7 ms·

I don't think the pods are expensive. At 70-80 cents each, that's under a fourth the cost of having an espresso of comparable quality made for you outside of yo

by dcw303 11y ago

I don't think the pods are expensive. At 70-80 cents each, that's under a fourth the cost of having an espresso of comparable quality made for you outside of your home.

jsankey 11y ago
People making the argument that the pods are expensive are comparing them to the price of coffee per kilo. This totally misses the point by overlooking why people use pods: convenience. As you note to get a similar convenience level you need to pay someone else much more for a cup.
brusch64 11y ago
You could say the same thing with Gillette blades. Sure, one blade is a fraction of the cost of getting your beard shaved at a barber's shop. But it is still much more expensive than the alternatives. If you compare Nespresso pods to raw coffee you pay a lot of money for 500g of coffee.
- mortenlarsen 11y ago
  With regard to the Gillette blades, get a RazorPit. It has saved me a ton of money. The blades stay almost like new for months. I am not affiliated with the product in any way.
  - brusch64 11y ago
    Haven't really shaved in years (the last time - maybe 5 years ago ?). I am just shaving the edges of my full beard. For me throwaway razors last years. But thank you for the tip !
  - bambax 11y ago
    Never heard of that... just bought one! Thanks! We'll see how it goes! ;-)
jasonkester 11y ago
A real espresso pulled by a professional will run you €0.90 in Europe (unless you live in a the center of Paris, in which case you might get to spend as much as €1.50). There's usually one of those professionals within 50 yards of your home, possibly even on your walking route to work. So it's not always even saving you money. Certainly compared to driving out of your way to a Starbucks and paying US (or god forbid, UK) prices. But like everything, it depends. On the other hand, coffee brewed in your $10 stovetop espresso machine will run you $2.50 for a bag that lasts 2 weeks, and will add roughly four minutes to your morning coffee ritual. I'm curious about these machines, but the thing that keeps me on the fence is that it would suddenly make coffee drinking expensive.
- stbtrax 11y ago
  where are you getting $2.50 bag of coffee? decent single origin seems to be ~$16-20 for 12 oz these days
  - jasonkester 11y ago
    Carrefour. Lavazza Espresso Italiano two packs (2 x 250g) cost a little less than five euro here in France. Illy in its aluminum can on the top shelf works out to a little less than double that per kg. It was cheaper in Spain, I recall. More like €1.80 for a 250g bag (cheaper still for Bonka, which you need to buy at least once just for the awesome name).
- bambax 11y ago
  > unless you live in a the center of Paris, in which case you might get to spend as much as €1.50 Or €2. Or €2.50... But I don't really get why people are comparing Nespresso to having coffee outside the house. I need an expresso the moment I wake up, before I wash, before I dress. It's really not about the money; it's about convenience, reliability. Peace of mind. Nespresso makes uncertainty go away. Your morning coffee becomes one less thing to worry about. It's going to be perfect. Every time. Nespresso doesn't try to hide the fact that they're ridiculously expensive; their stores look like jewelry shops and are tended by weirdly handsome individuals with perfectly manicured hands, and one or two guards at the front will open the door for you. Or if you prefer, you can have capsules delivered at home, in a 2-hour window, by a special messenger on a scooter... for free!! (nobody else does this, not Amazon, not anyone). They can afford all this and more, and people pay for it, and can't get enough of it. It's like iPhones.

by dcw303 11y ago

I don't think the pods are expensive. At 70-80 cents each, that's under a fourth the cost of having an espresso of comparable quality made for you outside of your home.

jsankey 11y ago

People making the argument that the pods are expensive are comparing them to the price of coffee per kilo. This totally misses the point by overlooking why people use pods: convenience. As you note to get a similar convenience level you need to pay someone else much more for a cup.

brusch64 11y ago

You could say the same thing with Gillette blades. Sure, one blade is a fraction of the cost of getting your beard shaved at a barber's shop. But it is still much more expensive than the alternatives. If you compare Nespresso pods to raw coffee you pay a lot of money for 500g of coffee.

mortenlarsen 11y ago
With regard to the Gillette blades, get a RazorPit. It has saved me a ton of money. The blades stay almost like new for months. I am not affiliated with the product in any way.
- brusch64 11y ago
  Haven't really shaved in years (the last time - maybe 5 years ago ?). I am just shaving the edges of my full beard. For me throwaway razors last years. But thank you for the tip !
- bambax 11y ago
  Never heard of that... just bought one! Thanks! We'll see how it goes! ;-)

jasonkester 11y ago

A real espresso pulled by a professional will run you €0.90 in Europe (unless you live in a the center of Paris, in which case you might get to spend as much as €1.50). There's usually one of those professionals within 50 yards of your home, possibly even on your walking route to work. So it's not always even saving you money. Certainly compared to driving out of your way to a Starbucks and paying US (or god forbid, UK) prices. But like everything, it depends. On the other hand, coffee brewed in your $10 stovetop espresso machine will run you $2.50 for a bag that lasts 2 weeks, and will add roughly four minutes to your morning coffee ritual. I'm curious about these machines, but the thing that keeps me on the fence is that it would suddenly make coffee drinking expensive.

stbtrax 11y ago
where are you getting $2.50 bag of coffee? decent single origin seems to be ~$16-20 for 12 oz these days
- jasonkester 11y ago
  Carrefour. Lavazza Espresso Italiano two packs (2 x 250g) cost a little less than five euro here in France. Illy in its aluminum can on the top shelf works out to a little less than double that per kg. It was cheaper in Spain, I recall. More like €1.80 for a 250g bag (cheaper still for Bonka, which you need to buy at least once just for the awesome name).
bambax 11y ago
> unless you live in a the center of Paris, in which case you might get to spend as much as €1.50 Or €2. Or €2.50... But I don't really get why people are comparing Nespresso to having coffee outside the house. I need an expresso the moment I wake up, before I wash, before I dress. It's really not about the money; it's about convenience, reliability. Peace of mind. Nespresso makes uncertainty go away. Your morning coffee becomes one less thing to worry about. It's going to be perfect. Every time. Nespresso doesn't try to hide the fact that they're ridiculously expensive; their stores look like jewelry shops and are tended by weirdly handsome individuals with perfectly manicured hands, and one or two guards at the front will open the door for you. Or if you prefer, you can have capsules delivered at home, in a 2-hour window, by a special messenger on a scooter... for free!! (nobody else does this, not Amazon, not anyone). They can afford all this and more, and people pay for it, and can't get enough of it. It's like iPhones.