Holiday Gift Guide | Dolce Gusto Review & Giveaway (Can)

There’s really only two things I ever drink: water and coffee. I’m pretty sure that I drink more coffee than water! I’ve also become somewhat of a coffee snob and have my specific preferences for what I like and don’t like. For example, I hate coffee that isn’t piping hot. I always drink it really fast before it gets cold because once it does, I can’t drink it. I also don’t like burnt coffee which my local coffee shop seems to be doing more and more these days. I’ve been making my own coffee at home with a regular coffeemaker…well that is until last month when my new Nescafe Dolce Gusto Circolo arrived. Since then, I have been drinking nothing but delicious gourmet coffee and it has been wonderful!

When I first opened the box, I was worried if it would be difficult to get the machine set up. However, it was actually very simple and straightforward to do and I had it ready to go in about 7 minutes. The instructions are pictures which is great for a visual learner like me.

The Nescafe Dolce Gusto is a single serve coffee system that is the only machine on the market that is a designed with a 15-bar pressure system like what is used in professional coffee shops.  This pressure system allows the fullest flavour of coffee to be extracted into each cup. It also has a patented capsule technology, thermoblock heating system and a custom control lever so that you can make a cup of coffee at the perfect taste and temperature.

Another neat thing about this machine is that it makes BOTH hot and cold beverages. In fact, there’s 15 available varieties to choose from including:

• Chococino (Hot Chocolate)*
• Caramel Latte Macchiato
• Latte Macchiato*
• Vanilla Latte Macchiato
• Cappuccino Ice
• Caffe Crema Grande*
• Cappuccino*
• Skinny Cappuccino
• Caffe Lungo*
• Caffe Lungo Decaffeinato
• Espresso
• Caffe Grande Intenso
• Caffe Americano
• Nestea Peach Iced Tea
• Mocha

The Nescafe Dolce Gusto comes with two sample packs of a few of the different flavours so you can try out your machine right away.  First I filled up the tank at the back of the machine with fresh water. The coffee comes in small capsules that you simply insert into the machine. Put your coffee mug in and adjust the height if your mug is big. Then you move the lever to either hot or cold. I have only tried the hot beverages so far so you just move it to the right. Move the lever back to the middle when you get your desired amount.  With the beverages that use milk like Macchiatos and Cappuccinos, you need to insert the milk capsule first and let it fill up and then insert the coffee capsule and repeat the process. It’s very easy and not messy at all!

The sample packs I received had the coffee part of the Cappuccinos and Macchiatos but not the milk capsules. I went to the grocery store though and bought a bunch of different kinds. Our local stores have very limited selection and I put a star on the list above beside the ones I was able to find locally and try out. I wish they would carry the other kinds because they sound amazing especially the Caramel Latte Macchiato!

Out of all the varieties I tried, my favourite coffee was Caffe Lungo. It actually translates into “long coffee” because it is a stretched espresso. It’s creamy and smooth and I love the froth. It tastes amazing with a dash of cream. I also really liked the Macchiato which is made from steamed frothy milk with a layer of espresso. It’s not as sweet as I thought it would be, but is still really good.

I would LOVE to see them offer a Chai Latte flavour! We used to drink them all the time when I lived in the city and I miss them.

I much prefer the Nescafe Dolce Gusto Circolo over my regular coffeemaker for a few reasons. The first reason being the most important one: taste and quality. The coffee tastes so much better. I notice a big difference between the two. The second reason is convenience. It literally takes like a minute to have a fresh cup of coffee in your hand and no waiting 15 minutes for a pot to brew. The third reason is that I’m not wasting coffee anymore. When John’s at work , its just me at home and I always make a pot of coffee and end up only drinking a cup or two. The rest goes down the drain which is such a waste.  And finally, it’s also very easy to keep clean. It has a drip tray to catch any spills and even a Capsule Bin to throw in the capsules after you use them. Every 3 to 4 months, you also need to descale the machine and there’s detailed instructions included on how that’s done. I haven’t had it long enough yet to do that though.

The only thing I do want to mention is that the coffee costs more than your regular fine ground coffee. I’ve seen the packages as low as $5.99 when on sale. They are regularly $8.99 for 16 capsules. If you are one of those people who buys your coffee at the coffee shop, then this is definitely a more affordable option.

The machine I reviewed was the Nescafe Dolce Gusto Circolo in red. I selected that one because it matches our new kitchen. It also comes in titanium and cream & chocolate. They also have a few other different kinds including the Piccolo which two lucky readers are going to win!

I’ve tried other coffeemakers and the Nescafe Dolce Gusto Circolo is definitely my favourite by far! I’m going to have to buy those other flavours that I haven’t tried online because I want to experience everything this machine has to offer. It would make a great holiday gift for a coffee lover on your list!

Giveaway

Two Canadian readers are going to win a Nescafe Dolce Gusto Piccolo in titanium!

Check out the list of all my current giveaways!

IMPORTANT: Please leave your entries above using the Rafflecopter form. Comments do not count as entries. If you are having issues with the form please leave me a comment here. It’s a new software and feedback is appreciated!

To do the daily tweet: If the form will not let you put in your daily tweet, please fill out the main entry again and put “Do Not Count” in the Extra Info, Name or Email box. Then it should let you complete the daily tweet.

*I did not receive any financial compensation for this review, though I did review a sample of the product for evaluation purposes. The opinions are based only on my experiences with the product.*