Nespresso to Espresso

Has anyone here gone from drinking Nespresso to buying/using a proper espresso machine, like a Breville Barista?

This is not a matter of dissatisfaction. Unlike some, I genuinely enjoy Nespresso (both taste and convenience) and drink a fair bit of it at home (and have for years). But I’m considering upgrading to a real machine, as I do ultimately prefer good espresso/capuccino.

Has anyone made this change? Worth the time and effort? Any suggestions for machines (I’m leaning one of the Breville Baristas)?

Thanks!

I had a Barista machine and I know some folks on here go to great lengths to produce perfect espressos, but I was just looking for a simple, easy to make single or double. We soon grew tired of the prep and mess. I ended up selling the machine on eBay and went back to capsules.

The patent is off the capsule so there is a much wider range of producers than just Nepresso.

The capsule may not produce the utmost cup, but when you factor in the hassle, it’s pretty good to me.
Plus it’s easy for us to switch from regular to decaf as my wife likes.

my take is that if you like the nespresso, you should def stay with that. a dedicated machine plus a good enough grinder (more important than the machine imo) will likely frustrate you AND result in coffee that you won’t like as much.

What Yaccov says is true. I never drank Nespresso, but I did make the switch to wanting to perfect (or get close to really decent) espresso at home. I bought the Breville double boiler number and it has taken me a year, and several grinders, and many, many coffees, and countless shots to get dialed in to where I can make a decent espresso at home.
Frustrating? Like no other food/beverage hobby. Geeking out about coffee makes wine geekery seem like kids play.

You might want to consider an automated espresso cappuccino type machine although they are not inexpensive. We went from a Kurieg to a meile cm6350 Over a year ago and are super pleased. We used a 20% off coupon from bed bath and beyond to help soften the $$$ blow. Uses whole beans plus there is a place for ground coffee so it’s easy to do a decaf cappuccino at night. Steams the milk automatically. There’s a ton of settings to control the grind, length of brew and temperature, and once you get it dialed in the way you want it you can save it by user.

As much as I wanted to, there is no way my wife would let me go down the 4 figure investment into espresso machines, grinders, etc. A year after her buying a Nespresso and me searching out decent capsules, I can’t say I am disappointed. I do have a friend that has gone down that path and the straight espressos are very good, but honestly if you are going to add milk for a latte or cappuccino, it is not worth the difference to me.

We have the Breville double broiler as well, and love it. And a fancy grinder – just bought a Mazzer Mini when the Macap stopped working (I think because we did not use it properly, which is another story). We have been very happy with what we have. Yes, there is a bit of fiddling required, especially if we change beans (figuring out the correct grind takes some practice). But I do not find it too onerous. I am not one to geek all out on things like this – in other words, I think my tolerance is relatively low, and my preference for convenience over quality is medium perhaps). All that is to say that I would say yes to the change. But as someone said, if you like the Nespresso quality and convenience, you might want to stick with it. Our system is about $2,000 – and you can spend a lot more than that if you start down the rabbit hole.

Stick with the Nespresso. I wouldn’t buy any home espresso machine that cost less than a thousand. They just aren’t going to make anything better or more consistent than what you can get from the Nespresso and will be messy, require more upkeep, etc.

Honestly, the best cup you can make by grinding your own beans with a good burr grinder is an Aeropress, which is what we use on the weekends when we want something a little more nuanced than Nespresso.

I use an E61 HX coffee machine - Bezzera Magica and a Mazzer Mini-E grinder and roast my own beans, this gives me a heap of flexibility with my coffee drinking. From the bean types, roasting style, grind, etc. It is not a high end setup by any means but does provide a solid base to work from.

It does take time and attention to detail insofar as recording down whatever you do and how you do it, so it is repeatable. But after a while it becomes second nature. It will take you more time, it will be frustrating at times, but the end result will be worth it. Like someone else said it is a rabbit hole, if convenience is a big thing I’d probably steer clear.

Maybe hit up a coffee machine place and see what package deals are available, the grinder is the biggest thing to get right. I am sure there would be some good deals at the moment given what is going on around the world. The gear is usually something that can be on-sold if you don’t mind taking a hit if you decide it is not for you.

