Hi

I'm in the business of importing Lavazza Capsules into Austraia. We have been succesfull, growing fast, and we know that Nespresso has been extremly succesfull. We think that capsules have some real advantages in particular curcumstances (Some disadvantages too)

I won't say much more because it may be considered spam but was interestedin some opinions from others out there

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Hmm.. Capsules...

Advantages- It's cheap

Disadvantages- It taste like Crap.

right?
Yes, but I thought it was only about making "Tons of money".
Not.....
Joseph

Matthew Gasaway said:
Hmm.. Capsules...

Advantages- It's cheap

Disadvantages- It taste like Crap.

right?
Brian, obviously you are starting to get a picture of the responses a forum populated by coffee people of this caliber are going to give you, so I won't go over the top to bash capsules as I'm sure as this thread limps along you will get plenty of people completely destroying any credibility for a pod system.

If a customer was to come in and ask me "What are the advantages/disadvantages of a POD system" I would respond with something like this:

"Pod systems usually provide easier clean up. They also require no knowledge of proper preparation in order to produce a cup. However, if you can typically detect defects in cups you get a cafes, whether that be the roast was too dark/light, the greens were old (coffee tasted like burlap), the water used for brewing was too hot/cold, the brewing equipment was dirty or the coffee being used tasted stale then a pod system isn't for you. The limitations of a pod system will quickly stand out if you can taste the difference between quality and lack of quality. So, if you admit that you typically can't really tell a difference from one coffee to the next then a pod system may just work for you, but if you can I wouldn't. And, personally... you couldn't pay me enough to use one."

I would then probably reference what the POD acronym stands for... which is of course Painfully Offensive Dirt. (Oh... maybe just a little pod bashing, lol) :0)

No, but seriously. There is obviously money to be made in cheap coffee... after all, it's still here isn't it? Canned coffee has been around for a while, so has instant. People are still drinking that stuff. Similarly, there is money to be made in cheap food (McD's), cheap wine (Franzia) and cheap beer (too easy...). I'm not above a "dub-chub" from the Arches, and in the right circumstances I can actually be excited about PBR, but neither of these areas are my driving passion... coffee is, and therefore it's something I can't ever bring myself to compromise on. Soooo... no pods for me.

-bry
Bry,
Thanks for taking the time to say what I don't have time for right now. Not to mention I probably would not be as educating in the way you have been here.
Thanks also for helping us all bring coffee into the culinary realm it belongs.
Joseph
--
Ambassador for Specialty Coffee and palate reform.


Bryan Wray said:
Brian, obviously you are starting to get a picture of the responses a forum populated by coffee people of this caliber are going to give you, so I won't go over the top to bash capsules as I'm sure as this thread limps along you will get plenty of people completely destroying any credibility for a pod system.

If a customer was to come in and ask me "What are the advantages/disadvantages of a POD system" I would respond with something like this:

"Pod systems usually provide easier clean up. They also require no knowledge of proper preparation in order to produce a cup. However, if you can typically detect defects in cups you get a cafes, whether that be the roast was too dark/light, the greens were old (coffee tasted like burlap), the water used for brewing was too hot/cold, the brewing equipment was dirty or the coffee being used tasted stale then a pod system isn't for you. The limitations of a pod system will quickly stand out if you can taste the difference between quality and lack of quality. So, if you admit that you typically can't really tell a difference from one coffee to the next then a pod system may just work for you, but if you can I wouldn't. And, personally... you couldn't pay me enough to use one."

I would then probably reference what the POD acronym stands for... which is of course Painfully Offensive Dirt. (Oh... maybe just a little pod bashing, lol) :0)

No, but seriously. There is obviously money to be made in cheap coffee... after all, it's still here isn't it? Canned coffee has been around for a while, so has instant. People are still drinking that stuff. Similarly, there is money to be made in cheap food (McD's), cheap wine (Franzia) and cheap beer (too easy...). I'm not above a "dub-chub" from the Arches, and in the right circumstances I can actually be excited about PBR, but neither of these areas are my driving passion... coffee is, and therefore it's something I can't ever bring myself to compromise on. Soooo... no pods for me.

-bry
I think they're great. Don't get me wrong - I'm at least as much a coffee Nazi as any Barista, but if a customer were to ask me what I would recommend for the home pods or capsules is what I would start with.

