I bought this about 11 months ago, so this review is based on my experiences with it over that time. I bought it when it was about £5 more expensive (£70) when there was only a small promotion running. In hindsight, I should have waited for a special promotion to pop up, as they usually offer discounted or free incentives (such as a free Aeroccino). Even if you don't want the free item, you can flip it on eBay and use the money as a discount against the main machine (their RRP is about £50 I think). I noticed that there is currently an offer on the Nespresso Pixie machine via Amazon (see: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nespresso-XN300540-Coffee-Machine-Krups/dp/B004MW56CE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474376238&sr=8-1&keywords=pixie+nespresso) or their official website [...] which offers exactly this once you purchase a sizable amount of coffee capsules. I haven't compared these machines in depth, but they'll likely operate identically.
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Who SHOULD buy this machine?
At £70 or more (without discounts) for their entry level coffee machines, it is worth a second thought. Nespresso are undeniably an upmarket brand which emphasises quality. Given that, I would recommend this MAINLY to people who are passionate about coffee and want to enjoy the high-quality coffee via the pods.
I've had the opportunity through friends to try the coffee produced by a number of popular competitors' (e.g., Tassimo) machines, but I have never found another brand which produces such deep, interesting, and clear tasting coffee as Nespresso. Whenever friends are at my house, I always get comments about how tasty and overall awesome the coffee is.
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Who SHOULDN'T buy this machine?
I don't think this is an ideal product or brand to pursue if you're just an occasional coffee drinker, as it's kind of a wasted investment. Other products, such as the Tassimo machines, are multi-purpose and might suit your needs better if you like to switch between different types of hot drinks (of which Tassimo has LOADS). I did recently find a website which sells TEA capsules for the Nespresso machines[...] but they are primarily coffee machines - so if you don't drink loads, I would consider an alternative before you settle with them.
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"I've heard the pods are expensive - is this true?"
Official Nespresso capsules are about 30p / pod, which produces a single espresso or lungo. You CAN find 3rd party capsules (and these no longer invalidate your warranty) which work with no issue in the machine. However, in a blind taste test between a Nespresso capsule and a Lidl 'compatible' capsule (which are only 18p / pod), I could CLEARLY tell the difference between them both and correctly identified which was the official branded one, as the Lidl compatible capsules had a flatter, watered down taste, with little depth by comparison. Here's a little comparison of pod prices you can get for these machines:
- Nespresso (benchmark): AVG. 30p / each
- Lidl: 18p / each
- Gourmesso.co.uk: 23.9p / each (cheapest)
- Cafepod.co.uk: 27.5p / each (cheapest)
For comparison, here are the costs per cup (based on 25g ground coffee PER cup) when making coffee conventionally with a drip or french press::
- Tesco (£2 = 227g = 9 cups) = 22.2p / cup
- Aldi (£1.70 = 200g = 8 cups) = 21.3p / cup
- Lidl (£1.7 = 227g = 9 cups) = 18.9p / cup
ALSO for comparison, the price of Tassimo pods is usually between 22.5p and 25p per pod.
Therefore, YES, Nespresso pods look like they're the most expensive on the market. However, I would argue that it is slightly more expensive because it is genuinely higher quality coffee. With coffee, there is no doubting that you pay a price premium if you want the highest quality and tastiest coffee. Competitors / other methods of making coffee are definitely cheaper, BUT I think you're compromising your coffee experience if you decide to use 3rd party brands or unofficial capsules.
Over the course of a year, these slightly higher prices per capsule do translate into a sizable extra chunk of money leaving your account just for coffee. Assuming 4 cups of coffee PER day EVERY day tells us that:
- Nespresso capsules = 120p / day = £438 / year
- Lidl capsules = 72p / day = £263 / year
- Tesco ground coffee = 88.8p / day = £321 / year
So compared to traditional methods, you're about £117 worse off. Compared to Lidl capsules, you're about £175 out of pocket. Put this way, it might make you think twice whether having a machine is even worth it.
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Key Machine Benefits
- Incredibly simple to use: No messing around and wasting time, which is perfect when you need your morning hit of caffeine QUICKLY.
- Coffee temperature: The coffee comes out HOT, but you'll be able to drink it after 5 minutes.
- Machine maintenance: It's really easy to look after this machine (see: [...]
- Machine appearance: This is a pretty small machine, so you'll able to fit it into most kitchens with ease - and it also looks swish.
One more thing before I conclude: the decaf capsules are FANTASTIC. Decaff coffee has a bad reputation because it usually tastes like refined dirt. Nespresso have somehow managed to create decaffeinated capsules which taste reasonably good! Seriously, i've never tasted decaffeinated coffee this good.
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OVERALL
Although Nespresso machines are capsules are expensive, I would definitely place Nespresso at the top of the market. From my experience, no other coffee brand has tastier or more interesting coffee. At the end of the day, you get what you pay for. If you want premium coffee, there is no better machine and brand to go with. But if you're just the occasional drinker, maybe look elsewhere for machines which are multi-purpose (e.g., Tassimo). Apart from higher price, the only downside of Nespresso coffee is that the larger coffees (the 'lungo') are about 110ml, which is under half the volume of a regular mug (but has a similar amount of caffeine). This can leave you a little unsatisfied if you're used to larger coffees.
| Brand | Magimix |
|---|---|
| Model Number | 11350 |
| Colour | Black |
| Product Dimensions | 12 x 23 x 32.1 cm; 2.7 kg |
| Volume Capacity | 0.7 litres |
| Voltage | 2.2E+2 Volts |
| Auto Shutoff | No |
| Compatible Models | Nespresso |
| Special Features | Programmable^Removable Tank^Thermoblock |
| Item Weight | 2.7 kg |
