There's something for everyone with NESCAFE Dolce Gusto machines

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a thank me for my participation.

The holidays are always better when we spend them with family and friends!  There's nothing like gathering to catch up, share and celebrate over good music, yummy food, or a hot cup of coffee.  This year we have our favorite houseguests for the holidays: Alfie's mum and dad, who are visiting from England.  I like to do everything to make my guests comfortable, and this year we have something extra special:  our very own Nescafe Dolce Gusto Genio machine!  We received one from Mom Central and Nescafe to review, along with four flavors to try: Chai Tea Latte, Skinny Latte Macchiato, Caramel Latte Macchiato, and Chococino (hot chocolate).

After just a week, we can't imagine our kitchen without the Dolce Gusto!  Each of us enjoys our favorite Dolce Gusto drink every day (the kids would drink multiple Chococinos daily so I have to ration them :)  I've already bought multiple refills so we never run out!  It's so nice to be able to offer Alfie's parents (and other guests) their choice of good coffee, not just instant coffee or brewed coffee that requires time and energy with a coffee press.

What's even better, the Dolce Gusto makes lots of other beverages, not just coffee!  I can make hot chocolate and tea -- and don't forget all the yummy recipes I can make that call for good brewed coffee!  I used the coffee capsule to brew some coffee that I used to make these amazing coffee brownies:

Bonggamom's Coffee Brownies

1/2 cup butter
1    cup sugar
1    egg
3Tbsp cocoa powder
3Tbsp hot brewed coffee
2/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt

Cream butter, sugar and eggs.  In a separate bowl, dissolve the cocoa powder in the hot brewed coffee.  Add to the butter, sugar and egg mix.  Mix in flour and salt.  Pour mixture into an 8x8 pan lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Let the brownies cool in the pan for 5 minutes before lifting from the pan.  Slice into 9 squares.

These brownies are amazing -- you can really taste the coffee, and it pairs perfectly with the chocolate.  Just think of all the yummy holiday treats you can make!  We made peppermint hot chocolate the other night by using a peppermint candy cane to stir our Dolce Gusto Chococino, and it was divine.

About NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto
The sleek and stylish NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto machine brings the “coffee house” into your own home by delivering up to 15 bars of professional pressure to make the perfect cup of coffee and frothy milk every time. With the compact, no-mess capsules, you just pop them into the machine, and with the press of a button, out comes a great cup of specialty (or coffee house quality) coffee in under a minute! What is great about the Dolce Gusto is that it can also brew a variety of specialty coffee beverages including creamy layered lattes, sweet caramel macchiatos, bold espressos, even a frosty iced cappuccino. For the non-coffee drinkers in your house Dolce Gusto also brews a deliciously indulgent Chococino.



Here's a list of things I love about the Nescafe Dolce Gusto:

The Quality: you get coffeehouse-quality brewed coffee and specialty coffee drinks right at home!  The Dolce Gusto makes wonderful macchiatos, lattes, capuccinos and other drinks, complete with frothy steamed milk that you can swirl into cool designs, just like the baristas do (okay, maybe I can't quite get those intricate designs the baristas can do, but a swirl is good enough!).

Easy to use:  It's so simple, even my kids can make their own hot chocolate or iced tea.  Just fill the tank with water, load a capsule into the machine, set the water level (the water level for each drink is clearly indicated on each capsule so you never have to remember!), and press the hot or cold button.  The Dolce Gusto machine does the rest!  It takes less than a minute to get the machine ready, and there's virtually no waiting time between cups.  It's also so easy to clean -- just rinse the capsule slot and the drip tray.

Space saving: The Dolce Gusto Genio is small and compact, which works perfectly for my small kitchen.

Variety: The Nescafe Dolce Gusto doesn't just make hot drinks, it makes cold drinks as well.  I love the Nestea Peach iced tea, and I can't wait for them to introduce more flavors! If you don't like caffeine, try their Chococino -- a smooth, velvety coffeehouse-quality hot chocolate!  My kids and I are addicted to it!


There are a few things I would improve:
* The temperature doesn't seem hot enough.  The temperature is actually perfect right after the drink is dispensed, but after those first few moments it seems to cool down pretty quickly.  This isn't too much of a problem for me, but other people like Alfie like their coffee and tea piping hot (which is one reason he couldn't give the machine his full endorsement).  A good workaround is to preheat the cup by placing it under a running hot water tap.

* Since this is a Nescafe branded machine, it stands to reason that it only takes capsules that use Nescafe brand coffee and tea -- which kind of limits the variety of offerings.  I'm a;so hoping they come up with more non-coffee varieties like lemon iced tea, raspberry iced tea, plain black tea, Earl Grey tea, peppermint hot chocolate, salted caramel hot chocolate, and other yummy drinks!

* The Dolce Gusto capsules aren't readily available at grocery stores.  The only store I found that carries them is Bed, Bath and Beyond.  The online selection is slightly better: you can find the capsules on the Dolce Gusto website,  Amazon.com, and BedBathAndBeyond.com, Walmart.com, and a few other coffee specialty websites.


Save 20% on a NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto Coffee Maker
Use code GustoGift! to save 20% on a NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto Coffee Maker.  it makes a great holiday gift for the coffee lover in your life!  If that coffee lover happens to be you, so much the better!


Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a thank me for my participation. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
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