I Tried Every Nespresso Pod
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- čas přidán 25. 06. 2024
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I wanted to see how much variety there is between the Nespresso pods out there so I sat down for a tasting of each of the 36 kinds available in the UK store.
0:00 Intro: why? Pros, cons, and overview
01:58 Espresso Series
05:25 Single Origin series
11:02 Reviving Origin series
13:49 World Exploration series
19:34 Squarespace information & offer
20:24 Ispirazione Italiana series
27:41 Limited Edition series
30:08 Barista Creation flavour series
32:25 Conclusions
Links:
Patreon: / jameshoffmann
Limited Edition Merch: www.tenshundredsthousands.com
My Books:
The World Atlas of Coffee: geni.us/atlasofcoffee
The World Atlas of Coffee Audiobook: bit.ly/worldatlasofcoffeeaudio
The Best of Jimseven: geni.us/bestofjimseven
Find me here:
Instagram: / jimseven
Twitter: / jimseven
Things I use and like:
My video kit: kit.co/jimseven/video-making-...
My current studio coffee kit: kit.co/jimseven/studio-coffee...
My glasses: bit.ly/boldlondon
My hair product of choice: geni.us/forthehair - Zábava
![Eminem - Houdini [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/22tVWwmTie8/mqdefault.jpg)
This should be titled "34 minutes of James Hoffman roasting coffee"
Ha. Nice.
I lol'd
Perfection.
He’s not roasting it’s prepackaged garbage espresoooh I see what you did there
lmfao
TL;DW: His three favorites were Ethiopia, Colombia, and Tokyo. Honorable mention to Ristretto Decaf, which was surprisingly better than regular Ristretto. Zimbabwe and Shanghai had some complexity and were interesting, but he didn’t really like them. Most either didn’t have much character (not offensive, but boring) or were overly roasty and bitter. His three least favorites were probably India, Palermo, and Cocoa Truffle.
Edit: This was meant to help those who don’t have time to watch the video, but want to know the results. I’m not implying that the video is too long or that you shouldn’t watch it. It’s absolutely worth a watch to see his reactions and rants if you have time.
Thank you!
Colombia*
Thank you
You forgot to mention cereal!
Here “👑” you dropped your crown king.
Respect for speaking honestly about how evil Nestlé is right at the beginning.
@@Crashawsomethey probably threw a shit ton of money at him, can’t blame him
Had to give this comment a like to make the number say Nestlé. I mean 666.
nestle did nothing wrong
@@wjsjswjsjs4264 In the 1970's Nestle pushed baby formula in third world countries, telling mother's it would make their babies healthier and stronger. Once their breast milk dried up, the mother's were stuck feeding expensive formulas to them. In many cases they didn't have clean water sources and babies got sick or died. This was a very evil way to increase their sales abroad.
@@wjsjswjsjs4264 you know nothing John Snow
would have loved if he'd combined all the excess coffee in one big bowl and reviewed THAT
That was probably how they made that last pod ;)
The review for that one would probably just be that it tastes like cereal. :P
let me guess... cereal, burnt, woody, rubber tasting Robusta-dominant overextracted old school coffee
I hope Safiya Nygard does something like that, a frankencoffee!
@@krissp8712 haha yes, I totally thought of Safiya with this comment too! Frankencoffee 🤣
Timestamps for my fellow coffee/Hoffman addicts:
ESPRESSO
2:01 - Cosi
2:29 - Chiaro
3:03 - Capriccio
3:34 - Volluto
4:00 - Volluto (decaf)
4:25 - Corto
5:02 - Scuro
SINGLE ORIGIN
5:28 - Nicaragua
6:11 - Indonesia
6:49 - Ethiopia
7:42 - Colombia
8:31 - India
9:41 - La Cumplida
REVIVING ORIGINS
11:02 - DRC
11:55 - Zimbabwe
13:09 - Uganda
WORLD EXPLORATION SERIES
14:19 - Cape Town Envivo Lungo
15:09 - Tokyo Vivalto Lungo
16:03 - Shanghai Lungo
17:02 - Stockholm Fortissio Lungo
17:42 - Vienna Linizio Lungo
18:25 - Buenas Aires Lungo
ISPIRAZIONE ITALIANA SERIES
20:52 - Venezia
21:32 - Firenze Arpeggio
22:31 - Napoli
23:40 - Roma
24:17 - Palermo
25:35 - Genova
26:05 - Ristretto
26:49 - Ristretto (decaf)
LIMITED EDITION
27:41 - Novecento
28:34 - Millennio
BARISTA CREATION FLAVOURS
30:08 - Vanilla Eclair
30:50 - Caramel Crème Brulée
31:24 - Cocoa Truffle
32:25 - Conclusion
True hero commenter
Thank you for your selfless act!
this community is fucking amazing. Thank you
Thank you!!
+++
James: “I’m worried I might say good things about a horrible company”
Me, 30 minutes later: “oh you needn’t have worried, mate”
I love this video because although it looks proffesional it gives me vibe of "your friend visited you and is roasting (hehe, get it?) your coffe machine but it's so eloquent you let him pass" and i absolutely love it
I barely drink coffee. But watching James just makes me want to try various coffees.
He's not good to watch as a coffee drinker. Coffee you've enjoyed for years suddenly tastes bad. You use the same cup, the same press, the same spoonfuls, but the damn thing tastes bad all of a sudden because you get it in your head that there is a guy out there doing everything right that you are doing wrong.