They are a dead simple way for a consumer to produce easy, repeatable results at home without the potential stress and waste of dialling in, dealing with changing dose, grind, etc.

It is a starting point. A great way for people dip their feet into the shallow end of espresso at home without being overwhelmed.
Probably won't work at a coffee shop setting. There is a art behind being a barista. It's like having a gourmet restaurant replacing chefs with instant heat and serve food. We put out heart and soul when creating drinks. No matter how perfect of a shot we pull, we work on trying to make a better one.
I can see how your concept would be for restaurants, offices, or for the home that want coffee without having a barista. This might be just for them, but far from coffee shop standards.
Went to KitchenKaboodle to pick up a scale and a couple other items today. Sitting there was a Nespresso being demo'd. What the hey, tried one of their "ristretto" capsules. Surprisingly it wasn't foul, just bland and blah with notes of Robusta in the background. (Then read the description and sure enough, "a touch of Robusta") Truth be told I've had worse shots at Cafes using coffee I new was potentially very good, but was pulled terribly. So yes, definitely a place for pod/capsules in the home market. And hell would improve some poorly run cafes...
Hi

That's about right for Nespresso. Obviously I'm biased but we consider the Lavazza coffee better.
Two reasons - The Lavazza capsule has 8 to 9 grams of coffee per capsule whereas I believe Nespresso has 6 to 7 grams -Secondly the extraction system used gives a better result.
You are correct some cafes coffees are alot worse.
Mike,
Thanks for your experimentation and input. This thread may have some hope yet. Brian, now that you have sparked some interest I have to ask, do you know if the Lavazza uses any Robusta in their pods?
Joseph

Brian Chaitman said:
Hi

That's about right for Nespresso. Obviously I'm biased but we consider the Lavazza coffee better.
Two reasons - The Lavazza capsule has 8 to 9 grams of coffee per capsule whereas I believe Nespresso has 6 to 7 grams -Secondly the extraction system used gives a better result.
You are correct some cafes coffees are alot worse.
Brian,
One more question. Bias aside, if possible, how would you describe the side by side taste tests you've done between the Nespresso and Lavazza?
Joseph--
Ambassador for Specialty Coffee and palate reform.


Brian Chaitman said:
Hi

That's about right for Nespresso. Obviously I'm biased but we consider the Lavazza coffee better.
Two reasons - The Lavazza capsule has 8 to 9 grams of coffee per capsule whereas I believe Nespresso has 6 to 7 grams -Secondly the extraction system used gives a better result.
You are correct some cafes coffees are alot worse.
Hi Joseph

The Lavazza range has blends with Robusta and Arabica and some 100% Arabica blends. The Lavazza Blue range that my company handles has 8 varieties including one which they call a double but has 12grams of coffee. Good for two espresso's or a strongish latte. You can see them on http://www.bluepod.com.au.

As far as your second question goes I have not tried them side by side. I know what I like and don't like but probably don't have a palate good enough to discern between the subtle nuances of the coffee flavour. I don't dislike the Nespresso coffee but prefer the Lavazza coffee but even within the Lavazza range there are some I don't really like.

The system is not really designed for cafe's where the Barista should know how to extract a decent coffee because of the price. In $ terms we sell the coffee for about US$100 per Kg. It is for home or the office environment where they don't know how to make decent coffee
US$100...a KG!!! Impressive!

Brian Chaitman said:
Hi Joseph

The Lavazza range has blends with Robusta and Arabica and some 100% Arabica blends. The Lavazza Blue range that my company handles has 8 varieties including one which they call a double but has 12grams of coffee. Good for two espresso's or a strongish latte. You can see them on http://www.bluepod.com.au.

As far as your second question goes I have not tried them side by side. I know what I like and don't like but probably don't have a palate good enough to discern between the subtle nuances of the coffee flavour. I don't dislike the Nespresso coffee but prefer the Lavazza coffee but even within the Lavazza range there are some I don't really like.

The system is not really designed for cafe's where the Barista should know how to extract a decent coffee because of the price. In $ terms we sell the coffee for about US$100 per Kg. It is for home or the office environment where they don't know how to make decent coffee

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