Finally a Decent Nespresso Substitute

[carstenb]

We have these - French press cups. put in grounds and add hot water. Has a lid to keep from spilling (actually you can lay it down on its side.)

[SwissMocha]

Some thoughts an comments on the issue....

First of all, I need my coffee in the morning. Three Espressos later I reach my operating temperature, so nothing goes before that.

Now regarding the preparation of real coffee there are two ways to do it.
Number one is a coffee machine like they use in restaurants throughout Italy (e.g. Cimbali). The basic principle is to heat the water to 90 degrees celsius and apply 9 bar of pressure and there comes the PERFECT coffee.

The other way to do it ist to take ground coffee and pour hot water over it. You can use a Melitta filter, french press, Aeropress, its all the same thing. And the coffee in comparison is mediocre at best, some call it brown water.

There are two systems reasonably good systems for convenient use, which give you a decent coffee. It means, it's closer to the real thing than the hot water solution. One is Nespresso, the other is Lavazza. Basically the same principle, you have coffee pods and the machine presses hot water through the pod. The coffee pods are very expensive and the there ist a lot of waste. But the coffee is really good.

I'm still in the worklife, so every time I go sailing I charter and then I have to live on brown water for one or two or three weeks. And as little as I enjoy to return to work, there is always my Nespresso waiting for me at home.

One day hopefully I will be able to abandon my worklife and go cruising. Either the cruising life will change my habits or I will have a Nespresso machine and a huge! stock of pods.

[StuM]

I've mentioned them before - the only thing I ever use these days after trying lots of others including Nespresso and Aeropress:

Zyliss (formerly Smart Cafe) One Cup Thermal Plunger Mug with Lid - Red - Cook Shop Plus

[phipseml]

I'm surprised why nobody mentions the Moka cup (or whatever you wanna call it): Moka Pot - The Coffee Wiki . Cheap, small so you can take on charters, no electricity only gas, very little to no washing and almost no maintenance, and in my opinion the best quality espresso you get at home, beats everything I had so far, expensive bean-to-cup machines and garbage-producing-brand-name-evilness alike.

[SwissMocha]

Originally Posted by phipseml

I'm surprised why nobody mentions the Moka cup (or whatever you wanna call it): Moka Pot - The Coffee Wiki . Cheap, small so you can take on charters, no electricity only gas, very little to no washing and almost no maintenance, and in my opinion the best quality espresso you get at home, beats everything I had so far, expensive bean-to-cup machines and garbage-producing-brand-name-evilness alike.

Ah yes, the good old Moka Pot

Back in my youth everybody had one of those, they pretty much vanished from the market since. However, you must like the taste of that brew. Technically the solution works with too much heat, which leads for my taste to bitterness. Instead of brown water you get bitter brown water.

So I would not agree, that it beats the "evil" Nespresso, but "de gustibus non est disputandum"

I agree, the Moka Pot is a handy item, can be carried along easily, should be available in different sizes, lots of advantages in terms of handling.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

The Nespresso machine is one of the most treasured items in my galley......
....... the damned capsules are ridiculously overpriced, representing about 1 cent worth of (excellent) coffee, 5 cents worth of (really excellent) packaging, and 44 cents worth of (unneeded) hype.

Dockhead, out of curiosity, I checked to see the cost of a reasonable cup using purchased ground coffee. Interestingly, it is not "about 1 cent", I am actually paying 20% more per cup than you are:

Nespresso capsules
£0.30 per cup

Illy Classic Roast Ground Coffee 250g
£6.48
(use for espresso pot or French press or Aeropress etc) gives 18 scoops per tin
£0.36 per cup (less of course, if weaker coffee made, but then you could dilute the Nespresso as well)

If second best packaged ground coffee is used, the price drops down to around that of the Nespresso capsules:
Lavazza Qualita ORO Ground Coffee 250g
£4.99
£0.28 per cup

The Nespresso capsules seem like bargain coffee for the quality and convenience you are getting. Wish we had the power for me to run one .