I've spent $600 the past week trying to correct this
@@drowningin I mean it depends how frugal (cheap) you are. After a year I spent 60$ to improve my experience and try a french press and hand grind instead of just using my extremely old drip coffee maker to death. It's an improvement! I don't really feel the need to do better, might try some different beans I guess, but not motivated til my current cheap coffee runs out. But, I appreicate that cheap coffee more because of him. XD
Well. Not really nespresso after this.
@@drowningin you are a consumer bro
On no sports days I drink more coffee than anything else 💟
"Boss, should we rinse out these cereal vats before we process the coffee?"
"Nah, it'll be fine"
They're marketting to coffee idiots,
Coffee idiots would really enjoy a distinct cereal flavour,
Then tell all their friends how awesome the new Nespresso thing is, and that normal coffee is just shitty...
@@phs125 Not at all Coffee Idiots, as long as they have a coffee they enjoy they are winning over everyone else not enjoying it as much as they are.
why did i hear that in @The Drinker's voice?
@@reubenl3973 fancy runnin into such a cultured person here
@@damndave3237 that's all i've got.
I really appreciate you acknowledging the fact that Nestle is a horrible company right at the beginning, James! Cudos.
Yep, a great f*** you Nestle from Denmark too! :)
Nestle is a massive company, and summarising it lasily as "horrible" is just ridiculous.
@@gemsandlasers269 It's even lazier to ignore everything Nestle has done as a global company.
@@gemsandlasers269 Luckily random folk on the internet don't owe you their effort. Fuck Nestle.
@@gemsandlasers269 nestle is a massive company BECAUSE of the horrible shit they do and have done. which ill remind you includes literal child slavery and causing the deaths of more than 1.5 million babies. maybe dont die on this hill.
I live in York County, Pennsylvania, USA, one of our native sons is Bob Hoffman of YORK BARBELL fame. I remember, decades ago, he was featured in our local newspaper and he mentioned that he only drank coffee once in his life, in the trenches of WWI, and I thought, no wonder he never drank it again, it most likely tasted like swill.
Pennsylvania represent, from up here in Hershey.
It's really strange you mentioned Ethiopean single origin being a great gateway into more complex coffees. I used to drink a lot of nespresso, and I once just randomly tried an Ethiopean single origin at a cafe here in Melbourne and it's opened my eyes to a wider world of taste.
same, my first GOOD coffee was Ethiopian origin single farm in a cafe
the Ethiopian pod is amazing!
I'm a bit sad that they do so many pods, but I really have to look out for the good ones.
Most of them are mediocre, drinkable but not likeable in my view. And when I look what they apparently sell well, I wonder about the tastebuds of my fellow citizens.
@@peteshulver9221 I live in Toronto and now need to try this from Demello! Thanks for the recco.
I think one thing that is missing here is the use cases. As an “espresso” maker, it certainly is fair to taste them as such and have opinions on taste. It’s never going to be as good as a properly pulled espresso shot with great coffee. But, there is also the consideration of cappuccino and latte drinkers for whom the capsule in combination with the milk is the tasting standard. Obviously, the better the coffee, the better the cappuccino or latte. But, combining the extreme convenience with a “reasonable” shot for a cappuccino is still compelling. I have all manner of coffee makers and like my mocha pot and French press, etc. However, when you’re up at 6am and need to be out the door at 6:30 or 7:00, it’s very hard to think about anything longer in process without spending a fortune at a coffee shop on the way to work.
So he was right then
Didn't think we'd be getting a horror-themed episode for Halloween, but here we are. Thanks James!
It's a cereal killer movie!
@@gvigary1 such an undervoted comment 😂
It is Halloween for James right?
@@gvigary1 hahah underrated comment!
Lol
15:00
I can confirm we are indeed "sophisticated and naturally sweet", and it's about time someone appreciated us for that 😂😂
UwU
@@johnmalin4933 Siiiiiimmmpp!
Holy shit, that is so funny that they not only make bad tasting code, but such a stupid mistakes on their product boxes
@@ShiftLockRU Always taste test your own code after writing it
Should I tell my gf that she is sweet and sophisticated? Wwwww
As he drank more and more espressos his speech got faster😂 very informative and entertaining video, thank you!
In the conclusion section, it would be nice to see a final list of all pods ranged by complexity! (for those who somehow still want to order Nespresso pods).
That would be interesting to see
James Hoffman's most favorite: Ethiopia, Colombia, Zimbabwe, Tokyo Vivlato Lungo, Shanghai Lungo
James Hoffman's most disliked: Palermo and Cocoa Truffle
Well that's every nespresso capsule for the ORIGINAL size you could buy... time for round 2 with the Vertuo Plus capsules! Completely different flavours ;)
your a sick sick man Evan
James' Vertuo video is one of his funniest.
He's already talked about the machine and how he's not a huge fan of the type of drink it makes though. But what about the other original Nespresso - Nespresso Pro which is only for businesses, with the round UFO pods?
I have a Vertuo Plus and there are some ok coffees in the range. Great for a quick faff free coffee. I also have a Sage Barista Express which I love.
You master torturer you 😃
This is probably the only man who can roast coffee by saying "it tastes like coffee" so eloquently and yet simplisticly.
lol, "roast" :D
as James repeatedly mentioned, the problem here was _too much_ roasting!
and yet I know exactly what he means when he says that.
It's amazing how such an offensive company can make such inoffensive coffee.
