Coffee - how do you drink it and why?

[RabidRat]

I have a feeling SkinnyPupp is trolling.

While we're being snobs about it, I heard the Nespresso crema isn't even REAL crema. They're just spinning the capsule to froth the coffee! They even have a patent on it. Booooo!! Not REAL crema!!

[MG1]

Two words to describe it better…….. shit disturber.

Not going to be goaded into arguing. Goad, not Greatest of all time, GOAT. Or if used in a Dairy Queen ad………. Greatest of all treats, jbol.

[Hondaracer]

Nespresso is perfectly fine, I know people who use it exclusively at home for their coffee needs.

To me, it’s the best of the worst solution in terms of pod brewers. For the most part all the Nespresso pods I’ve tried are quite good, the specialty coffees do a decent job at mimicking what they are attempting, but to me, it’s far off from any “proper” method. Nespresso is perfect for cabin or the office etc. where you want better coffee but don’t want to mess around with beans or grounds.

On another note, wife and I have decided during the fall/winter to attempt to check out a different coffee shop every weekend as somthing to get out of the house and potentially find new coffee or gems of bakeries etc. we have a list where we have started to add photos etc. but I might as well add pictures and reviews here as well

[snowball]

Originally Posted by SkinnyPupp

Those Nespresso machines don't actually brew coffee, right? Those pods just contain some instant coffee, and the machine adds hot water to it for you.

I can tell you that based off of the moldy capsules I have sitting in the tray right now, it is brewed and not instant powder.

[SkinnyPupp]

Originally Posted by unit

they actually do brew coffee. if you open a pod after the process there are grounds inside, it's not just dissolved into your brew.

Thanks, I was honestly just asking. I don't know why it would be considered trolling. I just assumed it was a way to deliver instant coffee since that would be the simplest method and most customers wouldn't think twice about it.

I've literally never tried one before. If it brews for you I'm sure it's fine!

[unit]

i actually tried it at a hotel earlier this year for the first time in years and found it pretty adequate. on busy mornings when i didnt have time to seek out a good coffee shop, i just pulled a shot from the pod and added a bit of hot water and it was better than i remembered.

[Hehe]

Nespresso is like a household thing in France. When I was there last year, every hotel, AirBNB and home that we visited had one.

I wouldn't say it's anything great, but some of the pods I tried was quite decent for something that takes a minute to make.

[Hondaracer]

Yea all of Europe seems to love the nespresso.

Ironically the highest prevalence did seem to be in France and Italy who are perceived to have the “coffee culture” which, imo, is highly overrated.

IMO places like Vancouver have a higher end coffee culture than most of Europe.

[Liquid_o2]

I've had a Nespresso machine since 2013. Original Pixie, still going after 10 years! *knock on wood*

Wife and I are coffee snobs, but it is perfect when we are lazy and don't want to grind beans and do a pour over. Now with young kids, it is a must. I don't have time to do a pour over when my kids are getting into my shit! Plus if you have a dinner party, you can start cranking out Americano's fast.

[MG1]

Originally Posted by Liquid_o2

I've had a Nespresso machine since 2013. Original Pixie, still going after 10 years! *knock on wood*

Wife and I are coffee snobs, but it is perfect when we are lazy and don't want to grind beans and do a pour over. Now with young kids, it is a must. I don't have time to do a pour over when my kids are getting into my shit! Plus if you have a dinner party, you can start cranking out Americano's fast.

I have two Vertuo Line machines. A Delonghi Flat Top and a Pop+. I have quite the collection of pods. Some that have been discontinued, some that are seasonal, and some that are favourites. I love the Maple Pecan and Sunny Almond Delight. Decaf pods are, meh, but drink it in the evening (cut out the caffeine).

I love collecting pods from around the world. Some pods are just downright sexy (I like shiny metallic colours). My favourite is the Ristretto Classico with its black with shiny silver streaks (on-line only). The coffee itself is not bad. https://www.nespresso.com/ca/en/orde...offee-capsules

My favourite combination is Maple Pecan over ice (ice cubes made with coffee). I add Kirkland Organic Maple Syrup to it, along with evaporated milk.

https://www.nespresso.com/ca/en/orde...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

Sometimes I use crushed ice and shake the coffee with this......

https://savinowine.com/products/shaker33

But all that takes time. The whole idea of the Nespresso system is to have coffee done in less than a minute or two. No mess, no fuss, done.

I am now contemplating getting an Original Line machine. Totally different process of brewing from Vertuo Line. Will wait till Black Friday before I decide weather to dive into that part of the Nespresso world. More pod choices along with third party options has my interest piqued.


Thread Title: Coffee - how do you drink it and why? nuff said.

[Badhobz]

soooo do you guys with these coffee machines actually DESCALE it? or just run water through it like me?

My new miele machine asked me to descale it and I just laughed in its face and fed it water. I don't get why I would need to push through such heavy chemicals when our water is pretty soft in BC.

[bcrdukes]

In my years of experience, you don't need to descale it in Vancouver. If this were Alberta or Ontario, that's a different story.

