SMF

My son has upgraded from the Keurig to the Nespresso. He says it uses some kind of pods, at about $1 each. That's all I know about it. Does anyone have an opinion after using both brands? Is the Nespresso the next big thing, or just another wannabe chasing the skirt tails of King Keurig?

Hi Gary -

My sister has a Nespresso and she likes it. I've generally heard positive things about it.

My impression is that Keurig is for standard brewed coffee, while Nespresso is a form of espresso.

- Murray

We like our Nespresso. I use it for espresso primarily, but my wife uses it for other styles of coffee. It's not cheap, but it is cheaper than Starbucks. I've tried coffee from a Keurig, but find it lacks the more robust coffees that Nespresso has.

I feel a bit uncomfortable about the amount of packaging used and wasted with each cup when using pods. So I found a set of O-rings on Amazon and my Saeco Vienna has a new lease on life.

This summer I have also used the antique Sears Drip-O-Lator to make iced coffee, at which it is very good, and any tendency to bitterness is swamped by the sucralose and whole milk I add.

drmoss_ca wrote:I feel a bit uncomfortable about the amount of packaging used and wasted with each cup when using pods. So I found a set of O-rings on Amazon and my Saeco Vienna has a new lease on life.

This summer I have also used the antique Sears Drip-O-Lator to make iced coffee, at which it is very good, and any tendency to bitterness is swamped by the sucralose and whole milk I add.

I too get twinges of guilt over the packaging and waste associated with pods. For my morning coffee and when I want a non-espresso coffee I use an Italian Mocha pot loaded with the most rich, full-bodied coffee I can find, usually Starbucks Komodo Dragon or French/Italian roast. I grind the beans very fine, but not as fine as for espresso.

The Nespresso combined with it's companion frothing device (aeroccino I think) is probably the ideal solution for someone who wants to get as close as possible to a coffee house style latte/cappuccino without falling down the rabbit hole of spending infinite money on professional level grinders and espresso machines the size of fridges. Oh, and roasting equipment

The Keurig can't be beaten for convenience if you're the only one drinking coffee in your household and you don't want to pour coffee away. If you want a higher quality single cup, or to avoid the waste of the Keurig, I'd say the Aeropress is tough to beat. When I want a nicer single cup of coffee I'll use a grinder, the aeropress, and then use my Keurig machine for the hot water.