@@riffraffselbow That's usually how cheap coffees will cover up their bad flavors. Scorch it until all you taste is the roast and a hint of what it could be. Lol
You, sir, belong to the rare few people on the Internet with a form of influence that is very transparent and carries genuine passion and friendliness instead of being a biased salesman. Subscribed! Please continue doing what you do!
My previous job used to have a Nespresso machine and those flavoured coffees were my guilty pleasure.
I’m gonna start introducing myself as a “sophisticated and naturally sweet” coffee lover from Japan…😂
I guess I'll go by "Velvety, thick and pleasantly bitter" coffee lover from Italy then
damn Im "moldy and a dishonor for humanbeing", I do like chocolate flavor...
Breed?
All that money on marketing, yet no one to QC the grammar that will be printed on tens of thousands of boxes. It's always very interesting to me where multi billion dollar companies choose to cut corners.
James the end of this video, “why is everything vibrating??”
Freight not! He spits it out and will live to see another day
@@bobert6644 You still absorb coffein in your mouth.
@@HDBenni minute amount relative to the whole shot of course
🤣
"I CAN SEE SOUNDS!"
As a Nespresso drinker I really appreciate this video more than you can imagine. I find most reviews are incredibly biased and overhyped. As a disabled person I need a way to get my caffeine fast & without much thought, especially in the morning when my pain is quite high. That’s why I’m with Nespresso, there’s much better coffee out there, but it does make my life more manageable. Nespresso feels more like medicine to get my body going. It’s the hidden small coffee shop gems around the city I go occasionally to truly savour a really coffee. But after watching some of your other series I may try to replicate that at home on my good days.
Anyway I think Nespresso needs more unbiased reviews like these out there. Their machines do meet a need but I think we as a society are forgetting what god coffee is. And I don’t think you have to worry about it promoting them in a positive light 😅. Would you consider reviewing their vertuo or limited edition pods?
Thanks for another fantastic video!
For what it's worth my roommate had a keurig-like machine and reusable k-cups that he'd fill with his favorite ground coffee. The should be about as easy to use as Nespresso, cheaper, and it lets you choose what kind of roast to brew.
Well said, in same position, and I was even a barista long ago in college. Coffee is great for pain relief. Best to you, friend.
I've seen heaps of videos criticizing these pods. I've only seen negative reviews. I was starting to think noone liked them
@@lulumoon6942 Seriously? I just got an espresso machine, I'm going to experiment. What about decaf? Is it the caffeine helping the pain or something else,? Hope you are right!
@@suew4609 from my experience and to my knowledge (take it as a grain of salt as i am not a doctor, only a person with chronic pain who has interacted with many) but moderate amounts of caffeine typically potentiate the effects of pain relieving drugs and NSAIDs. however if you suffer from chronic headaches you would want to limit your caffeine intake as stimulants like caffeine are known to cause headaches in high amounts and in some people moderate amounts. however that being said im sure just the energy boost one can get will make them feel better psychologically and likely physically at least a bit; but that being said i dont think coffee itself is necessarily something that will relieve pain // edit: google says coffee MAY have anti inflammatory properties so hey worth a shot. i always feel a bit better while sippin my coffee lol
1:59 Cosi
2:29 Chairo
3:03 Capriccio
3:33 Volluto
4:01 Volluto Decaf
4:25 Corto
5:04 Scuro
5:28 Nicaragua
6:12 Indonesia
6:50 Ethopia
7:42 Colombia
8:31 India
9:43 La Cumplida
11:04 Drc
11:55 Zimbabwe
13:09 Uganda
14:20 Cape Town
15:09 Tokyo
16:03 Shanghai
17:03 Stockholm
17:41 Vienna
18:25 Buenos Aires
20:51 Venezia
21:31 Firenzie Arpeggio
22:00 Firenzie Arpeggio Decaf
22:32 Napoli
23:40 Roma
24:17 Palermo
25:34 Genova
26:05 Ristretto
26:50 Ristretto Decaf
27:42 Novecento
28:32 Milennio
30:08 Vanilla Eclair
30:50 Caramel Creme Brulee
31:24 Cocoa Truffle
Edit: fixed spellings
Which one did he rate the best?
@@eSKAone- would like to know too
He had good things to say about the Tokyo blend
It s ColOmbia. Columbia is an university. You must be murican. Thank you for the list though!
Ethiopian seemed to have most respect from him.
Imagine 500 years into the future. James Hoffmann could have been remembered as one of the greatest coffee experts in history. But they'll find only this video, and he will be remembered as "that guy who drank all the Nespresso".
A fate worse than death
In 500 years there will be no coffee
@@hussainmahmoud7881 what will we have instead? Bionic caffeine implants?
@@manoz6194 funny of you to assume we are still around then. At the rate we are destroying our own planet 500 years seems like a stretch
@@manoz6194 you know times and fashions keep changing... 500 y ago people ate and drank different things as today. And it will be the same thing 500y from now. our recipes our ideas of eating and drinking will be history by then. What will they have instead? Possibly something we have never heard of because it is not yet invented or discovered. 500 years ago the western people or at least most them had never heard of coffee yet. people managed life without caffeein and it worked for them. caffeein is not something your body needs, caffeein is a drug. And maybe 500 years from now it will be forgotten and replaced with something else, something that matches their idea of life and enjoyment.
My biggest aha moment was realising that I was paying 70€/kg... I'd never buy a packet of coffee at that price but for some reason, I was totally ok with buying these cute colour pops of mediocre coffee for an absolute fortune. It blew my mind...