IMG_2692.jpg

I literally just moved to the Breville Barista from Nespresso a few weeks ago. It was a hard move just to look at the cost ($700). I finally broke down and ordered it. The quality of the espresso is not comparable. Of course it’s more hassle and more cleanup. It just depends on what matters to you. I spend about 30 minutes every morning behind my machine making espresso for the family. It’s more than I used to spend behind the Nespresso, but I think it’s worth it because the quality is much better. One thing that definitely requires practice is frothing the milk with the steamer wand. I’m still working on that technique.

I’m going to ask the opposite question as Ryan. I bought a a Baratza 270 partly in hopes it would make my Baby Gaggia make a decent espresso. Also because I make coffee most everyday and I was blading before. That said I can’t get the Gaggia dialed in, not sure if I suck though or the Machine sucks…possibly both!

I only drink espresso straight, should I just buy a Nespresso and be done with it? Sounds like they are decent enough for an occasional fix?

Wouldn’t recommend it. I’m also an espresso straight connoisseur. Just can’t compare real espresso to Nespresso. I’ve had plenty of both.

I sprung for a true espresso machine several months ago too. Got a Rocket Appartamento (H61) which is an entry level “prosumer”. I never owned a nespresso myself but I’ve had plenty from hotels, friends and even my office had a nice commercial nespresso. That said agree there’s no comparison to real espresso. You have so much more variety by being able to choose any beans.

I do spend a lot of time with heating the machine and clean-up…it’s ok while I’m working for home but once my office opens back up (next year?) worry it might become too much hassle to make espresso at home on the week days.

Also thankfully my favorite drinks are straight up espresso shots and iced lattes as my latte art skills could use some improvement :wink:

Also have a fully automatic. Love it. I have had both Delonghi and Saeco. I think the Saeco makes better coffee. Light years better than Nespresso. My wife likes cappuccino and the automatic milk frother is wonderful.
If I want something more nuanced a simple pour over is the way to go IMO.

George

We have had ours for a while, so we have much Pre Covid experience. Ours has a timer so we set it to wake up before we do – that saves time as we don’t have to wait for it to heat up. And if you do catch it right when it has just heated up, I find the portafilter is not as hot as I like for really good espresso (and like you I generally drink straight espresso). The cleanup is not too bad – but maybe it is just getting used to it and into a rhythm. The daily clean is pretty quick. Once, maybe twice a week I like to do a better clean with the drip tray. That can take as long as five minutes perhaps? Then every two months there is a machine clean – that is pretty automatic and takes maybe 5 minutes of the machine running. This is all with the Breville dual broiler – so other machines may require more or less.

My feeling with nespresso is that it is consistent like Starbucks. Not terrible, and I will drink them. But really night and day when compared to more traditional espresso.

Thanks I will explore the timer that’s a smart idea!

Among the Super Automatics, I’ve had a De’Longhi Magnifica, a Saeco and a Jura. The Jura hands down made the best espresso. But it was pricey. For me this was the way to go because grinding beans in the morning before I’d had my dose of caffeine was a challenge. The Jura offered a lot of customization options to get the best cup out of the beans.

(For the record, I weaned myself of my caffeine addiction a couple years ago. I felt like crap in the morning until I’d had my shots and I also believed it was adversely affecting my wine palate before 2 p.m. Now I wake up … and I’m awake! Plus I believe my palate is ready to go earlier in the day.)

Sorry for a bit of drift but I’m wondering some of the same questions.

I have a Baby Gaggia that I gave up on a long time ago. Recently finally gave in and bought A Baratza 270wi so I pulled out the Gaggia. I’ve managed to make a bunch of sh/$$% espresso. Does anyone have experience with my old machine? Should I dump it and get a Nespresso or go all in?

If it was fairly easy I’d drink it a bunch, the harder it gets probably the less I drink, so I’m looking for that fine line machine. Ive never had a Nespresso and I’m not an expert on espresso by any means (but can learn quick!).

We have an older version Breville and love it, although I have never owned a Nespresso machine. The process obviously takes more steps with the Breville, but I love the smell of freshly ground beans (we also have the Breville Smart grinder) and in the morning when everyone else is asleep and not running around, clean-up is quick and easy.