Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Couldn't be easier, but could be cheaper, January 22, 2007
I've had 3 of the Nespresso 150 coffee machines for about 5 years divided between my offices and home, which have worked splendidly. Finally the gaskets are starting to harden, and water is starting to leak, and one or two could use cleaning. The 150s are fine and I'll still use one at home, but I just got a fire-truck red D290 for the office. However, after using the 290 for a couple of weeks, I may have to get another for home.
Aside from the shock of paying so much for a coffee machine, I couldn't be more pleased. I rationalize that with three shots of espresso per day, after two years at work (~600 cups), the pod and maker together are just $1 a shot. Similar logic "paid off" for my old 150s, and saved oodles of time in line at coffee shops.
The espresso is very good (at fifty cents per capsule), the capsule delivery is easy and quick ordering from the web page, and the brewing is easy even before I've had my morning caffeine. Plus it looks cool and the lever and buttons all have a solid feel.
My advice - order the special coffees, which show up about twice a year, they taste the best. The spiced flavors take a cup or two to get used to, now the apple flavor is a pleasant change. Too late, the spiced flavors sold out as of 1/24/07.
Read the manual, it just takes ten minutes. Put it where it can be admired, and lock it down, and prepare to be asked for an espresso by your friends often.
[Edit, 7/8/08 - 500 cups of coffee, still working like a charm, no problems.]
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome Espresso and Cappuccino -- But At A Cost (5- stars), August 12, 2008
At one time I owned a Krups espresso/cappuccino machine that I ended up using for only a few months since it was such a pain to set up and clean. Right now, it's sitting in my basement, gathering cobwebs. However, when I received this Nespresso machine as a gift, I now can have cappuccino whenever I want in mere minutes. I turn the machine on, wait for the solid red light to show proper heat/steam (it takes about 30 seconds), pop in a pod, and press the correct cup size for espresso or the larger "lungo." The coffee is forced through the pod and into the cup below in seconds, with a nice brown crema on top. For cappuccino or latte, you need only to then press the steam button (the machine comes with a steamer attachment), stick the tube in a cup of milk, press the lever, and watch the machine suck up the milk and deposit it, hot and foamy, into the cup. Clean up? A breeze. Even if you steam milk, you have only let the steamer suck in water for a few seconds and deposit it into another cup. The empty pods are tossed into an internal receptacle that holds ten or so. There is no tamping for preparation. No scraping the grounds out afterward. No dishwashing. It really is that simple. And the espresso and cappuccino taste just like they do in Italy.
Of course, there are downsides to every machine, and this one is expense. Not only is the machine pricey, but the pods must be purchased through Nespresso at approximately fifty cents per pod. (They come in sleeves of ten.) The Nespresso also must be particularly sensitive to power surges, since mine stopped working in less than a year, as did my sister's, for no apparent reason. But . . . the customer service is awesome. I called, and they sent a loaner machine overnight, with packing and a pre-paid label to send mine in for servicing. When mine was fixed a week later, I simply shipped the loaner machine back using, again, a pre-paid label. I didn't pay a cent. Still, I now leave my machine unplugged when not in use. Others may want to put it on a surge protector.
I was worried that the pre-measured portions of coffee would taste canned, but they have excellent flavor. Once you buy this machine, you will be part of the "Nespresso Club" (wait until you see how exclusive they make it seem -- you'll have to laugh!). You will buy your coffee off the web site or over the phone, and receive it within two days. The "Ristretto" pods make the best full-strength espresso and cappuccino. Even when I make "lungo" coffee, I tend to use the higher strength coffees such as "Arpeggio" since I'm not a fan of the milder types. "Decaffeinato Intenso" makes competent decaf cappuccino as well as lungo, although I wish they had an even stronger decaf. (The regular "Decaffeinato" is milder.)
This machine is a luxury, to be sure, and I doubt I would have splurged on my own. However, this is one gift that I use regularly, with as much appreciation for it as I had the first week. Unlike my Krups machine, this one sits proudly on my counter. Friends who come to dinner eye it longingly, hoping that, once again, I'll offer up espresso or cappuccino with dessert. Of course, I always oblige.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love the C190 at work; D290 is even easier use, February 18, 2005
Using their capsules, all the Nespresso models are terrific at making espresso ... D290 is especially good for latte's and cappuccinos. Its not cheap, but after owning the D290 for 2 months, I fully agree with this review ...
[...]
" so simple that a 5-year-old could master it and so consistent that I managed to get a near-perfect espresso shot out of it every time." ... and "neophytes could spend all day trying to make a better cup of espressoor cappuccinothan the one this machine will produce at the touch of a button. "
Grades:
Looks: 9 points
Quality: 8 points
Convenience/Usability: 10 points
Value: 5 points
Total: 32 points
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