Same. Never thought how overpriced these pods are. For some reason, I thought they were very reasonably priced :) Well, I guess we pay for the beautiful packages and convenience. However, I wonder if there are cheaper alternatives ? A good espresso machine will make a good coffee, but the machine is very expensive. Good coffee beans also not so cheap. Inexpensive espresso machine will make probably the same so-so coffee as Nespresso does. The conclusion is, if we stay within the range of reasonable prices, then Nespresso is not so bad, I guess. Sometimes I buy coffee from the bakery nearby, they have a professional machine, but it still makes only mediocre coffee, yet it costs more than making a coffee from Nespresso pod.
@@helenab9973 and the white gloved hunks that fill your expensive black paper bag and ask you what you enjoy drinking like it's the only thing they care about in the whole world. They "invite" you for a coffee, although it's just walking you to the bar where another hunk asks you what takes your fancy... It's a massive ego boost
@@wuffles101 true, but lately I just order online , so no more free tasting, "expensive" paper bag ego boost for me :).
@@faradeth74 Thanks! I was planning to try that.
I was about to buy my own "nespresso" machine while it was on black Friday sale for 30 dollars (from a local, well known brand).... and then I made my calculations and realised that the pods I'd have to buy for it constantly will end up costing so much more than the machine itself.. I could basically buy a new machine every month and more... it's way too overpriced. Much better option for that price would be to splurge and treat yourself to some premium coffee beans you've always wanted to try.
Just found your channel and I have to say: what a great and honest content. Looking forward enjoying the rest of your videos.
I am halfway through and if this poor dude is not crying caffeinated tears by the end, he is braver than I will ever be.
I would love to see a secondary channel made: "James tastes things that he doesn't like and is slightly offended by".
It would provide the most joy and entertainment of any form of media out there.
James drinks alcohol and tastes things that he doesn't like and is slightly offended by*
You haven't been paying attention. See the back catalog.
The world needs this
@m0ro lets be real, thats basically what this channel is.
yes would love to see that
James's little laugh and the "idiot" in the end is so heartwarming wholesome🥺
well done. glad to hear nice description on Ethiopia and Velluto decafe capsules they are my in my cupboard regularly, but my everyday morning pod is the Cosi, perfect light cereal😂 taste for breakfast
One thing we have to admire about Nespresso is their branding and identity. Pods & Sleeves Graphic designs are just marvelous.
Yeah true but inside is crap
The design has to do the heavy lifting the flavour should do. They do look marvelous, and makes you expect some amazing experience, and, dare I say, helps you imagaine a better taste into the stuff you drink
Placebo effect is a powerful one 💟
they have terrible PR, so not really. if you see a nespresso logo you think cheap shite, where I live at least.
Identity? Lmao
Nestle makes cereal, I imagine writing cereal and making each coffee taste like cereal is part of some grand scheme to get you to buy some cereal :D Speaking of Cereal, gotta buy some Cereal. Cereously
Haha, that’s perfect!
😂
"Cereously." LOL 😄👍🏾
i was wondering why everything was cereal
I already had some aversion towards Nestle, and now I learn that they are cereal killers as well.
Them: "You just haven't tried the right pod yet"
James:
"I have tried them all and they are mostly overpriced garbage"
Hold my pod.
My favorite......'ohhhhh I smell you'....(takes a sip) finishes like a hard shot of whiskey 😂😂 22:57
Just had to come back to this video, if only for the "oh no.." to the Indian pod. Laughing way harder than what one would expect. But the subtle, very British, kind, yet unwavering brutality of the slow "no", from the almost gasping and inwards breathing- and the tone and volume just turned down to the absolute. Almost like feeling the cold grip of death and knowing you are about to die; ".. oh no..". Just great to watch
I died at that point.. Indriya is my favourite pod lol.
@@fodi1kanobe From what he describes there, I think this is a case of just really not his type of coffee. I think so, because what he describes is strongly resembling my memories of an Indian monsoon-coffee I had recently. And I hated it. I fiddled around with it for a bit, tried different brew methods and grind settings, but all of it for me ranged from okay-ish to only drinkable with extra milk. None of tasted over- or under-extracted, but the basic flavor just didn't work for me.
At the same time, my boyfriend loves it. I brewed one large carafe in the morning for both of us and with this roast, he loved it and I kinda suffered through it. So I'd chalk this one up to differences in taste and expect this capsule to actually be decent Indian monsoon-coffee, which happens to not be James' thing.
why people tend to associate every personal reaction with big political and social things i wonder? James just didn't like the taste of this specific Nespresso pod, and I as a south-american don't like the taste either, I can say I hate it but it's just the taste of this kind of coffee, that's it!
I can't stop watching his reaction to the India pod 8:59
You can absolutely see James getting more caffeinated throughout the video. He increases his talking speed by 1-2% after each one.
The Bee Movie but everytime they say "bee" it gets faster.
@@AssaultFlamingo Thank you
I've been trying to decide if the change ramping up after each tasting is the caffeine, or the resentment
I’m glad James stopped when he did, I was fearing for his health/sanity!
I switched to the start of the video to compare while watching, he definitely went there 😂
“Did you just give tasting notes to the nation of Japan” wasn’t a quote I expected to hear today tbh
“The Japanese taste of sweetness and ginger” is a power move tho tbh
Flexing his geographics
It’s absolutely genius. Not withstanding coffee culture in Japan, like most things in Japan, is extremely diverse and ridiculously meticulous. So to give a gross representation of that is just odd…
"this tastes more of coffee from somewhere."
