:  -
I have bought several exact same model in France when I was living there earlier this year, and the build quality (i.e. fit and finish) are much better. The ones in Europe are made in Switzerland, and the one I recently bought on Amazon is made in China. Not sure why, but the fit and finish just didn't measure up. Otherwise the machine works great. I also would recommend getting the manual vs the automatic version. The manual model lets you control how much water you let pass thru the capsule.
Rating: -
What a great machine - quick and easy - nice and neat. Brews wonderfully.
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