Nespresso C100USAEROB Essenza Automatic SingleServe Espresso Machine with
by admin on Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 | 15 Comments
| Brand: | Nespresso | ||
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Combination package of C100 Automatic Essenza and Aeroccino. Compact Brewing Unit with a 19 Bar pressure pump and thermobloc heating element. Automatic and programmable Coffee Quantity (Settings : 40 ml for espresso, 110 ml for lungo) with backlit on/off and coffee volume buttons. The Essenza also has a removable water tank (41-ounce.) and features easy insertion of capsules and ejection used of capsules ?into capsule container with capacity for 14 used capsules. The Aeroccino is a one touch machine to get milk froth or hot milk (automatic stop function) Simple milk dosage indicated in the jug (two levels: milk froth and hot milk) more info
Excellent taste and easy to make and clean-up – worth the cost!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
After a lot of research and knowing how tasty the Nespresso espressos are (free sample at a store a year ago that I fondly remembered), I bought the Nespresso C100 on Amazon in September 2009 for an anniversary present to ourselves. In four months, we have made about 180 cups of cappuccino or expresso for my husband and I and an occasional guest. We make about 2-3 cups during the weekday and more on the weekends.
- Very fast and easy to make, with no mess. Fill up the water dispenser, turn the machine on, pop a colored pod in the maker and close lever. Wait for buttons to stop blinking to show it is heated, then push the button. Enjoy the smell! Very easy to clean – run water through by pressing the button and dump out/wash the tray where the overflow grill is and the basket that catches the many pods.
- Aeroccino froth maker is soooo much easier than trying to use the steam nozzles that most cappuccino maker’s have (no splattering and nice, consistent froth. My friends are impressed how easy it is!). Just pour the milk in (regular, 2%, or soy) up to the bottom line, put on the plastic lid, and press the button. It makes enough for two cappuccinos. I make the expresso on the lungo or larger setting (7 oz), so the frothed milk is fine for me; however, my husband likes the cappuccino hotter since the milk is warm but not hot, and he puts his cappuccino in microwave to make it hotter. If you pour the milk into the expresso, made on the expresso setting (5 oz), since it is a smaller amount of coffee, the milk tends to make it too cold. If you pour the milk a little above the lower line in the Aeroccino, it can froth over the container. The container is easy to clean up, although it seems best to clean up after each iteration; otherwise, the milk can be stuck on the bottom in brown stains and harder to get off if you heat it up the 2nd time. After cleaning the Aeroccino, make sure you dry it and put the wire whisk back on its magnetic base. A few times, I have just put it inside and later tried to froth my coffee. When it doesn’t froth, it means, the wire whisk wasn’t put on the magnetic base. You can push the button again to stop the machine and put the whisk in place.
- I bought two Nespresso Lungo (5 oz) glass cups when I bought my machine for about $20. When I received the machine, there was a one time special card offering two Lungo (5 oz) and two Expresso (2 oz) cups and the associated black, plastic saucers for $20 instead of $29. It worth to have at least two Lungo cups. We only use them to make the expresso, then pour the coffee into bigger coffee mugs to have room to add the milk froth. Since I am not a coffee purist and I like to get the most for my money, I push the Lungo button to get a Lungo size cup, pour it in a coffee mug, then press the expresso button to get a smaller amount and also pour that in the coffee mug, so I can get more coffee for the price.
After making all your expressos, Nespresso recommends running hot water through by pushing to button to flush out any expresso grounds, so it nice to have an extra cup to hold that water.
- When you get the machine, they very nicely give you a one of each of the Nespresso expresso flavors (12 or 14). Before I got my machine, I had ordered additional flavors from the Nespresso website based on other Amazon reviewer favorites (thanks for your thoughts!), and they arrived before my machine did. Instead of .55 each, they cost about .64 each when shipped to Maryland. They normally have 2 business day shipping, so they arrived pretty fast.
- I use a large round empty fish bowl to store my colorful Nespresso pods. It looks nice on the counter.
- I made myself a spreadsheet, copying and pasting the information from the Nespresso website to show:
Name: such as Apreggio
Type: Expresso or Lungo. I found I could use either expresso or lungo to make a lungo size cup, since I don’t like my cappuccino too strong.
Intensity: 1-10
Description: From website
Pod Color: This is subjective and helpful when you want to buy more or even find which pod you want more quickly. Looking for a teal or blue? Copper or gold?
