Nespresso D90 Essenza Single-Serve Manual Espresso Machine

I have been using this machine for about a month now. The espressos are strong, aromatic and comparable to those produced by more expensive machines. The machine is also very easy to clean (barely requiring a rinse every now and then). As far as quality goes I'm very happy with it. A few caveats however:

Temperature: as other reviewers mentioned, they are barely warm. If you're used to sipping yours for more than a couple of minutes you'll be drinking cold coffee. In fact the low temperature my Nespresso produces is enough of an issue for me to regret my purchase. And warming the cup does about as much as you'd expect.

Variety: I think there are enough capsules in the Nespresso line to find an espresso that suits your taste but the lungos are not to be confused with full-cups. You will not be able to get even half of an average American coffee cup out of a lungo capsule without it starting to taste watered down. Therefore Nespresso isn't as versatile as it could be and if you or your guests prefer regular coffee to espresso you'll have to keep your other coffee maker.

Customer service: You will have to buy the capsules directly through the "Nespresso Club" which advertises itself as an exclusive and very attentive client service. In my experience they have been responsive but unusually impersonal and not helpful if you are dissatisfied with your machine or your casules orders. One almost gets the impression they're doing you a favor by dealing with you. Guess that's what they mean by that exclusive feeling...

Because of the above issues I would recommend comparing a few other brands and seeing whether this is really your best choice. Personally, I wouldn't buy mine again.

This review is based on my experience with the Nespresso Essenza C90, but the Nespresso Essenza D90 is quite similar, and I believe that the espresso making mechanism is exactly the same.

We all have our little passions. Over the years, I have devoted too much time, money, and study to perfecting the art of making the perfect coffee and espresso. I searched the world (and the internet) for the best beans, grinders, equipment, and even tried roasting my own beans and became able to produce better potions that one can ever find in the coffee boutiques. Still, as it turns out, my efforts were in vain. The Nespresso Essenza (and probably the other Nespresso machines similar in design) produces the perfect cup and the ease of doing so, sadly, puts my efforts to shame.

The secret seems to be in the strong pumping mechanism (19 bars of pressure, same as their more expensive machines) and their superb coffee capsules. After being such a stickler for the freshest roasted estate grown beans, I balked at the use of capsules and considered it the coffee for dummies approach. I also thought that they might be kind of similar in quality to the coffee "pods" used in the new single serve coffee machines, which range from bad (for the manufacturer and supermarket brands) to only fairly good (for the best of the gourmet, limited-edition pods at over $1 each).

Against all odds, the Nespresso pods are pure magic. I ordered new pods right away, but even the sampler pods that came with the machine were incredible, despite being past their "best before" expiration date. I'm equally mystified as to how they can have about twelve varieties and almost all be exquisite, despite noticeable differences not only in strength but in flavor. The "lungo"capsules are also fantastic (these produce 4 ounces of coffee-espresso instead of the classic 1 to 2 ounce espresso). Being partial to espresso and very dark coffee, I wasn't so impressed with the two or three pods weakest in strength, but those who like traditional American coffee might prefer them.

The Nespresso capsules completely dispelled my concern that they would be limiting compared to the use of coffee beans. It turns out that the opposite is true. Sure, there may be hundreds of different beans available, with infinite possibilities of blends and roasts, but they rarely reach the superior flavor these capsules achieve. Moreover, ordering coffee beans limits you to only one or two roasts for awhile, unless you buy a variety of green coffee beans (which last much longer than roasted beans) and roast them yourself in small quantities. With the capsules, a nice variety of espresso variations are available instantly.

Having been in the habit of ordering expensive coffee beans, I find the cost of the Nespresso capsules at $.50 each and the two-day shipping charge of only $5.95 (for any quantity) very reasonable. When buying roasted coffee beans, the shipping cost for one or two day air was much higher, and I had to reorder them every few weeks to keep fresh ones on hand. Since the Nespresso capsules stay fresh much longer, I can order a several month supply at one time.

