Single Serve Espresso

Favorite Espresso Cups - #1 - Bodum Pavina

2009-11-06T13:00:00Z

The Bodum Pavina is still my favorite espresso cup to enjoy everyday espressos in, with its light design and cool double wall, it lets you experience the shot of espresso in so many ways, that it elevates the experience above taste and smell. By adding in a three dimensional visual enjoyment, the espresso cups, or glasses rather, the shots come alive, as you witness the swirl of the crema being created during the the brewing and its delicate balance perched atop the espresso as you start to enjoy it. I tend to use them to share with friends while we stand around the kitchen, and enjoy a casual espresso, versus the more formal espresso cup on saucer style of sharing after dinner or at a party.

At Amazon - Bodum Pavina Double-Wall Espresso/Shot Glass

Favorite Espresso Cups - #2 - Illy

2009-11-05T13:00:00Z

Illy has the prominent collection of espresso cups around, and it's always a treat to see the new ones when they come out. On a regular basis they work with well known artists to celebrate their work in the form of a new espresso cup collection. The works are usually stunning, and are all based on the classic design that is probably one of the best known cup designs in the world.

More at Illy

Favorite Espresso Cups - #3 - Nespresso

2009-11-04T13:00:00Z

Nespresso has a simple design to their white espresso cups that mirrors their simple approach to making espresso. Put in a capsule, push a button and excellent espresso magically appears each and every time. Their designs are not simple to get such a simplified experience, and offer total eye candy in the dizzying array of beauty when they put out new machines - their most recent is the Nespresso Citiz.

For me, the Nespresso cups are a classic design with gradual sloping sides to cradle the top notch crema you get every time. The cool, contemporary spoons are a great way to finish the presentation. I use these when I entertain, and crank out a few espressos at a time after dinner.

At Nespresso

Favorite Espresso Cups - #4 - Gimme Coffee

2009-11-03T13:00:00Z

Today I am going to highlight the Gimme Coffee Espresso cup - definitely one of my favorites for its simple design and understated but bold logo. Like many espresso cups, it is not as much the cup itself, as the association of the cup with the shop. Like a pilgrimage, I return to Gimme in Ithaca whenever we visit to sample some of the best coffee in the world. The straight shots are not for beginners, and are very short, very powerful and very complex in flavor. The shops are well known in town and in NYC (and well written about in the press) for their quality approach to offering up a work of art in a cup. For me, they are the penultimate local coffee shop, it's just too bad I live a few hundred miles away.

So as much as this cup represents Gimme, it also represents the cup of your local coffee shop. Go ahead, head over to your local shop, buy some special drink ware and and support your local shop.

Favorite Espresso Cups - #5 - Lavazza

2009-11-02T13:00:03Z

This week we're going to count down favorite espresso cups. It's pretty personal to have your favorite espresso cup or coffee mug; I know that I definitely have my preferences in the cabinet every morning. I would imagine that you do too. Ones for slow mornings, ones to go, ones for company, ones that are special, and ones that break and you don't care.

Coming in at number five on my list is the Lavazza espresso cup. I love the straight sides on this, and the strong statement of the design as the sides align with the logo stripe. One can't help but imagine yourself in a cafe in Italy enjoying one of these. These are also the cups I enjoy my espresso in when I visit Caffe Vittoria in the North End of Boston, an eclectic cafe that has some old world charm, and a hopping night time feel as a destination of choice as diners pour out of the italian restaurants all over the neighborhood. It's a good mix of locals and not to add to the mix. A little pastry and an espresso to top the night off? Perfect.

Roaster Highlight: PT's Coffee Roasting Company

2009-10-21T11:36:54Z

As part of our efforts to get the word out on great coffee, I wanted to highlight one roaster from Topeka Kansas that should be on your list of places to consider buying from. Their selection is impressive, not just for the breadth, but also for its recognized quality. Not only have they assembled a collection of coffees that regularly score in the 90's for cupping ratings by Coffee Review, but also because they won Roast Magazine's Macro Roaster of the year award for 2009.