I always get my coffee from somewhere. I find that they produce some of the coffees of all time, and those coffees always have a flavour and aroma of something, especially when brewed in some way. I tried looking nowhere for coffee, but for some reason I was never able to find any when I did that.
I actually really like nowhere-coffee -- I'm having a cup of it at basically all times I'm not drinking coffee from somewhere. I can't say much about the taste, but you can't beat the convenience and price.
😂🤣
One of the reviews of all time
I give this review something out of something.
I enjoyed watching this way too much. I feel like British humour only can truly capture the horror of the “bitter, bitter aftertaste”. It was also very informative in that now I know it isn’t just me and I don’t have to keep wasting money trying to figure out what capsule is right for me. Cheers!
Finally the sequel to your Tom Scott video: "I like coffee - can Nestlé change that?"
this is uncanny. I was literally thinking, “damn I could use a new James Hoffman video right now”, and then guess what I see when I look down on my phone.
Thanks for such an amazing channel :)
It's strategic. Probably chooses his release time of his videos at the same time the highest percentage of his audience log into youtube. Welcome to modern marketing ;p.
I don't think there's anything paranormal going on. I'm always thinking I could use a James Hoffman video, so anytime he chooses to upload, I'll have wished he would
@caleb I was just thinking the same
We had one of these nespresso machines at my old work and I anxiously waited the whole video for you to get to the chocolate one which was of course last! I couldn’t believe how bad it was myself, even with cream and sugar it just tastes like arse
That’s just insulting, how could you even compare the two. One is a product that has been carefully nurtured (one could even say engineered) for a lifetime to a point where it has cornered the market in it’s own very way and cannot be narrowed down to just one flavour, and surely to understand it’s properties best, you would have to sample many of its offerings in order to break down the intricacies of the flavours and textures.. The other product is a Nespresso pod.
Please stop comparing arse to Nespresso pods. I think hot garbage would be a better comparison.
@@Chzydawg now that, on the other hand, is an insult to our furry dumpster diving friends the world over
I just don't understand how badly it had to be to fuck up chocolate. I mean, it's CHOCOLATE ffs
A R S E
what does arse taste like. Ive never tried it...
I used to work at a Nespresso boutique and I completely agree with you about the cereal notes. It's such a bland flavor and they use it way too often. They were extremely popular though, especially with the older customers.
Customers knew what they liked and were afraid to experiment with new flavors. They would get a "varied" bunch of all cereal notes (cosi, capriccio, etc.) and in my mind I would call them the "safe flavors".
I asked a young woman what notes she liked and she said cereal, and I was very surprised. Something I really liked about working there was finding out how much you can learn about a person through the type of coffee they liked, and you would start predicting their order immediately after hearing their second sleeve, you start noticing the pattern.
I also agree with the roast. Even when it had an intensity level of 6 or 7, people would sample it and say it's strong and I would agree. I quickly got tired of the strong coffee. I understand that a lot of people love the intensity and it's the reason why they love Nespresso. A lot of our customers would often say that they can't do Keurig or Starbucks coffee anymore.
You can see him slowly losing his sanity for us. Mad respect for this guy
woah, just starting the vid and he aready feels more insane then usual
This truly highlights everything we enjoy about you the most: your knowledge of coffee (and making it interesting for us) and your humor. Cheers to your continued success.
Dont forget being offended and grossed out
I loveeee the quality of these videos. Simply amazing
It was funny to see your delivery get slightly quicker and more manic towards the end of the first tasting session. Great video, thanks!
I love watching James' rants as he gets increasingly caffeinated ❤️
"I'm just cross enough" what a very refined expression of disgust.
The rational thing to do for Nespresso is to make 4-5 basic blends, and then "tweak" those blends to create the appearance of 36 different blends. Coffee (or tea) blending is a very difficult art, the taste of the raw material changes every year (just like wine) but in this kind of products the consumer expects absolute consistency of flavour. This means that coffee and tea producers have to carefully and painstakingly modify each year the blend so that it reverts to the original design. Also, they have to deliver the same taste all over the world where they sell the same "model". This requires finding suppliers who can deliver hugely large quantities of uniform coffees. A specialty producer can play with much more freedom because he doesn't need to maintain consistency through astronomic production volumes. Nestlé has problems that small producers will never have. Hence, they will probably focus on a few basic blends, and they aim at obtaining the greatest possible consistency for the few basic blends. Then they work on tweaking the basic blends, this time the consistency problem is somehow inferior because each blend is sold in relatively smaller, but still impressively huge, volumes.
One might actually suspect - or be certain - that when they take out of the market, or of a certain market, a certain blend it is because they could not get hold of sufficient quantities of raw material to replicate that blend.
In one word: a company selling the same blend to hundreds of millions of clients faces difficulties that are unimaginable to a small producer.
On the other hand, they can spend huge sums in marketing and give people the illusion that they are choosing from an impressive palette of different tastes of superior quality, when they are only glorifying a very mediocre product range based on a few mediocre basic blends and, from a production standpoint, they couldn't do any better at all as hard as they would try.
My conclusion is: people in the marketing department of Nestlé know their job very well.
No wine producer ever managed to sell wine in the many tenths of billions of litres for each label, all over the world, claiming that they are selling a catalogue of 40 different and very fine wines. Nestlé is doing just that. If one thinks well about it, it's marvellous, a testament to the power of marketing.