[Hondaracer]

Out of my tap at home my water is 15ppm which is virtually unheard of in large cities. Absolutely no reason to descale

My machine does require cleaning probably 4 times a year however with those pucks you stick in the group head

[bcrdukes]

I still recommend running a cleaning solution through your machine (if that is possible) because coffee oils etc. tend to really impact the quality of flavour. I do a back flush on my machine once a week.

But descaling in Vancouver? Biggest scam ever.

[6thGear.]

Originally Posted by GLOW

covered under warranty still hopefully?

I honestly don't remember, but we got it as a gift. Was terrific until it started not brewing properly (amount was always off) so I descaled and cleaned the heads with soft bristle toothbrush. It worked fine for a few days, then same problem came back. Now it only brews espresso shot amount, doesn't matter what capsule I insert. The carafe pod barely brews a cup of coffee.

[bcrdukes]

Contact their support. They could be very generous and send you a replacement.

[hud 91gt]

Descale. Our water is good, but it’s easy, do t have to do very often and the real reason you’ll kill your machine.

[MG1]

I've had my Nespresso for two years and never got the descale warning. so, I decided to do it two days ago. Big mistake. Machine kind of did the funky chicken and got stuck in descale mode. After multiple attempts and calling technical support, I went on Reddit and tried some of their suggestions. I finally tricked the machine into brewing again by cutting off the foil cover of a used pod. The machine reads the bar code on whatever pod you put in. Every variety of pod has a unique bar code on the edge. I made sure all coffee was emptied and clean. I put the empty pod in and machine did what it was supposed to do. I now have a dummy pod to use to clear the system once in a while. After all that, I found out there is a method that just flushes the system. I always use bottled water (large jugs from Costco and 4 tire jugs from PC). That's probably why I never got the descale idiot light. Spring water, not distilled. Distilled water is crappy. I only use that shit on my vinyl record cleaners.

Anyway............... coffee does taste better now. Don't think it was the descaling, but rather the flushing of the system.

[Razor Ramon HG]

Originally Posted by bcrdukes

I still recommend running a cleaning solution through your machine (if that is possible) because coffee oils etc. tend to really impact the quality of flavour. I do a back flush on my machine once a week.

But descaling in Vancouver? Biggest scam ever.

I have an electric kettle that gets used a few times a day and there's some buildup on the bottom of the kettle after maybe two years.

It's nothing crazy by any means, but since it's noticeable I do think there's some merit in descaling it every year or two? Just not the scheduled 3 months that some manufacturers recommend.

[bcrdukes]

Originally Posted by Razor Ramon HG

I have an electric kettle that gets used a few times a day and there's some buildup on the bottom of the kettle after maybe two years.

It's nothing crazy by any means, but since it's noticeable I do think there's some merit in descaling it every year or two? Just not the scheduled 3 months that some manufacturers recommend.

Yes, absolutely. Do you live in East Vancouver or a different municipality? I'm asking because different municipalities have different water sources. I grew up in East Van, and the kettles, pots, and pans at my parents place have always been spotless, but this limescale can build up depending on your water source and plumbing.

For a kettle, you can try to find some citric acid from your local grocery store (find it in the spice or ethnic foods aisles - brand should not matter.) Sprinkle maybe a teaspoon or two in there, and fill your kettle. Boil it a few times, and dump out the water, then boil a new fresh pot, dump, inspect, and you are good to go. For tough limescale build up, you may have to do it 2 - 4 times.

For the machines like a Nespresso or Keurig, I'd say once or twice a year is fine. If you read the label of the descaler, it normally is just a concentrate of citric acid and water. I don't own one myself, so I'm not familiar with the cleaning regimen other than the time I had to "descale" the one my brother had at my parents house, and like Badhobz, I just pressed the button and told it to STFU. It backfired because it got stuck on descale.

For those of you who have a semi-automatic machine, run your Cafiza or equivalent cleaners regularly. You "could" descale it, but I don't feel it's warranted in Vancouver. Just remember that descaling and running a cleaning agent through your machines are two different things. I am out of the loop for Nespressos and Keurigs as I don't own one, but if that is the only way to "clean" the machine, I would run it more regularly or as recommended.

[roastpuff]

The easiest thing to do in the Nespresso is to fill the reservoir with some descaling agent (whether homemade or commercial) and then run the self-clean cycle (usually 3 pushes of the brew button). Run 1-2 times and then flush by running regular water through for 1-2 cycles.

[MG1]

Originally Posted by roastpuff

The easiest thing to do in the Nespresso is to fill the reservoir with some descaling agent (whether homemade or commercial) and then run the self-clean cycle (usually 3 pushes of the brew button). Run 1-2 times and then flush by running regular water through for 1-2 cycles.

Which is exactly what I did, until the thing got stuck in descaling mode. Tech support wasn't helpful. Others have had this happen, as well. Putting in a used pod fixed it. That descaling solution is nasty. Anyway, it's all good now. I'll just do a flush every once in a while and not descale until the warning light goes on.