They have a single store, serving up coffee, espresso and espresso drinks, but also roast about 200,000 pounds of coffee a year for other cafes around the country. Their high quality starts by seeking out rare green coffees and micro lots of estate grown coffees from around the world.

Their signature espresso roast, La Bella Vita, came in at a 92 rating from Coffee Review, has been used at their shop for espresso for 13 years, and has won barista competitions in the past.

Check them out: PT's Coffee Roasting Company

Nespresso: Singatoba Special Edition Espresso Capsule Review

2009-10-19T10:40:00Z

Singatoba is this season's Special Club Capsule from Nespresso, hailing from the island of Sumatra. The 100% Blue Batak Arabica beans are sourced from the northern part of the island and goes through a ferment and wash type process that has it acquiring both flavor complexity and its characteristic blue hue. Nespresso seems to have gone all out here and split roasted the coffee, light roasting some portion of the blend to keep the fruity and earthy notes, while dark roasting a portion of the batch to develop the body and the strength of the espresso.
I bought some Singatoba as soon as it was available and then also received some from Nespresso along with the signature cups for this review. After drinking for the last couple of weeks, I have come to appreciate the complexity of the espresso both in simple form and in lattes also. Below you'll see the overall description from Nespresso, and they are right on with a lot of complexity and rich intensity. I saw earthy tones mixed with fruity and woody top notes in the aroma. The flavor is dark, but not burt or ashy, with a good lingering espresso base and simple but noticeable acidity. I like acidity, and count the Rosabaya as one of my favorites, where the strong acidity presents itself as an extreme brightness in the cup, dominating a lot of the show. The Singatoba, is not anywhere close to that level, but offers an acidity that keeps the flavors flowing and balanced, throughout the experience. I also drank the Singatoba in a latte several times and thought that the base notes stood up well to the milk. You lose some of the complexity, but it you want a versatile capsule, this can handle both duties.

I was brewing the Singatoba up in the Nespresso CitiZ brewer for this review, and into the Singatoba signature cups. The cups shown here were designed to reflect the coffee bean and a group of children offering protection as they encircle hand in hand. Using the classic Nespresso shape, the cups and saucers continue to be some of my favorites.

Overall, if you like darker espresso without going to the extreme, the Singatoba is a great choice. I thought that the flavor complexity was great, with aromas that I haven't seen in an espresso in a long time. I came to appreciate it most with a small amount of sugar that I thought filled out the flavor even more. These usually sell out fast, you can get them at the Nespresso Club.

At Nespresso Club

Below is Nespresso's description of this year's Special Club - Singatoba:

Special Club 2009 - Singatoba

ORIGIN Made in Indonesia from 100% Blue Batak Arabica grown around Lake Toba in northern Sumatra, Singatoba is subject to a complex treatment process which gives it a unique aromatic bouquet.

FRUITY AND WOODY This Blue Batak Arabica from Sumatra is a full-bodied espresso revealing refreshing notes of blackcurrant buds and grapefruit along with sweet notes reminiscent of licorice sticks and conifers.

Espresso 40 ml Intensity 8

Starbucks Alters Clover Plans - Is this Success?

2009-10-14T11:35:58Z

Starbucks started testing the $11,000 Clover machines a while back and then turned around and bought the company, banking on the Clover as a new way to extract wonderful taste from the coffee bean, and a few extra dollars from its patrons. The three test markets, Boston, Seattle and San Francisco have over a dozen stores in each market using the device and selling the coffee for about $2 a cup. This morning the Boston Globe reports that Starbucks is pulling the Clover from several of the Boston stores, and re-deploying them to other stores. As they do this, they must be learning which stores, what traffic levels and what demographics drive success.

More at Boston Globe

Nespresso Citiz Capsule Brewing Espresso Machine At Amazon

2009-10-07T12:05:45Z

The much anticipated Nespresso CitiZ espresso maker is starting to show up in outlets ahead of it's broad scale launch in the US. Amazon is now selling the ultra thin Nespresso CitiZ brewer for $279 in three colors: Red, White and Gray. Back in the spring we were able to take a look at the CitiZ; we thought it delivered the classic Nespresso quality shots without compromise taking up only a thin slice of the counter space here in the Single Serve Espresso kitchen.

