Wow....what great response and so many opinions! Thanks for everyone's advice. The reason I decided upon a built-in coffee unit is that the developer for the high end condo unit that I am purchasing has allowed me input into the kitchen design, errorously put a microwave cabinet on the wall over the built up breakfast bar...no one noticed that the planned microwave oven door would have opened the wrong way!! You would have to walk around the breakfast bar to open the microway door! (The adjoining condo because it is the reverse of mine doesn't have the problem as the door opens into the kitchen.) It seems that no one makes microwave doors that open to the right not the left!! Because the glass tile backsplash and outlets were already installed it was easier/cheaper to install another microwave wall cabinet elsewhere in the kitchen. that allows me to install a unit like the Miele coffee system in the space formerly designed for the microwave oven. But the Keurig coffee maker sounds like a great idea as I can put it in that cabinet space (not built in) for a few months while I decide if I like the coffee pod idea. I'm single so having a single cup of coffee is appealing as I throw away so much unused coffee. If I like the unit, it can help me make the decision. Or I could put the Keurig unit on the counter and install a steam oven in the space instead which is also another option I've been thinking about. So many decisions as I want this kitchen to be special. I'll post pictures when it is done. A built in microwave plus a built in coffee maker or steam oven really could really look great. Here is a link to the Miele coffee systems. thanks all -- additional comments are welcome Here is a link that might be useful: Miele Coffee Systems (Capsule)

Just to clarify on the nespresso...they have a few pods marketed as "lungo" pods (italian for "long"). Traditionally, you can make an espresso shot ristretto (short), "normal," or "lungo"...the lungo pods have a bit more coffee in them, and it is ground a little less fine. It is technically a sort of a cross between an Americano and a true drip, as it is still brewed with pressure through the grounds. To my taste, it is an excellent substitute for strong drip coffee.. There is also no reason at all you can't do a long shot through a non-lungo pod...the results vary, but I find they are generally still better than the coffee you get out of a k-cup or similar. Just my opinion - YMMV. You can change the size of the shots, but as they come standard the lungo button gives you a 110ml pour (as opposed to 40ml for an espresso pod). This is just shy of 4oz...I find that doing 2 lungos fills a "normal" size coffee mug pretty much perfectly. I originally bought one for my office at work because even though it was more expensive per cup theoretically, in reality I was wasting large parts of every pot I made in my traditional drip machine...and the lack of any messy grounds to dispose of was a real bonus. I have been very happy with ours...it isn't our only coffee maker, and I use other things when I want a *really* good cup, or a pot for weekends, but for the morning latte or a quick cuppa, it is perfect. It is also nice because their decaf is actually very tasty...I don't make a lot of decaf, so it is nice to be able to make a cup on the spot when someone wants it.

I use coffee bags by Folgers or bottled Starbucks

Well, the coffee maker is just OK, no better or worse than the other ones. I ordered some of the pods for the sake of experimentation. Not so good, but I think it was the quality of the coffee beans, not that it was a pod or pod brewer. You can hide a lot of sins under that pod! Same always goes with tea bags, which is a way to disguise inferior cuts of tea leaves and the end bits from finer grade loose leaf teas. Not all bag tea is like this, but it can be. I've only tried one type of the coffee pods so far, I bought a combo box of four different types. We'll see how it goes. I'll drink them but probably not buy again. Happily, with the machine I got, I can do an individual brew with loose grounds or a pot. Works for me at the office when I sometimes need a pot and sometimes need a cup. However, it brews so dang slow, I should have just gotten a hot water heater and used my Chemex for a big pot for the class. But then I'd have to get a thermal carafe. I like that with the coffee maker I can put the pot on while I'm setting up for class and don't have to fuss with it any more after that. Not the absolute best coffee, but passably good.