Power draw of Nespresso type coffee machine.

[CatNewBee]

Difference between Espresso and filter coffee is - besides the strength of the roasting and mix of beans - basically how you brew it.

A filter coffee is usually grind, put in a filter bag and splashed with boiling water, that runs slowly through the powder. As it is a longer process, you extract the aromatic parts slowly and at a lower temperature, so a lot of bitter parts remain unextracted, resulting in a more mild aroma.

French press coffee is like putting the ground coffee in a can and filling it with hot water, basically like tea. Then after a while you press down all coffee powder to the ground through the sieve, when you press down, you interrupt the process of extracting the aroma. The taste is similar to brewing just coffe in a can with hot water and let it sit. You get most Aroma out of the beans.

Espresso is different. You grind and compress the powder to a compact paddy, then you boil water and press vapor and water through the paddy, often the first seconds are wasted to get the bitterness out, and then you press a comparable small amount of water trough the paddy. There are the small espresso pots for the cooktop where you fill water at the bottom, that presses through the paddy and is collected at the top compartment. Professional machines develop quite high pressures, the aroma is quite unique.

And there is Turkish coffee, you need a small copper pot, and you almost cook the coffee with water on the hob. Very strong.

Automatic Espresso machines can grind, compress and brew the different styles varying the amount of beans, water and temperature to produce espressi and somewhat like regular filter coffees, but a real high pressure Espresso machine gives superior results.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by CatNewBee

Difference between Espresso and filter coffee is - besides the strength of the roasting and mix of beans - basically how you brew it.

A filter coffee is usually grind, put in a filter bag and splashed with boiling water, that runs slowly through the powder. As it is a longer process, you extract the aromatic parts slowly and at a lower temperature, so a lot of bitter parts remain unextracted, resulting in a more mild aroma.

French press coffee is like putting the ground coffee in a can and filling it with hot water, basically like tea. Then after a while you press down all coffee powder to the ground through the sieve, when you press down, you interrupt the process of extracting the aroma. The taste is similar to brewing just coffe in a can with hot water and let it sit. You get most Aroma out of the beans.

Espresso is different. You grind and compress the powder to a compact paddy, then you boil water and press vapor and water through the paddy, often the first seconds are wasted to get the bitterness out, and then you press a comparable small amount of water trough the paddy. There are the small espresso pots for the cooktop where you fill water at the bottom, that presses through the paddy and is collected at the top compartment. Professional machines develop quite high pressures, the aroma is quite unique.

And there is Turkish coffee, you need a small copper pot, and you almost cook the coffee with water on the hob. Very strong.

Espresso machines can grind, compress and brew the different styles varying the amount of beans, water and temperature to produce espressi and somewhat like regular filter coffees.

For day to day you can't beat perk pot coffee

[jtsailjt]

I now have received my Citiz and it works great at home but I think those of you who pointed out that I need a PSW inverter were right so I’m not taking it to boat until o have one. Replacing my old inverter/charger would be about $1500 but I see there are 2000W PSW (Renogy?) inverters for $200-$300 so thinking of adding one of those just for Nespresso and any future items that need it while keeping my old inverter charger as is. Does anyone see anything problematic about this idea? Before someone tells me to just get an aeroprrss or French press or drip filter or Moka pot I alresdy have all those but want my Nespresso to work onboard. I notice that Xantrex sells a PSW inverter that looks a lot like the Renogy but costs about $800. I wonder what the difference is to justify the cost? Anyone have experience with Renogy inverters on a boat?

It’s been mentioned in this thread and elsewhere online that the Citiz draws 1710 watts but I looked on the bottom of mine and it says 1260 watts. I wonder if the 1710 watts is for the 24volt version or did they reduce the draw on these machines?

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

Before someone tells me to just get an aeropress or French press or drip filter or Moka pot I already have all those but want my Nespresso to work onboard.

Guess this is one of those times where we note that "it takes all kinds"

Personally, I'm not a fan of those "express coffee" machines like Nespresso and Keurig. Onboard, I use a classic espresso pot on a burner.

Did you know that if you buy green coffee beans, they'll keep indefinitely? It only takes about 45 minutes to roast a batch as needed. Then hand-grind just before putting in the pot... ahhh! Now THAT's coffee! But as you see, I'm rather a fanatic in this department (it's my one addiction).

On a recent delivery, there was a Keurig onboard. Because of its power demands, the workaround was to make multiple cups while on shore power and store them in a thermos for the morning's sail. Maybe that will work for you in the interim.