The new Nespresso CitiZ offers:

Ultra thin profile - takes up about six inches of counter width
19 bar extraction for some of the best looking espressos around - always crema, and always great aroma.
Easy to Use for various Cup sizes - The flip up cup support allows for direct brewing into a larger mug - I use this feature when brewing directly onto ice when making iced Americanos.
Automatic Brewing - The unit offers automatic brewing at two sizes - single and double, so you get pushbutton easy brewing, and after you are down, the unit will go into an energy saving standby mode.
Capsules sold online (Nespresso.com) and at Nespresso Boutiques; I use online and get the capsules two business days later.

At Amazon the new Nespresso CitiZ Automatic Espresso Maker or the Nespresso CitiZ Automatic Espresso Maker with onboard Frother

Jura to Auction off One Pink Ena 5 Super Auto

2009-10-05T12:00:00Z

If you haven't noticed, everything is turning up pink for Breast Cancer Awareness month this month, and you too can own the only Pink Jura Capresso Ena 5 Super Auto if you are the highest bidder this month. The auction is to raise money for breast cancer awareness charities, and will close at the end of the month. So, fire up your inner espresso and go bid; maybe you'll win. At this writing the price is a cheap 345 GBP, well under its list price of over 700 GBP.

The Jura ENA 5 is the slimmest super auto out there, and certainly can bring powerful super auto capabilities to a small footprint area. When I reviewed the Ena 5, I thought that on balance it was a very good machine given its slim size.

ESE Pods on a Budget

2009-10-02T01:20:18Z

I had the chance to try out Pod Merchant's house blend pods and have to say that they are worth a try if you are looking for some pods on the cheap. The pods are sold for about $0.45 each while others are sold for upwards of $0.60 each; a pretty nice savings. I was able to try the 100% Arabica as well as the more classic "Blend" and both were true to their style with strong espresso flavor and a reasonably dark roast.

There is also a decaf. version available, as well as a "Stout" version which is seen in some other roasters where they tip the scale in favor of the Robusta making for a very strong, full bodied espresso that can really stand up when making a latte.

All four are available in a sampler too.

At Pod Merchant

Starbucks Via (Re) Launch

2009-09-30T10:11:08Z

Starbucks is finally getting some steam behind their marketing campaign to sell in the Starbucks Via instant coffee product that launched early this year. The blend of microground whole bean coffee and instant coffee has been part of a grassroots campaign across the country this year to boost its awareness and stay away from the mainstream.

Starbucks has launches a pretty major national campaign to energize the product behind a taste test challenge to get its store patrons aware of the new away from home instant coffee. The ads are setting up a national taste test at local Starbucks to see if you can taste the difference between VIa and brewed coffee. The ad is clever enough to not make any claim of taste parity, but are instead saying that "We bet you can't taste the difference". I don't know what they will be brewing, but my hunch is that yes you will taste the difference. I was not at all impressed when I used Starbucks Via earlier this year, and the readers I heard from weren't either. Clever ad campaign, disappointing product.

Starbucks App - Pay with your iPhone

2009-09-24T10:33:58Z

Starbucks has launched an iPhone App that let's you pay with your iPhone; not really, it allows you to display a bar code that acts like a pre-loaded Starbucks card allowing you to pay quickly and easily. The application only works in a handful of stores on the west coast and is definitely an experiment. You are able to re-load the "card" right from your application through a credit card.

Starbucks released another application for the iPhone that allows you to do the more mundane things, like find a local Starbucks Store, learn the nutritional value of their standard drinks, and save your favorite drinks and information.

