I had to pick these up when I recently ordered the Kazaar limited edition capsules. I am really a day-in and day-out Livanto drinker, so I opted for something a little different and bronze/orange that goes with about nothing in my kitchen, except of course the Livanto capsules that are laying around.
I generally drink out of quick shot glasses like the Bodum Pavina glasses when drinking at home as a stand around the kitchen. If I am going to sit down, I opt for a more traditional cup and saucer. So these Pixie Espresso cups are all about a quick shot and walk away.
They are double walled stainless steel, with an amazingly lustrous interior. The design is of course taken from the Nespresso Capsule design, and mirrors the Ritual cup design as well.
So while the Pixie cup itself looks massive in size, but due to its double walled structure, it is actually small inside relative to its look and feel. It holds about 80 milliliters, or a bit over 2.5 ounces; perfect for a typical espresso shot. The combination of the size, and weight makes it feel substantial. They are in colors that match many of the Nespresso Grand Cru series, so you can probably get your favorite variety in its own cup color.
With all of the metal, does the Pixie Espresso Cups cool the espressos off too much? I don't think so, but then again, I am standing here and drinking a shot straight off the machine. If I do a second one, the shot is noticeably hotter indicating that the first shot gave up a bit of temperature to the cup. I don't think this is a problem, because it generally makes the shot drinkable right off the machine, or within a few seconds. If you wanted to serve up a bunch to friends, I would recommend pre-heating the glasses first.
Sure it's a splurge, but I like the Nespresso Pixie Espresso cups - you can find them in the Nespresso Store for $30 a pair.
Illy is getting in on the good times and pushing a new ad campaign with their Live Happ-illy video. The 60-second ad offers a little romantic intrigue, a little pep in your step and an overall message that a moment with an illy espresso simply makes life better. I happen to agree with the idea that a little coffee in your day makes life a little better, and I life their take on it.
Nespresso got tired of hearing about how many people wanted to taste Kazaar again, and decided to bring it back in 2012. If you haven't ordered yours, you need to - it sold out fast in 2010 and I would imagine it is going fast now. I bought three times the sleeves this year knowing how much I liked it last time.
Kazaar is not for everyone, and its 12 on a 10 scale intensity is a bit of hyperbole, but not very far off. It is intense, and packed with flavors that while strong, are not overdone, not overly roasted just to make a strong impact. If you like "Classic" Italian espresso blends, you should try Kazaar. Those classic blends add Robusta coffee to add some base notes and a lingering finish to the cup. Nespresso took a 100% Robusta blend, as the goal, and started crafting the cup at the growing stage by improving the growing, processing and roasting steps in an effort to accentuate the positive and minimize the sometimes terrible burnt rubber flavors that can come along with a Robusta bean. If you've ever tasted Robusta alone, it's amazing to see that Nespresso has created Kazaar out of what is usually a barely tolerable bean.
The CBTL Americano offers another option for single serve espresso and coffee on a standardized platform that has jumped the ocean from Europe. based on the CaffeItaly platform, this capsule-based machine is a different standardization from other makers, but rests squarely on a firm infrastructure, offered in the US by CBTL.com They sent me this machine right around the holidays, and I have been using it ever since.
The machine line-up is concentrated in a more affordable price range of $139 - $179, as compared to other capsule-based systems. The CBTL Americano offers more brew sizes and a slightly larger footprint on your counter space versus the other models. With a 15-bar pump, and a single and lung setting, the machine is more of an espresso model versus a single serve coffee brewer, but they seem to have a trick up their sleeve in the making of the capsules to that they can create both well enough - more later.
The Americano is available at Bed Bath and Beyond as well as online at CBTL.com and Bed Bath and Beyond online. CBTL offers a nice range of four espressos, a small handful of regular coffees, and some tea capsules. They also offer a few select decaf varieties in the mix. Cost is about $0.65 - $0.70 each with is roughly on par with other capsule based systems like Nespresso.
