dicky & debbie.com

I manage a small appliance department and one of the key categories in that department is coffee. Within the coffee category there are three distinct types of coffee machines: the basic manual, the fully automatic and somewhere in between lie the capsule based coffee makers.  And within this category are the dominant Nespresso range.

I am the first to admit that the manual machines offer far greater range of possibilities when it comes to coffee.  Everything from the skill of the roaster, to the quality of the grinder, to the pressure of the tamping to the type of group head, there are a number of steps that must be mastered to give the perfect coffee.  I cant be bothered any more, so this is not for me.  It is still a great option, but it is not for me.  I just dont care enough any more.

There are the automatics but I do not like the cost and the hassle of the beans.  A great product, but not for me.

My choice is the Nespresso system.  It offers me quite a bit.

• Good value at an entry point of around $349 for an automatic system with the EN90 machines
• Coffee capsules delivered direct to the door
• Capsules delivered with a guarenteed best before date of 10 months from arrival
• A range of coffee strengths and flavours with consistency of supply
• Models with integrated milk frothing attachments for around $699
• Most of all, consistency coffee after coffee after coffee

From the time you switch the machine on to the time rich, coffee coloured crema pours forth is just 120 seconds and depending on the model, the milk frothing does not take much longer either.

The units are very compact, even the top model with the integrated milk frother has a very small footprint on the bench and the units can make coffee one after another.

When you own a Nespresso unit you purchase the capsules in lots of fifty, although I prefer to buy about three hundred at a time which last for a few months.  And best of all,it does not matter who makes the coffee as it is always the same.