Others say...

"Good transaction"
As it was for a gift and therefore not for a personnal use, the only feedback is : it worked and the delivery was as scheduled. I didn't asked more on that transaction. Everything's fine then.

"Nice; warn cup first!"
Nice machine enjoyable cup of Joe. I think you should warm your cup first then brew.

"does the trick"
the machine takes up little counter space and its use leads to no mess. it doesnt produce the greatest coffee in world but good to decent coffee. it is most convient in that i live alone and want to minimize the amount of effort in making a single cup. of note, this maker depends on capsules made by nespresso and just one day, just maybe, nespresso could stop making the capsules. one cup of coffee costs about $1 and one must spend a minimum total of $50 when placing an order for the capsules.

i am happy with it but i am no coffee expert. it just does the trick for me and my needs.

"My quest for perfect espresso is finally over!"
This review is based on my experience with the Nespresso Essenza C90, but the Nespresso Essenza D90 is quite similar, and I believe that the espresso making mechanism is exactly the same.

We all have our little passions. Over the years, I have devoted too much time, money, and study to perfecting the art of making the perfect coffee and espresso. I searched the world (and the internet) for the best beans, grinders, equipment, and even tried roasting my own beans and became able to produce better potions that one can ever find in the coffee boutiques. Still, as it turns out, my efforts were in vain. The Nespresso Essenza (and probably the other Nespresso machines similar in design) produces the perfect cup and the ease of doing so, sadly, puts my efforts to shame.

The secret seems to be in the strong pumping mechanism (19 bars of pressure, same as their more expensive machines) and their superb coffee capsules. After being such a stickler for the freshest roasted estate grown beans, I balked at the use of capsules and considered it the coffee for dummies approach. I also thought that they might be kind of similar in quality to the coffee "pods" used in the new single serve coffee machines, which range from bad (for the manufacturer and supermarket brands) to only fairly good (for the best of the gourmet, limited-edition pods at over $1 each).

Against all odds, the Nespresso pods are pure magic. I ordered new pods right away, but even the sampler pods that came with the machine were incredible, despite being past their "best before" expiration date. I'm equally mystified as to how they can have about twelve varieties and almost all be exquisite, despite noticeable differences not only in strength but in flavor. The "lungo"capsules are also fantastic (these produce 4 ounces of coffee-espresso instead of the classic 1 to 2 ounce espresso). Being partial to espresso and very dark coffee, I wasn't so impressed with the two or three pods weakest in strength, but those who like traditional American coffee might prefer them.

The Nespresso capsules completely dispelled my concern that they would be limiting compared to the use of coffee beans. It turns out that the opposite is true. Sure, there may be hundreds of different beans available, with infinite possibilities of blends and roasts, but they rarely reach the superior flavor these capsules achieve. Moreover, ordering coffee beans limits you to only one or two roasts for awhile, unless you buy a variety of green coffee beans (which last much longer than roasted beans) and roast them yourself in small quantities. With the capsules, a nice variety of espresso variations are available instantly.

Having been in the habit of ordering expensive coffee beans, I find the cost of the Nespresso capsules at $.50 each and the two-day shipping charge of only $5.95 (for any quantity) very reasonable. When buying roasted coffee beans, the shipping cost for one or two day air was much higher, and I had to reorder them every few weeks to keep fresh ones on hand. Since the Nespresso capsules stay fresh much longer, I can order a several month supply at one time.

The only criticism of the machine is that the espresso might not be quite hot enough for some aficionados. However, it is just hot enough for me, and the temperature can be raised slightly by heating the cup first.

It is amazing that I can now enjoy the best espresso almost instantly. This is truly the perfect way to enjoy espresso, even if I can no longer take credit for concocting it.



"Fabulous espresso!"
I like the idea of having a cup of espresso in the afternoon, but my Krups espresso maker was a pain. Messy, hard to use and with marginal results. I decided to look for a high quality coffee maker/espresso maker combination but the salesclerk steered me to the Nespresso and recommended buying this machine and a separate coffee maker (which was less than buying the pricey machine I was considering).

The demonstration won me over. The machine is so easy to use. You touch a button to turn it on, fill the 34oz capacity water bottle to the desired level and pop it in the back. Put the coffee filled capsule of your choice in the machine. Next push the button and your cup begins to fill with coffee. Push the button again to stop the flow at the strength you like. The espresso that results has a crema on the top from the pressure of how it is made. Simply delicious!

Clean up is easy. Just pull out the bottom and discard the tiny tin that held the coffee..No mess, no fuss. The machine holds about 14 empties so you don't have to do it often.

The design is sleek and small and easily fits in a tiny amount of space. I purchased the C90 in metallic silver which works exactly like the D90 with a slightly different design.

There are two potential drawbacks to the machine. This model does not have a frother. However, my experience with attached frothers has not been a good one so instead of paying an additional $150 for the frothing model, I picked up a Bonjour frother for $20. I can froth milk easily and warm it in the microwave if desired.

The other drawback is the coffee capsules must be purchased through the Nespresso company. I have not ordered yet but understand a sleeve of 10 capsules runs close to $5.00. The company sells a variety of strengths including decaf.

Today I made my daughter a gingerbread latte. This is something I normally would have had to pay a few dollars for at a specialty coffee house. To make the latte I put two tablespoons of gingerbread syrup in a cup. Then added two ounces of espresso made with my C90. I stirred in 1/2 cup of warm milk, topped with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkled on cinnamon and nutmeg. Delicious!

Great little espresso maker!