Both are in the iTunes Store (iTunes Links)
Pay with your iPhone App
Store Finder App

Nespresso Singatoba Special Club Capsules Now Available

2009-09-14T10:35:37Z

Nespresso has released their Singatoba special Edition for the fall, and it is available now from the Nespresso Club. The special edition is make from "100% Blue Batak Arabica grown around Lake Toba in northern Sumatra." Nespresso is using a technique called split roasting from the sounds of their description to do a shorter roast on the early harvest in order to preserve the light fruity notes, while roasting more slowly and to a darker endpoint for the more mature beans in order to develop the flavor intensity and strength. With a "fruity and woody" flavor profile, the capsules sound interesting. They have an intensity rating of 8.

The Nespresso Limited Edition Singatoba cups are designed by Laurence Bost, to have a gentle dance interspersed with small highly prized coffee beans, representing a circles of children dancing hand in hand.

I already ordered mine up from the Nespresso Club store; hurry, these usually sell out.

At Nespresso Club

Jura Capresso C9 Super Auto

2009-09-09T14:34:05Z

So, if you aren't into the glam and glitz of the metallic look of the Jura Capresso S9, the subtle black look of the black Jura Capresso C9 super automatic. The C9 super-auto is still a powerful machine, offering all the functionality to get you from whole bean to espresso in short order. The 64-ounce water reservoir with integrated Clearyl cleans the water of contaminants, while the burr grinder grinds the whole beans using one of six fineness settings. The ground espresso is then tamped and extracted at 18 bars of pressure. The C9 also offers easy programmable settings to get your drink each and every time. The sidecar milk thermos holds milk cold for up to 8 hours on the countertop. A quick hit and the Jura C9 steams or froths milk right into your cup or mug. Not bad - it's what a super auto is all about.

At Amazon the Jura-Capresso 13422 Impressa C9 Super Automatic Coffee-and-Espresso Center

Breville Espresso Maker with Integrated Grind/Tamp Features

2009-09-07T13:52:43Z

Breville has a cool new machine out that grinds and tamps your espresso before you pull your shot. The unit comes with what sounds like consumer portafilters and a pro-sumer portafilter. The consumer based one offers a small pin-hole to help create enough back-pressure so that oil and water can be emulsified to create that wonderful crema. The pro-sumer portafilter has a more open mesh at the bottom and relies on a proper tamp and grind size to create the back pressure. Kindof like professional barista work on training wheels.

The unit comes ready with an 8-ounce whole bean container, a steaming wand, a water reservoir, a conical burr grinder and the ability to set the dosing to a single or double shot.

So there are are super-automatics that offer a one button operation, and there are semi-automatics that rely on you to use your own grinder or ESE Pod, and then there is this that lies innovatively in the seam between the two. I like the step up, offering you the ability to try out how to emulate the pro with various grind and tamp settings.

At Williams Sonoma - Breville Espresso Maker with Integrated Grinder

Starbucks - Pumpkin Spice Latte Starts Today

2009-09-01T10:50:43Z

It's September, the kids are going back to school, the weather has started to cool, and the sweet Pumpkin Spice latte is available at your local Starbucks. Longtime favorite for the cooler weather, the flavored latte makes its debut as we start to march through the flavored latte parade - holiday flavors are right around the corner.

Illy iperEspresso X8 Machine Deal

2009-08-25T12:32:35Z

Thought I would let you know that Illy has a deal going on right now to buy the Illy iperEspresso X8 machine for $175 (regularly $445), when you get a membership to their capsule club. The little capsule club will send you 3 cans of capsules a month (63 espresso capsules) when you are in the club. You can of course cancel your membership after the first month, and buy the capsules where ever you wish and whenever you wish. The Illy iperEspresso X8 is a pretty well constructed little capsule machine that delivers 15 bars of pressure through a stainless steel lined aluminum thermoblock heater from the 22 ounce reservoir.

The capsules come in medium roast - a smoother balanced flavor, dark roast - a certainly more robust dark roasted flavor, Decaf Medium roast and a Lungo - a medium roast long espresso that delivers two ounces for a larger cup.

At Illy - Special Offer on the iperEspresso X8

Lucaffe Espresso Cups

2009-08-13T11:32:14Z

There are a lot of great Lucaffe ESE Espresso pods to choose from, and of course you might just want to pick up a matching set of espresso glasses to serve that awesome espresso in. The Lucaffe glasses/cups are 2 ounces, and come as a paired set of cup and saucer. It's about 3 inches high and 2 inches across with gold lettering.

