Review: Caffè Americano capsules for Nescafé Dolce Gusto

It had never dawned on us that we reviewed the Nescafé Dolce Gusto system a while back but had completely forgotten to follow-up with reviews of the individual capsules which were available for it. Well readers, rest assured that glaring omission has now been resolved starting with this very review. From its quirky "alien duck thingy" looks to its professional quality 15-bar pressure (which produces incredibly rich, frothy drinks) to its fully manual controls & 100% no-mess cleanup... we love just about everything on this machine and we love the variety of its coffee capsules even more.

We decided to start with the most basic of all capsules, Nescafé's Caffè Americano, which is actually a recent addition to the lineup as it appeared online & in stores only within the past several months. A quick gander at Wikipedia reveals that an Americano is "a style of coffee prepared by adding hot water to espresso, giving a similar strength but different flavor from regular drip coffee". We didn't have any of the cool Nescafé color-coded mugs seen on the packaging and certainly wouldn't mind if the kind folks at Nescafé would send a few our way the next time they have an overstock *cough*. So, all shameless begging aside, pardon us for using a plain 12oz glass mug instead. We decided to limit the amount of water to approx. 8 or 10oz as to not dilute the coffee too much.

Continue reading: "Review: Caffè Americano capsules for Nescafé Dolce Gusto"

Jay Brewer at Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This |

Nescafe Dolce Gusto Caffe Americano Coffee Capsules

Packed in a 3 count box pack, these smart capsules make a perfect Americano using the Nescafe Dolce Gusto machine. We love a good Cafe Americanano, and can't wait to try these for the Nescafe Dolce Gusto. Has anyone else tried them?

At Nescafe Dolce Gusto Caffe Americano

Jay Brewer at Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This |

Nescafe Dolce Gusto Single Serve Coffee Machine - Round and Funky

We're still very much in love with our Nescafe Dolce Gusto machine here at single serve coffee (read our review of the Dolce Gusto here). Each week we fire it up and have what we would like to think is a nearly perfect latte or other hot beverage. The thing about the Dolce Gusto is - it just feels different, and makes a great cup of single serve coffee. Operating it is easy - as the capsules come packed with a milk and coffee option in one box, and it has a variety of flavors to keep you interested. It should be an interesting 2010 for the Dolce Gusto, with more flavors available hopefully in the new year.

• Single-serve brewing system for gourmet coffee drinks
• Uses coffee capsules; no messy grinding or clean up
• Removable 51-ounce water tank; removable drip tray
• 15-bar pump; custom-control lever adjusts the strength
• Measures 8-2/5 by 12-2/5 by 13 inches

At Nescafe Dolce Gusto Single Serve Coffee Machine

Jay Brewer at Permalink | Comments (1) | Email This |

Dolce Gusto Single Serve Coffee Maker Redesigned

There's a completely redesigned Dolce Gusto in town, but it's in a town in Europe. Single Serve Coffee reader Cliff wrote in about this crazy post over at Fubiz (a french site) about the new Dolce Gusto single serve coffee maker design. We love our original Dolce Gusto (read our full review here), and we look forward to this alien like cousin to visit our kitchen soon. No word on North American pricing and availability, but click on through to Fubiz for a video of the Dolce Gusto redesign as well.

At Fubiz™

Jay Brewer at Permalink | Comments (3) | Email This |

Nescafe Dolce Gusto Mocha Capsules - Chocolate Coffee Goodness

You can now make rich dark hot chocolate Mocha beverages with your Dolce Gusto singe serve coffee maker. Packed in a 16 count box, you get 8 milk and 8 hot chocolate capsules to make your mochas from. The Hot Chocolate capsule actually has a bit of coffee packed in, and the Mocha Dolce Gusto capsules will work in any Dolce Gusto single serve coffee maker.

At Dolce Gusto Mocha Capsules

Jay Brewer at Permalink | Comments (1) | Email This |

Thoughts About the Nescafe Dolce Gusto Single Serve Coffee Maker

We've been thinking a great deal about the Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto machine as of late. It's one of our favorite single serve coffee machines from last year after we spent many weeks reviewing it, and lately we've had a resurgence in use in the Single Serve Coffee test kitchen. We love how easy it is to use, and how many different types of drinks it can make. One of the key features is milk based drinks like lattes and cappuccinos - and they're both really tasty. If you haven't had a chance to read our review - check it out here. The other main draw is how different it looks on your countertop - just different.

