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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

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.
- jasonkester 11y ago
  Well said. I get something of a free pass on this by being American (Edit: In France, in case that wasn't clear). I can roll out of bed and walk down to said cafe without showering, perfectly coiffing myself, or even wrapping a scarf around my neck (seriously! leaving the house with no scarf!!!) and know that I won't actually lose any more status in anybody's eyes for my shabbiness. When you've got nothin' you've got nothin' to lose, and all that. I think you're right in this though. Check back with me in a few months and I bet I'll have one of these machines in my house.
  - jules 11y ago
    When I wake up I really don't feel like dressing, going outside, walking to the nearest coffee shop, ordering and waiting, paying 5x as much as for Nespresso, walking back home, drinking the coffee, undressing, showering, dressing properly this time, then walking to the coffee shop again to order a second one. No, I'll take the device in my home which instantly produces a cup of coffee at the press of a button.
  - bambax 11y ago
    I see what you've done here. But, esp. being American, I doubt you can go the the coffe shop naked? Which is how I am when I get out of bed... Also, maybe you live in LA or Phoenix, but here most of the year you really need trousers and a coat and actual shoes before you go outside; not because of style but because of the temperature.
- ska 11y ago
  Why not compare it to better coffee at home, for less TCO, from an automatic espresso machine? That's pretty easy to achieve.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
DangerousPie 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) That number definitely doesn't apply to large parts of Europe. I'd pay around 2.00£ (2.81 EUR) here. Nespresso capsules are ~0.30£.
fulafel 11y ago
An espresso usually costs around 2-3 euros in the northern parts.
roel_v 11y ago
"A real espresso pulled by a professional will run you €0.90 in Europe" Where?

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.

jasonkester 11y ago
Well said. I get something of a free pass on this by being American (Edit: In France, in case that wasn't clear). I can roll out of bed and walk down to said cafe without showering, perfectly coiffing myself, or even wrapping a scarf around my neck (seriously! leaving the house with no scarf!!!) and know that I won't actually lose any more status in anybody's eyes for my shabbiness. When you've got nothin' you've got nothin' to lose, and all that. I think you're right in this though. Check back with me in a few months and I bet I'll have one of these machines in my house.
- jules 11y ago
  When I wake up I really don't feel like dressing, going outside, walking to the nearest coffee shop, ordering and waiting, paying 5x as much as for Nespresso, walking back home, drinking the coffee, undressing, showering, dressing properly this time, then walking to the coffee shop again to order a second one. No, I'll take the device in my home which instantly produces a cup of coffee at the press of a button.
- bambax 11y ago
  I see what you've done here. But, esp. being American, I doubt you can go the the coffe shop naked? Which is how I am when I get out of bed... Also, maybe you live in LA or Phoenix, but here most of the year you really need trousers and a coat and actual shoes before you go outside; not because of style but because of the temperature.
ska 11y ago
Why not compare it to better coffee at home, for less TCO, from an automatic espresso machine? That's pretty easy to achieve.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]

DangerousPie 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) That number definitely doesn't apply to large parts of Europe. I'd pay around 2.00£ (2.81 EUR) here. Nespresso capsules are ~0.30£.

fulafel 11y ago

An espresso usually costs around 2-3 euros in the northern parts.

roel_v 11y ago

"A real espresso pulled by a professional will run you €0.90 in Europe" Where?