There is also a Cappuccino glass and a tall Latte glass.

At PodMerchant Lucaffe Espresso Cup

Brewing this Weekend: Nespresso Capsule Pure Origin Colombian Rosabya

2009-07-31T16:14:38Z

Regular readers know that I love the ease of use and general high quality quick brews that I get out of my Nespresso machines. I recently reviewed the coming Nespresso Citiz brewer which combines the power of the Nespresso brewing machine into a slim, counter saving space; I loved it.

It's going to be a hot weekend around the Single Serve Espresso kitchens, and I have the Nespresso Rosabaya lined up to enjoy - a capsule that I think is great as a single shot hot, or iced as a black iced Americano. Even great with a splash of milk. The bright flavors tend to soften a bit when you add milk, but the overall base coffee flavors remain, and it is well suited to offer a nice flavor profile that is just great chilling out in the afternoon. Hot; I love it. Hands down one of my favorites; acidic, bright, clean and flavorful.

You can order Nespresso Capsules at the Nespresso site and they will deliver them in a couple of business days.

Starbucks New Store Formats - Ripping off Neighbors?

2009-07-18T13:00:01Z

Starbucks is nothing if they are innovative, and here they go again. The purveyors off all things coffee are now re-launching a handful of stores in Seattle that will offer coffee, wine and beer along with entertainment. The store locations will shed the Starbucks name in favor of other names, including one who's name is simply their address: 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea. The store is opening within the coming week, and will be one of at least three stores to make the change which is driven by the desire to mimic the coffee shop and cafe culture of yesteryear/ pre-homogenization of the coffee shop by none other than Starbucks.

The concerns however are coming out of neighbors and competitors of the coffee giant, as Starbucks seemed to have done their research and then reapplied what they saw; so far not so bad. The copying is not so obvious until you actually mimic what is next door, which smacks of rude rip-off. I guess all is fair in love and war......

Handpresso WILD Domepod Review - Mobile Ground Espresso

2009-07-10T09:17:00Z

The Handpresso folks saw a big wave of success last year as their "Bike Pump Espresso Machine" cool gadget thing made waves as it offered a dead simple way to get high quality espresso on the go with a high pressure extraction system. There's been a bit of fun poked at it's videos showing people hiking through the woods stopping to brew some espresso, but come on, who shouldn't want a nice espresso when you are out there? There are hikes and camping trips where I drank robusta laden sludge for days wishing for a nice cup of coffee or shot of espresso.

Well SingleServeEspresso got it's hands on one of the new Handpresso Wild DomePods that is a bit of a change up from it's brother the regular "WILD" that takes the ESE Espresso pod.

Once again the Handpresso WILD Dome Pod comes boxed up like the fine piece of scientific equipment that it feels like in your hand. The pump is made of aluminum and feels like it was machined to be put into a fighter jet; precise, and solid.

A quick look at the warning tag and you know that this thing can really hold some pressure. Of course, I skipped the instruction manual, but after going back, I read through a well thought out direction set for brewing espresso in this simple machine.

The Handpresso WILD DomePod comes with two espresso holders that let you pack in your own espresso before brewing.

To brew with the Handpresso WILD DomePod, I pumped the unit up to the right pressure on the dial (the "Green Zone" which is about 16 bar), poured hot water into the reservoir, added the espresso filled espresso holder, screwed on the cap, inverted over my Bodum Pavina Shot glass, and pushed the release button. Voila - espresso.

The Handpresso Wild Dome Pod is fun and easy to use, offering a good source of decent pressure brewed espresso. Taking ground espresso on a hike or trip, or even to the office can be a pain, so I would take a small container of ground espresso with me and fill the baskets on-site. Certainly the DomePod offers a way to customize your experience, getting your favorite espresso for your trip away from home. The flavor of the espresso is not as amazing as you might get out of a countertop machine, but for the size, portability and ease of use, the quality is pretty good. I found a good tight tamp to help make a more full flavored shot.