Tldr
well that's just it: i do not understand what Nestle has really done. It seems that u might be right , that a gimmick is happening. But i don't know the math, so it's possible they r actually being surprisingly honest. It's quite confusing and twould be nice if James could speculate on this, bcuz volumes is the issue largely. Clearly it's mostly overoasted coffee.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and explanation
Great post. I suppose consistency is the key and that's easier to do when the base is mediocre. The hobgoblin of little minds.
Very good point, using the illusion of variety to push an absolute mediocre product, but at that scale only truly limited to that mediocrity. Such an interesting concept!
Is it the fault of Nestle for pushing this product, or the fault of so many consumers who don't care but to drink it, and buy into the illusion of quality? I know so many who have Nespresso machines who think their coffee is good, and they're convinced they taste the notes.
My SSP multipurpose burrs are proof otherwise.
Man... you are the Lockpicking Lawyer, and Project Farm of coffee.
Your knowledge, presentation and lack of bias is amazing. You are the youtuber channel I didn't know I needed.
I'm 20 seconds in and had to pause to say "What an intro, the visuals and the audio are exceptional!"
"That's not even a good Spinal Tap reference" was actually a really good Spinal Tap reference.
Rewatching a year later. This is the edited version.... Makes me wish for the bloopers! So much fun.
Nespresso have a _really_ fancy coffee shop here in SF, with _extremely_ attentive baristas, it all reads as _incredibly_ high-end, and then you get the coffee and you're like... it tastes like a Nespresso pod. The cognitive dissonance is kind of overwhelming tbh.
Black mirror but like, more mundane 😂
@@cm1706 how so?
I bet a dollar that it is a nespresso pod
@@ARockyRock Oh absolutely!
It is most definitely a nesspresso pod and they're using the decor and customers service to hide it
"what's the roasting level?" well I don't know about Nespresso but James' roasting game is on point in this video!
"I will stop rolling my eyes... maybe." "Cereal. Hooray!"
James I love the way you explained the flavors.
Thanks for your -pain- efforts, this helps me know which ones I should try next.
19 minutes in and James is getting so animated. Is he going to survive this torture.
To me it, looked like he was getting drunk on that coffee!
Nespresso, NOT EVERYTHING has to taste of CEREAL!! hahah poor guy
I started my coffee journey with Nespresso as it seemed quick and easy. Having moved on from there, I feel like someone has given me the keys to a whole new world of fun. The coffees I'm drinking now are light years better, but I still think Nespresso has it's place. I gave my machine to a friend who loves it as it is so convenient. And yes, I'm taking a selection of coffees I've discovered to him next time we meet so perhaps he gets to step out into the brave new world too 😊
So very much this. I started exclusively with milk drinks from my Nespresso because it mitigated some of the flavor. I thought, "ugh, I cannot learn to enjoy espresso." Then my wife pushed me over the edge of the slippery slope that is home espresso with a Breville/Sage Bambino Plus (an underrated machine that satisfies her auto-milk texturing needs and lets me dabble) and I'm a grinder upgrade and a few hundred pulled shots into my journey. Coffee is a magical world of endless options that has the potential for so much more. Glad to report that espresso can be amazing if it's done well. Convenience has its place, but if you care about flavor, take the next step beyond Nestle and its Nespresso empire.
@@earvenom Same here , i think ive had every pod machine , Dolce Gusto , Tassimo , Nespresso and Lavazza , then moved on to a Sage/Breville Barista , then settled on an ECM Sychronika and Niche Zero.
100% true. Light years apart ...
Really appreciate your open approach to tasting. You don't hide what you don't like, but say what's nice and what you like. Very good personal quality is saying "It's not for me" instead of "It's not good". Love your content and approach.
I drank nespresso for convenience in university and I always wondered if the extreme bitterness was just a characteristic of espresso. I usually drink drip or moka now because that bitterness is just a bit much but maybe I need to revisit straight espresso in lighter roasts.
Yeah in my experience Nespresso espresso are far more bitter than others. I use Lavazza Rossa at home, much smoother & less bitter.
There are some really good non-bitter pods, it's not an inherent characteristic of brewing with nespresso.
However, they recently get phased out and often even more bitter pods are introduced. I have the feeling that the majority of nespresso users has a strong affinity to this taste - and I'm clearly in the minority.
I'm going to have a look at alternative pods, just to experience what they taste like.
Gross who would drink espresso without frothed milk, sugar and syrups? Undrinkable.
@@gordonm6128 espresso or nespresso?
I have some nespresso capsules that I drink as espresso without sugar and milk.
But I'm very picky about them. The current christmas selection has a flavoured one with noisette, that I like.
then the cafe de paris and from starbucks the blonde roast.
My favourite lungo pods (e.g. indonesia, ethiopia, brazil organic) I don't like that much as espresso - even though they are dual use.
Espresso will always be bitter than drip or moka pot brewed coffee but it depends on many factors like the roast level, the brewing method and your preferences. Get a less intense scale when you buy a nespresso if you do not like bitterness, but then you will start to sense the cereal flavor everyone is whining about in the coms.
Personnaly I think a lot of bitterness isn't necessarly a bad thing, but it is my taste.
But then again almost everyone adds sugar in an espresso to diminish the bitterness. If you really dislike bitter things try to add also foamed milk and syrup to make a macchiato, it is much better than a classic milk coffee.
I really want that opening shot of James drinking and the nespresso pods falling on his face as a poster
Me: "Experts are humans too. They just know more than we do but they're still perfectly normal human being."
James talking to a coffee pod: "Have an opinion!"
