regular readers of this blog will know i’m a little bit of a coffee fiend, but while i’m often tempted to part with my pennies on my daily commute (or rather, diversion) past the local coffee shop, i’ve never really considered investing in a home coffee machine.

for me, the key to a great cup of coffee is a decent créma and thus far, any coffee machine i’ve tested in my (somewhat measly) price range has been a let-down in that department. so, it was fair to say, when i was approached by nescafé to road-test their dolce gusto® genio machine i was somewhat sceptical.

nescafé dolce gusto® coffee machines may be small, i was told, but because they deliver a maximum 15 bar pump pressure, they were able to make delicious barista-quality drinks in a matter of seconds. “hmmm…” i mused.

armed with my new ‘toy’ and sample packs of cappuccino, latte and espresso pods i set about making my first cuppa. filling the water station at the back was easy-peasy, and i pleasantly surprised just how quickly the thermoblock technology in the machine heated it – the machine was ready to go in less than a minute. nescafé’s exclusive pod system was also very easy to use; simply pop the pod into the drawer, select the appropriate strength from the customisable scroll atop the machine, press a button, and hey presto, an instant stream of coffee!

sealed for maximum freshness, these clever little pods are packed with flavoursome 100% arabica coffee, frothy milk and  (somewhat sugary) hot chocolate powders, although i found i had to opt for the more intense espresso pods to find the barista-style taste i crave in the wee hours of the morning.  the beauty of the pods though, is that they allow you to go off-piste as it were and create your own bespoke concoctions – my best experimentations mixed the ristretto and chococino pods for a wonderfully intense mug of mocha-y goodness! you could also increase the strength of your coffee by increasing the number of bars on the scroll, or decreasing the number of bars when using the milk pods.

for those moments when the blazing british sun (a contradiction in words i know!) calls for something a little more refreshing, i can also heartily recommend the nestea ice tea pods which dispense with a thick frothy topper reminiscent of the iced tea served up in cafés on the continent. perfect for relaxing with during these last few hazy days of summer…