Nespresso Pro
- Thread starter jtrade
- Start date
jtrade
pfm Member
Thanks for the link : a relief to see there's someone quite a bit more anal about his coffee ;-)))
I just went into the nearest Nespresso "boutique" and whilst they don't offer the Pro range, the lady I spoke to knew many of the details. Ristretto sachets, although larger than the retail capsules, cost almost 10% less... but the minimum order is a pack of 50.
With regard to bean to cup machines : I have several friends who have taken this route and are happy with the results. I quite frequently drink "espresso" from 3 different Jura machines, one of which cost over GBP 2k. Never once has it bettered a Nespresso Ristretto with a suitably low volume of water (& I was originally using one of their cheapest machines).
If just ONE of my friends could consistently produce an Italian cafe standard espresso, I'd buy that machine and grinder in a flash ... but after my Nespresso visit this morning, I'm seriously considering a Nespresso Pro Zenius (around GBP 400) + 50 sachet packs of Ristretto @ 31 eurocents per sachet https://www.nespresso.com/pro/us/en/product/zenius.
Next time I'm in the area of the hotel, I will go there to sample the Pro Ristretto, then the Nespresso boutique for a regular !
The things one does...
gintonic
50 shades of grey pussy cats
I think in some senses he is right. He does partially consider the grind size and consistency which can make a huge difference in the flavour profile as can the tamping force. What impact the build up of pressure in the capsule before it opens has on flavour I don't know.
You can't beat them for convenience, but they (IMO) don't prepare a drink that provides all the nuances of flavour you can get from other means.
You can't beat them for convenience, but they (IMO) don't prepare a drink that provides all the nuances of flavour you can get from other means.
linnfomaniac83
I bet you can’t wheelie a unicycle!
£400 for a basic pro machine yes. Domestic models are way cheaper than that. I do have a lovely Gaggia bean to cup but the results aren't totally consistent with is and whether you use it a couple of times a day to twenty times a day, the cleaners routine is the same, otherwise you'll have rancid coffee grinds in it, and there is the warm up time too. Nespresso is convenient and consistent and given that there is only me and my daughter at home (she's 12 and doesn't drink coffee), it just works well for me. I do use it when I have visitors staying though because it gets enough use, it's a lovely bit of kit and I won't be parting with it.
gintonic
50 shades of grey pussy cats
Price is no indicator of quality here. Jura machines are not good - they are built for throughput and volume and not quality. I have the unenviable task of dealing with the daily/weekly maintenance of our £13k bean to cup Jura machine at work.
To get them in the upper end of the "affordable" bracket bean to cup machines are often full of compromises. The kind of compromise that will effect the taste of the drink - not the kind of compromise that'll lead to its early demise......Mind you I have seen so many complete domestic bean-to-cup machines dumped when either (a) the grinder fails or (b) the brewer fails.........
The key is the quality of the ingredients (beans) and how they are roasted...........you can make a decent espresso with relatively inexpensive equipment.
bor
queue jumper
We have the Nespresso Pro machines within the hallowed walls of the Motoren Werk at a location that I cannot divulge.
I used 2 x Sachets per Expresso - Volume good, taste excellent.
I subsequently bought a consumer Pod machine for desk top placement. Don't notice a difference in volume, but volume is adjustable on these machines. Taste excellent, but gut feeling is that the Pro machine is slightly better (which I think is logical)
Naturally we also got a Pod machine for home use. I still use my Pavoni/Rocky/Illy at the weekend, or when I have enough time. The taste test is won by the Pavoni, but as everyone else says, only when everything is in allignment.
The key reason for the Nespresso tasing so good is the freshness of the coffee, in my opinion.
I used 2 x Sachets per Expresso - Volume good, taste excellent.
I subsequently bought a consumer Pod machine for desk top placement. Don't notice a difference in volume, but volume is adjustable on these machines. Taste excellent, but gut feeling is that the Pro machine is slightly better (which I think is logical)
Naturally we also got a Pod machine for home use. I still use my Pavoni/Rocky/Illy at the weekend, or when I have enough time. The taste test is won by the Pavoni, but as everyone else says, only when everything is in allignment.
The key reason for the Nespresso tasing so good is the freshness of the coffee, in my opinion.
linnfomaniac83
I bet you can’t wheelie a unicycle!
Stale beans is a possibility, especially if you don't use them quickly enough. Nespresso capsules are sealed and have a long shelf life so it should, and in my experience does always taste fresh.
jtrade
pfm Member
... or maybe people just don't know what a good espresso truly is ...
gintonic
50 shades of grey pussy cats
bit of both I think. My parents have £500 bean to cup thing. The range of adjustments for example on the grinder, is nowhere near the range of my standalone grinder.
When I was cleaning it out last year I noticed a small amount of bearing movement on the grinder burrs. I contacted the manufacturer who on inspection said that was normal play. Both of these mean the grinder is compromised in both the range of grinds available and the consistency of the chosen grind - to the detriment of the final brew.
As for coffee well there are alot of high roasted beans used to disguise the poor quality of the blend. Yes people often store their beans open for far too long as well. In fact I'd say if you were an infrequent drinker go pod...