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Dockhead, out of curiosity, I checked to see the cost of a reasonable cup using purchased ground coffee. Interestingly, it is not "about 1 cent", I am actually paying 20% more per cup than you are:

Nespresso capsules
£0.30 per cup

Illy Classic Roast Ground Coffee 250g
£6.48
(use for espresso pot or French press or Aeropress etc) gives 18 scoops per tin
£0.36 per cup (less of course, if weaker coffee made, but then you could dilute the Nespresso as well)

If second best packaged ground coffee is used, the price drops down to around that of the Nespresso capsules:
Lavazza Qualita ORO Ground Coffee 250g
£4.99
£0.28 per cup

The Nespresso capsules seem like bargain coffee for the quality and convenience you are getting. Wish we had the power for me to run one .

WOw Lassie!

Expensive coffee you buy there. I just bought 2 packages of good quality coffee (tastes the way I want it to). 500 grams - kr. 36 (roughly £3.60) for my french press.


So twice the coffee for almost half the price? Say I get 36 spoonfuls from 500g so £0.10 per cup?

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by carstenb

WOw Lassie!

Expensive coffee you buy there. I just bought 2 packages of good quality coffee (tastes the way I want it to). 500 grams - kr. 36 (roughly £3.60) for my french press.

So twice the coffee for almost half the price? Say I get 36 spoonfuls from 500g so £0.10 per cup?

You need to compare apples with apples here and the illy and Lavazza will still be not comparable to the Nespresso capsule coffee.

I enjoy a good cup. Few other luxuries on board, so a lassie needs her indulgences .

The two brands I listed are the best packaged ground coffee I can find in Greece. Yes, there is cheaper coffee available (eg Jacobs £3.55 for 250g = £0.20 per cup), but it is not nearly as good. Nothing approaching the price you quote.

If you enjoy what you have, stock up big time before you set off from Denmark .

[Mike OReilly]

Coffee is an important part of our morning. But for me life on a sailboat is, in part, a small way I can stand against the rampant and insane consumerism. The amount of waste these disposable coffee systems create is something I can't accept. And seriously ... if you can't wait 5, 10 or 20 minutes for a good cup of coffee, then it's time to get a powerboat .

Good coffee starts with good, fresh beans. Start with crappy, dried out coffee, and you'll end up with bitter brown water. My coffee is fresh ground using my manual grinder. Then it's either a stove-top espresso maker (Moka pot, apparently) or a french press. It's always worth the wait.

[Ex-Calif]

When did life get so complicated?

I started coffee drinking with a good old fashioned percolator. Milk came in bottles with a foil lid and the first inch or so was cream. We'd fight as kids to see who got the first pour in thier coffee.

You added suger to black and stirred. Then the cream was laid on top and you drank the black stuff through the cream.

If you didn't like the cholesteral of the cream you had an alternate milk choice, buttermilk - LOL...

Of course this was before whole milk was deamed a dangerous substance....

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

When did life get so complicated?

I started coffee drinking with a good old fashioned percolator. Milk came in bottles with a foil lid and the first inch or so was cream. We'd fight as kids to see who got the first pour in thier coffee.

You added suger to black and stirred. Then the cream was laid on top and you drank the black stuff through the cream.

If you didn't like the cholesteral of the cream you had an alternate milk choice, buttermilk - LOL...

Of course this was before whole milk was deamed a dangerous substance....

Percolator coffee?????????

Oh dear - sorry to each his(her in these politically correct times) own, but perc coffee is an abomination IMHO

[Normanby]

I have 6 Stove-Top espresso units (Moka Pot to Nth Merkins, apparently) of varying sizes and metals. The stainless one tastes best.
No disposable trash ('cept the spent grounds), Metho for heat, 4 minutes and I'm drinking it.
If you've used one and found the coffee bitter, you packed too much coffee in there or didn't filter your water. More grounds in the cup does not make for a stronger coffee, it just makes it bitter.
Coffee snobs of the World UNITE!


Matt
Compass 28

[Seaworthy Lass]

I have been staying out of the discussion, as I haven't had much to say on the topic of Nespresso pods, but as a coffee lover I finally can't resist putting in my two cents .

