I've tried everything but the $800+ machines. Nothing gave me real high-pressure brewing and real steamed milk. Until now. The Dolce Gusto's cappuccino, espresso, latte and coffee are among the best I've ever had. The hot chocolate alone would justify buying one. I can literally have a cup of excellent cappuccino within two minutes of walking into the kitchen in the morning. The unit is simple enough to use when half asleep, and is a snap to clean.
The heart of the Dolce Gusto is a 15-bar pressure pump coupled with a flash heater: water is ready for brewing instantly, and at espresso-making pressure. No warmup and no pressure tank to worry about. The pressure is so high that only a needle-sized hole in the top of the cartridge is required for brewing.
The cartridge is shaped such that the beverage never touches the machine.
I rinse the easily removed cartridge holder after every brew, but it's not really necessary--nothing gets on it. Other occasional maintenance includes rinsing the drip tray and water reservoir as necessary, and examining/cleaning the injector needle periodically. The system is so well designed that the cartridges rarely drip after being removed from the holder.
Brewing is simple. For coffee, put the cartridge in the holder, flip the locking lever down, and push the water selector to the hot setting. Stop the water when the coffee is done to your liking. For milk-containing drinks (cappuccino, latte, hot chocolate and iced latte), it's a two step process. The milk cartridge goes in first, the milk is steamed until the proper amount is in the cup, the coffee cartridge goes in, and the appropriate amount of coffee goes into the cup. Done. No preheat time, and no fixed cycle like some other cartridge brewing systems, so you can get the coffee exactly the way you want it.
An undocumented feature is that hot water can be obtained without a cartridge being installed: cups/mugs can be preheated before brewing, ensuring the coffee remains steaming hot, and hot water is instantly available for oatmeal or tea. Beats an expensive hot water dispenser.
The Dolce Gusto makes the best hot chocolate I've ever had. It's rich, dark, not too sweet, and it's frothy, steamy, and completely smooth. My wife was sold by the hot chocolate even before she tasted the coffee. Apparently a mocha flavor is scheduled for 2009: a coffee cartridge and a chocolate cartridge. Yum.
There's one nit, though. The cappuccino and latte drinks don't come as decaf. The drinks are packaged as sets of coffee and milk cartridges together in a single box, so mixing and matching say, decaf espresso with a milk isn't possible. This is a bit of an issue with me, since a late night cappuccino may result in my being wired all night. Not sure why Krups hasn't addressed this, because I suspect it's an issue for a lot of potential buyers.
The out of box experience is great. Krups includes 2 each of all available drinks, along with a latte glass and a cup. Having the latte glass is nice, because you can see that the coffee does indeed form a layer between the hot milk and the froth, just like in the picture. The cup and glass both have handles strategically placed to act as guides for the first few brews, and the brewing instructions are a picture for each type of beverage, showing the cartridges used, the order, and the approximate volume of milk and coffee to brew. No annoying manual to read before using the product. I was brewing coffee within minutes of unpacking.
We're absolutely delighted with the Dolce Gusto. I'd given up on ever having real cappuccinos and lattes at home, and could rarely justify the drive to the local chain and the cost. Kudos to Krups for a breakthrough product.
