Environmental Disaster Pods - Dolce Gusto Selection Box - Almond Flat White & Guatemala Latte Macchiato (@NLi10)

I've a  history of not coping well with the funny coffee pods that have appeared in hotels in the past few years.  And now we have a Dolce Gusto machine in the office.  I went on their site to try and find sensible ways to mitigate the environmental impact of every cup of coffee having two to four little plastic pods thrown away (I got a bag) and also got £20 worth of pods to share with the team. 

I don't really use much dairy these days (clotted cream on scones and a dash of milk in tea is about it!) so I picked up one of the lovely vegan varieties and some twists on my new favourite the Latte Macchiato.

Flat White is the 'might as well drink instant' of the filter coffees for me so I decided to only try one.  I'm sure that for those that love the smoothness all three are worth a shot.  I didn't want to get 36 pods if I wasn't a fan though!

I genuinely don't know if this is good.

Ah - the little plastic beasts.  All mixed up with the different kinds of plastic.

Good job I set up a recycling station! Draining the pods is a pain (I put extra holes in the lids) but the plastic tub for before going in the bag really helps get the extra 'juice' out.

The real strength of these machines is that it makes the coffee smell so good - with the almond smell too it's amazing.  But... This one doesn't taste great! Like a lot of the milk substitutes the technology is taking a while to catch up.  The cartons of almond milk are fab and happily on my cereal every day.  Powdered almond milk really didn't hit the spot - although oddly some in the office preferred this to the regular flat white (which we already had).

Not one I'll personally buy again then - but if the office uses them all maybe I'll get coconut?!

This however was pretty awesome.  Lovely fluffy white steamed milk, and really intense Guatemalan Coffee.  

Frothy milk first - then spike the shot of coffee through it - one notch on the pod means in theory you only use the coffee for 10 seconds before binning it.  That doesn't seem ecological!

Still - as long as we fill the bag and send it back then we might be ok?

The powerful aroma from this one always perks the office up (i've had a couple since) and as you only get 6 small cups worth this would be the first to run out.

That is if I didn't have an office with two people obsessed by the chocolate ones.

Chococino is a little sophisticated luxury for them (they usually buy the Nesquik version!) so all 8 drinks of this went in the first week.  I managed to bag one.

Other than being a pretty convenient way to make hot chocolate I don't think this is what the machine is for - do they put ground cocoa beans in the pod? I doubt it!  I'll have to hack one open and see.

Overall though it's a pretty expensive hobby, and not something I can justify keeping in stock (each box is basically £4 so 50p for the HoCho, 30p for the Flat White, & 67p for the Guatemalan).

It definitely saves money & time vs a walk to the hospital Costa, but realistically for a drink of any real size you need to use twice the directed pods and double the above prices and suddenly you might as well have someone else make it for you too.

I'm sure a second order will be placed (and I still have two varieties of Macchiato to try!).

I Have A Nespresso Problem - I Cant Use Them! (@NLi10)

I’m on holiday, and Hotel Hubert (if you are staying in Brussels use them, they are amazing) provide free hot drinks both in the lobby and room.

This is fine, but I just can’t use Nespresso machines (think this is a Pixie). You put in the capsule, it doesn’t pierce.

Then you redo it after watching a YouTube video and maybe get lucky.

Or crush the capsule to the extent that it no longer stays in the machine. I mean I know I’m a bit disabled but this should be easy right?

One coffee out of three isn’t bad right?

The machine tells you to put water through to clean it - and this gave me the idea of putting the water through and making tea.

I invented Jasmine Green Coffee, because the machine still tasted of coffee. And only gave me half a cup. I gave up.

Nespresso Grand Cru Capsule: Cubanía (By Uxorious)

I am a coffee lover. You’ll know this if you’ve read my previous coffee review on this site. Coffee to me is more than just a stimulant to help me out of bed in the morning. It’s a pleasure in and of itself. A good mug of coffee or a shot of deep dark espresso should be savoured as one of life’s little pleasures; whether first thing in the morning, during the working day or even last thing at night, I enjoy a good coffee.

At work I have a Nespresso machine, an old reliable friend, not one of their new younger versions that at the press of a button can make a cappuccino or a macchiato. This old stalwart just dispenses dark creamy espressos. At home I make espressos from beans but this is a bit too much faff for the work place. I’m always amazed by how good this little Nespresso machine is and how easy it is to use, with no mess to clean up. It sounds like I work for Nespresso or that they sponsor me, just to be clear, they don’t! (ps is the cheque in the post?)

