Hello all,

Let me introduce myself. I'm probably a rather green espresso enjoyer by everyone here's standards. I've enjoyed an occasional espresso in Europe, and an occasional cup of coffee also outside of this country. My experience with American coffee has been fairly abysmal (I didn't know about these amazing cafes and roasters until finding this site recently) and as a result, I never drank much coffee.

I found through tasting samples (both here and abroad) that the Nespresso system produces a passable shot and my wife spends a pretty penny at Starbucks on her milk drinks. Out of the box, that system has made her quite pleased, but I'm looking for more. That said, she won't go for me purchasing a proper espresso machine for quite some time.

Anyway, I'm a tinkerer. So, not having a decent coffee grinder, I grabbed a can of imported pre-ground coffee to refill the hacked Nespresso capsules. I got the hang for packing the capsules for getting a 10-15 second pull through each capsule resulting in about 0.5 oz - double that down, and I was getting a *decent* ristretto.

I've since sourced an old manual burr grinder which is giving me very even grinds on some green coffee I roasted at home. I've got a LOONG way to go before I can get good results with that (and I'm reading and will post about that soon), but soon I'll order some Redline or something from another roaster and try to get some good results from this machine and the best coffee I can source.

There are really only a few variables I can control with this machine. I don't even know what temperature it's pulling at, so basically I can (right now only somewhat reliably) control my grind and packing. That's why I'm starting with a coffee (Redline) which is reputably fairly forgiving.

So.... to the question: I'm wondering if anyone has any idea what temperature these Nespresso machines pull at? Also, what do you think the likelihood of me getting really good results from this are? Since I'm really only getting about 5-6 grams per capsule, should I be looking at 3 capsules for a good 1-1.5 oz shot?

Thanks in advance for the insight.

I wouldn't bother with nespresso. It's not worth it, the machines have a pressurized filter. If you take that out, your wife will complain that the capsules don't work anymore. Just go make some great brewed coffee and don't give your wife any until she lets you buy a real espresso machine.

I'm not sure I understand about the pressurized filter. Why is this a deal breaker for making a proper espresso?

Unfortunately, she's 100% about milk drinks. So excellent brewed coffee won't phase her...

You won't get flowrate feedback. Also, the nespresso machines are impossible to clean, impossible to take apart without destroying them and they brew at 15 bar because afaik, they lack an opv. It's just not a worthwile effort.
The temperature stability is probably rubbish because of the thermoblock, but no-one has ever bothered to measure it, which says enough, really.

It is pretty easy to get most women off milk drinks, but it takes some stealth and this webpage.

Check this site for great guides on how to brew really nice coffee
http://www.brewmethods.com/

Haha - wow. That would require more stealth than even I can muster, I fear. Plus, she always goes with the skim and would be drinking milk anyway. I've never known anyone to love milk more. It's really just flavored milk for her.

I guess I was figuring with the Nespresso I would, at the least, get consistency - flow and temperature consistency. If nothing else, pulls using their capsules are consistent.

Who needs stealth? Can't you get her some kind of fake coffee sauce to put in her milk drinks? If the capsules are just a bit of flavor to her, you might as well take convenience to the next level for her...

Hahaha.. Ok, that's just mean. I probably didn't represent her completely accurately. She just doesn't drink coffee without milk. And her preferred coffee drink is a cappa or a latte.

Enough about my wife! Haha

Heh, I was just giving you a little crap man, but in fairness you did make it sound like she drinks big milk drinks. FWIW I am a cappuccino drinker myself, though not exclusively by any stretch of the imagination.

No worries. I probably skewed it a bit cause it always amazes me how much she loves milk. It's almost awkward. So, now I've gone searching for a machine which will serve me indefinitely (full control) without blowing the bank. I'd rather go completely manual and have to wait 10 minutes than spend a fortune. So I'm thinking lever machines, but I still can't find anything that's not pretty darn expensive. Any ideas?

Define "pretty darn expensive" . . .