Verdict: Coffee Aficionados should buy ($150)
dolcegustostore.com
A few months back, I came across the Dolce Gusto single serve coffee maker during my research for a Nespresso machine. At the time, my intention was to purchase a Nespresso pod machine because I had heard good things about them. However, I became intrigued by the Dolce Gusto, because, unlike Nespresso which focuses on different flavors and variations of Espresso, the Dolce Gusto allows you to make a variety of different coffee drinks, hot or cold. It is worth noting that both Nespresso and Dolce Gusto are from the same parent company Nestle – you may have heard about them.
The #1 reason Dolce Gusto was more appealing to me was the choice of drinks I could make using the one machine. As of date, the capsules come in the following flavors:
- Caffe Lungo
- Cafee Lungo Decaf
- Cappuccino
- Cappuccino Ice
- Espresso
- Chococino
- Mocha
- Latte Macchiato (current favorite)
I was also attracted to the features of the machine which made it stand out from other pod machines:
The Good
- Manual control allows me to control the strength and flavor of the drink.
- Hot/Cold switch allows me to make iced cappuccino in the summer.
- The machine is itself well designed and attractive.
- Great variety of drinks and new flavors are introduced periodically.
- Machine itself as well as pods are competitively priced.
The Bad
- No filter in the water tank.
- Dolce Gusto is still relatively new to the market which is currently dominated by KCup-branded pods. Therefore, it’s harder to find the Dolce pods in store.
Usage Notes & Tips:
- You can use the machine to dispense yourself a cup of hot water to make tea! (Turn it on without inserting any pod).
If you like to experiment with your coffee and like to try new flavors, I recommend getting the Dolce Gusto over a Nespresso maker. Alternatively, you could purchase a Keurig coffee maker (KCup pods).