I always wanted to have my own little coffee area… so here’s how I am going to accommodate it inside my room since we have already taken the balcony space inside: I’ll be buying a small console, I was looking for one with a marble top to match those kitchen counters where people keep their coffee machines but some have faux marble and the slabs are probably not sturdy enough to hold heavier appliances or mugs/jars moreover their minimalistic design won’t be offering any storage options. I found a lot of nesting tables and with Imported marble… they are running offers everywhere but all this is not for the foreseeable future cuz I have to fix my health issues first and get over the low pressure problem because coffee can also cause similar things having said that nesting tables are again not for this, I eventually came across something I already had in mind, a mid-century gorgeous round table - similar to West Elm’s which was for a whopping 45k and their handle didn’t have a proper ring, the other one had that and after disc. it was for 7990/- it also has a marble top I’m not sure if it was real but it was sturdy, round, more heightened, it had a dark wood finish below, typical mid-century shape I liked it a little bit more than the previous one, West Elm has a modern touch compared to PB which is more towards vintage, the one I’m referring to is a different brand, bottom line is knew I might not find anything there, I was just exploring… the other table had exactly what I was looking for as it came with a drawer too and it had that ring pull out and a shelf below to store syrups & flavours but the only con is I’ll have to keep an additional table obviously, this would be for my mug & syrups, spoons & I had other ideas to implement even there. I’ll be keeping this one in mind though because this is one of the things I had in mind... I have found a console but I’m not sure how much weight would be feasible, it has a beautiful matte-satin finish and Vanilla colour which will go with my Latte Themed Coffee station and my the next colour palette… can’t share all my details from now but it’ll mainly have that classic dreamy Vanilla-Cream colour maximum of my items are going to be in that shade I already have so many things in Vanilla, I accidentally came across something perfect which was the first thing I ever found - a New Yorker cover in Vanilla again with a Lilac Title. I luckily also have 2 sets of table mats which I’d taken in 2019 I haven’t used them yet they happen to be in Lilac and Vanilla too as for the NY cover its is going to be in another corner so it won’t be that “matching”.
These table mats are weaved in beautiful shades of cream beige, lilac and a golden metallic thread, they look very sophisticated not at all tacky. I’ll be keeping them on the console to protect the surface from stains and scratches and this is what I had in mind since years… So I basically wanted to create a coffee station which would have my machine, a cookie jar, then another jar like a vintage/porcelain one to keep my coffee, I don’t want the dispenser as it’s too modern… a set of sprinklers to keep chocolate & cinnamon powder, I do have an insulated latte cup (from Germany) which I’ll be keeping there, my grandfather was a lot into all this and coincidentally I turned out to be like him although we never exchanged any of these ideas so it was indeed like a coincidence, his mother in law as in my grandmother’s mother was also like that - yet another coincidence, he would keep talking about these imported glasses and stuff from different places and as soon as I heard that I asked him when he came here if he wanted to browse my showcase cuz I’ve collected a lot of these things. Next, I’ll be keeping syrups and depending on the season or my mood such as rains, Christmas, I’ll be keeping a few add ons such as chocolate cigars, candy canes, marshmallows, etc. etc. That’s because I’m into gourmet coffees.
I’ll give a quick roundup of all the pros and cons & the machine that I have picked at the end of this post. I’ll be also getting a small item from kid’s department, it looks like a wine rack lol in my fav finish which would match my next Japandi theme and my other furniture not the white ones - it's for 1490 and I’ll be storing my syrup bottles there, this way I won’t have to lend any space from my mother cuz some bottles are not available in a smaller size, so the main counter will have my Coffee Machine, Coffee tin, te tins, porcelain/ceramic cookie jar, Cocoa & cinnamon sprinkles (in vintage shakers) additional stuff like mini marshmallows, licorice sticks, chocolate cigars etc. rack for stirrers and spoons, small milk jug with condensed milk, syrups & flavours in the wine rack below, and when you’ll open the drawer - you’ll have an array of teas, the finest blend of premium tea bags + I’ll be arranging another tray inside this drawer which will have white & brown sugar packets and mini dairy creamers. I also found a place where you get them in bulk for 1000/- you get all these packets 200 units of each + some honey packets too but I’m not sure of the honey as it's not branded. Tea has more benefits and it’s relatively more comforting in my condition so I’ll be sticking to it and these gourmet coffees would be like a dessert twice a week. I will keep my syrups (I have chosen Dark Chocolate Cookie and Vanilla) below in that rack along with two more types of thicker toppings - Rich Chocolate & Caramel Fudge.
