Nespresso service going downhill....

knipex

I like the Nespresso pods especially their Lungo pods for a larger coffee drink. The generics tend to focus on espresso or the "americano" which to me is more bitter and IMHO less flavor. A nice lungo gives a reasonable volume of coffee with a a decent flavor and no bitterness. No Generic pod that I have tried matches that..

However............

Nespresso used to offer an express delivery option with a small extra charge or a standard 2 to 3 working day delivery (normally 2 days) but this has recently changed.

Firstly the next day delivery option vanished from the website with no warning and now delivery is taking 4 to 5 working days despite stating 2 to 3 days on the website.

I have rang to complain and it appears that they have shut down their Irish warehouse and are now shipping from the UK... 3 days after I received my dispatch notice the capsules still had not arrived in Ireland, delivery ran over a weekend so it was a full week for delivery which meant I ran out of capsules...

To me its a little luxury and works out way cheaper than buying a coffee on the way to work each day and probably again at lunch time). I have one a machine at home (a gift) and one at work (a U machine) and to be honest it has saved me quite a bit of money..

They worked hard to market Nespresso a "premium product" for which they charge a "premium price" so you would expect a "premium service".

To be fair I never had complaints about their service previously but the last 2 orders have been problematic, and been days late. Its just not good enough. If they had a decent number of bricks and mortar locations where you buy capsules then delivery wouldn't be such an issue but unless you are in Dublin or Cork you are stuck with online...

If they want to close the warehouse in Ireland because it doesn't make sense that's fine but they need to keep customers informed, keep a reasonable delivery (4 to 5 days is a joke) and have more physical locations...

In the mean time does anyone know of a generic capsule that compares to their Lungo range.. In particular the Linizio....

I carried a watermelon

Yes I have noticed it too. I was waiting a week for my last capsule order even though the website stated that it would be delivered in 2 to 3 days.

I have a U machine and the water tank was starting to go rusty at the bottom (only bought the machine in Jan this year) I phoned Nespresso and they admitted that there was a fault in the U machine water tanks. - they said they would send a new one out for me. After a few weeks of waiting to receive the tank I phoned them. All I got was really silly excuses about why the tank had not yet been sent. The girl I spoke too said that she would send me another tank. A couple of days later a square water tank arrived even though the U machine has a round tank. Again more phonecalls etc.....a week later 2 round water tanks arrived in the same package..

The capsule collection is also a joke. On my last capsule order, I requested that 3 full recycling bags be collected. The delivery driver dropped off the capsules but he wouldn't take the recycling bags as he stated that he had no labels for them. He said that he would be back the next day to get them. A couple of days passed and the capsule bags had still not been collected. I had to phone nespresso in the end to put in another request for them to be collected. The same delivery driver then came out to pick them up again!

llatsni

Stop drinking Nespresso, start drinking coffee roasted by people who care.

knipex

llatsni wrote: »

Stop drinking Nespresso, start drinking coffee roasted by people who care.

I do but at 6:30 am when I am groping for my glasses that's kind of difficult or at 11:20 when I need a coffee at work..

Nespresso offers me a decent coffee, quickly, cheaply (30 -36 cent for a cup) and fuss free.

Show me an alternative that offers this I will most certainly have a look.

llatsni

With coffee you can't really have your cake and eat it. Some products/techniques come close but I'm still undecided if Nespresso is in that group.

If it has to be espresso, a machine on a timer + decent grinder will get you within minutes of nespresso experience for the dosy morning wake up (this is what I do). Significantly higher quality is possible and it's definitely a more satisfying experience overall. Ongoing cost is less than nespresso, but initial investment is steep I concede.

Saying that, the most consistently awesome cup is pour-over and it takes less than 5 minutes including grinding the beans & boiling the kettle. Initial investment is probably on par with a "decent" nespresso machine.

srsly78

I used to spend a lot of money on Nespresso because I too was a lazy bugger.

However:
It is an unbelievable ripoff, those capsules are insanely expensive. If you think Nespresso is cheap then you really haven't sat down and done the maths. It's only cheap compared to paying e3 in Starbucks.
The machines go to **** pretty quickly, the pumps wear out. Even if you descale properly etc the coffee just won't taste as good after a year or so.

So now I:
Buy a big bag of beans
Use an electric grinder
Use a £50 espresso machine (Russell Hobbes) bought off amazon.

