Nescafé Dolce Gusto Machine

I try out a coffee pod machine for the first time and detail my experiences below!

This post has been prepared in collaboration with NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto, but the content and opinions are my own.

For the longest time, my husband and I have been fans of preparing our coffee in an Italian-made stove-top coffee pot. The simple ritual of making coffee – filling the pot with water, grinding the coffee beans, and waiting for the coffee to brew and fill the kitchen with the aromas of chicory and arabica beans – was something we enjoyed as part of the coffee drinking experience.

But we both knew only too well the limitations of preparing coffee on the stove. For one, it takes ages.

In fact, in can take an eternity if you are brewing a large pot when you have a bunch of friends visiting, and refills mean even more hanging around by the stove when you could be chatting with your friends on the sofa.

Nescafé Dolce Gusto Machine

So when NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto asked me to try their Eclipse Automatic Machine  – together with enough coffee pods to open my own coffee shop! – I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to see if a coffee machine would suit my family and our lifestyle.

And within the first sip of my first coffee from my first ever capsule machine, I was converted. At the risk of making this sound like a religious experience, the addition of this NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto machine to our home has been a revelation. Well, it is either excitement or the extra caffeine buzzing through my system!

The NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto Eclipse Automatic Machine is not like your standard coffee machine. In fact, it looks like a piece of stereo equipment or something which should sit alongside the TV and wifi router.

But there is something about the design which is rather eye-catching and unique; it is a modern piece of equipment which would fit into any sleek home, and the design makes it partly a visual feature in the home, rather than just like any standard kitchen appliance.

Nescafé Coffee Machine

As someone who is not familiar with NESCAFÉ coffee machines, I found it to be pretty intuitive and easy to operate. There is a touch screen where you can choose between cold and hot water (love the option for making cold-brewed coffee in summer!), as well as select the amount of water for each cup.

Each NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto coffee pod comes with a recommendation on how many “bars” of water is recommended per cup, which you can then program into the coffee machine via the touch screen.

The only thing I found difficult was removing and replacing the water tank; due to the curved design of the machine, the water tank does not slide in and out so easily, but the trick is to insert the bottom end first and to then gently tilt the tank forward into position.

NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto recently released 3 new varieties of coffee capsules – Incarom Latte, Catui Do Brasil, and Preludio – all of which are aimed at making breakfast time just that bit more delicious.

Nescafé Dolce Gusto Pods

One of the NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto pods which I am in love with is the Incarom Latte, primarily because I love milky coffees. In fact, my husband often jokes that I take a dash of coffee with my milk, and not a dash of milk with my coffee like most normal people!

The Incarom Latte has a lovely chicory aroma and produces a creamy milky coffee directly from the capsule – no need to warm up the milk separately in a milk frother or a pan on the stove (and which means less washing up!).

The Latte Macchiato capsules are similary wonderful. These are prepared using two capsules – one to prepare a tall cup of frothy milk, and the second to deliver the perfect shot of coffee.

As a lover of milky coffees, I am rather excited about the ability to make such coffee quickly and with little cleaning up.

My husband, on the other hand, enjoys his coffee strong and black. The limited edition Catui Do Brasil is a sweet and aromatic espresso using 100% Arabica beans. And the Preludio should also appeal to those who prefer a long, black coffee.

I find it important to mention that the NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto Eclipse Automatic Machine is not just for the adults in the household. I can’t express how excited our children are about making their favourite hot chocolate drink using the Nesquik capsules!

If you are considering buying a new coffee machine, the NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto and its wide range of capsules can cater to different tastes in coffee (milky, flavoured, or espresso varieties), as well as different age groups (young and old).

And despite it being a “coffee” machine, you can also use it to make tea. NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto also produces capsules for Marrakesh Style Tea, Citrus Honey Black Tea, as well as a few other delicious varieties. And I can’t wait to try their Chai Tea Latte!

Using a Nescafé Coffee Machine

So as you can tell, my feelings about making coffee using a coffee pod machine have changed rather drastically. I think a coffee pod machine, such as the NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto Eclipse Automatic Machine, would be perfect when you have friends coming over and you can make coffee quickly and according to different tastes and needs.

And when time is otherwise short, like in the mornings at breakfast, being able to prepare coffee at the click of a button can help you to get out the door more quickly.

I think there is still a time and a place for stove-top brewed coffee, and I don’t think I will be giving up my beloved coffee pots just yet. But it’s also liberating to be able to try and make a varied assortment of coffee at home.

Update

This post was first published on 27 April 2017.

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