The only criticism of the machine is that the espresso might not be quite hot enough for some aficionados. However, it is just hot enough for me, and the temperature can be raised slightly by heating the cup first.

It is amazing that I can now enjoy the best espresso almost instantly. This is truly the perfect way to enjoy espresso, even if I can no longer take credit for concocting it.

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I have bought several exact same model in France when I was living there earlier this year, and the build quality (i.e. fit and finish) are much better. The ones in Europe are made in Switzerland, and the one I recently bought on Amazon is made in China. Not sure why, but the fit and finish just didn't measure up. Otherwise the machine works great. I also would recommend getting the manual vs the automatic version. The manual model lets you control how much water you let pass thru the capsule.

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We go out to eat frequently and my husband likes to order an after dinner demitasse. This gets kind of expensive in NYC. We were skeptical about the longevity of espresso machines but figured if we got a year out of this gadget, it would be worth it. We opted for this model because it was the least expensive but were told that its pressure capacity was the same as the fancier automatic models. That was over 4 years ago and the D90 is still going strong. It makes a consistantly good cup.

The price of the capsules aren't as reasonable as they used to be: In 2005, they were 48 cents. There were two subsequent 2 cent jumps. Now I see they just went up another 3 cents to 55 cents which is a 15% increase over 4 years. The cost of shipping, IMHO, is ridiculously high. Fortunately, I was able to go Nespresso's office in Manhattan to pick up the orders. Recently,they have opened a cafe/retail store on Madison Ave, which is even more convenient. Perhaps Nespresso will open other retail stores nationwide. I hope they don't get it into their heads that they are free to raise the capsule price at will because they have a captive clientelle.

When we first got the D90, I had a few questions that were satisfactorily answered by their "Club's" tech support. But, as another reviewer indicated, their operators/salespeople do have a bit of a snooty "Euopean-ish" affect that is not really necessary.

Some tips:

1)Do warm your cup first.

2)Regular descaling is important and the kit is rather expensive, but you can get around the process by using only DISTILLED water...the coffee tastes better, too.

3) Flush the unit out (as per instructions)after every few cups.

4) Don't forget to turn the unit's power off between uses!

5) Ristretto and Arpegio are the strongest...no need to bother with the others if you like your drink strong. We like to stir a tiny bit of heavy cream in as the cup is filling...it makes a reapectable, creamy froth on top.

Since we no longer order restaurant coffee, this machine has indeed paid for itself several times over. Even when you include the nominal cost of electricty for the brewing and in our case, water distillation, it is less than 1/2 the price that they charge even in moderately priced restaurants or Starbucks.

On the other hand, if you're not a big expresso drinker, but like to entertain, have a little extra counter space and money to spend, it is a nice indulgence.

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I've had the machine for a year now, so this is not a hasty review. Nor need it be long. Having this machine is a constant source of pleasure every single morning. Plain and simple, it supplies excellent-tasting espresso for less effort than making regular coffee from a coffee machine. No grinding, not messy grounds, no waste, and essentially no cleanup. If you're like me and don't have the time, energy, or patience to be screwing around in the kitchen in the morning, a Nespresso machine is as good as it gets. Regarding cost: let's say you average one espresso drink a day like I do, it works out to about $18/mo i cannot imagine spending significantly less than that with ANY alternative coffee-making method short of Folgers. Commenting on other eomplaints: environmental waste and "Fair Trade" coffee. If discarding the equivalent of 1/13th of a soda can's worth of aluminum bothers your conscience, then after each use scrape out the coffee and recycle the pod. If you're worried about whether or not Nespresso coffee is harvested sustainably, their processes do aim at ensuring this through their own AAA Sustainable Quality

Program. Unless you're into conspiracies, then you can be confident they are at least showing some concern for sustainability. If none of it is good enough for you, then what are you doing on a computer looking at Amazon.com?? You should be living in a tent snuggling prairie dogs in your handmade hemp blanket. Hope you're having fun!