My and my husband’s ratings (1-3 stars) with comments so I knew which ones to re-order.
I added in the specialty flavors which are not listed in the Nespresso book.
Here are our favorites that we re-ordered. Note that the colors are my subjective view of what the pods looked like to me:
Apreggio Expresso; intensity 9; purple – we probably have had 70 pods of this!
Fortissio Lungo; intensity 7; teal
Indriya from India Pure Origin; intensity 10; olive-grey (.62 instead of .55)
Livanto Expresso; intensity 6; copper
Ristretto Expresso; intensity 10; black
Vivalo Lungo; intensity 4; blue – mild flavor
Cosi Expresso, intensity 3; cocoa – nice, light
Decaffeinato Expresso; intensity 3; red – best decaffeinated coffee for us
Singatoba special club; intensity 8; bright blue
Volluto expresso; intensity 4; bronze gold – light
Holiday special: Variation Pain D’ Espices (gingerbread) – nice spice flavor
Holiday special: Variation Creme de Marron (chestnut cream) – creamy flavor with different levels of complexity
Didn’t like as much:
Finezzo Lungo; intensity 3; bright gold – not much flavor; could barely taste it
Dulsao do Brasil; intensity 5; dark gold – dry tasting
Decaffeinato Lungo; intensity 3; brick red – bitter tasting; needs sweetner
Decaffeinato Intenso expresso;intensity 7; maroon – strong, bitter; needs sweetner
Capriccio Expresso; intensity 5; green
Roma Expresso; intensity 8; dark grey – thought it was okay
Rosabaya de Columbia pure origin; intensity 8; pink – bitter; needs lots of sweetner
We really like our C100 expresso machine. It is easier to use than a normal cappuccino maker with the mess of espresso grounds and the hassle of the steam nozzle. The coffee is very worth the price and inconvenience of having to buy at the Nespresso website or at a Nespresso boutique. I would have liked to get the higher-end Nespresso machine that integrates the milk frother in the same unit but at $800, it was too much. The $300 C100 with the Aeroccino milk frother is a good value for the money and well worth it.
I hope this review was helpful to you and that you enjoy your espresso with Nespresso!
Terrible..waste of money
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Quantity of each cup was small and could not taste the difference in different coffee’s. Waste of money for those who really know espresso, probably fine for yuppies who can;t tell the difference.
Love it
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
After living all over world drinking great coffee’s the past 11 years I was looking for a system that would perform but, not cost a mint.
I’ve had the C100 for a few weeks and after making about 50 coffee’s with it I can say it is great.
Love this machine!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am a complete coffee addict.. and spend hundreds at stores buying lattes… this little wonder is amazing. Works straight out of the box, and comes with a few samples of coffee. The milk frother is wonderful too, the quality of the foam is coffee shop standard. All in all a fantastic, reasonably priced unit. Would definiately recommend.
A great way to wake up
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve tried many espresso makers and have been nothing short of frustrated with the mess and clean up of most. I love the pods and how easy it is to pop one in the machine and have an instant espresso. The machine is compact, easy to use, and has a sleek design. I’ve bought this machine for my work place, friends, and of course myself. I’d recommend the deep purple pods for the best morning pick me up.
Excellent!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We have had this for a week and I love it. Great coffee/expresso/cappuccino and EASY! I was leery of the pod thing, but now I see how easy they are to use.
Perfect cup of coffee every single time
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought the Nespresso C100 as an anniversary gift for my wife who is a big coffee drinker. After reading the reviews on Amazon and also trying the Nespresso in a store, I pulled the trigger. I can say that since we’ve had the item (3 months), it has been PERFECT. It makes the perfect cup of coffee or espresso, EVERY single time. Our coffee is so good that when we eat or go out, we don’t drink coffee from a restaurant, e-bar or worse Starbucks because we’ll be disappointed. You can order pods from Nespresso directly and they also offer seasonal flavors which are all incredible. You will only want to drink Nespresso coffee and espresso after you buy this machine … it’s that GREAT!
A convert to Nespresso!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I got the Nespresso C100 with the bonus Aeroccino milk frother for Christmas from my husband. I did not ask for this, however, my husband knows how much I like gadgets and had heard me complain how long it took me to make everyone cappuccinos & lattes.