Available at Handpresso

Fake Amazon Reviews - DeLonghi has them removed

2009-07-10T02:43:19Z

Ouch - nothing like getting caught offering what seem to be a little bit out-of-bounds opinions on Amazon reveiws. It seems that a gentleman was shopping for a DeLonghi espresso machine and found some gushing reviews on the Amazon site by a reviewer T. Carpenter of Stillwater NJ; then he noticed that this person also reviewed twelve other Delonghi products, giving them equally gushing reviews.

The Wall St Journal reports that the reviewer (Tara Carpenter) is actually an employee of the DeLonghi firm and that they have since asked Amazon to remove the reviews. While she was listed on the corporate site as the communications Manager, she is no longer listed there. According to the WSJ, she is still employed there. At this writing, she is in LinkedIn as a Communication Manager at DeLonghi. Check out Russ Taylor's blog for more details and the original report.

In the end, the problem for Ms. Carpenter is that she used her own name, because I am pretty sure that you can hire people to write reviews for you, making the obvious link back to the firm a lot harder to connect.

It seems like DeLonghi is stepping up and working to cleanse the system of these reviews. I think DeLonghi had better talk to the folks at Target to get her reviews removed from their site also; I did a quick search and found two up there; see below.

Buyer beware - those reviews may not be the trustworthy reviews that you thought they might be.

Free Mocha Mondays

2009-07-10T01:58:02Z

McDonalds is serving up sample sized Free Mochas Mondays from 7AM - 7PM for the next several weeks. The sampling event should drive some interest in the newly launched McCafe concept. The samples should generate up to 10 million free samples across the Mondays stretching from July 13th to August 3rd.

Consumers can cool off with a complimentary 7 oz. Iced Mocha or indulge in a 8 oz. Hot Mocha each Monday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at participating McDonald's restaurants from July 13 through August 3. "This is one of the largest sampling initiatives we've taken on as a company," said Neil Golden, chief marketing officer, McDonald's USA. "McCafe has already become an essential part of our customers' everyday routine, and now we are giving even more people an opportunity to enjoy a complimentary, fully-customizable McCafe Mocha morning, noon and night."

Italian Espresso Granita - It's Summertime!

2009-07-06T12:34:00Z

If you aren't getting the Handpresso newsletter you should, they are sending out some information about the Handpresso WILD, including the new Handpresso WILD Domepod; the handpump espresso machine that let's you use your own ground espresso.
This recipe is adapted from the Handpresso recipe for a great sounding Italian Granita, espresso style.
A true Italian espresso granita 4 servings Ingredients :

6 T granulated sugar
4 C freshly brewed strong espresso
1T cocoa powder
1/3 C cold water
1/3 C whipped cream

Directions : 1. In a pan, mix granulated sugar with cocoa powder and add cold water progressively. 2. Mix with a wooden spoon to get a smooth mixture. 3. Bring to a boil still whisking until the sugar is dissolved completely. Bring the temperature down and warm up during 2 minutes. 4. Remove from the heat and add the freshly brewed espresso gradually. Then pour the mixture in a dish and let it cool down a few minutes. 5. Cover with a film and place in the freezer 1 hour 30 min while scraping the mixture from time to time with a fork to create the granita texture. 6. Place the mixture back in the freezer for 2 hours. 7. Pour the espresso granita in 4 small dessert bowls, spread a layer of whipped cream. Serve immediately.
From the folks at HandPresso

Illy Love the Difference Graffitti Cans

2009-07-03T12:14:23Z

Famous for its espresso, and artist collection espresso cups, Illy has brought out a Graffiti Collection for its canned espresso that will be sure to live on after its use, or at least liven up a summer kitchen during use. The Love the Difference collection supports a foundation that brings together the diversity of cultures around the Mediterranean coast. The clear plastic sleeve that brands the coffee is quickly removed, revealing the artwork below.

