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 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.
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.
Once again, Nespresso has brought a surprising set of variations to brighten up your holiday season. This year, they continued with a few running themes, sour fruit, and indulgent confection, and again give you a chance to pause and wonder if these flavors are meant to go with espresso.
I learned a long time ago to just go with it and trust that if I didn't like something, it was only about $12 lost. More often or not, I have really enjoyed the flavor variety, and there is no time like the holiday season to enjoy a little whimsical indulgence. If I judged a book by its cover, I may never have tried a few of my favorites like Crystalized Ginger from 2008 and Apricot from 2009. Of course, I also like "regular" flavors like last year's reprise of the Almond flavor in the 2010 Variations.
Base of Livanto
If you enjoy the Livanto capsule blend on a regular basis, like I do, you're probably pretty happy to have the 2011 Variations based on this capsule. I would pick it because it is a dark but still moderate blend that has enough acidity to play up sour fruit flavors, but is not overly acidic to kill anything requiring a velvety smooth body.
I ran across this the other day and wanted to pass it along. I am always on the lookout for capsule holders because I hate having the capsules rolling around in a kitchen drawer. Some are vertical holders, while some mount on the wall, some are handmade out of bamboo, but this one is a carousel much like those designed to hold K-Cups.
Great Accessory and Gift for the Nespresso Drinker
It holds up to 40 capsules, and rotates 360-degrees with a chrome finish. The carousel is about 10-inches high and about 6-inches in diameter.
These demitasse cups are 4-ounce wonders for the space starved. This set of four cups stack in a wire rack along with the saucers to form a neat little bundle that is about 9 inches high and a little over 5 inches at the base. Not bad for a set of four.
For those folks who are space starved, this seems like a good idea.
There are lots of pump driven espresso machines out there; some are inexpensive and some not. In general, you get what you pay for, and the Saeco Aroma is a little more expensive than your usual entry level machine, but the extra costs come in the way of some durability and high quality components. I have a couple of friends with these and they are going on three years plus with them. Under daily use they are still cranking out high quality espressos. See my mini-review on the Saeco Aroma.
The specs are pretty good but they don’t convey the overall high quality of the device. It’s got a 15 bar pump, a 950 watt stainless steel boiler and the ability to brew from both ground and ESE Pods as a result of the special portafilter inserts that come with the machine.
Melvin : I would like to ask expert can the Pixie produce read more BilgeRat: I purchased the Domepod version, and it worked great while read more Angie: We've had the machine for almost a month and it read more SH: Just confirmed... These capsules now avail. for order in Canada read more John: I love these products, but I really wish Nespresso would read more
Nespresso The Citiz vs. The Pixie - Which is Better?
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also with the same design as Latte Cups - 
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