We did not venture into coffee drinking until we turned 40 and our taste developed through Starbucks. Well, eventually, that is one pricey habit so we got our own Krups espresso machine. It struggled to pump out the espresso with proper crema & the whole experience just didn’t cut it. Then, we stepped up to an Italina made Saeco. This one seemed to truly keep the 15 bars in making two shots of espresso. But, when switching over to steam for the milk, you had to wait a few minutes before starting the frothing. I also had to get a stainless steal pitcher big enough for two or three and a thermometer to know when the milk was hot enough. The process of steaming & frothing the milk took between 2 to 4 minutes depending on how many I was trying to serve. However, for the great taste of a good cappuccino or latte, everyone was willing to wait. I even got my own grinder and figured the best grind for my machine. Time and clean up were the only hassel. Oh, well, good things come at a price.
Ok, so Christmas morning I unwrap this thing up and I wonder what in the world he was thinking when he bought this because I know he doesn’t exactly do a lot of research (that’s my department). He told me that to move me up to the next better level of espresso makers, the cost was over $700. This particular model is being offered with some discounts because they just came out with the same machine that has the attached Aeroccino without having two separate machines with two pug-ins, etc. I was really skeptical. How could this machine make a better espresso/cappuccino/latte than my Italian espresso machine with fresh ground coffee beans? I did not speak all my concerns out loud for fear of insulting a very thoughtful gift. For two days, I researched. I truly appreciate people who take the time to write a review (good & bad) now. I check out the whole pod issue (which also really bothered me). In the end, I decided that if 60 out of 61 reviews on Amazon were a 4 and above (over 55 were 5 star) and even European coffee lovers gave their undying pledge to this machine, I would open the box and give it a try.
Oh, my! This machine reaches 19 bars of pressure and I see the difference immediately. The coffee taste completely freshly ground. The crema is outstanding. The milk frother is devine! All the different drinks are easy to make with the quick espresso shot brewing while the frother heats the milk. It takes a fraction of the time to make coffee for myself and everyone in the house. Even my 14 year old carmel macchiato lover can fix her own. Clean up is such a breaze. After almost three weeks of use, I am happy, happy, happy! I am a convert!
The frother took a couple of times to get use to. There are two marks inside the container. The first is for frothing milk (perfect for cappuccino). The second if for the other attachment which basically will heat the milk and give you just a little froth (not cappuccino foam). You can froth milk without heating it, too. Don’t try to just add a smidge more milk to fill your “grande” cup. You will get milk overflowing everywhere! It heats up so quick that you can just pour the first batch and heat a little more in no time. It will save you a lot of cleaning. Also, I found that rinsing the milk container between drinks will save you having to clean a little harder after you are done. I made three lattes in a row without rinsing it and the bottom had a couple of areas where milk burned a little. Must be that this is where the heating elements are and what starts out as just a little milk sticking, continues to burn with the next batch and the next.
I have also ordered pods. The standard two day shipping fee is $6.95 for the entire order (minimum order is 50) so I ordered 100 pods to start. Once I discovered we enjoyed the higher level flavors (6 and up) through the samples that came in the box, I concentrated on only ordering those. They arrived in just two days. Although hesitant about the cost and club order only, the accountant in me and the coffee lover has totally reconciled the whole process.
All in all, I love it. Hope this helps if you are in the market or wondering whether to keep that surprise gift!
awesome!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
we love this machine, its like espresso machine for dummies. no fuss, no muss. push a button and delicious espresso comes out large or small. there’s a review here that categorizes the espresso pods and i have to agree…. Arpeggio is our favorite also. We have tried most of them and i think arpeggio is true to taste, no bitterness. very very tasty. the aerocino is awesome!! and we got the double walled espresso glasses to match. i highly recommend this machine to anyone, very very pleased with the purchase. and the nespresso club is very very fast at shipping. ordered the machine from amazon which is 220, nespresso sells for 349. and ordered pods from the club they both came the same day. wooohooooo!!!
pricey espresso
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This unit makes a quick, perfect espresso….of the large and small variety. It’s best to pre-heat your cup in the microwave if you prefer a very hot cuppa. The only problem is the necessity to use Nespresso coffee products. The capsules are not available for a discounted price. Your cup of very satisfying coffee will cost at least $.50 a cup. Of course you know this fact if you’ve done your homework before going in!