PsB
Citizen of Nowhere™
I find even the coffee from the Nespresso machine varies, depending on humidity, my mood etc.
I measured, out of curiosity, a few domestic Nespresso pods: the total weight varies from 6.6 g to 7.3 g. The aluminium capsule is (lighter than I thought at) 1.1g, so the quantity of coffee varies from 5.5 to 6.2 g (the Lungo and some of the Grand Cru capsules seem consistently heavier). So not sure that the Pro capsules have that much more coffee in them.
Looking at the environmental aspect: the total quantity of aluminium in a capsule is really minute. I weighed a few things from my recycle bin (all empty, dry):
- average scrap of aluminium foil for wrapping one sandwich: about 3 to 5 g
- 330ml coke can: about 23 g
- mini-Schweppes Slimline 150ml: 9.3 g
- tin of tomatoes: about 50g (not alu, obv.)
So my 2 cups of Nespresso per day work out to less than a Coke can every 10 days. Not too bad, especially as we take all the capsules for recycling.
I measured, out of curiosity, a few domestic Nespresso pods: the total weight varies from 6.6 g to 7.3 g. The aluminium capsule is (lighter than I thought at) 1.1g, so the quantity of coffee varies from 5.5 to 6.2 g (the Lungo and some of the Grand Cru capsules seem consistently heavier). So not sure that the Pro capsules have that much more coffee in them.
Looking at the environmental aspect: the total quantity of aluminium in a capsule is really minute. I weighed a few things from my recycle bin (all empty, dry):
- average scrap of aluminium foil for wrapping one sandwich: about 3 to 5 g
- 330ml coke can: about 23 g
- mini-Schweppes Slimline 150ml: 9.3 g
- tin of tomatoes: about 50g (not alu, obv.)
So my 2 cups of Nespresso per day work out to less than a Coke can every 10 days. Not too bad, especially as we take all the capsules for recycling.
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
Thankfully technology has moved on since 1917, whichever way you choose to make your coffee
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
Do not buy any Nestlé product http://www.zmescience.com/science/nestle-company-pollution-children/
andrew d
pfm Member
http://road.cc/content/news/220611-bike-made-out-recycled-nespresso-capsules-sold-charity-auction
£5,000 buys you a bike made out of recycled Nespresso pods!
£5,000 buys you a bike made out of recycled Nespresso pods!
jtrade
pfm Member
Looks like this : https://gyazo.com/262a0891e3ff197c8e004d9d5df471e6.
I just acquired this early base model, seemingly little used, for only £40.
Using a Lungo capsule that came with the machine, it provides the typical Nespresso shot... I am curious to compare the Ristretto capsules when I have them (& intend to open up retail vs pro capsules to see how much coffee is in each : if it really is the same, then I will likely move the machine on...).
The steam wand is much more powerful than on the domestic machine I used to have.
Warning for anyone else considering this route : you order the Pro capsules direct from Nespresso Pro & when you register they ask for the serial number of your machine, to ensure it's not a unit still under lease, ie. check with Nespresso before buying.
Edit : size-wise, the ES50 is slightly narrower and lower than my Solis espresso machine, but a little deeper.
I just acquired this early base model, seemingly little used, for only £40.
Using a Lungo capsule that came with the machine, it provides the typical Nespresso shot... I am curious to compare the Ristretto capsules when I have them (& intend to open up retail vs pro capsules to see how much coffee is in each : if it really is the same, then I will likely move the machine on...).
The steam wand is much more powerful than on the domestic machine I used to have.
Warning for anyone else considering this route : you order the Pro capsules direct from Nespresso Pro & when you register they ask for the serial number of your machine, to ensure it's not a unit still under lease, ie. check with Nespresso before buying.
Edit : size-wise, the ES50 is slightly narrower and lower than my Solis espresso machine, but a little deeper.
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
Claire,
My wife loves one or two coffees each day, but her poor mobility would mean her having to wait for me to come home from work before she can have one. Our kitchen is quite small, so any clutter/add-ons has to be avoided. It's easy to single out Nestlé, but if I could be bothered, I'd spend time digging out the dirt on every other company making anything to do with coffee. I'm sure there'd be a few well hidden surprises.
If we were a large family of coffee addicts, I'm sure I'd look at other methods, but for just the two of us, no thanks.
My wife loves one or two coffees each day, but her poor mobility would mean her having to wait for me to come home from work before she can have one. Our kitchen is quite small, so any clutter/add-ons has to be avoided. It's easy to single out Nestlé, but if I could be bothered, I'd spend time digging out the dirt on every other company making anything to do with coffee. I'm sure there'd be a few well hidden surprises.
If we were a large family of coffee addicts, I'm sure I'd look at other methods, but for just the two of us, no thanks.
gintonic
50 shades of grey pussy cats
you can of course source nespresso compatible pods (I don't know about pro though) which are fair-trade and recyclable https://www.realcoffee.com/
Nestle themselves run a farming system akin to fair-trade - I am not suggesting they are whiter than white corporately, but they do appear to be trying. Corporate haters are always going to hate regardless.
Nestle themselves run a farming system akin to fair-trade - I am not suggesting they are whiter than white corporately, but they do appear to be trying. Corporate haters are always going to hate regardless.