Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

For many years I have confused Nespresso with Nescafe. I thought it was some sort of quality instant coffee. Then at Thanksgiving I had my first experience with a Nespresso coffee making machine. I love it! It's very easy to use and it makes, I think, some the best tasting espresso and coffee that I've ever had. It was very surprising to me. I bought this Essenza for the smaller footprint. It fits very neatly on my kitchen counter. It gets the job done and makes not only espresso (about 1.4 oz) but also what they call espresso lungo which is about 4 oz. I have been grinding my own beans and making pour-through coffees for ages BUT in comparison I really think this method is tastier, much faster, super convenient and I rather enjoy the sound the machine makes. About pods: This machine is what they are calling an "Old Line" machine. The new-line machines use differently shaped pods. The pods are not cross compatible. The new line pods are more expensive as there are fewer companies making and selling them. Whichever type you buy there are espresso pods and also what they call Lungo pods. Lungo pods are more coffee-like strength-wise. A neat trick I picked up is to push the espresso button to make an espresso and then when its done also push the lungo button to add another 4 ounces of hot water through the pod. It's a way to make an Americano (a watered-down espresso). It has so much more flavor than most cups of brewed coffee. Lungo is a different pod.