Nespresso C100T Essenza Single-Serve Automatic Espresso Machine

After a few days of use here are my comments for the C100T and Aerocinno. I am using the combo in a small office setting. The no mess of the espresso machine is great. The shots are really good and consistently good. The machine is very simple to use. Fill w/ water, turn on drop in espresso capsule, push button, and you are done. The only drawback I can mentinon is the capsules must be ordered from nespresso directly. In terms of cost they are significanlty more expensive than premium whole bean or ground espresso roast coffe (lavazza, petes, starbucks, etc.). So with regards to the espresso machine it is perfect for my office due to the no mess and no fuss cup of esspresso. Honestly, I love it. But in my home I will be keeping my Starbucks barista espresso machine due to the fact that it will take any espresso and at home it is easy to clean. The aerocinno is ingenious. It is the perfect compliment for any espresso machine with one caveat, the servings that it can make are only for one so if you are preparing multiple beverages are large single servings it must filled multiple times. If you overfill it, it will make a mess spilling over the sides. I am considering getting one of these for the home too due to the ease of use in comparison to the steamer attached to my espresso machine. In conclusion, I do reccomend this combo highly with the points mentioned above in mind.

I must first disclose that I am not an espresso connoisseur; I drink lattes and cafes-au-lait, and until the time my husband (a quad-espresso per day drinker) purchased the Nespresso C100, I had been a loyal Starbucks patron for at least 9 years. We''ve had the C100 now for over a month and since firing it up the first time, neither he nor I have stepped foot in a Starbucks. If you''re not an espresso drinker and are afraid of the C100 PLUS a regular coffeemaker taking up counter space, fear no more. The C100 has two default settings -one pulls an espresso, and the other, a 4-ounce "lungo" -*and* its volume, unlike the C90, is also programmable. I''ve heard some people complaining about the noise Nespresso machines make, but really, have you ever listened to the noise -and I''m not talking about the deafening and/or obnoxious music -coming out of Starbucks?? As far as the quality goes, I haven''t had coffee this good since my trip to Europe. It is consistent, never burnt-smelling/tasting (especially since the coffee doesn''t sit around after being made), and does not require extensive doctoring to make it palatable. I now drink a plain ol'' lungo, not a drink whose desciption requires a memory capable of beating the upper levels of "Simon Says." The only drawbacks, which are not enough to demote this rating to 4 stars, are the mandatory pod-ordering (and waiting), and the cost of accessories. If you don''t believe me, go to Nespresso''s website and see what a podholder costs.

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I bought this machine after reading the reviews here and elsewhere on the Web. I agree with the good reviews. What people didn''t mention, however, are:

(a) it makes a loud rattly whirring noise when you push the button to make coffee. I thought at first that I bought a dud machine, but apparently it''s normal. It''s not a pleasant noise but I got used to it.

(b) the instructions aren''t really in English, they are multi-lingual and rely more on pictures. So it felt like rocket science for the first few minutes as I tried to decode what it meant. Eventually I gave up reading the instructions and figured it out myself.

(c) the espresso can come out quite cold. It''s not super boiling hot when it shoots out, so unless you warm your cup in advance with some hot water, if you don''t drink your espresso right away, that small amount of liquid gets cold quickly.

(d) the salespeople who say, "Each capsule only costs $0.49. Now, when was the last time you spent $0.49 on a cup of coffee?" are making a facetious argument. You are spending $0.49 for a tablespoon of very good espresso. If you tried to make a full cup of coffee (which you shouldn''t, since this is an espresso machine), you will end up spending $2.00 or something like that. So, don''t buy it thinking you will save money. Because if you are a coffee addict, chances are you will spend money on Nespresso AND still go to Peets and Starbucks anyway. So you are not "saving" anything. On a typical day, we go through about 3-4 capsules. So it can become a noneconomical way of enjoying espresso compared to making it the old way with beans.

(e) the capsules come in a variety of blends, but reading between the lines, the beans all seem to come from just 1-2 countries. It''s not as wide or exotic of a geographic range as Peets or Starbucks. So the difference between the capsule colors/flavors is probably illusory. They all taste the same to me (then again I am not an aficionado).

