Rants and Raves

An Interesting Look At Nespresso Pods

I have a love/hate relationship with Nespresso machines. One on hand they’re small, neat, precise and easy. On the other- they seem expensive (the coffee cost per gram), wasteful and not as good as the traditional way that I consume espresso.

I’ve also been fascinated with the story about Nestle losing the case that was brought forth by independent pod makers so they were forced to accept 3rd-party pods. And I’ve used those quite a bit- especially traveling. I’ve been in Air BnBs or Hotels where there was a Nespresso machine, but only 1 or 2 pods available. But I was able to stock up at nearby grocery stores on these trips and have enough espresso for my stay.

During these trips where I was having third party coffee, I noticed the time for a shot wasn’t the same and the quality was hit or miss. I just saw this James Hoffman video where he does a breakdown on the pods and machines themselves. I found it quite interesting- especially his praise for the Nespresso pods and the tech behind the grinds. It’s interesting.

More Coffee Beans For You To Try

I listed a number of places to order coffee from a previous post.

Here are some more places for you to try some beans:

Beans from Mr. Espresso – I also like the Triestino Blend. Love the packaging and the stylish scooter gentleman.

Ordering Coffee in the Time of Covid

I mentioned online that I’ve been trying to order coffee beans lately instead of roasting my own like I usually do. I’ve been trying to support some local businesses and I’ve listed some of them out for you here. This list is by no means exhaustive, I just thought it may be useful.

I’ll try to add more soon.

SF Specific

Others I like:

Coffee Recommendations in México City (CDMX)

I should have posted this list earlier- but a lot of you have asked which spots you should try when they’re in México. I have my own short list here.

Before I give you the list, I’ll just say the easiest way to make your own list if you don’t know anyone in CDMX is to check sprudge.com and look up all of Ximena Rubio’s posts. She has a guide to cafes in Colonia Roma and a lot of other great posts.

my chicken scratch
my chicken scratch

Also- if you can read Spanish, you can look up her articles and reviews on TimeOutMexico too (or pick up a copy when you get to CDMX).

Something to remember for my list- I tend to stay in La Condesa or Reforma, or in Cuauhtémoc if I’m at a work hotel. CDMX is huge and there are a lot of great neighborhoods and a lot of great neighborhood cafes. I also can speak Spanish and forget that it’s easier for me to get recommendations and other tips from friends who live there. Your mileage may vary.

My personal faves:

Buna 42
Orizaba 42 Colonia Roma

Chiquitito Cafe
Rio Lerma 179 – Colonia Cua.
(near the Churro place- Churreria El Moro)
they have another location in La Condesa

Cardinal Casa de Cafe
Córdoba 132, Cuauhtémoc, Roma Nte., 06700 Ciudad de México, D.F., Mexico

One other thing- if you go to Buna, try the chilaquiles. And if you go to Chiquitito, sit down and get their open-faced avocado, feta and grain bread toast.

Toast at Chiquitito
Toast at Chiquitito

Have other recs? Leave them in the comments.