The unit fits well under the cabinets. It is no problem to clean and maintain. It comes with a sample assortment of tasting capsules, (caf and de-caf) so you’ll know what tastes to order. The aerator is an easy to use, separate unit, for frothing milk.
Starbucks who?
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Wow.
What an upgrade this espresso maker has given my daily coffee routine!
I ordered the Nespresso Essenza C100 with Aeroccino 2 weeks ago and installed it in my office. I’ve been addicted since that very first espresso shot, and have already converted a fellow co-worker who purchased the very same item after trying my Nespresso maker.
This espresso machine is really all you need (especially with the aeroccino). It’s very simple to use, easy to maintain, quick and doesn’t take much space. I honestly don’t know how I ever made do with Starbucks until now. Nespresso is the real deal! Rich, aromatic coffee that gives you a kick of caffiene when you need it most.
Well worth investing in.
Best and easiest espresso machine going
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Wow! I first saw this machine when I was visiting London in November. The salesperson showed me how it worked and made me the most delicious cup of espresso as I watched. I knew that I would own one soon thereafter. Being honest (isn’t that refreshing?), my salesperson advised that I NOT buy the machine in London as the electrical connections were nor right for the USA. I was fortunate enough to receive one as a holiday gift in December. It was supposed to be going to my office. It never made it. My wife will not let go of this easy to use and fast espresso machine. I now find myself needing another one for the office. In addition, the milk frother could not be better or easier to use. This whole set up is like espresso for dummies. At the risk of repeating myself, it’s quick, it’s easy, and it makes terrific espresso and lattes. It is well worth the money. Go for it!
Very good expresso and cappuccino but costs more than you might think
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have been using the Nespresso for about two months and am generally very pleased with it. One thing I probably didn’t realize before I purchased the machine is that most pods only make espresso size drinks which are less than two oz. Since I was basically a coffee and occasional cappuccino drinker, I was used to much larger drinks so generally I am using two pods for each drink which takes the cost from 55 – 62 cents to $1.10 or $1.24. These are definitely not Starbucks sized drinks. However, generally I am preferring these to coffee although the cost is definitely more than preparing regular coffee at home. The machine is very easy to use, the clean-up is simple, and the only thing I have forgotten a few times is to make sure the prior pod is emptied before making a new cup. I have started to notice that the machine is leaking more than it had been so I may have to do some more research on that. A definite recommendation for those who prefer espresso to regular coffee and don’t mind having to order the supplies from Nespresso rather than buying in a store.
Breeze to use, but tied to expensive capsules
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a good product that is addictive. I have a Rancilio Silvia espresso machine and I ashamedly am using the Nespresso as it is so much easier to use, and I can get my quick fix. The coffee tastes good but one has less control over the final product than one would have with a conventional, quality espresso maker. For example, you can’t as easily control grind of the beans, water pressure, temperature and flow rate. In addition, I have been having difficulty with the Aeroccino frother. It is essentially a magnetic stirrer with thermostatted heater. The unit is provided with two interchangeable magnets, one is a miniature “wisk” for foamed milk (cappuccinos) and the other is a simple blade stirrer for heating milk with very little foam. This is useful for making lattes. The magnets fit on a little raised mounting in the bottom of the vessel. The first magnet works like a charm, however the latter frequently falls off its mounting before the heating is completed, and I find that I have to reach into the hot milk to remount the magnet. Not a huge problem, but annoying nonetheless.
However, the main beef I have is the cost of the capsules ($0.55 each), and if you’re like me and my wife, each of us drinking 2-3 espresso drinks per day the cost can be considerable, close to $1,000 per year. Do the math — 5 per day is $2.75, or $82.50 per month. Add to this shipping cost. I am considering a new third-party product that allows one to fabricate their own pods using their own coffee.
Absolutely love it!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I received the Nespresso C100 and Aeroccino milk frother set as a Christmas gift. I love this set. The C100 makes top-quality espresso, and the milk frother quickly heats milk and makes great foam. Also, there is very little clean-up involved. I’m happy that I don’t need to go to Starbucks for a great espresso drink now. I also don’t mind paying 52 cents for an espresso pod, considering that the latte I usually ordered at Starbucks costs $3.85. Also, I ordered pods on a Tuesday afternoon, and received them the next afternoon; Nespresso seems to be a great business with fabulous customer service. Buy this set and enjoy!