Read on for details on the machine, directed capsules and the espressos after the jump......
Tasting Nespresso Kazaar - Get Ready for Monday's Release
In preparation for Monday's release of the 2012 Kazaar, you might want to watch the video below that Nespresso put out on Kazaar, walking through the tasting steps. If you need a little more, check out our Review of Nespresso Kazaar when it first came out over a year ago. Personally, I have one capsule left over from the last round that I have kept in the freezer. I am pretty excited to have it back, and I won't be just ordering a single sleeve of this stuff. I expect it to go fast.
We announced that the very popular Kazaar would be back in 2012, back in November, and have been looking forward to it ever since. Yea, the "12 on a 10 scale" intensity rating is pure PR hype, but it works and may just be pretty accurate. I like it better than the Ristretto "10's" that are available each and everyday.
While I was on the road this week, I saw the this news on Twitter. If you aren't following @NespressoUSA on twitter, maybe you should… that's where they announced the Nespresso 2012 Kazaar Availability.
Over the holidays, I had the opportunity to cup coffee in the State Street Gimme Coffee location in Ithaca - a fun hour or so, and it taught me to take a step back, slow down and explore more flavors that I have in a long time. While we cupped coffee in a slurry brew in some very controlled conditions, you should try a few steps on your own at home to explore on your own:
Grab a Coffee Tasting and Flavor Wheel - it will give you a good start so you can taste some of these great flavors present in coffee.
Learn about tasting vs aroma - you can taste sweet, salt, bitter and sour; the rest is really aroma that really make coffee amazing
Brew up a pair of coffees, or espressos and taste them side-by-side - hopefully you can brew them easily and quickly so that they are similar in temperature
Smell the coffee, and look for aromas while using the aroma side of the coffee tasting wheel. There's a lot, but start in the middle and move out as you uncover new details.
Taste - notice where you taste the acidity; there is a lot of acid in coffee, and it really plays a huge role in how coffee. Look at the Taste side of the wheel, see what you taste, but then flip back to the Aroma side and see what you "Taste" when you drink it. It's great. Some use a spoon to slurp it, to aerate the coffee aromas as you bring it into the mouth. Go ahead; make some noise!
Finally, decide if you like the cup.
I like to pick up a new and different coffee or espresso on a regular basis, and cupping new coffees can be fun to learn what you like, and what you don't.
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CBTL Americano Espresso and Coffee Maker Arrives for Review
The CBTL Americano is a capsule based system that allows you to brew coffee, tea, and of course espresso. The system has its roots in Italy, and so does the coffee, which is packed in Italy. The CBTL machine is based on the Caffitaly capsule system which is offered in several countries. Here in the US, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf has introduced the CBTL Americano machine in the US and is selling it through their website as well as Bed Bath and Beyond.
The CBTL® Americano model features six cup sizes, automatic beverage proportioning for consistency cup after cup, a 50 oz water tank, adjustable drip tray, automatic capsule ejection, used capsule storage, and energy saving features and retails for $149.99.
CBTL® is designed to be used exclusively with The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s array of more than 20 hand-selected premium espresso, coffee, hand-plucked whole-leaf tea, and specialty flavored capsules. With the one-touch milk frother and The Coffee Bean famous French Deluxe™ Vanilla and Special Dutch ® Chocolate powders, you can make your own delicious vanilla lattes, chai tea lattes, cappuccinos and more.
The CBTL Americano just showed up today for review, and we've already brewed up a couple of capsules. We're going to crank out a bunch over the holidays and get back with a full review after the New Year.
The Bodum Pavina line is a pretty cool line of glasses and offers enough sizes to fit most any need. I like the espresso shot glasses, especially in the cooler months because the eespresso shot stays warmer longer in the double walled design. The glass is borosilicate glass that is mouth blown and dishwasher safe. While I have heard of some breaking, the tough laboratory style glass has never broken on me and I simply love the look. I have a set for espresso and a set of regular coffee/Lattes (15-ounce).
