First, a disclaimer. I do not have any stock or other financial interest in the product I am about to describe. I stumbled onto it while in France last spring and thought it was the coolest thing I had seen in a while. When we got home, I bought one – somewhat to my wife’s dismay. She now agrees that it is very, very cool, indeed.
It is a Nespresso machine, which is a Nestle product that goes from off and cold to a 3-ounce or 5-ounce cup of really good espresso or coffee in about three minutes. Once the machine is on, each cup takes about 20 seconds to make. The coffee comes all sealed up in little dealiebobs that look like oversized coffee creamer thingies you get in coffee shops. Because it is sealed, it never gets stale -– or if it does, it takes a really long time.
When you want another cup, you open it up. The used dealiebob is automatically ejected into an internal container that holds about 15 of them. You put in another dealiebob, close it up and push a button. When the container gets full, or the water gets low, the machine simply won’t work until you dump out the container or add water. No coffee grounds to deal with, no fine coffee dust anywhere. No pressurized container full of steam to go off on you.
The cost of the coffee is about 55 cents a cup. You order the dealiebobs over the Internet, and they show up in two business days. There are a lot of coffees to choose from, including decaf for the faint of heart. The machines start at about $250 and go up to $600. There are a number of models, some of which also steam milk if you like that kind of thing. The picture is of the model we have. It is even cooler in person. If you are a coffee lover and gadget freak, you will really love it.
Dugan Barr started practicing law in Redding in 1967. In 1973, he formed his own firm doing plaintiff and defense work. He has tried more than 200 civil jury cases to verdict. He is married and has five children. The offices of Barr & Mudford, LLP, are at 1824 Court St. in Redding and can be reached at 243-8008.