I’m not an everyday coffee drinker so the capsules will last me for a longer duration. Each cup would cost 140/- which is lesser than Starbucks (including taxes) and you'll get a heavy bodied foamy drink with whatever add ons you want. Starbucks anyway has a really sour taste cuz they use dehydrated leftover coffee beans... someone ratted them out when I complained about the sourness.
The reason why I want an Italian machine is because I can’t have complete black coffee as I’m sensitive to caffeine and I wanted gourmet coffees, you only get those flavours in pods and instant not ground coffee like gingerbread, vanilla, etc. etc. and now it has become so common that they are making pods everywhere; even for all those who missed the classic taste of Nescafé they’ve come up with Nescafe Farmer’s choice it has that rich malt flavour… I would’ve chosen mine in red cuz it looks more retro like a classic Italian machine that’s why it’s 1000 bucks extra but it wouldn't have gone with my interiors, here’s the difference between the 3 most popular types of DeLonghi machines in this segment:
You get a single cup machine for approx. for 40-42k Lattisima it has 3 preloaded recipes with milk like I said I can’t have an all black coffee… sensitivity issue, they’ve changed the packaging now which is sad because the previous one had matte beige portions to highlight it, it looked like a typical latte machine back then but now it’s completely white… then comes another with 6 recipes approx. 45k and grande with 9 preloaded recipes for 60k all fully automatic with one touch digital (Illuminated) buttons the first impression was like whoa… if you want that coffee shop experience at home then it has flat white, cappuccino, macchiato, latte etc. I’m just wasting your time btw like I wasted my mother’s when I had to tell her why I didn’t want this one; the system is great and it’s really cool if you want a mini cafe but it doesn’t have a steamer it has water tank like every other machine and… a milk container with a spout which only looks like a nozzle.
I don’t want to deprecate much all I’m saying is maybe it’s not the right choice for me, it has a mini steam door with a sliding shutter behind the milk container, now a lot of people have faced troubleshooting and they said that the milk is coming cold and I saw bloggers having plain milk pouring from there so I realised maybe the steam isn’t enough in some machines so it just evaporates by the time the milk pours into your coffee, you can set custom recipes as per your preference (in volume) but even for that you’ll have to work a way around cuz the “menu” bar can only be accessed through their navigation controls which are labelled as recipe buttons and power switches because there is no digital screen for a direct menu, you do get those but they are too modern and high tech they don’t give you that feel of a typical vintage machine even though this one also has a slightly modern edge… since it’s again a bit difficult some of us will have to stick to their preloaded metric/volumes or recipes and this is what I didn’t like at all, there is a 2-5 min tutorial of an automated robo voice giving a complete demonstration of how you can dislodge everything to clean the milk container on a daily basis and for that you will have to break it down to the smallest component and wash everything, including the tiniest part and then lay it all out to dry. It has an elaborate descaling method which is tedious to many. Once you’ll get used to it, it’ll still get easier but I feel it’s a huge hassle for me cuz I don’t keep well. Another blogger from Malibu got the same machine but she too started using it only for espressos and she would use a separate steamer to avoid washing this one, she was super rich so it was easier for her to switch like that but for me it'll be impossible.
