Nespresso Rocks!

Well, there’s a first time for everything.

In my many years as a blogger, the last four on sites that advertise, I have never commented on one of the ads on my page. It was tempting in my former blog platform, because the ads were atrocious. I wanted to write something like: “I deplore this ad and denounce this product.” But, I knew that wouldn’t be prudent, so I held my tongue (or my fingers, to be more accurate).

Today, I’m breaking my record of ad silence. Why? Because I noticed on my Patheos blog an ad for a product of which I am a big fan. I’m letting you know about this, not so much to help out one of my advertisers, as to help out my readers. Consider this a public service announcement. (For the record, I am blogging about an ad on my site, but I do not receive any additional benefit for doing this.

The ad I’m talking about is for Nespresso. In fact, there are several Nespresso ads that appear on my blog. They aren’t always there, so I expect there is some kind of rotation of ads, in which various Nespresso versions show up at times.

What is Nespresso? It is Nestlé’s version of an espresso system. Nestlé plus espresso equals Nespresso. Clever. Much better than Esprestlé. The Nespresso system consists of trendy little machines for which you can buy little capsules of coffee. That’s not unusual, of course. But, unlike Keurig and other systems, Nespresso produces espresso, not a cup of coffee. And the espresso, I’ve got to say, is excellent. (Nespresso also has a newer coffee system.)

Now I know what many of you are thinking right now: “What! Espresso from a capsule? Are you crazy? What a sell out. The only way to make espresso is with a real espresso machine and lots of love.” Believe me, I understand. For many years I made my espresso the old fashioned way and took pride in my product. But a couple of years ago, my friend Dan told me about Nespresso. Dan likes good coffee. He’s not quite a coffee snob because he is an un-snob-like person. But Dan is a coffee connoisseur. At work, he only makes slow-pour coffee from special beans. So, the fact that he recommended Nespresso so highly prompted me to risk a hundred bucks or so to buy one of Nespresso’s least expensive machines (the Essenza).

Nespresso machines only work with special Nespresso capsules, and these are not cheap. Depending on how you buy them, they cost anywhere from 70 cents to a dollar. I get mine from the Nespresso website, in sufficient quantity that I’m in the 70 cent range. So, if you’re looking for an cheap cup of coffee, don’t bother with Nespresso. But, if you compare what you pay for an espresso drink at a coffee bar with what you pay using a Nespresso machine, the savings are significant. For me, the fact that I can make a delicious espresso drink at home with almost no bother or mess has meant that I don’t spend nearly as much money on coffee drinks at Starbucks, etc. In my case, using the Nespresso system actually saves me several hundred dollars are year, not to mention gas and time.

But I’m not a fan of Nespresso because the system saves me money. I’m a fan because the espresso produced by the system is outstanding. Nespresso offers many different flavors. I like every one I’ve tried. But, in addition to taste, the Nespresso machine consistently makes a perfect espresso, with abundant crema (the foam on the top of a well-made espresso). I’ve had one machine for two years, and every single espresso I’ve made is uniformly excellent. Period.

The second reason I’m a Nespresso fan is that you can make a fine espresso quickly with virtually no mess. Now, if you’re a coffee artisan, then you like the process, even cleaning up afterwards. I get this. In fact, when I drink regular coffee, I usually do a slow-pour with beans that I grind myself. Takes time and makes a mess. But, for me, getting an excellent espresso quickly and with no mess is a real treat

You can purchase Nespresso products from the Nespresso website, from Amazon and other online vendors, and, increasingly, from stores throughout the U.S. It used to be that dedicated Nespresso stores, called boutiques, were to be found only in Europe. But now they are in major cities throughout the country. Plus, you can often find Nespresso machines and products in department stores and the like.

So, there you go. I broke years of silence to recommend a product advertised on my website. Why? Simply stated, because. . . Nespresso rocks!