this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2023
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Coffee

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Does anyone have it? The Essenza Mini. It's relatively cheap, so I'm just wondering if it's worth it. Please tell me your thoughts!

P.S. If it's relevant at all, I'm in Europe. And looking at the cheapest one because... student life

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Get a hario drip. The filters are dirt cheap, you can buy whatever blend you like and you’re not a cocksucker throwing hundreds of small plastic capsules into the ocean for his CoNvEniEnCe.

It’s 2023. Those things should be banned along with plastic utensils, bottles and other brilliant inventions.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Nespresso pods are allegedly recycled. They give you bags to mail them back. I'm assuming they don't pay for those shipping labels just to trash them.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Plastic recycling is a scam. Most of the things you throw into the yellow bin get shredded, burned or just sent off to a pile. We didn’t get micro plastics in our blood from recycling.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Nespresso's pods are aluminum, not plastic (well, the foil that hold the pod closed might be plastic?). Aluminum can be recycled pretty well.

Though, of course, the environmental impact is still way higher than any non-pod brewing method.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well it's a good thing their pods aren't plastic!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

They use plastics for lids and lining, but hey, nestle says they’re eco friendly and nestle has never done anything wrong or misguided any of their consumers.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Don't buy this environmental disaster. It makes shit coffee too. If you're in a tight budget, buy an Aeropress.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Do not do it. Get a cheap regular expresso instead. Nespresso is like printers, they seem cheap but the Cartridges/capsules are made of unicorn blood. Reusable capsules might be the solution but the quality of the coffee is awful if you use them and you lose the main point of the nespresso: convenience.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I'd say it really depends on what you are looking for. If you want something that is technically coffee and has mostly dark roast tasting notes, and delivers caffeine in a relatively easy manner, I'm sure Nespresso is gonna do the trick just fine.

If you want to get into the finer nuances of coffee, there are much better options out there. What would you say your budget is, realistically?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Do a little napkin math. 90% of the time it's cheaper over a 1 year period (or less) to get a decent superautomatic than a Nespresso. Nespresso is cheaper day 1, but every cup of coffee is significantly more expensive.

And superautomatics are far less wasteful.

I got a Philips and highly recommend it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

The machine may be cheap but keep in mind the cost of those pods. If you're on a student budget, I'd recommend buying some sort of coffee pot, whichever fits your preferences. Either an Italian espresso maker, or a French press, or an aeropress. Those are pretty cheap and can all be used with regular coffee, which will be way more budget friendly in the long run.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Any reason why you want a machine with capsules? A small french press is going to be much less expensive (while also being very compact), and you can brew some fantastic coffee. A pourover with a metal filter is also not much hassle, and also less expensive in the long run.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I was going for variety, since there's so many different types of capsules.

Edit: I do understand the appeal of a French press though, I have a mini one and make some amazing espressos with it. But... yeah it gets stale after a while, since it's the same type of coffee

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

a french press cannot make espressos, or anything close to an espresso

if you want, you can always use different beans with your french press - yes, it’ll always be the same type of coffee, but there’s some pretty big differences in flavor

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I have the Pixio machine I think. And I am regularly looking for deals on the capsules since while the machine are cheap, the capsules are not. The coffee is alright, it's a bit better than the coffee I get at work anyways

If you wanna get a similar price machine, get a regular espresso machine and save a bunch of money on the cost of having to clean it up a while. Or brew your own beans :)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I cannot speak to that model and I should mention that I'm American, but I have used 3 different models of Nespresso machines and have been thoroughly pleased with all of them.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Between the ethical issues with Nestle, the costs of the pods, environmental impact, etc., it's a nonstarter for me.

Although I suppose I can see an argument for getting the machine (which they're probably selling at a loss) and then getting refillable pods or pods from good roasters since Nestle failed to prevent competitors from using their pod format.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

As others have said, pod machines aren't great for the environment. If you do get one, make sure you know how to recycle them because the sheer volume you will throw away is ridiculous.

That said, pod coffee has its place if you want efficiency. I use my Dolce Gusto on the weekend when I can't be bothered to go to the effort of using my aeropress. The quality is lower but as long as you go into it expecting that it won't be the best thing ever you'll be fine.

I have my aeropress during the week to make my work days a bit better.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I have one of these and I absolutely love it. It only takes 25 seconds to get warm and it makes great cofee. The only potential downside is size - the water reservoir and drawer for used pods are a little small (which actually might be a plus for people with a small kitchen - the footprint of this thing is tiny compared to other machines).

Alsl bear in kind that capsules can be a little expensive, but there are many companies making compatible capsules for less and you can even buy a reusable calsule.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

They vary a lot in price and the Essenza Mini has a smaller reservoir than the Pixie (next machine up) and a smaller waste bin. You would have to step up to a more expensive machine if you wanted milk based drinks, but it just might be better to get a separate frother if that’s important to you. Summary: you aren’t losing much by going with their cheapest one.

The coffee you buy is going to be the expensive part if you don’t choose wisely. You may even get a cheaper nespresso capsule compatible machine in Europe if you really want to save some money.

For versatility, I use an Aeropress (everyday) more than my regular delonghi semiauto (once a week or once every other week)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I'm thinking of buying one too but I heard that the capsules are expensive so I don't know... I live in south america btw, maybe in Europe they are cheaper idk

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I love my Nespresso Vertuo. I know it's more expensive than drip coffee but I love the flavor

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No offense to anyone who likes this stuff. Nespresso machines make the absolute worst coffee I have ever had.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah, they are pretty abysmal.