Nescafe Dolce Gusto Circolo Review

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What on earth is a chick who doesn't drink coffee doing reviewing a coffee machine?

Well, it's pretty simple. I have friends over a lot. Mothers require play dates for sanity, and play dates require caffeine. Again, for the mothers' sanity. Whenever I previously had friends over and offered them a cup of tea, they would inwardly scream that they'd kill for a coffee, force a smile and say a glass of water would be fine. 

Nescafe Dolce Gusto Circolo - try saying that three times fast

Over the years I've bought a couple of jars of the instant stuff and it's usually begrudging accepted by guests, not because it is necessarily a bad product, but because it has been there so long it's now fused in to one gigantic cylinder of coffee that requires a pick axe to break up. The only ones that are happy to see that bronze boulder in a jar are the ones holding their eyelids open with toothpicks after a particularly rough night.

So I thought I'd try out the Nescafe Dolce Gusto Circolo so I could (a) give my guests a nice drink, (b) stop keeping a pick axe in the kitchen (totes unsafe) and (c) try the Hot Chocolate capsules.

For a household that doesn't generally drink cawwwfee, we've gone through boxes and boxes of the Dolce Gusto capsules because people have figured out that I now have good coffee and keep coming over. 

There has been a mixed reaction:

My aunty was not a fan of the Cappucino capsules; but she is more of a latte gal and I didn't have any of those at the time. Try as she may, she didn't finish the cup. 

My SIL was drinking the Cafe Au Lait every morning while she stayed with us. When it ran out she made do with the Espresso capsules and added some warm milk. She was jet lagged and suddenly living with two screamy children. She worshipped that machine.

My mum and dad both thought it was nice; they have a Nescafe Dolce Gusto Piccolini so they have the same capsules at home. It tasted better at my house apparently! I've got no idea if it was our local water or the fancier machine though. Or maybe because when someone makes something for you it automatically tastes better.

My neighbour was just happy she didn't have to BYO coffee any more when she pops over for our kids to play together. This way she won't leave her cup behind. Win!

I liked the way the machine, which is manufactured by long time coffee folks De'Longhi, was ready to go within a few seconds of turning on, that it held enough water that you don't have to refill it after every single cup, and that the amount of water coming through was variable. 

What I wasn't particularly fond of was the size of it. It's bloody huge for a machine that just heats up water. It looks awesome because FUNKY and RED, but it takes up a lot of really valuable bench space. You'd want to have a stack of room to get something this big. Other big machines that I looked at - because I actually did research for this! - had milk frothers and the like. This baby is slightly taller and wider than my Thermomix, though not as deep (intellectual?) - for something that makes one cup at a time, that seems bloody excessive.

That's it sitting next to my Thermomix for size comparison

My only other issue is that it is sooooo hard to find the Hot Chocolate capsules. Everywhere sells all the different coffee varieties but I'm hanging out for more of the choc goodness! I have tried so many stores, I guess it just isn't as popular as the coffee so they don't stock it - it can be bought online, but I'm not a fan of paying postage that costs almost as much as the product.

The Nescafe Dolce Gusto Circolo retails for $229 and can be bought in most department stores. Capsules (except for the hard to find Hot Chocolate!) are approximately $8.50 per box and hold between 8 and 16 serves.

I'm trying my hand at printable art lately, so I had a play just for more practice and made a coffee printable for you. Here's a free printable "but first, coffee" chalkboard. I'm just a beginner, but this should print as a 4x6. I'm not even sure I'm meant to just whack it in here or link it or what?!

Do you drink cawwfee? What is your favourite type?