Advantages:
So much cheaper
So much better choice of beans etc
Tastes better!

The "initial investment" here is less than e100, less steep than Nespresso!

knipex

srsly78 wrote: »

I used to spend a lot of money on Nespresso because I too was a lazy bugger.

However:
It is an unbelievable ripoff, those capsules are insanely expensive. If you think Nespresso is cheap then you really haven't sat down and done the maths. It's only cheap compared to paying e3 in Starbucks.
The machines go to **** pretty quickly, the pumps wear out. Even if you descale properly etc the coffee just won't taste as good after a year or so.

So now I:
Buy a big bag of beans
Use an electric grinder
Use a £50 espresso machine (Russell Hobbes) bought off amazon.

Advantages:
So much cheaper
So much better choice of beans etc
Tastes better!

The "initial investment" here is less than e100, less steep than Nespresso!

I completely agree. BUT...

I get up in the morning, help get the kids ready, shave, dress and run out the door. I used to stop on the way in to buy a coffee and normally picked up a danish or something.

Now as I am tieing my laces I press a button and grab the cup as I run out the door.

I have owned grinders and expresso machines but they were rarely used.. Take beans out of freezer, grind some, fit filter transfer and compact, make coffee, clean up, return beans to freezer etc..

Nespresso is convenient, far cheaper than buying coffee (and is far better than I got in the shop most mornings) suits my needs perfectly..

In an ideal world I would have an expresso machine with a steamer plus a mocha pot and a selection of beans with a decent grinder..

JillyQ

I thought i was the only one it happened to. It took eight days to get my delivery. When i rang them they told me order was sitting in the couriers depot in Dublin.

Dgianvechio

I really like Nespresso too, but I have never ordered anything online nor ever needed to call their customer service. As I live close to town, for me, it is easier to go to Brown Thomas and buy it there.

I can understand the frustration of buying a product that says on its website 2 to 3 working day delivery but yet takes up to 5 days or when you need to contact customer service multiple times or are on hold to get what you need.

Anyway, I am here to say that I have heard that in Harvey Norman Dublin they sell the capsules similar to the Nespresso’s.

I checked it online and I found two options:

1) Harvey Norman really do sell same size capsules but 10 cents more expensively. The price of a box of 16 capsules is €7.75.
I am not too sure about the delivery time.
2)http://finecoffeeclub.ie/landing/deal/?gclid=COTz2ITww7oCFeI82wodnWQACw - it is link to a fine coffee club website and they have those capsules as well promising quick delivery and at a better price. I don`t know about the quality as I`ve never ordered.

If anyone has ever tried any of the two options, I would love to know your opinion.

Bluefoam

I read somewhere that they are opening a new distribution center in Dublin... can't remember where I read it

Speedsie

Bluefoam wrote: »

I read somewhere that they are opening a new distribution center in Dublin... can't remember where I read it

I heard a rumour that they were opening a boutique in the revamped Creation Arcade on Duke St, so not that far from BTs.

coolbeans

Does anyone know if the Nespresso pods are recyclable? I'd get one if I didn't have to landfill all those pods.

decob

yeah the standard pods are recyclable, you can get the recycling bags in BT and even drop them into them. I tried it for a while but became more of a hassle to get into BT or arrange the whole courier thing (given i didn't want to carry a number of full bags into work and wait for someone to collect em)

knipex

coolbeans wrote: »

Does anyone know if the Nespresso pods are recyclable? I'd get one if I didn't have to landfill all those pods.

They are.. But at the moment they dont offer collection of used pods.. (they used to) I think you can take them to the boutiques. .

youngblood

srsly78 wrote: »

I used to spend a lot of money on Nespresso because I too was a lazy bugger.

However:
It is an unbelievable ripoff, those capsules are insanely expensive. If you think Nespresso is cheap then you really haven't sat down and done the maths. It's only cheap compared to paying e3 in Starbucks.
The machines go to **** pretty quickly, the pumps wear out. Even if you descale properly etc the coffee just won't taste as good after a year or so.

So now I:
Buy a big bag of beans
Use an electric grinder
Use a £50 espresso machine (Russell Hobbes) bought off amazon.

Advantages:
So much cheaper
So much better choice of beans etc
Tastes better!

The "initial investment" here is less than e100, less steep than Nespresso!

