I like my coffee black with one Splenda packet. My wife likes her coffee with International Delight flavored creamer, either hazelnut or caramel macchiato. For years we’ve been using a Cuisinart grind and brew coffee maker using organic French roast whole bean coffee. And we have both been fine with that. Or so I thought.
Recently my wife has been saying that she likes our son and daughter-in-law’s Nespresso single-cup coffee machines with disposable pods. She likes the “crema” foam top that comes out with every cup. And she also likes the idea of having a milk frother so she can make her own flavored lattes when she wants them.
So, for Mother’s Day, I surprised her with a Nespresso coffee maker. I bought a bunch of pods — regular coffee, espresso, and double espresso size — and a frother where she can make froth from milk. She was pleased.
Mrs. Fandango has embraced the new coffee maker. She likes some of flavored coffee pods (to which she still adds her flavored creamer) and she like the foamy crema top. I think she’s only made espresso one or two times using the frother. But overall, she is happy with the Nespresso.
I am not. I have sampled about a dozen different coffee pods and haven’t yet found one that I like as much as my grind and brew whole bean French roast coffee. I find the Nespresso coffees too strong or too weak or too bitter.
So, after a month of, shall we say discussing what to do. We have reached a solution. Separate but equal! I will go ahead and brew a small pot of my organic French roast coffee in th the Cuisinart grind and brew machine and she will continue to maker her crema-covered coffee from her single-cup Nesspresso pods.
And that kind of compromise, boys and girls, is how to make a marriage work!
This, That, and the Other 
Absolutely right.
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Lol Fandango! I’m glad you solved the coffee wars dilemma! xo
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I like my coffee without sugar, but I like a caramel latte. My husband can drink a latte cold. We have been married for 37 years.
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Compromise is often needed in marriages or any partnership. Of course, this one does cost you some counter space, but at least you were able to come up with a compromise.
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Are the pods recyclable? I don’t find either method all that great. Then again I am a trained barista and Australians are coffee snobs 😁
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Yes, the pods are recyclable. So how do you prepare your morning coffee?
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I have an espresso machine. I buy beans and grind a few days worth at a time. Put the ground coffee in the basket/group head, run hot water through for around 30seconds into a cup. There is a milk frother, so heat and froth milk to a silken sheen. Pour into cup.
Coffee grounds go into the compost.
This what my espresso machine looks like
https://www.sunbeam.com.au/kitchen-and-home/coffee/espresso-coffee-machines/mini-barista-espresso-machine?colour=black-classics
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Nice. Can you use that to make just a regular cup of coffee?
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Using instant coffee? No but can get hot water to make coffee and use the frother.
Instant coffee is easier with a kettle
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Ugh, no, no instant. I mean brewed coffee, but not espresso. In other words, an 8 oz cup of brewed, rich coffee. No crema, no froth, just coffee.
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I was hoping nut instant. The espresso machine always gives crema but you can make a long black or espresso. I have set my machine for both measures of coffee. Milk is an optional extra
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We’ve done it all …. from the stovetop percolator my mother gave me 50 years ago to the Nespresso that does everything except cook our Thanksgiving turkey! We’ve had French press from Williams Sonoma, Mr. Coffee from Amazon, the Bialetti espresso maker our son gave us for Christmas, an ancient Belgian drip pot we found at a flea market. We’ve bought fresh ground, whole beans, pods of various sorts and sizes. I even had a separate cappuccino maker with an attached frothing device.
I drink my coffee black – no sugar, no cream. Bill likes his coffee with one spoonful of powdered creamer (blach!) or a splash of Half & Half. The two things we agree on is our coffee must be fresh; we can’t stand coffee that’s been sitting around for an hour a la the Mr. Coffee. The other thing is speed; we want our coffee when we want it, which is immediately. A French press is to damn slow for that as is my mom’s percolator.
Our happy compromise is the tried and true Keurig machine …. not the one-cup-at-a-time joke but the big boy …. BUT instead of buying pre-packaged K cups (which can dry out and lose flavor) we buy a bag of Lavazza Top Class whole bean which we grind in store and keep in an vacuum sealed canister at home using our own stainless steel version of the K cup. The result is immediate gratification, fresh and delicious every time and no gross cups to dispose of. And we’re not completely bowing to The Man.
However …. now that summer is upon us, I am not beyond making a run to Dunkin for an extra large iced cappuccino with less ice, a splash of whole milk and one Stevia! It lasts all day and I’m a happy girl!
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I’ve experienced a few of those coffee-making techiques myself. Hadn’t thought of the Keurig option, but now that we have the Nespresso with crema foam, which my wife likes (and with the option of a frother), she’ll stick with that and I’ll stick with my whole bean organic French roast, which beans we store in a airtight container until they are loaded into the burr grinder and brewed into a delicious cup of coffee. No flavoring, just a robust cup of hot delicious coffee (with one Splenda packet), no crema, and no froth. Yum.
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Yes, I agree that is a good compromise to have come to for the sake of your marriage. lol
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I have both an espresso maker and a regular coffee maker. My daughter agrees with you. When making the lattes are used, Lavazza brand, espresso, ground coffee, and flavored espresso syrup. Into this mix, I added Horizon whole milk, organic with vitamin D, etc. Now I have mostly switched to a regular coffee maker. I still flavor it with a little bit of espresso syrup and a dry creamer. In the rehab hospital I drank their way too strong coffee with three liquid creamer packets and three sugars😳😀I needed it to get through PT🥴I like both but maybe you’re using too much espresso powder and that makes it bitter. I’m not a milk drinker, so the latte was a way to get a cup of good whole milk into my body. 😂Whatever works!
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The Nespresso pods are prepackaged, so I can’t adjust the espresso powder amount. I rarely have an espresso or a latte. I prefer just a regular cup of fresh, robust coffee with no flavorings. But, whatever floats your boat, right?
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Sounds like solid marriage advice. Being single and set in my ways, I too grind my own although mine is usually French Roast w/o sugar. Nice post, have a great day.
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Thanks. You, too, Ernie.
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I sit here at my boyfriend place sipping on some slightly flavored (one scoop caramel, two scoops regular roast) coffee with vanilla creamer… coffee is just so yummy! Good compromise Fandango!
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We have one of the little cup machines, but I also have a great little grinder and a full-size coffee maker — AND an ice coffee machine. And Owen has another machine just in case. We need backups.
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