Key Features include:

• 15-bar pressure system (similar to coffeehouse machines)
• Custom Control Lever, combined with airtight capsules, makes for very fresh and perfectly extracted espresso and coffees
• KRUPS® Thermoblock technology heats the water in less than one minute
• All smart coffee capsules feature only 100% Arabica roast and ground coffee
• Stylish and sleek design that will stand out on any kitchen counter
• Drip Tray - Height adjustable with stainless steel cover for any size cups and glasses (Dishwasher Safe)
• Capsule Bin - Non-Dishwasher Safe
• Capsule Holder - Dishwasher Safe
• Capacity of the removable water tank - 0.4 Gallons (51 fl.oz.) (Non-Dishwasher Safe)
• Boiler - Aluminum Thermoblock, no pre-heating, no waiting

At Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto and read our review...

Jay Brewer at Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This |

Nescafe Dolce Gusto Single Serve Coffee Machines - 3 Colors to Choose From

We've been a big fan of the Nescafe Dolce Gusto since we heard about it, and also after reviewing it. We just noticed that all 3 colors of the single serve coffee machine are shipping - Creme, Red, and Black. We think the creme is fitting for a machine that makes amazing lattes and cappuccinos. All three colors have the same set of features, and work with all the coffee capsules available.

At Nescafe Dolce Gusto Single Serve Coffee Machines, Dolce Direct, and Dolce-Gusto

Jay Brewer at Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This |

Nescafe Dolce Gusto and Bosch Tassimo Comparison - Which One is Right for You?

The Nescafe Dolce Gusto (read our full review) or
the Bosch Tassimo Hot Beverage System (read our full review)?
Which one is right for you?

We are currently getting a large number of write ins asking which machine we prefer - the Nescafe Dolce Gusto (read our full review) or the Bosch Tassimo Hot Beverage System (read our full review). We really like both machines, but do understand why some single serve coffee shoppers might be considering one over the other.

The big factor for choosing one machine over the other for most people writing in is price. Both machines are in similar price range - the Bosch Tassimo Hot Beverage System is $139.99 and the Nescafe Dolce Gusto is $169.99, and we can understand why this could be a big factor. The price per single serve coffee cup is also similar, with both machines at the $.50 for a single cup of coffee and the milk based drinks coming in at about $1.00.

As we stated above price is usually a big factor, but we always go on taste and coffee preference. Both machines make very tasty cups of almost all of the hot beverages you would want in a multi-hot beverage system.

The Bosch Tassimo Hot Beverage System can make a large range of drinks including the following:

• coffee, tea, espresso, lattes, cappuccinos, and hot chocolate.

The Nescafe Dolce Gusto can also make a large variety of drinks including the following:

• lungo coffee (larger cup of espresso based coffee), espresso, lattes, cappuccinos, and hot chocolate (iced drinks as well)

The big number to think about is also the total number of drinks available. The Nescafe Dolce Gusto has 8 different types of smart capsules you can purchase for it all under the Nescafe coffee brand. The Bosch Tassimo Hot Beverage System has 40+ coffees, teas, and other drinks it can make including coffee from well known brands such as Starbuck's Coffee and Seattle's Best. So if you just picked on the number of drinks the Tassimo is clearly going to give you more choice, but we also always pick on flavor as well.

Continue reading: "Nescafe Dolce Gusto and Bosch Tassimo Comparison - Which One is Right for You?"

Jay Brewer at Permalink | Comments (12) | Email This |

Review: Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto Single Serve Coffee Maker

There's a new single serve coffee coffee and hot beverage system in town - the Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto. This amazing machine not only makes a perfect cup of single serve coffee, it can also make lattes, cappuccinos, shots of espresso, chococinos (hot chocolate), and even iced cappuccinos. And not only does it make an amazing range of drinks, this is one of the first single serve coffee makers to have a "round water reservoir", and to also look truly different than any other single serve coffee maker we've seen. The unique styling puts it on a path of it's own, and it's no wonder the design is so different.

Nescafe has teamed up with Krups and Nespresso to make this machine. You can see touches of Nespresso innovation, along with truly wonderful design choices from Krups. We also had the opportunity to test both the European and the recently launched US Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto that is now in stores in the US. The differences in the two machines show a revolution in thought on how to make the Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto a nearly perfect single serve coffee maker, from an already successful machine designed for Europe.

Continue reading: "Review: Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto Single Serve Coffee Maker"

Jay Brewer at Permalink | Comments (43) | Email This |

Unboxing the Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto Single Serve Coffee Maker

We've been using the US version of the Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto over the past few weeks, and we have to say we're really impressed. Impressed enough to share just about every step we've had with this single serve coffee maker. One thing to note is Nescafe is owned by Nestle, which in turns is part of or shares in some business with Nespresso. So, you can really feel some of those influences in the Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto, from the box, to the materials, and to the coffee this machine produces.

Update: Read our review of the Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto Single Serve Coffee Machine

Right away you can see the Nespresso influence - beautifully
designed instructions, and the brown box filled with something interesting.