They are available in a wide variety of sizes - espresso (2.5 ounce), 8.5 ounce,12 ounce, 15 ounce and the super sized 21 ounce. They are also available in white porcelain with colored grips.
Nespresso The Citiz vs. The Pixie - Which is Better?
Nespresso has two very good espresso brewers that are similar in style and purpose, which has a lot of people asking Which is better, Nespresso Citiz or Nespresso Pixie? I think the answer might be both, but let's take a look why.
Nespresso Citiz
The Nespresso Citiz was influenced by the tall and slender sky scrapers in the city landscape and was introduced in 2009 offering a new take on compact and effortless espresso brewing. It came in a handful of colors, and with a relatively small footprint, took over as my favorite Nespresso machine very quickly.
The tank is 1 liter, and the empty capsule bin holds about 10 capsules, giving you ample periods of time between any "maintenance". The Citiz also features automatic brewing - push the button once to start and it automatically shuts off when the Espresso or Lungo is brewed. These brew volumes are user changeable.
The Citiz also shuts off after several minutes when not used. No more is the machine on all day when you forget that it was on after you left for work.
I came across a review lately that I wanted to pass along on the Breville Dual boiler Espresso machine. The designers at Breville took this one in a different direction sparing little in an attempt to make sure that the Dual Boiler meets the needs of the high end consumer of espresso.
While many other pump driven espresso machines offer you a single boiler that heats water for brewing to less than boiling then does double duty as a steaming boiler, the Dual Boiler, well you guessed it, doesn't. The dual boiler system gives you instantaneous ability to flip from brewing to steaming and back without any lag, and without any concerns about water temperature and quality. It really doesn't stop there, that's just the beginning. this is an impressive machine.
Here are some fun Espresso Cups from Konitz that reminds me of a fun espresso cafe. They jump out a bit more than a plain white espresso cup, but they look more fun than over the top.
Outpresso - Great Gift for the Green Nespresso Lover
Outpresso is a compact device that separates the coffee from the aluminum in Nespresso coffee capsules, making it feasible to put the spent aluminum capsules in the recycling bin. The Outpresso make short order of your used Nespresso capsules, and since there are no broad scale Nespresso recycling programs here in the US like there are in Europe, you need something to easily do it yourself.
Recycling is pretty easy. Just put the spent Nespresso capsule in the little indentation on the Outpresso, push down the lever and squeeze out the coffee grounds. They stay in the little bin underneath. I tap the grounds out in a bowl for composting or right into the trash depending on the time of year and the mood I am in. I rinse the grounds off the crushed aluminum capsules and put them into my metals recycling bin. Done. It takes about 5 minutes a week. - See my Full Review of the Outpresso.
So, if you have a green Nespresso user on your gift list, consider the Outpresso.
Illy has an iconic espresso cup design and uses it to show off some wonderful artistic creations each year. Illy invites artists from around the world to reinterpret the espresso cup, with various painted versions. This year, artist Francesco Clemente, the Italian born contemporary artist created several different cups for the collection that include colorful explosions to brighten your day.
These Illy Collection Cups are available in a collection of six espresso or six cappuccino cups for $150 and $175, respectively.
Krups XP4600 Silver Art Collection Espresso Machine; Design Flair Included
I saw this and thought it was one of the sharper designs to come out of Krups in a while. TheKrups Silver Art Espresso machine (XP4600 model) looks like an amazing machine that has some pretty good stats backing it up to offer a solid cup of espresso any time you want. It has a 15-bar pump with a quick heating thermo-block heater.
The exterior of stainless and chrome with a wooden handle to the portafilter. The reservoir is nearly a quart, with a portafilter that will handle either ground coffee or ESE Espresso pods. The unit is programmable and of course the steam wand will allow for well steamed or well frothed milk.
Nespresso Pixie Espresso Cups
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also with the same design as Latte Cups - 
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