Do you get the same crema though?
For me, its all about the crema (I can say that here in this forum and sound insane right?)

srsly78

Get much BETTER crema. I stopped using Nespresso because my machine stopped producing nice coffee, even after descaling etc etc.

As said above, a (cheap) espresso machine costs e50 on amazon incl free delivery. What are you waiting for?

Yes a e50 machine is dirt cheap - but it works perfectly for me (yes I am a bit surprised). The machine I got can even accept "pads", which are basically like Nespresso capsules except dirt cheap and you can refill your own easily.

edit: Looking on amazon right now I see my machine for e100 - I got it as a special offer originally. I do see another machine there for e50 tho.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Russell-Hobbs-18623-Espresso-Coffee/dp/B009JXUUPY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384987042&sr=8-1&keywords=russel+hobbs+coffee+machine

edit: I am still really lazy tho, so when I saw Lavazza finely ground on sale with 50% extra free I had to buy that... No need to grind even - the purists would berate me tho

Also, many people say you have to be a "barista" to use these machines..... Well I am definitely not... I don't care about the stupid milk frother or any of that rubbish. It's dead simple to fill the "scoop" with coffee, the only mistake you can make is to not grind it finely enough (solved by pre-ground) or to compact it (will block flow).

youngblood

The embarrassing thing is Im a trained barista!

maxwell smart

I was doing a bit of work in a large accountancy firm in Dublin today and they have Nespresso on every floor. As an avid fan I was very happy to be able to indulge.
However, it's not the home version they have. They have the commercial version. A big double headed machine with a milk frother in the middle for latte's etc. Very impressive machine. The capsules are different, like flying saucers (maybe so people can't take them home with them?).

Anyone else tried these?

Found out that these capsules are stored and distributed from Dublin on a next day delivery basis. Must investigate it further for a machine for our office.

Gran Hermano

maxwell smart wrote: »

I was doing a bit of work in a large accountancy firm in Dublin today and they have Nespresso on every floor. As an avid fan I was very happy to be able to indulge.
However, it's not the home version they have. They have the commercial version. A big double headed machine with a milk frother in the middle for latte's etc. Very impressive machine. The capsules are different, like flying saucers (maybe so people can't take them home with them?).

Anyone else tried these?

Found out that these capsules are stored and distributed from Dublin on a next day delivery basis. Must investigate it further for a machine for our office.

We have the commercial disk type nespresso machines you mention in our Spanish offices, havent seen them here.

srsly78

My last workplace had a staff bought normal Nespresso machine. Just like my home machine it did not stand up to prolonged use, and everybody stopped using it.

I'm sure the commercial one is a lot more durable tho (that pricetag).

Oh, I worked in the UK for a while for a large telecoms company. They had their own in-office branch of Starbucks on the ground floor...

robnet77

I have had a basic Nespresso machine (Essenza Manual) for the last two years, consumed hundreds of capsules and the quality is still outstanding, nothing like those coffee machines that will take beans or powder (unless you buy Illy coffee which is very expensive though).

I paid 89€ for the Nespresso machine which included 50€ worth of capsules, yet people here complain about the service claiming this is a "premium" product. Yes it is premium but only in terms of coffee quality, the price tag really isn't.

I also have a capsule based Saeco "A modo mio" machine which is slightly worse in taste, still rather good though.

I buy my Nespresso capsules in Brown Thomas in Dublin, they even offer you a coffee with every purchase so you can taste any of the flavours... if I had to order online, I guess I would just order a couple of days in advance???

aah yes

srsly78 wrote: »

I used to spend a lot of money on Nespresso because I too was a lazy bugger.

However:
It is an unbelievable ripoff, those capsules are insanely expensive. If you think Nespresso is cheap then you really haven't sat down and done the maths. It's only cheap compared to paying e3 in Starbucks.
The machines go to **** pretty quickly, the pumps wear out. Even if you descale properly etc the coffee just won't taste as good after a year or so.

So now I:
Buy a big bag of beans
Use an electric grinder
Use a £50 espresso machine (Russell Hobbes) bought off amazon.

Advantages:
So much cheaper
So much better choice of beans etc
Tastes better!

The "initial investment" here is less than e100, less steep than Nespresso!