Also, I’m someone who likes whipped milk other than froth and I’m very skeptical about the steam door. I was fixated on the other coffee machine since long, it was much more compact because it was designed for urban spaces and it could also give you Barista style espressos, getting the milk container separately will cost you an additional 11k and it has a WHISK which I wanted since long, it is not there in this one, you can also prepare hot and cold coffees both (as you must've guessed I'm talking about Aeroccino) it’s easier to clean because it’s like a flask, the spring has to be removed or something if you want hot milk and I’ll go through the rest of the instructions later on… if you are a gourmet lover too and you want something freestyle to add tid bits, chocolate, crushed biscotti, cream, syrups etc. then this one’s enough. The price difference isn’t much if you’ll compare it with single cup Lattisima which starts at 40k and goes upto 70-80k (grande) you get 14 pods complementary as a starter pack. If you can afford Lattisima then I would recommend the Morning Machine in Silver White, you'll still have to get a separate frother but I find it better according to my taste/preferences although I hate being completely reliant on technology I feel like it's an automated version of what most coffee cults would pick, to explain it better Lattisima is like a sophisticated little coffee shop, it's great if you want that experience at home & The Morning Machine is like an "alternative" fad, if you are into Goat Story 🐐 and other such brands with that Nordic essence or dog-tooth grunge or dark roasts, pour overs, hot brew, filter papers and other such coffee gear then you'll like this more. As for me any Nespresso would do, they can all help me prepare my very own concoctions and recipes... but if I had a bigger budget then I would've thought about The Morning Machine you also require those kind of interiors, it needs a complete urban setting, like an industrial style space with concrete walls, exposed lamps, metal hardware etc. I have already ordered Vanilla Eclair capsules, I do have Cocoa Truffle on my wishlist and Parisian blend, also Nescafé Farmer's choice. My Vanilla Eclair costed me only ₹ 100/- per cup which is cool and I do feel like these two appliances (frother and machine) are a better investment as you can also use one of them for tea and cold coffees too, moreover you get Barista style coffees which is great that too in different flavours and you can take them a notch higher by making your own gourmet ones.
As an update: I will have to eventually spend 41 to 45k but as a first time customer I'll get a 5% discount. Due to an overwhelming response for these machines over Lattisima they've upgraded Aeroccino and come up with a newer version. So I'll be getting that which will give me 3 recipes now Cappuccino, Au Lait & Latte other than a cold brew; I won't get an integrated model which is nothing but a dock, you anyway require two plug points, it's now easier to use it with single touch buttons and it also features a handle for better grip. The froth is 2 x twice as more... and it has a single whisk now so you won't have to remove it. After that discount I got my Espresso machine + Aeroccino for 39k well I'm glad cuz I had a lot of other things to buy for my counter... (I had to purchase the console table as well) Its from my fav range and I really love the satin finish and matte golden knob, I always wanted something from that collection but it's as if they are discontinuing everything which has that vintage European look, that's horrible to be honest it's like a nightmare. They don't even send the Vanilla shade to India, it's a bit racist we only get the Teal colour, I got mine because this console is the only product which is available in that shade. They've even stopped sending the cabinet which I liked a lot, it would get me all nostalgic and remind me of my grandmother's house it's very vintage and beautiful. It has two drawers at the bottom and more storage space on top, they should relaunch these things that too in our choice of colour because no one's interested in all the boring minimalistic stuff, I'm not talking about contemporary furniture, just the boring ones. I had a lot of alternatives to choose from which offered more storage but I chose this console because I love that collection and it looks very classy, I felt like it was made for my Ralph theme, I love the Piano arches on the top and the size is also perfect so is the colour.
I will be pairing it with either Innisia or Citiz one is heat resistant plastic and the other is polished steel, it's heavier compared to the plastic one, it's approx. 3.9 kgs whereas that is 2.4, it's also slightly bigger... it has a flip opener for the capsule compartment and the other one has to be opened using the band, some said Citiz makes lesser noise and the coffees are more bitter with less crema whereas the other makes slightly milder sweeter coffees with more crema and more noise too... it does sound like it's tailor made for me because I'm sensitive to caffeine so I can't have something very strong until I gain enough resistance power and I love the crema but the noise part is putting me off. This vanilla cream colour is sold out everywhere, even in the US so I really didn't want to miss out on it. If you are an aesthete like me you too would be drawn towards vanilla or white. There isn't any difference between DeLonghi & Krups as the company itself has claimed that it has the same manufacturer so the quality would remain the same, they are just two different segments which involve different positioning of the buttons and the overall look.