Continue reading: "Unboxing the Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto Single Serve Coffee Maker"

Jay Brewer at Permalink | Comments (5) | Email This |

Final US Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto Arrives for Review

We've been using the European version of the Nescafe Dolce Gusto for the past month, and we're pleased to announce the final US version of this amazing single serve coffee maker has arrived for review. What are differences between the US and European version? One thing is the smart capsule chamber which is now contained in the brew head, and of course the power switch location. Another key difference is the US version comes with a set of coffee, lattes, and other goodness.

Update: Read our review of the Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto Single Serve Coffee Machine

We'll have our full thoughts and review very soon.

For full features visit our earlier article on the Nescafe Dolce Gusto.

Jay Brewer at Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This |

Nescafe Dolce Gusto - Making a Latte or Cappuccino

As we test the European version of the Nescafe Dolce Gusto machine, we're going to pass along our thoughts and impressions on the different drinks this hot beverage and single serve coffee system can deliver. We recently featured the "Lungo" or larger cup of coffee and now we're going to give you our thoughts on lattes and cappuccinos.

Update: Read our review of the Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto Single Serve Coffee Machine

The process if very similar to making a latte or cappuccino with a standard espresso machine or a Tassimo is you have one. The lattes come packed with both a milk Smart Capsule and an Espresso Smart Capsule. The different pressure and preparation happens within the Smart Capsule. First you can either add your shot of espresso or if you are more latte focused we like to do our milk first and then espresso. Whatever your method the results will be worth it using the Nescafe Dolce Gusto.

We really like the milk even though it's powder based. We think the quality is hard to tell apart from a milk based prep, and the overall flavor of the latte and cappuccino is excellent. The mouth feel of both beverages is also very good.

We'll have more thoughts and impressions as we do more testing on the Nescafe Dolce Gusto so stay tuned.

Jay Brewer at Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This |

Nescafe Dolce Gusto - Making a Lungo

As we're testing the Nescafe Dolce Gusto, we thought we'd share making a lungo cup of coffee with this new machine. The Dolce Gusto featured in the video is the European version of the Dolce Gusto - the US version will have a different puncture mechanism to pierce the Smart Capsule all contained in the brew head. The Dolce Gusto heats very quickly, and you can see the resulting lungo cup of single serve coffee is very "Nespresso" like - with a high quality crema on top.

Update: Read our review of the Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto Single Serve Coffee Machine

You can get all the specifics of the US version in our earlier article.

Jay Brewer at Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This |

NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto Arrives for Review

We've received the European version of the NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto to review here at Single Serve Coffee. We'll receive the US version of the NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto soon as well. Just looking at the pictures of the US version compared to the European version, it looks like the location of the power switch is in front and towards the middle of the water reservoir on the US Dolce Gusto - a nice improvement. We'll note the differences as we find out more, and for now - we're going to sit back and make a Caffé Lungo or two with our NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto, or perhaps even an iced Cappuccino. NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto single serve coffee, espresso, and hot beverage maker details are below.

Update: Read our review of the Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto Single Serve Coffee Machine

PRICE

• Machine: $169.99 MSRP
• Includes free starter kit: white cappuccino cup and saucer set; tall latte macchiato glass; variety pack of drink flavors and a helpful guide containing recipe cards and instructions
• Capsules: $8.49 MSRP (single flavor, 16 capsules pack)

BEVERAGE VARIETIES

• Caffé Lungo (Dark Roast, Mild and Decaf): black coffee capsule (4 oz. drink); 100% roast and ground Arabica coffee -
• Espresso: black coffee capsule (2 oz. drink); 100% roast and ground Arabica coffee
• Café Mocha: white milk capsule and black coffee capsule (8 oz. drink); 100% roast and - ground Arabica coffee, delicious chocolate, whole milk powder and sugar
• Cappuccino: white milk capsule and black coffee capsule (8 oz. drink); 100% roast and ground Arabica coffee, whole milk powder and sugar
• Chococino®: white milk capsule and black chocolate capsule (7 oz drink); Hot Chocolate, whole milk powder and sugar
• Iced Cappuccino: white milk capsule and black coffee capsule (8 oz. drink); 100% roast and ground Arabica coffee, whole milk powder and sugar - just add ice!
• Latte Macchiato: white milk capsule and black coffee capsule (8 oz. drink); 100% roast and ground Arabica coffee, whole milk powder and sugar

MACHINE SPECIFICATIONS

• Pressure: 15 bars static pressure
• Weight: 6.61 lbs.
• Water tank: .34 gallons
• Heating: Stainless steel heater/water interface
• Available in three colors: red, black and white

ACCESSORIES

• Cups, saucers, glasses and spoons available though the NESCAFÉ® Dolce GustoTM Online

Available at Dolce-Gusto.us

Jay Brewer at Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This |