I am on a constant quest to improve the coffee on board. Freshly roasted beans are hard to beat. A Japanese Hario hand operated ceramic coffee grinder is the best I have come across and it is inexpensive and small. Good beans are difficult to source in Greece though, so at the moment it is lying idle .

Originally Posted by phipseml

I'm surprised why nobody mentions the Moka cup (or whatever you wanna call it):
......Cheap, small so you can take on charters, no electricity only gas, very little to no washing and almost no maintenance, and in my opinion the best quality espresso you get at home, beats everything I had so far, expensive bean-to-cup machines and garbage-producing-brand-name-evilness alike.

Moka pots are good. When I bought an aluminium Bialetta moka pot on a Sicilian's recommendation, it quickly substituted my French press. A stainless steel version (a work of art and pleasure to handle) replaced this. The coffee from these moka pots is more intense in flavour than that from a French press, but slightly more bitter. The key to reducing the bitterness is not to pack the grounds down and to remove the pot from the heat before the last bit of water had come through. If you leave it until it is hissing, the coffee is so bitter I would term it undrinkable.

The Aeropress I purchased early this year has replaced the moka pot. Zero bitterness and wonderful flavour. Great for making coffee for just the two of us, but slow when guests are on board. No crema, but it would be interesting to compare the flavour to a Nespresso cup. Without having the two side by side I really can't tell it is much worse.
Edited to add: don't use boiling water in the Aeropress, about 85 degrees is optimal

The coffee used makes a huge difference. Freshly ground beans from Greek groceries are revolting. Packaged ground coffee is preferable here. I find illy the nicest, but Lavazza Ora runs a very close second (probably not worth paying 30% more for the former, but it is a relatively small cost). Jacobs is a long way behind.

Originally Posted by SwissMocha

Now regarding the preparation of real coffee there are two ways to do it.
Number one is a coffee machine like they use in restaurants throughout Italy (e.g. Cimbali). The basic principle is to heat the water to 90 degrees celsius and apply 9 bar of pressure and there comes the PERFECT coffee.

The other way to do it ist to take ground coffee and pour hot water over it. You can use a Melitta filter, french press, Aeropress, its all the same thing. And the coffee in comparison is mediocre at best, some call it brown water.

Nothing quite replaces a "proper" machine, but the Aeropress gives a fine cup if reasonable coffee is used. The term "brown water" should be reserved for instant coffee .

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

When did life get so complicated?
......Milk came in bottles with a foil lid and the first inch or so was cream. We'd fight as kids to see who got the first pour in thier coffee.

Ah, I am showing my age here, but I remember the milkman on his horse and cart and the cream on the top of the bottles . I was too young for coffee then though.

[montenido]

Hi folks. At home I have one of the "super espresso" machines made by Cappresso. I bought it factory reconditioned for over $1000 about 6 years ago. Drinking my morning lattes everyday it paid for itself fairly fast by letting me pass by Starbucks while driving to work. It does take up a bit of room, but it works so well that we miss it when we are away from home. Beans in the top, add water, and you are good to go. (I cheat on the lattes by microwaving the milk.)

Onboard, I have been using a stove top percolator. I know, it is old tech and maybe bitter, but it works well every morning, and it is almost bullet proof. (it has sailed across the cabin once or twice underway. Man, what a mess).

I want to try those French-press mugs, looks like a great idea. As for the capsule machines, they just don't seem to be cost-efficient to me.

Enjoying my microwave latte as I write this .

Cheers, Bill

[witzgall]

++++1

Cleaning the aeropress of grounds takes a few seconds and very little water. They make great coffee, or espresso if that is your wish. The secret to either is finely ground coffee.

Chris

Originally Posted by travellerw

One word.. Aeropress..... Yes you have to mess with grounds but I can have a cup of awesome coffee ready in about a minute and a half.

You can use any coffee, it uses no electricity and cleanup is a cinch. The grounds a filters (just paper) can go overboard.

I used to be a Tassimo person but the Aeropress is almost as fast and tastes way better..

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