,pkmmpo.
0
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Amazing rundown. Never got stale or tiring. James is an awesome presenter!
Love your view in the conclusion, makes me so excited for the future
James, for those wedded to their Nespresso machines it might be worthwhile you trying some self-fill pods for them that are on the market. This might give users a chance of getting a better coffee experience as well as preventing a lot of pods ending up on landfill. You could test how well they work in the machine, and what kinds of coffee would work well with the inherent limitations of the Nespresso machine.
Do you recommend a reusable pod for the original Nespresso machine
@@admnerysrodriguez4633 Apparently the coffee does not come out well.
I won a dolce gusto machine and my sister bought me a reusable pod, I've had pretty okay coffee from it. There are a lot of pods on the market for varying machines, it would be hard to test them all and it does require a bit of trial and error to get it right
This was basically me with my Keurig. I didn't like the waste plus how expensive k-cup pods are, so I got a few reusable pods and got pre ground coffee for it. That kickstarted my coffee journey, as I started researching different brands and sizes of grounds and eventually got my own grinder. I don't use the Keurig anymore.
@@leyline77 It comes out good. You just need to fill half of it, give it a good tamp, and then fill it up another tamp, then add a bit more before closing it off.
Timestamps of moments that cracked me up:
5:58 "character: kind of a five but a disappointed five. No, I'm revising that back down to a four."
6:45 "Have an opinion!"
11:27 "I will stop rolling my eyes... maybe"
15:06 "WhY diD I sIP tHAt again!"
15:13" the best accidental national compliment I've seen in a while (...) Are you saying that the Japanese are sophisticated and naturally sweet? Did you gave tasting notes to the nation of Japan?"
17:03 "it is making me think of the syndrome more than the city right now.." (the laughter after tasting it)
18:48 "I don't think coffee should taste like cereal" (You would think that was a given but... we don't know anymore)
22:59 "Ohhh I smell you" (Catching the Robusta in there)
24:39 "OH THAT'S THE ONE" 🤢
31:45 (laughs because it is comically terrible)
The last two time stamps killed me 🤣🤣🤣
Don’t forget 14:05 “Why has this gone to 13? That’s not even a good Spinal Tap reference.”
"character: kind of a five but a disappointed five. No, I'm revising that back down to a four."
That's my dating profile.
15:06 That makes me laugh. XD
I enjoy your videos, especially these ones on Nespresso. I have both the classic (in office) and the vertuo (at home) and my wife and I both enjoy our coffee. I do love the Kazaar and enjoy it daily, so I guess our taste preference is different. Thank you for doing this taste (read: torture) test and sharing your take on each pod! I found your videos really informative and enjoyable!
We use Nespresso compatible pods here (plus pourover + aero press) and once you find a cheaper, better, more sustainable alternative to Nespresso official ones it’s not so bad. We use ‘pod and parcel’ here in AU and they pretty good (imo)!
Please also test some of the third party pods! Every office worker that only gets a Nespresso machine provided will thank you.
We've a choice between a pot of cheap dark coffee or Nespresso, so I nearly always go for the Nespresso. It's a big improvement on the pot of coffee but don't taste much difference between the pods as the video shows , so would really appreciate this.
Dear James Hoffman, you are quickly becoming the Top Gear of coffee, and I'm so here for it.
Yeah if Top Gear was just James May and was mostly about how cars work with very little fun
@@reuben4364 You should check out James May's youtube channel.. it's exactly how you describe, and people love it 😝
Idk about that
TONIGHT, James drink a log, Tom drink some fake tea and nespresso goes brrrrr.
Without the racist undertones 😅
(I still like the guys, but yikes)
Another fantastic review from James! Do enjoy your style and presentation throughout.
Would be interesting to see a review on the current Vertuo pod range if time/cost ever permits, and how if at all Nespresso has improved the coffee experience.
This was great to watch, thank you! I am a Nespresso user, but I don't buy their pods. I took it as a kind of challenge to taste my way around lots (lots) of compatible pods, and I've settled on L'Or. They're half the price, more so when on sale, and to my unrefined coffee palate, equally as serviceable. The pods are just so damn easy. But sometimes I whip out my moka pot, french press, or a single cup filter pour over.
James’s descriptive powers combined with the honest facial expressions made this one of the funniest videos I’ve watched for some time.
Palermo: "Lingering and brutal." is the new tagline that I want them to adopt. Nestle, lean into it!
Nestle has already gotten 'lingering and brutal' down pat. :shudder:
@@KeithOlson Fact.
Thanks James for testing all these for us.
In my opinion, the reason you get a Nespresso is for the simplicity, you turn it on put a capsule in and you get an espresso shot in 10 seconds. I agree that you can get a wildly better shot but the ease of use of a Nespresso is almost unbeatable. Great video though, love watching all that you make.
@@island717still think the best route for convenience is getting a decent bean to cup machine. I got gaggia Brera for $400 and it will out value Nespresso pods in a year of 2 coffees per day. And still produces (much better) coffee at the press of a button
“Distinct cereal notes, that sounds charming” I’m rolling 😂
For me, coffee pods are like microwave/ ready meals. It's quicker, sometimes more convenient, and is usually just fine but making from scratch is always better.
Pretty much spot on here. My nespresso is used about as much as my microwave, too. 2x a month more or less.
very nicely put
I've tried quite a lot of pods and company aside, Nespresso succeed in overall consistency and drinkability for me. I agree with James that a lot of their pods are fairly indistinguishable, but for a very straight forward and reliable drink, I dont think anyone else has hit Nespresso's level yet.