Today I’m reviewing their latest limited edition Grand Cru capsule, the Cubania. This coffee is said to be “inspired by the passion and the warmth of the Cuban way of life”! That sounds like quite a challenge to squeeze into a hot drink. By the way, surprisingly these capsules contain no Cuban coffee.

When you think of Cuba you picture sun, sea, beaches, beautiful women, alcohol, cigars, classic American cars and Gloria Estefan. Actually I often picture Gloria Estefan, but this is not the place to discuss that. I inserted the capsule into my Nespresso machine, switched it on and patiently thought of Gloria. The espresso shot delivered looks the part, the right consistency, good texture, not watery. The crema was just a couple of millimetres thick, not as deep as their Ristretto capsule produces, but more than adequate.

The Nespresso website describes the aroma as powerful and complex. I will have to disagree here, I found it quite underwhelming, far more muted than their other capsules. But what it lacks in initial aroma it makes up for in spades with the flavour. Simply wow. The strength guide gives it a 13 out of, well what used to be just, 10. This is their strongest coffee yet. The coffee warmed, I would even say tingled, the sides of my tongue and the flavour lingered delightfully for ages after each sip. They have in my opinion developed exactly what an espresso should be! Rich, strong, full of flavour, a long lasting experience, with no bitter tones, in many ways just like Gloria.

By Uxorious

Nespresso Santander / Cauca Limited Edition Grand Crus [By Uxorious]

Up front, let me put my cards on the table: I love coffee. I’m constantly drinking the stuff. Even now as I type these very words I have a mug of, hold on whilst I take a sip, coffee within arm’s reach. At work we have an espresso machine and our secretary jokes that if this ever breaks down my work would come to a grinding halt. I blame my dad. Don’t we all? He’s German and he brought me up drinking coffee from well before the age of five. So I’m hooked!

We would all love to make the perfect coffee at home, to recreate the taste, smell and aroma (which as the technically minded might notice is very similar to smell, indeed some would go as far as saying that they are mere synonyms and indeed in my opinion they would be right) of an Italian cafe espresso.

The espresso is the fundamental building block of all coffee drinks. Over time I’ve tried practically every variety of coffee making device: cafetiere; espresso stovetop; filter coffee machine; French press; aeropress; and even bench press. 110 kg if you are wondering. And it should come as no surprise to you that I have an Nespresso machine! If it does come as a surprise, given the items that I’m reviewing here, may I politely suggest you stop reading this and go and make yourself a coffee and wake the fudge up!

I love my Nespresso machine. Ok, it doesn’t quite give you the rich feel and full body flavour of the perfect espresso, but my word it’s close. And the added bonus is that it takes no skill on the part of the user. No need to measure out the right amount of coffee, with the correct grind not too fine not too coarse, no need to think about pressures, or forming a cake with the right consistency. It’s quick, easy and mess-free. In no time you have a very pleasing espresso with a perfect crema. Indeed it’s the only coffee machine I’ve ever found that can consistently do this.

The first coffee I tried is the Santander capsule, a limited edition with intensity level 7 out of 10. The coffee comes from AAA sustainable farms from the Santander department of Columbia, to be found in the central northern part of the country, where the coffee is grown in the shade of tall trees surrounded by mountains.

The Santander capsule produces a perfect looking espresso with a sturdy, good sized crema. The aroma is warm and sweet and delivers the promise of a perfect shot of coffee to come. The texture of the drink is surprisingly good, there’s a real richness that my usual Nespresso capsules haven’t before achieved. The flavour is strong and long lasting with a surprising zesty bitterness at the end, which really gives a remarkable pleasing finish to each mouthful. The capsule may be orange, but you can colour me impressed.

The next one to test is the Cauca capsule, another limited edition AAA sustainable coffee, but with a lower intensity level of 6. This coffee comes from the Cauca department of Columbia, which is in the south-west part of the country, a lush, green, fertile equatorial region. The capsule delivers a good crema, not quite as firm as the Santander, but nevertheless very satisfactory, and the aroma, which has hints of chocolate, is somewhat muted in comparison too. I found the texture of this espresso to be watery and not as satisfying as the Santander one. The flavour is indeed milder as expected from the lower intensity rating, with a far simpler taste experience. What I did like in particular though was that it gives a very long lasting, some would say lingering, pleasant, gently toffee flavour after-taste.

Both of these coffees are very good and I’m actually going to swap over from my usual Nespresso Ristretto capsule to the Santander one, as I prefer its texture. Shame it’s a limited edition! I’d love to write more, but this mug isn’t going to refill itself!

By Uxorious