The thing is to get the officially great taste of coffee beans to cappuccino or espresso standard, it is all about achieving the 16 plus bar pressure (235 psi) needed to force the complex oils out of the beans, to get the full taste and aromas of the beans, not just the tannins or basic flavours from tannins through water poured over them by gravity with zero pressure.

The pumps used in cappuccino machines are serious beasts, - to buy a good quality pump alone by itself that can achieve a serious pressure like 16 to 19 bar up to 280 psi, you could spend €300 to €500 alone, without buying any other extra bits.

The machines offered by De Longhi and other companies should probably cost €500 to €800, but are sold like ink jet printers at below cost, so people can afford to get on the good quality/ taste coffee band wagon at a low entry level price and pay a little premium on the capsules, still much handier and lower cost than buying a cup of cappuccino for €3 odd in a coffee shop.

When water is poured over coffee beans, however much ground the beans are with water poured at normal atmospheric pressure, you can't achieve that full cappuccino espresso taste, - as the core components of taste within the coffee beans are bound up in the oils, and require that super high force of 235-280 psi pressure, to drive them out into the cup.

Espresso as a meaning for coffee is not intended to mean "express" quick, it is more to do with pressure or force than time, having the real expression of the coffee beans' flavour, by drawing out the essential oils of the beans out at the high pressures required.

Jezek

aah yes wrote: »

The thing is to get the officially great taste of coffee beans to cappuccino or espresso standard, it is all about achieving the 16 plus bar pressure (235 psi) needed to force the complex oils out of the beans, to get the full taste and aromas of the beans, not just the tannins or basic flavours from tannins through water poured over them by gravity with zero pressure.

The pumps used in cappuccino machines are serious beasts, - to buy a good quality pump alone by itself that can achieve a serious pressure like 16 to 19 bar up to 280 psi, you could spend €300 to €500 alone, without buying any other extra bits.

The machines offered by De Longhi and other companies should probably cost €500 to €800, but are sold like ink jet printers at below cost, so people can afford to get on the good quality/ taste coffee band wagon at a low entry level price and pay a little premium on the capsules, still much handier and lower cost than buying a cup of cappuccino for €3 odd in a coffee shop.

When water is poured over coffee beans, however much ground the beans are with water poured at normal atmospheric pressure, you can't achieve that full cappuccino espresso taste, - as the core components of taste within the coffee beans are bound up in the oils, and require that super high force of 235-280 psi pressure, to drive them out into the cup.

Espresso as a meaning for coffee is not intended to mean "express" quick, it is more to do with pressure or force than time, having the real expression of the coffee beans' flavour, by drawing out the essential oils of the beans out at the high pressures required.

espresso is made with around 9 bars of pressure...

donnacha

aah yes wrote: »

The thing is to get the officially great taste of coffee beans to cappuccino or espresso standard, it is all about achieving the 16 plus bar pressure (235 psi) needed to force the complex oils out of the beans, to get the full taste and aromas of the beans, not just the tannins or basic flavours from tannins through water poured over them by gravity with zero pressure.

The pumps used in cappuccino machines are serious beasts, - to buy a good quality pump alone by itself that can achieve a serious pressure like 16 to 19 bar up to 280 psi, you could spend €300 to €500 alone, without buying any other extra bits.

The machines offered by De Longhi and other companies should probably cost €500 to €800, but are sold like ink jet printers at below cost, so people can afford to get on the good quality/ taste coffee band wagon at a low entry level price and pay a little premium on the capsules, still much handier and lower cost than buying a cup of cappuccino for €3 odd in a coffee shop.

When water is poured over coffee beans, however much ground the beans are with water poured at normal atmospheric pressure, you can't achieve that full cappuccino espresso taste, - as the core components of taste within the coffee beans are bound up in the oils, and require that super high force of 235-280 psi pressure, to drive them out into the cup.

Espresso as a meaning for coffee is not intended to mean "express" quick, it is more to do with pressure or force than time, having the real expression of the coffee beans' flavour, by drawing out the essential oils of the beans out at the high pressures required.

You are taking the pi*s, right?