Having said that, if you want something Modern or Minimalistic then you can opt for Krups Essenza especially in white because I love the contrast with the black front, if you want that Italian touch but are more inclined towards a white or cream/vanilla shade to match your interiors then Innisia would be great they are both very light and compact it's from their DeLonghi range, if you want totally (Italian) Retro then I would recommend Pixie it has a steel band and it comes in Titan Grey & Orange, if you want something which is more Urban & Sophisticated then you can get CitiZ which has a steel body, it can also accommodate Macchiato cups and taller glasses, that's one more major difference other than a bigger water tank, it has a foldable tray as well as a drip tray which can be removed. It has a sleek body however it does look like one of those regular coffee machines but with an Italian twist thanks to the metal portions, I don't have a heavy duty granite or marble counter so I wanted something light and specifically in cream/vanilla, moreover it will give me comparatively more crema and milder coffees, someone was differentiating between these two on their blog which is great cuz like I said I'm sensitive to caffeine. It could be subjective but I'm still okay even if let's say it's on the same level. I love Inissia's shape more because it's like a typical Italian machine... the plastic is also on the thicker side and it's lacquered beautifully so it looks more rich than its counterparts. As for bigger mugs and all, I'll pour the espresso into whichever tall glass I want after brewing it and the ones that I already have will fit because I don't have those huge tall glasses anyway, there were more bloggers who wanted such coffees & they were using the same machine, one of them had kept a mug with gingerbread biscuits and whipped cream inside and all she needed was a single shot, the other one had a bar of chocolate ASMR reel, the chocolate broke into half when the coffee started pouring and it fell inside along with that creamy espresso... it was all looking very decadent, they too were gourmet coffee lovers like me. Official Nespresso always offers you a welcome kit which has an assortment of pods from different collections such as Barista, World, Original etc. amounting to a total of 14 capsules. I feel the combination of an espresso machine + aeroccino instead of a built in frother would be far more feasible for people like us because we can use it for tea 🫖 hot chocolate etc. and we all know about that "secret compartment" in my console, so if you'll ever come to my house and feel like doing some self service then you will have everything at your disposal.
Shopping list for my
mini RL Café:
I have these Senso Mugs, an insulated Latte Cup and Italian Espresso Set in Grey & Pink (199 each) The Latte one is from a German brand, it's medium in size which is very comfortable to hold but I'm not extremely fond of the Senso mugs which I got from there (with spoons) I won't recommend those as the handles are too tiny and they are only meant for 1-2 fingers (you know those round mini handles) they aren't that practical. I do like these ones they have that same shape but with bigger handles... I can't comment on the glass quality, all I know is I won't be experimenting them in the microwave/dishwasher, I love the vibrant handles because of the modern colour palette, they'll look great with all that hi-tech coffee gear or if you have a minimalistic contemporary setup, I am putting together something more vintage in that classic RL Heritage style but I still wanted these cuz they look awesome... I have chosen Yellow which is actually an Ochre (it's again something new) and I anyway had a lot of Green stuff to match with Ralph's. I got them in a set they were for 850 or so but because of their discount 600 + additional 26% off (Republic Day sale) so approx. 450/- not bad for 2 mugs but I had to pay 100 shipping, that's still okay. That's my Latte Cup and the Espresso Set.
That's my creamer & sugar pot set it's something I'd taken long ago... and I got that other creamer for condensed milk INR 311/- I was looking for something exactly like these two, one is French Country Style and the other is very quaint & delicate, I love the shape and spout and I wanted something dainty like this. I have always been super fond of creamers and milk pots.
I also have these Diner style Cappuccino & Espresso sets and a Milk Jug, the Green one again goes with my Ralph Theme, for now Ralph would've been too pricey, the mug was great though I'll get it at some point cuz I was the one who told them to start with an online store in India and they did that but there are still several glitches to be resolved. For now I got this Cappuccino set and cookie plate for 599/- total.
I'll be keeping all other essential items which would also add to the overall aesthetic appeal of my counter such as this mini Turkish Pourer which would be great for warm chocolate, as for cookies I'm not sure I haven't really picked anything but I do like these glass jars.
Metal Rack in rich Gold for my spoons & stirrers + Starbucks I got this mug at the right time, my old Starbucks which I've been using for a decade it's literally something I had taken 10 years ago when they had opened up their first coffeeshop (at Fort, Mumbai) that mug is too old now I'm not even sure if it's still there, this one was very pricey 1700/- I love the spout which has been inspired by creamers or milk pots for and probably also, by people like me who are fond of them. Its in my favourite Vanilla colour again, they have Starbucks logo embossed in the front below the dripping. I'm very happy with this purchase mainly because of the colour and the overflowing "delicious" cream on top.
For the tea section/drawer I will be getting two trays to line up all my white & brown sugar satchets and mini dairy creamers + an array of premium teabags and I was looking for a tea diffuser to keep there since I prefer my everyday tea (health related) in leaves not teabags, it comes with a tea tidy to keep it after use, I had to use their shipping code which was also applicable on COD orders 375/- I already had a lot of expenses this month due to this and my bathroom renovation so I really had to think twice before buying anything, this is something I wanted specifically for my tea so I knew it was important.
