Nespresso makes espresso, not coffee. It's some of the best espresso I've had, but if you're looking for a drip coffee, you'll have to look elsewhere.
You probably know this, but you can get a little filter for the Keurig and use your own grounds. Not quite as convenient as the Kcups, but far cheaper. And you can use the coffee you like. We use that most of the time

Whilst the Nespresso machines are primarily for espresso's, I make coffee using the lungo capsules in them and they're great. I pour an extra shot of water (ejecting the capsule first so that it's just water being added (not through a capsule that's already been used) and it's perfect for me.

Of course I also use it for espresso and latte too.

I like the Keurig's but I too have never found a capsule I love. We went through two Keurig's before we got the Nespresso (latissima plus) and they both broke. I still use a commercial grade keurig at work. I tried h little filter but it's kinda messy and I still didn't think it was as good as the same coffee from a french press.

We like our coffee freshly-ground and local, so I never jumped on the Keurig bandwagon. We just use the pour-over method with a Melitta cone. We have an electric kettle to boil the water and a Capresso coffee grinder.

Same here with the Keurig, don't love any of the k-cups. Switched to one of the filters and use our favorite ground coffee...win win. Tried several and like the Solofill K3 chrome cup the best.

Here is a link that might be useful: Solofill K3

I got a Nespresso for Christmas. It's okay espresso, although somewhat environmentally offensive. I'll have to try out the refillable capsules for it so I don't feel like I'm being an ecocriminal for so-so coffee. :P

The milk frother is pretty great, but requires cleaning.

I like my French press for serious coffee. The whole thing can go in the dishwasher so no nasty coffee buildup. And it goes camping.

I've thought about the environmental impact, but I don't really think it makes much difference. The pods are pretty small and don't really add anything to our household trash. If I'm feeling really good, I'll open the pod and compost the coffee. With a different method I would be throwing away a filter or driving my car to Starbucks. And anyway you look at it, you're drinking coffee that was shipped in from thousands of miles away. Best just to drink and not think about it.

May flowers: Where do you live where you can get local coffee? Do they grow it in South Florida? I know it won't tolerate freezing temperatures.

Portland! Stumptown Coffee and lots of others. They don't grow the beans, they just roast them.

Ok, locally roasted, not locally grown. I understand now. Haven't used the Melita cone, but sometimes a simple French press is my favorite.

May, you are really causing me to long for a cup of fresh ground real coffee. We have a Starbucks plant in our town and I love to smell the beans roasting though most of the time they smell burnt. My favorite coffee, because of it's nutty flavor is Dunkin Donuts, Whenever I opened a bag of it I was in heaven!

I mean this in the least snobby way possible, but it's not for a coffee aficionado. None of the "instant" coffee or espresso makers are. You pay a premium for some pretty mediocre results.

An inexpensive french press probably produces the best cup of coffee for the value. And, the old fashioned top of the stove Italian espresso makers produce some great results, also for very little money spent. If you want to spend more money for better, you certainly can. It just won't be on any of those machines.

Buy a separate milk frother if you want that, and you can produce some pretty quality results.

Starbucks is known for over-roasting their beans.

I mentioned the Melitta cone because it's easy clean up. We use a French press for guests. There's another low-tech extraction method that's supposed to be good called the Aeropress. That should be easy clean up too.

The big question for you, holly-kay is: do you love espresso/cappuccino and lattes? That is, extracted Italian style vs drip-brewed American style a la Duncan (which I like a lot).

If not, a $15 Melitta drip will produce excellent coffee if you start with freshly roasted, finely ground beans. I used one for years. Filters make it easy to clean. My issue was waste as I'm the only coffee drinker.

I've never had a good cup of coffee from a K cup. But it's convenient.

The Nespresso offers excellent coffee and single-serve convenience. If I could mail in the used pods I'd let them recycle mine. But I'm 1-1/2 hours from Sur La Table so not efficient.

Nespresso isn't the best espresso I've tasted in my life but for an inexpensive machine, quality of the coffee, convenience of pods and range of choices and quality it is excellent and I am 100% satisfied. Reordering is so easy. Order came in 2 days; shipping was reasonable. I love my morning coffee more than ever and visitors rave about the cappuccino.

This post was edited by rococogurl on Thu, Jan 30, 14 at 18:23

DH got me an aero press recently, and it makes an amazing cup of coffee. Well, it's espresso, but makes a great americano or latte from there. When I first opened the box, I had no idea what all the plastic tubes were. I didn't even know it was for making coffee! It's inexpensive and lightweight, and is kind of like a French press except that it creates a vacuum that allows more pressure -- like a real espresso machine. Anyway, I'm a convert. (I had to look at YouTube videos to figure out how to use it.)

Love my Nespresso Pixie + Aeroccino. Until I bought it I wasn't even an espresso or latte drinker. Now I have an afternoon latte (extra foam please!) every day and wonder how I lived without it. If it's not the best espresso, I don't know the difference.

Rococo, what is the $15 Melitta filter that causes waste? What we use is an inexpensive cone that makes one cup at a time.

But I'm 1-1/2 hours from Sur La Table so not efficient.

that would take a little bit of gas! Maybe you should mail them to me a couple of times a year and I can walk them across the street LOL!

may flowers -- My pot uses #4 filters. I just was making too much but I agree, it's not high maintenance. That was one of my requirements for the Nespresso. I've had at least 5 other coffee pots/machines through the years.

sjhockey -- LOL lucky you. Nestle can afford to get serious and provide mailers.

holly-kay -- don't know where you are but you're welcome to stop by here for a cappuccino.