(f) the capsules must be ordered in min. order of 50 (x$0.49 = $25). There is a mandatatory $5.95 shipping and handling. So re-ordering is going to be $30+ a pop.

(g) the machines must be routinely de-scaled and cleaned with fresh water. This maintenance bit annoys me.

Otherwise, it delivers what it promises. I bought it at Williams Sonoma to take advantage of its liberal return policy (apparently, lifetime warranty).

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-C100T vs. Citiz-

We deliberated over 2 machines: the C100T and the new Citiz. After doing some research, we found some interesting facts.

The initial advantages the Citiz had over the C100 were:

1) Slightly smaller counter top footprint

2) Flip-up tray for tall Latte glass option

3) Auto shut-off feature

4) Styling, (although only slightly less ugly)

However after a bit more investigation we found some not so obvious advantages the C100 has over the new Citiz.

Firstly the Citiz although priced the same as the C100, does not come bundled with the Aeroccino like C100 does.

Secondly, based on reading other reviewers, some have noted the Citiz have a tendency to jam. After further follow up, some said only when the pod basket is full, yet others have noted this not the case, it jammed even when the pod waste basket was empty. Further follow up showed the Citiz waste pod basket holds 8 used pods where the C100 as many as 12 or more before removal.

Additionally others have brought up the possible detrimental fact that its tall slim design can make the Citiz a bit tippy when loading the pod and not as stable to work with as the C100. After now using the machine I can see where that could be an issue as a bit of force is necessary to lock the lever down.

Yet another reviewer and owner of both machines said he purchased the new Citiz primarily for the optional tall glass feature then found the Citiz was more hassle to clean up because of its 2 or 3 additional parts; the C100 only has 3 parts to clean and clean up is a snap. As mentioned above we too consider the Citiz for its fold up tall glass Latte tray holder, however having now used the C100 with both short and tall glasses, it is really no big deal to hold the tall glass in place during the coffee extraction process.

With respect to counter top space, although only slightly wider in its stance to the Citiz, the C100 is not really large at all. Certainly much smaller than a stand alone drip machine and far smaller than a traditional espresso makerabout the size of a 2 slice toaster.

-The Aeroccino-

Personally I think this part of the system makes the entire coffee come togetherfor me without the Aeroccino, this is just a decent espresso machine.

First of all it is super easy to use, fill to the level, press the button and go. I noted during demos the Nespresso cafe folks would put the lid on downside upat first perplexed later realize it is easier to clean upclever. The other cool feature of the Aeroccino is if you do not want heated milk, hold the button for 3 seconds and the light will go blue instead of redcold whipped milk for ice cafeclever again!

Cooler yet Nespresso designed the little Latte whip and Cappuccino whisk to be held in place by magnets and there is a magnet in the lid to hold one tool when the other is in usethose Swiss are ingenious! In my opinion the Aeroccino does a better job than the integrated Latisima machine.

-Milk Types-

We were recommended to use higher protein milk as it will provide better results and based on some tests, the whole milk higher protein products do produce a really nice froth over slim milk. The machine produces Cappuccino froth amazingly fluffy while the Latte milk the Aeroccino produces is very rich and creamy. The C100 we have is made in Switzerland!

Highly recommended system!!

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It makes a fabulous and consistent cup of espresso, with many varities of coffee to choose from. Its easy, drop in the capsule and simply rinse off the removable capsule drop area. I''m not sure if its easier than a traditional espresso machine. In a traditional machine, you simply pack some grounds into a filter, instead of using a capsule.

I emailed Nespresso and found out that each espresso capsule has 5.5 grams of coffee in it, or .19 ounces. Because there are 16 ounces in a pound of coffee, it takes 84 capsules to equal one pound. At $0.49 a capsule, Nespresso is charging $41.16 FOR 1 POUND OF COFFEE.

You must use Nespresso capsules with this system, and only Nespresso sells the capsules. So if you want to pay the equivalent of $41 bucks per pound, this unit is for you.