With Tea you also need a honey pot 🍯 I wanted the ribbed glass one with a matching dipper but the store where you get it has stopped taking online orders and at times it's also out of stock, it's a bit common too so I thought why not get this... this one's smaller so it'll give me more space to keep my other stuff and all I needed was a honey pot I can't overthink, I just wanted to switch to (Kashmiri) Honey because it has more texture/flavour and it's a healthier alternative to suger or other artificial sweetners. It has a little bee on top, wasps and bees are very poetic and they add that surrealistic gothic charm to everything, the bee is not precisely for the honey pot, their entire range has bees which gives it those vibes but I loved it here because it'll look like another cute addition to my RL Barista. It comes with a dipper and a small lid, pricing is competitive and according to the size 799/- It looks more attractive in real life cuz I think they have changed the design now, or perhaps it has not been caught on camera, the bee is lifted so it looks like an emobossing and the wings have a green ish tinge towards the edges just like how their wings reflect that colour in real life, I love the size it’s very compact but not very tiny either and the packaging was also great!! I have one tiny cookie plate so I got this snack one and yes, winter & Christmas are indeed my most favourite time of the year.
I got this small Oriental Kettle in Ralph's fav Emerald Green colour so that it would look like a part of my set and also compliment the entire mini Cafe for 385/- It has a small mesh strainer inside.
Its all incomplete without - yes you guessed it right... Irish Mugs, got 'em for 799/- in a set. I'm not sure if they are from Europe or China lol they are selling these all over the world, everyone, globally has the exact same mugs when it comes to Irish (same rings at the bottom and thicker handles) there's one more variation which has my fav style, a crystal ball instead of the rings, it's easily available but the handles are tiny, those mugs are very beautiful and all but there's no proper grip especially for someone like me.
Next, I wanted this since long and there was only one left in stock, I got this vintage looking cereal bowl/shallow mug to prepare small coffee based desserts... again on discount and with free shipping & additional 5% off on prepaid orders for 210/-
Finally found my Cookie Jar with a Bear 🍪 to go with my Ralph theme, Ralph Lauren is also equally fond of bears. I wanted something exactly like this with Cookies written on top.
My Tea section will be having a huge variety of premium teas to choose from... I will also add my favourite Masala Chai teabags along with white & brown sugar packets and dairy creamers
Got these Tea Tins one in Ralph Green and the other precisely because it had a vintage label 100 & 50 gm for 350 & 500 + 50 extra charges
I got Inissia in Vanilla Cream, it's very compact and cute & it also has that typical Italian shape... it has two modes in espresso ☕️ single shot & lungo (stronger than Americano, milder than a single shot which is more concentrated or thick) Its great if you want to have decadent coffees at home, you can make your own versions, I'll be getting biscottis and stuff to add them for a crispy, nutty flavours or chocolate cigars, certain toppings etc. the possibilities are endless. I have already taken one sleeve of Vanilla Eclair pods & I have received 14 complimentary ones which have different assorted flavours from each range. They also offer a monthly subscription pack (no member rate but several perks).
Nespresso has a lot of coffee based recipes online along with some gourmet dishes to try out... I will be trying out Café Bombon as one of my recipes with condensed milk and chocolate powder.
Ralphs Café calls for morning coffee in Ralph Jammies I found them in the same colour scheme... aren't they classy? I also love the plush robe in that vintage green colour, we never had anything in such dark shades for girls I'm glad they got all this. This is my favourite robe now.
German Latte Cup (last piece) in Cappuccino Beige
and this other one... okay that's too much shopping, I'll take my mini jar and long container (for chocolate cigars) later on now. I just love these two glasses 🤍 I got them for 1160/- total with discounts & coupons.
Here are my Inspiration boards and a sneak peak of what I'm planning to do, please view them on Tumblr: Berlinbisque or KissofCashmere for better quality. Even over there you will have to click on the images because once they're published, they get rasterised on social media apps... and they only look the best in my own camera roll.