James_R

I've jacked up my pump to give me 32 bars of pressure so I don't have to even touch the cup to drink my espresso. :eek:

srsly78

Over 9000 psi or go home...

maxwell smart

I'm ditching the Nespresso and getting a Karcher - loads of pressure in them.

robnet77

speaking of service, my Nespresso machine won't turn on due to a power button issue, I'm lucky as I got three year warranty and a courier came yesterday to collect my coffee machine, while I have been given a replacement for the time being.
No expenses for the courier service, no charges for the repair, very cordial customer service, for a machine that I actually paid 39€ (as I got 50€ worth of capsules included, at the time) and which will (hopefully) be back in good conditions after two years of heavy use...
Yes capsules are quite expensive but at 36 cents each they're still much cheaper than any espresso you get in town (which often tastes worse anyway).

Dermighty

knipex wrote: »

I do but at 6:30 am when I am groping for my glasses that's kind of difficult or at 11:20 when I need a coffee at work..

Nespresso offers me a decent coffee, quickly, cheaply (30 -36 cent for a cup) and fuss free.

Show me an alternative that offers this I will most certainly have a look.

An Aeropress with ground coffee does a great job and definitely tastes better than any Nespresso I've ever tasted (using the coffee I use)

I bought an Aeropress yesterday for €30 and you can buy any ground coffee you want (I drink Cork Coffee Roasters and Badger & Dodo coffee).

robnet77

Dermighty wrote: »

An Aeropress with ground coffee does a great job and definitely tastes better than any Nespresso I've ever tasted (using the coffee I use)

I bought an Aeropress yesterday for €30 and you can buy any ground coffee you want (I drink Cork Coffee Roasters and Badger & Dodo coffee).

are you comparing espresso with regular coffee??

itsirishfarmer

buying pod coffee costs about 50 euros a pound vs
7 euros for bagged coffee,most pod coffee they use the cheaper coffee,


you can buy refillable pods and put your own coffee in


as for your problem,just order double the amount,when you have 25% left order more

maxwell smart

itsirishfarmer wrote: »

buying pod coffee costs about 50 euros a pound vs
7 euros for bagged coffee,most pod coffee they use the cheaper coffee,


you can buy refillable pods and put your own coffee in


as for your problem,just order double the amount,when you have 25% left order more

I would say that Nespresso pods don't use the cheaper quality coffee, but they may well buy it a a cheaper price (due to volume).

The refillable pods are a joke as far as I can see. Very time consuming which I would suggest defeats the purpose of coffee pods?

youngblood

I got a deal on groupon a few weeks back from the fine coffee club.
The coffee was amazing. I've since reordered 100 capsules for less that 30e including delivery, seemed to be no minimum order either
No issues with compatibility, taste amazing and crema superb (if slightly too frothy on the light roast..... But sure who drinks light anyway)

Def check them out, worth a try!

maxwell smart

youngblood wrote: »

I got a deal on groupon a few weeks back from the fine coffee club.
The coffee was amazing. I've since reordered 100 capsules for less that 30e including delivery, seemed to be no minimum order either
No issues with compatibility, taste amazing and crema superb (if slightly too frothy on the light roast..... But sure who drinks light anyway)

Def check them out, worth a try!

Which blends did you get? I'm curious about their intensity rating, is it comparable with Nespresso's own one? Is their Dark Roast basically a Roma?

youngblood

maxwell smart wrote: »

Which blends did you get? I'm curious about their intensity rating, is it comparable with Nespresso's own one? Is their Dark Roast basically a Roma?

Got light, medium, dark, the dark one like Roma in intensity but not as harsh as bitter, delicious! ordered some Ethiopian,Arabica also, haven't tasted them yet, on the way!

Jezek

maxwell smart wrote: »

I would say that Nespresso pods don't use the cheaper quality coffee, but they may well buy it a a cheaper price (due to volume).

The refillable pods are a joke as far as I can see. Very time consuming which I would suggest defeats the purpose of coffee pods?

Nespresso is definitely commodity, not specialty coffee, so it would be a lot cheaper than what 3FE or Coffeemojo would buy.

Dermighty

robnet77 wrote: »

are you comparing espresso with regular coffee??

No

Frainc

Im only new to Nespresso but I enjoy the flavours and stick to the espressos. I don't do it to save money, I just like it. It is true that deliverys take longer than stated. I ordered some coffee yesterday. I'll see how long it takes!

Frainc

Frainc wrote: »

Im only new to Nespresso but I enjoy the flavours and stick to the espressos. I don't do it to save money, I just like it. It is true that deliverys take longer than stated. I ordered some coffee yesterday. I'll see how long it takes!

Forgot to check the thread, the cofee arrived in three days.