Coffee Machines

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 59 people found the following review helpful.
Great coffeee that's quick and easy to make - just a little pricey for everyday use!
By Chris Hall
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R1HBRSVKQW7BJD The Nescafé Dolce Gusto Melody 3 is a coffee machine that utilises Dolce Gusto capsules (or 'pods' as they're often called) to make a range of different coffees and hot chocolates. The functional design behind the machine is relatively simple. It heats up the water (or cools it down if it's for a cold drink) and then passes the water through the opened pod capsule to produce the desired drink.The first point that really needs to be made is how the coffee machine is so incredibly easy to use. Simply fill up the tank at the rear of the machine, insert a pod capsule, switch it to 'hot' or 'cold' and away you go. The machine takes around a minute to heat up from having not been used recently. However, once heated up, it's ready to make drinks pretty much immediately for a good ten to twenty minutes after your first beverage. This is very handy when making multiple drinks.The actual process of making the various drinks is very quick. If it's just an espresso that you're after then you'll have it poured in less than twenty seconds (and if you're anything like me then drunk in less than thirty!). For other drinks (such as a Latte Macchiato or a Cappuccino) you need to use multiple pods to make the beverage (i.e. the 'coffee' pod and a special 'milk' pod). This will add to the preparation time a little - but nothing to really get bothered about.When in use (i.e. when actually pouring the drink) the coffee machine is particularly loud. Like when you're in a coffee shop, it buzzes like there's no tomorrow - really churning the boiling hot water through your little coffee pod. So if you plan to make yourself a snazzy little beverage whilst in the same room as a sleeping baby - think again.What is quite surprising about the Dolce Gusto machine is that it doesn't actually warn you when to stop the water. So you need to watch the coffee coming out of the machine like a hawk - until you think it's finished (the coffee will start to go from dark brown in colour to clear).So, on to the all-important question - what was the coffee like? Well, I'm no connoisseur of coffees. I order Americano's in coffee shops when we go there. I also like my coffee strong and full of flavour. However, my wife likes all those fancy coffees you see listed up on coffee shop menus. And to be fair - both of us have absolutely loved the results from this stylish little coffee machine.Along with the machine you also get a little drip-dry pod bin for your empty pod capsules as well as a small taster set that allows you to make 1x Latte Macchiato, 1x Cappuccino and 1x Espresso. You also have a voucher for a further ten pounds worth of pods from the Dolce Gusto website. Not bad eh?After having used the machine for a good couple of weeks now, we are very pleased with its overall performance. It does make great coffee, and it's so quick and simple to use - with hardly any cleaning required. However, the pod capsules themselves are quite pricey, and so it's probably worth checking out the various prices involved before purchasing the machine.

43 of 48 people found the following review helpful.
A good coffee machine but a bit faffy!
By C. Rucroft
I have wanted to try these coffee machines for a long time but I was always put off by the cost of the machine plus the cost of the pods to put in them. I was delighted to be able to have one via vine.The machine arrived in a shiny box and was well packaged. It came with six pods to try, which was a nice touch. I am a real technophobe and managed to successfully set this up, which basically involves running some hot water through it. I must say though the instructions that come with it are absolutely useless.Basically, you fill the 'tank' with water, turn on until the light goes green, lift the flap with nescafe dolce gusto on it, insert your 'pod' and flip the switch. Now, it is up to you to decide when to turn this off. It's not a case of flip it on and the machine will stop it. It doesn't. On the one hand this is a good thing as you can decide how strong you want something but it is very faffy. It's not exactly how I imagined it would work to be honest. I didn't think I would have to stand there deciding how much I wanted.On this point, if you are making a latte or a hot chocolate, this requires two pods and it gives you an indication of how much of each you should use. For example, the hot chocolate (or choccochino) needs 100ml of the hot chocolate and 110ml of the milk. This is up to you to decide. Unless you use a measuring jug, which sort of defeats the point in my opinion, it really is a guess. Plus, as you can tell if you can add two munbers together, this makes a smaller than average cup. Yes you could use two pods but this would make, for me, quite an expensive beverage.The pods themselves are easy enough to use. My main gripe with them is when you have to remove them from the machine. They drip so it is necessary to hold a tea towel underneath, which is not the luxury illusion of coffee making that I had in mind! And if you are making a drink that needs two pods, your drink is going cold while you are changing round the pods.Something else I really don't see the point of is the black box that comes with it. I presume it is for when you are cleaning to put the water into but surely you could just use a cup or bowl?The machine does have it's good points though. It makes lovely drinks that, to my mind, are plenty hot enough. The water comes out steaming! The 'tank' is big enough for two drinks which is perfect. I would always tip the water out after use anyway and fill it with fresh next time. It just adds a bit of luxury after dinner or at Christmas.We do like this coffee machine but it doesn't come without it's faults. It's not something we would use everyday due to convenience and cost but I can see us using it once a week or so.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
posh coffee at home
By lesley
totally in love with this. kids love it too.makes delicious hot chocolate and i love the Latte's. Every home should have one.