Part 1 I realised I wasn't the only one to be obsessed with bears 🐻 when as a grown up, I came across Ralph Lauren's mascot, we both love that classic British heritage style & Varsity, Ivy League stuff, well like minds think alike... I have a lot of items with bears on them, including my phone cover, a chenille velvet sweater, bedroom booties, socks... I can't resist anything with a bear print or motif. I got the small sign board for 250/- it was on special offer and it comes with a chord I wanted something small there as I already have a lot of paintings, the antler jar is for mini marshmallows and that Vintage Coffee Tin is one of my most favourite purchases, it was also on sale (599/-) and what's so special is that it has a golden metal latch instead of an ordinary lid, I wanted a tin box cuz they are lighter than ceramic ones so I got it to avoid weighing down the counter, the lid has a deep brown espresso shade in matte plastic, overall quality is really good, next, that Emerald green marble tray has beautiful matte golden handles which look very stylish and sophisticated. I was not able to find anything like that on other sites as in such handles in particular... I'll be getting golden spoons/stirrers to keep there (I wanted the antler ones but they are currently sold out, I wish I would've taken them earlier) the sprinklers are great too they come in a mini basket tray and I picked croissants & biscuits cuz croissants 🥐 go better with coffee and I'm very happy with my choice as they look even more cute in real life, better than the photos, I'll be keeping Vanilla & Cinnamon powder inside. I'll be keeping another small creamer for condensed milk (cold coffee). And I got those wooden coasters which have tea, cappuccino, espresso, etc. vintage art on top, the dessert mug for 210/- and the small Oriental Kettle again in Ralph's fav green to look like its a part of my whole set & compliment the entire mini café for 385/-
Click on the arrows at the corner to view it in better quality
Part 2 This table is my favourite, I won't weigh it down much, it comes with a small section at the back for cable wires and chords and you can use them in a concealed manner by keeping the cover which also has a slit for tablets, iPad etc. I can use this table later on as a writing desk or work station. I'll be keeping it clean and covering all the necessary areas with lilac and cream coloured table mats (they are intricately woven with golden metallic thread) and adding a mini wooden rack below for Syrups and Fudges - for now I have picked Caramel & Chocolate fudge and Dark Chocolate Cookie & Vanilla. I also added this mini Turkish Pourer (click on it to open the pic) for warm Chocolate Sauce 450/-
I managed to get that Barista bear somehow as RL's bears were obviously very expensive and this one was not from the kid's range, he has a gingham shirt in the same green colour & grey dungarees, it's difficult to find good quality Teddy bears in India (they are usually very garish, either red, yellow or magenta, maroon :/ or cheesy for gf/bf 6 ft tall) but I managed to get this one, I also realised I had a refund voucher of 500/- since 2019 luckily they had kept it there so I was surprised when I saw the total bill amount, my bear just costed me 590/-
That is my Barista Bear... doesn't he look straight out of Ralph's Coffee shop? I was a bit worried about the rose but now I feel it'll add that old world charm as in it reminds me of those romantic novelty gifts you would get in the 90s.
Nespresso Recipe video (Mocha Latte)
Xoxo
Zara Sauleh
I made this checklist to keep a tab on all that is already there and whatever else is required to create my dream coffee ☕️ counter... Click on the arrows & images to view them
Final verdict
Please ignore the typos as I’m extremely ill. Here are my thoughts: I’ll be first talking about the cons then the pros of Nespresso Inissia, since the company keeps changing the designs over and over again that too very often we customers lose credibility for our merchant sites, the first edition of Latissima too had warmer tones in matte beige along with white to highlight and compliment the whole theme but they ruined it by making it entirely gloss white, for a second I thought customers were getting a fake product at Amazon. There is a reason why I’m pointing out to this… please read it patiently. Inissia’s first edition had a flat spout instead of a nozzle and the front grill had vertical vents not perforated holes, I do feel the vertical ones went better with their Italian shape especially in the orange model, the nozzle although it looks a bit ugly is better than the previous spout because even after folding the drip tray the coffee gets poured directly into your mug, the previous one was too flat to reach the mug after folding the tray. I was ready for these changes as I had already seen them but the latest batch had something unexpected… the tiny portion above “the collection box” where all your empty cartridges get dumped (didn’t want to call it a trash can) the small area above that and right below the nozzle has a joint and they’ve made a slight change there, I have noticed that the front grill which covers the collection box has a slimmer edge on one side and a bigger border on the other which is like a veritable door opening to pull it out with ease for I think it frees up there but the plastic portion which is on top pokes out on this "broader side" (I have noticed that in two Inissia models) wherever the grill had a broader end the plastic which was above that also poked out and that’s actually bad for some reason which I’ll share after this image for you to understand better. I initially thought it was a manufacturing defect…