An electric water pot, a french press and pre ground coffee in the morning is the most easy.
@Squant that's the worst take I've heard for so long. I can't think of a single microwave meal that I couldn't cook myself much better, mind you that I am not a particularly good cook as well.
Tokyo lungo and the ristretto are the most interesting pods for me. Tried all the pods a few years back and settled on those two as my gotos from nespresso.
Love your sweater! Who did the knit? Gorgeous videos too 😊
"It feels a bit like it's aiming to be kind of inoffensively coffee, and as a result I am offended."
Best part for me, I was rolling in laughter
Oh geez, I read the title only and laughed out loud. Before I even watch this I can imagine the look on his face.
I have to say, I'm not a coffee person in any way, shape, or form... But your videos are delightful and I love listening to you talk about the funny bean water.
I've never bought into the Nespresso thing. Some because of the ethical stance, but mostly because I enjoy the experience of deciding how I'm going to brew ground coffee to try and get the most out of it and I can compost the pucks, thanks James for suffering so we don't have to.
Can you break open your top three pods and brew them like a weird coffee person would? It'd be interesting to see if that might taste better
Yes!!!
He does that in this video, but not with the top 3 pods: czcams.com/video/pO06RC4pvr0/video.html&ab_channel=JamesHoffmann
Yes, they would taste better. He's using a machine from the current generation and those will add a very strong burnt bitterness to any pod. They really messed something up in their tries to make the machines cheaper...
I would like to see another video with all the specialty coffee pods that can be found on the market and brewed with the Morning machine. I think that would be much more enjoyable and the results would surprise many people.
As a veteran Coffee Fiend, I find your channel very amusing.
Listening while making my daily 4 shot espresso breakfast.
I would love to see you do this with Nespresso's vertuo machine and would love to hear your opinion of the full size coffees!
We've been using Nespresso machines and pods for a number of years now. Having watched this video we decided to branch out and try some compatible pods. So far Roar Gill and Moving Beans have been up there, but with so many to choose from and not knowing which are deemed 'great tasting' its difficult to know which ones to try.
Would love to see James review some different brands of compatible pods, preferably compostable ones.
My favorite is the Starbucks house blend pods from tesco ect, they are not compatibles but made by nespresso, often on special as well.
Do you have to use pods?
@@chayneznfayme in nespresso machines..yes.
@@chayneznfayme to answer your question, no. I do not 'have' to use pods.
I also have an AeroPress which is currently being paired with fine Colombian and Nicaraguan coffee and is producing rather delicious cups of coffee.
Your question should really be why use pods? Put simply, it's the convenience of it all. It's very simple to fire up the Nespresso machine, make a decent cup of coffee and crack on with work. I'd rather steer away from the Nespresso/Nestle brands and use food waste compostable pods where possible - hence the push for compatible reviews.
@@kuppatea I'm yet to taste anything resembling decent coming from a pod machine regardless of brand of the pod. The technology appears defective to me. I bet you could knock out a much much better coffee with an espresso machine in only slightly more time.
Haven't had cereal in my house in more than a decade but I now want a cereal cabinet that plays James saying 'Cereal. Oh, yeah.' each time you open the door.
As a coffee snob who loves good coffee, I’ve found that if I’m in a pinch and just want a decent quick cup, the Nespresso Ethiopia pod is pretty good. Interesting to see James have a similar reaction. That said, I never tried the Tokyo, so maybe I’ll give that a shot next time…
I also like the Ethiopia very much, one of my favourite pods.
(and yes, many pods are mediocre and bit overroasted/bitter)
I agree, I buy only Ethiopia and Tokyo (it worth a try.)
In my home town in Mexico we don´t have many coffee shops, the few are expensive and not very good. So I found very convenient to have a Nespresso and I use it with my favorite coffee and a re-usable cup. To me it is very very convenient and I can make it to my taste.
James is like coffee Jesus, allowing himself to be tortured, and sacrificing himself for the benefit of the world.
Praise be 🙏🏼
Let's make Coffee Jesus a thing.
@@awatt 🤣🤣
WWJD
Coffee Jesus. I like that
Nespresso was actually my gateway to 'proper coffee' - got me into espresso-based coffee and then made me want more flavor, so got a grinder and a machine and started watching @James Hoffman!
Same here! When I came from normal coffee to espresso it was a big step for me, and wanted more! Also bought a grinder and machine to discover more :)
Same story here. Filter coffee, senseo (pod filter coffe), Nespresso --> sage barista express = damn good coffee !! and it seems that this is just the beginning :)
same here
Oh! I’m currently on the verge. Thinking I might leave nespresso machine behind and get into coffee, but I’ve never been that big of a coffee fan, I prefer to explore the tea, so I’ll probably stick with the Nespresso machine for a few more years.
Loved this review… made me laugh, in a good way, many times!
I have a Nespresso machine that brews Original pods in my bedroom. I use it when I need coffee to wake up cuz I’m not human until I have a coffee and this machine is fast and convenient. When I have more time in the morning or once I’m awake I’ll make a proper pour over with freshly ground beans. Or if I’m making a leisurely breakfast on the weekend, I like to make a French press or a stovetop percolator coffee. But when I want fast, I use the Nespresso pods. Coffee brewing is a fun hobby and I like to make coffee many different ways according to my whims. Sometimes I want a machine to do the work for me, and sometimes I want to put in the work myself.