Enjoying the Nespresso Coffee Experience

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 I like drinking coffee.  I always have a cup every morning to perk me up and prepare for the day's tasks.  I don't know when I developed a taste for brewed coffee and when I started brewing coffee at home using the drip method, there was no going back to instant coffee. When outside of our house, I usually buy lattes from well-known cafes. 

I've always wanted to bring the cafe experience home, but espresso machines are costly here.  I first wanted to get the Keurig since I had tried it while visiting family in the US.  However, the brand is not available here, and getting one online is out of the question.  Aside from the fact that we cannot find any store selling their coffee.

  Last December, I opted to try the Nespresso brand, which sells machines that make espresso from capsules filled with pre-apportioned coffee grounds.  

Since I just wanted to see how good the product is, I opted for the most basic of their machines,  the Essenza Mini.  This device is so easy to use.  Fill the water container at the back with water and turn it on by pressing one of the two buttons on its topside.  A light blinks which signals that the water is heating (and maybe the needed pressure to extract the coffee flavors). Once the light stops blinking, your machine is ready.  

Just flip open the chamber on top and insert a capsule of your chosen coffee flavor.  You can choose between two sizes: espresso or lungo.  Espresso is a single shot, while the lungo is about a double shot and takes longer to express.

Is it a suitable replacement for cafe-bought coffee?  If you ask me, yes.  Those popular coffee shops aren't the benchmark for good coffee anyway.  Besides, the Nespresso brand has a wide selection of coffee variants we can choose from.  

When you buy a machine, you get 10 free capsules.  I got two sleeves of coffee -- Shanghai and Buenos Aires from their World Explorations line, which is suitable for lungo.  My favorites include Tokyo, Vienna, and Stockholm.  Store staff told me that Stockholm is one of their best sellers because of its rich, sweet, and slightly bitter taste.   

I also tried flavors from the other line, like the Ispirazione Firenze Arpeggio from the Ispirazione Italia line.  I have only one word for it: divine.  It is creamy and bold.  I received a sleeve of 10 capsules as a Christmas present, along with the limited edition "Gift of the Forest" collection.

You can add your favorite milk frothed or just warmed if you want to.  I use a frother bought online and make a latte when I feel like having one.  Since I am lactose intolerant, I use Arla Lacto Free Full Cream Milk.  

In case you're wondering, Nespresso has a recycling program for the capsules. You can drop them at their boutique or pop-up store.  They also give a recycling bag that could fit up to 200 used capsules.

I enjoy having a Nespresso coffee paired with a slice of cake or biscuits each day.  It's a convenient way to have the cafe experience in the comfort of your home.