This would make it worse in the long run - they haven’t offered a flip-up opening to insert the capsules like CitiZ or other models, so everytime you pull the lever using the handle and push it back down it applies a lot of pressure below (and you have to repeat the process for even dumping the used capsule into the bottom tray) so with continuous pressure that part can come out more. Secondly there are lose plastic ends (probably their lamination) which look very messy in that centre area… I got a replacement because i thought it was a manufacturing defect, the second one pokes out a little less but then there’s that other lamination issue. I wasn’t happy with the material they’ve used for the water tank, it’s that “low grade plastic” which we had in our toys as children, it’s too delicate and fragile and some of the water also seeps into the mount because it’s literally like a flimsy toy at the base also. Nespresso please make more durable water tanks and sell them separately for whichever machines we have purchased. Otherwise what’s the point of making such opulent tutorial videos with a butler and all when all she’s handling is such poor quality plastic? She does everything with as much etiquette as possible and explains every tiny little detail very eloquently in that sophisticated, husky Siri like voice, the branding very luxurious but I’m not happy with the quality at all. There were air locking issues so I had to learn how to fix that which happens if your machine hasn’t been used in a long time. I read a lot of bad reviews which were very scary so I tested the capsule as well just to make sure it pricks properly, I opened one of my Vanilla Eclairs instead of the free gift cuz I wasn’t even sure if it was going to work at all, I thought just in case I’ll have to send it back that box will have to be sealed in its original packaging. I can’t have coffee as of now I just didn’t want to miss out on the colour cuz I have a med for my wisdom tooth which cannot clash with caffeine so even though the aroma was very tempting (Vanilla… it was smelling like a coffee shop) I gave it to my mom, the empty pod had several pricks which means that it’s working fine, some claimed that they are getting lukewarm coffees but when I tried removing the capsule the tin was too hot and you shouldn’t be discarding it with bare hands, that’s exactly why we have that tray.
The coffee was also hot, if you are having a Con Panna then I’m not sure what kind of a temperature you’ll be getting with cream on top cuz whoever said that had the habit of putting cream and I’m assuming cold. Con Panna is made with whipped cream actually not daily cream but if it’s cold it’s going to make the coffee lukewarm. It depends on whatever recipes I’ll choose to make but mostly I’ll be using my aeroccino to froth hot milk for my coffee.
I eventually opened my welcome kit, it has the coffee I wanted try with the caramel biscuit flavour and also three different types of Decafs, someone has said their Decaf is the best
The pros do include Barista style coffee with 1400 watts or so and 19 pressure bars, I love the vanilla colour and shape and the size too which is very compact and easy to fit even in small areas, it gives you more room to fit other stuff, it’s cute and aesthetically appealing, I love their selection of pods, the the tutorials are handy, the free gift contains has an assortment of different capsules which give you an idea of what you’ll like to purchase in the next order, including 3 decaffeinated ones too which was of great help. They also have their own descaling kit which is recommended once a year to clear all the limescale which builds up over time and ruins the flavour of your coffees, speaking of the noise… a lot of people claimed it’s very loud and it does sound like a motorcycle engine but I realised that a lot of videos were using in built mics so the machine is not as loud or how people describe it… in the real world it’s not intimidating at all. Someone also said it has been discontinued but to debunk it no… I was scared when I read that as I’d already bought the machine but I saw another person who took it recently in the west and mine too is from a new batch maybe the other colours have been discontinued, I feel they should bring back the orange shade (but with vertical vents) anyway, that’s about it, I’ll give it 3.5 out of 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫 had to put a broken shooting star to put a half lol I feel if you are handling it gently then great otherwise you can buy the Steel one which is called CitiZ for me, I wanted Vanilla and this *classic* Italian shape so I’m happy with my choice. CitiZ looks more like an ordinary coffee machine, the metal portions do give it that Italian touch but I don’t like the shape it’s not authentically Italian, you can also opt for Pixie which again has a steel built but you’ll still have to use the lever or handle for opening the capsule slot and it’s smaller like Inissia so if you are a regular coffee drinker who has it 3-5 times a day you’ll have to refill the water tank every time you prepare it (the tank can hold enough water for one serving of lungo and then for rinsing it)
Xoxo
Zara Sauleh
