This machine was the desert for the new coffee system that my wife and I began buying about a month ago. We brew our morning coffee and use the Nespresso machine for evening expresso (me) and latte (her). And it couldn't be better or easier. Just pour some filtered water into the reservoir, turn the machine on, drop a small Nespresso capsule in the C100, wait for the continuous lights, and push the expresso or latte button. Voile, done! Well, at least that's it for me and my expresso. My wife must froth her milk. She hasn't complained and says it's as good or better than her Starbuck's brew.
I find that I need to push the expresso button at least twice to fill my Bodum Assani expresso glass. The capsules have gone up in price to 55 cents each. Oh, dear! Looks like a second job for me. I'm not kidding about how easy the process is or how satisfied we are with this expresso machine. And there are A LOT of capsule varieties to chose from. Nespresso rates them for strength. I love the Capricio and Arpeggio for expresso. I am coming to enjoy the former more and more. It's fairly strong but has less of a raw taste than the stronger Argeggio. At any rate, a sampling of capsules comes with the machine. Cleaning is a breeze with the parts easily removable.
If the manual machines are a bit better, those of you with the patience to use them will probably pass on the C100. For us, however, coffee WORK is a morning endeavor only. Evenings are for EASE. By the way, I haven't found the caffeinated varieties to keep me up at night (despite the fact that I am writing this at 11 PM). The Nespresso C100 is one great product!!! Thanks go to all the excellent reviewers who pointed me in the right direction!
My family loves its espresso and we've tried around 4-5 espresso machines over the last 20 years. So what makes the Starbucks Barista fabulous? It flat-out works!
Additionally:
* Reasonably priced
* There is no auto-anything. (ie, no frills that'll just break later)
* It's heavy and solid - a quality piece of workmanship
* Actually made by Saeco (and just re-branded by Starbucks)
How does it compare to other machines I've used?
We've tried the cheap models (~0) and they broke or wore out after a year or so. We've tried the really expensive models (~00) and with a bunch of internal moving parts and auto-grinder, auto-tamper, auto-cleaner, etc. etc. These often gum up, break, or insist some internal plastic piece is out of place (think "PC LOAD LETTER" for an espresso machine).
Just got the Nina and after taking a few minutes and following the well detailed instructions to a T had made one of the finest home-brewed cups of java in a while. For those who enjoy the good cup and cannot afford(or as I justify) spending a few thousand bucks on a real fine machine this one takes the burden away. If you want to brew a full cup you simply hold the brew button down untill your cup is filled.
I've been trhu a few of the 200+ dollar machines and this one is well to compete with the 500+ dollar machines minus the bells and whisltes and it makes a cup just as good as the two-thousand dollar machine without the bling.
If your looking for a fine home-brewed espresso machine then look no further as this one wil make you exactly what you want.
Thanks for reading
-Jeff
I received this product for Christmas and love it. The coffee is outstanding but I agree with other reviews I have read - they need to figure out a way to make the pods more environmentally friendly. The Nespresso is easy to use and easy to clean. It makes lattes, cappuccinos, espressos, and lungos with one push of a button. You can easily control the amount of foam on milk drinks and can even make a wonderful hot chocolate for the kids by using their favorite mix and leaving out the coffee pod.
I am surprised that I am the first reviewer of this great machine. I just received mine yesterday. I bought it from another vender, but since I typically do most of my shopping via Amazon I thought I would share my experience thus far. Overall, this Super-Automatic is simple to use and makes great coffee, lattes, and cappuccino's. My advice though....WATCH THE DVD BEFORE USING!!! I thought I had this thing in the bag.. how difficult could it be to use??....Well it isn't difficult to use, but there are a few things I did that had I watched the video all the way through I would not have done. For example, when setting how fine or coarse you want the beans you have to adjust the dial one notch at a time while the grinder is running (still doesn't make sense to me). I paused the video before waiting for the lady to finish talking on the topic and just moved it a few notches towards fine...oops! Oh well, doesn't seem to have adversely effected anything, but now I know. Contrary to reviews I have read of super-auto's, the burr grinder on this one is quiet when running. On a scale of 1-10 where 10 is extremely loud and 1 is basically silent I would rate this machine a 5 and my Cuisinart Grind and brew (the one that hold like a pound of beans) an 8. I was actually expecting something much louder.
Build Quality- I would have to say I am impressed with the looks of this machine and its fit and finish. I am sure some people will complain of the amount of plastic, but seeing how this thing already weighs over 20lbs. why add more weight. I thought about the Gran Dama, but honestly this machine is better.
Coffee- I was also considering the Jura Z5 because I read good things, but the price was a stretch. Granted, this machine isn't cheap either. I believe that I made the right choice. The espresso is great. I do wonder though what it tasted like from the factory, but since I changed the settings prematurely I will never know...ha! The Milk pitcher is ingenious...BRAVO! Latte's and Cappuccino's are a breeze and let me tell you this machine makes both very well. Sure a semi-auto can do better, but really I do not want to do the extra steps. As it is, Starbucks does not compare. I have read reviews that state the Gran Dama latte's can be cold. I have to admit, the first one I made was, but after I made a couple and utilized the cup warmer they were perfect. I bought the Cinnamon Dolce syrup from Starbucks and I downed to many lattes....probably explains why at 0209 EST I am still up and writing this review.
My Opinion- If you are in the market for a super-automatic I would say give this one a consideration. I bought this machine from a place that has probably the best return policy of all retailers, so if something does go wrong I will take it right back for another. Regardless, the people at Delonghi are great and I was amazed that as soon as I pushed (1) I was talking to a person almost immediately. I will probably just purchase the extended warranty from the manufacturer and extend the 2 years to 4...Extra 0. That is all for now. Look for an update in a couple months.
Usually before purchase I do research on technical data and price. Spending time in Europe I was considering both Rancillio Silvia and Lelit. Both machines have pretty much the same features, parameters and quality, but Lelit costs 0 less. It is not because of different quality; probably the Lelit brand just is not known well in North America (amazing that consumers' cost depends so much on the company's marketing budget). Anyway, IMHO Lelit deserves just as much recognition as the Ranchillio.
I was able to get a Lelit coffee grinder for 0.
The complete Lelit set cost me about 0. Personally, I think that is a great deal.
As far as quality goes, this is a great machine, and is very easy to use (you still have to experiment with quantity, time and temperature) and the maintenance won't drive you crazy. It's attractive and fits my small kitchen space, so I was able to accommodate the grinder too. The portafilter looks like a professional tool and I really enjoy using it. I would suggest that you buy a good tamper. The tamper that is build-in is okay, but for the money that you already saved by buying this machine,
you can get a real one. The water tank is easy to remove, I just don't like the smell of plastic and replaced it with glass container. The glass one is slightly smaller in the volume, but much more hygienic than plastic. I've already gotten my money's worth by making the espresso exactly how I like it, in my own home. I love the machine and plan on keeping it for a long time.
I have had this espresso machine for 4 years. I have made at least one cup every day and this machine is reliable and has done a wonderful job.
It does not matter weather there is a thermoblock or a brass components. My thermometer heats up past the required espresso mark. My espresso has a lot of crema. My latte's are great, cappuccinos are foamy and the cleanup is easy. I love this machine.