ReadMore at Illy

Outpresso - Recycles your Nespresso Capsules

2009-06-29T11:19:00Z

Coming off our review this past week of the NexPod refillable plastic capsules for the Nespresso machine, reader Geoffrey turned us onto the OutPresso, a device to help press the coffee out of the Nespresso capsules and recycle the aluminum pod. Nespresso maintains a recycling program in Switzerland, but where you can't get to one, you can certainly use an Outpresso to recycle your capsules in a municipal recycling stream with other metals.

The cost is just under $30 where available at their website - they appear to ship all over.

More at Outpresso

Should Coffeehouses Roast their Own Coffee?

2009-06-28T20:21:41Z

This subject was explored this past weekend in the Seattle Times, which is a pretty good place to work the answer out. I can't say that I feel that coffeehouses have to roast their own; it's a lot of work and it's no easy task to come up to speed with a roaster while figuring out your blends and specialties of the house.

I do believe though when I have looked back at the best coffees that I have had they have all come from cafes that do roast their own either on premises or at a sister shop around town. I used to live about a block from one such coffee house and while the smell of roasting coffee is not universally loved, I saw it as a sign to head over to the shop and grab the fresh stuff the next day as they started to put it all out for sale. Still off-gassing when you opened the bins, the smell of the coffee that next day was amazing, and the freshness of course couldn't be beat.

NexPod Review - Load Your Own Nespresso Capsules

2009-06-25T12:41:00Z

NexPod is a new pod system for the Nespresso line of makers that allows you to use your own capsules with your favorite espresso coffee. You might even be able to save a little money over the ~$0.55 cost per Nespresso capsule; I paid $23 on eBay for mine that shipped from Switzerland. That puts it at about $0.28 each empty capsule. Adding up the cost of about 4-5g of coffee per capsule, that adds about a dime to the cost of each unit. These can save about $15 - $20 per box of 80 units; not bad.

It arrived in about two weeks. The box is packed with 80 plastic capsules and a bunch of paper disks, the filters the you will load into the plastic capsule.

To make the review as fair as possible, I cut into a Nespresso Ristretto capsule and poured the coffee into the NexPod, and closed it. There was some coffee left over; I didn't realize how packed the Nespresso capsules were! Rest assured, I packed as much into the NexPod as I could and only left a small amount out. The loading of the capsules is easy, but if you were to do several of these, you would want to keep them in an air tight container, as the capsules have the little holes to let the water flow in and the espresso flow out.

I had a little trouble jamming the NexPod into my Nespresso Essenza C-100 and a yet to be launched Nespresso Citiz brewer as it hung up just before getting into position. I gave it a quick tap, and the capsule fell into the bin, opening up and dumping the ground coffee all over the spend capsule bin. After being a bit more precise, I did it again, tapped it and got it into position quickly closing the lever to keep it from falling again.

Brewing gave it a good head of crema, about half of the level I usually find in the regular Ristretto, and sadly the cup was a bit weak too. I ran through a few of these, and continued to pack as tight as I could, with similar results. It's too bad, because the promise of a decent alternative is there. In the end, with the hassle of making up the pods, the somewhat weaker results and the concern over the pods not quite loading as easily as the Nespresso capsules, I have to say that these are not for me. If you are interested in getting some to pack in your favorite espresso that you just can't match at the Nespresso store, go for it. I just don't see the value in saving up to $20 across a few months' time given the trade-offs.

ReadMore at NexPod

Dunkin Run iPhone App

2009-06-23T11:32:20Z

to cover this, Dunkin Donuts has an iPhone App and online service to help you or your co-workers organize a run to the store. The service allows you to send invites via email to groups of people and allows you as the runner to get an accurate order list that you print out and hand to the Dunks guy. The application on the iPhone also gathers the order and gets it compiled for taking to the store. In fact, why not send the group the email, give then 5 minutes to get the orders in and walk out the door? By the time you walk in the store, you have the orders on your phone. Just a matter of time before Starbucks does this, only you'll be able to have swanky designs in the background and be able to tie your order to your Starbucks credit card.

at iTunes (iTunes link) or Dunkn Run (website)