Java for all!
LittleWing77

[mvweebles]

Would NOT recommend anything from Renogy. I ordered a 1000w PSW inverter a couple months ago which had all sorts of erratic error conditions (over-temp shut down despite showing 70-degree internal temp). Their tech support was beyond worthless ("please remain on the line. You are the.... forty-sixth caller in line"). When i finally got sn email response, they diagnosed from screenshot I sent that their inverter was fine (despite one shot showing internal temp of below freezing), problem was my batteries - at 12.8v - were "dead." You can't make this stuff up. Crickets from their online tech forum. And RMA was very difficult, at least until I filled a BBB complaint. If, despite this rant, you decide to give Renogy a try, definitely via Amazon as the return policy is more consistent. The fact that the Renogy 2000w inverter comes with 4awg cables - which are woefully undersized for the unit - should tell you something about Renogy.

When I finally got my money back from Renogy, I went with a Wagan inverter. UL 458 compliant, it has a nice hardwire port (as does the Renogy). Worked as expected out of the box so I have no idea if their tech support is decent. Both Wagan and GoPower inverters are tested at full-rated power output for 24-hours which is impressive. To my thinking, both Wagan and GoPower are worth the extra money compared to Renogy.

Good luck.

Peter

[Spot]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

Did you know that if you buy green coffee beans, they'll keep indefinitely? It only takes about 45 minutes to roast a batch as needed. Then hand-grind just before putting in the pot... ahhh! Now THAT's coffee! But as you see, I'm rather a fanatic in this department (it's my one addiction).

Java for all!
LittleWing77

It's getting harder to get green beans 'retail' around here and I have not tried mail order (online). I find coffee bean roasting is best done in an old heavy pan on a camp stove outside, the fumes from the beans are heady but also smokey and don't linger well in the house. Then there is the whole waiting a day to let them mellow...

One of my kids stopped by to borrow fiberglass supplies and left me a small bag of whole roasted from theiri local co-op. I will need to dip into that soon.

[goboatingnow]

Wouldn’t mind an Nespresso machine , less mess then a cafetière , have we a real handle on what sort of pure sine wave invertor is needed

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

Would NOT recommend anything from Renogy. I ordered a 1000w PSW inverter a couple months ago which had all sorts of erratic error conditions (over-temp shut down despite showing 70-degree internal temp). Their tech support was beyond worthless ("please remain on the line. You are the.... forty-sixth caller in line"). When i finally got sn email response, they diagnosed from screenshot I sent that their inverter was fine (despite one shot showing internal temp of below freezing), problem was my batteries - at 12.8v - were "dead." You can't make this stuff up. Crickets from their online tech forum. And RMA was very difficult, at least until I filled a BBB complaint. If, despite this rant, you decide to give Renogy a try, definitely via Amazon as the return policy is more consistent. The fact that the Renogy 2000w inverter comes with 4awg cables - which are woefully undersized for the unit - should tell you something about Renogy.

When I finally got my money back from Renogy, I went with a Wagan inverter. UL 458 compliant, it has a nice hardwire port (as does the Renogy). Worked as expected out of the box so I have no idea if their tech support is decent. Both Wagan and GoPower inverters are tested at full-rated power output for 24-hours which is impressive. To my thinking, both Wagan and GoPower are worth the extra money compared to Renogy.

Good luck.

Peter

Thanks, I just checked the customer reviews on Amazon and it seems you have lots of company regarding the Renogy inverter. I also double checked Xantrex and beside the pricey one I saw before they have one priced sort of in the middle. Of course I’d like to keep the price as low as possible without buying total junk, so I appreciate hearing from those with real world experience with these little black boxes rather than being forced to rely on advertising hype.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

Thanks, I just checked the customer reviews on Amazon and it seems you have lots of company regarding the Renogy inverter. I also double checked Xantrex and beside the pricey one I saw before they have one priced sort of in the middle. Of course I’d like to keep the price as low as possible without buying total junk, so I appreciate hearing from those with real world experience with these little black boxes rather than being forced to rely on advertising hype.

My experience has been very poor with Xantrex These days it’s Victron or mastervolt

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

Thanks, I just checked the customer reviews on Amazon and it seems you have lots of company regarding the Renogy inverter. I also double checked Xantrex and beside the pricey one I saw before they have one priced sort of in the middle. Of course I’d like to keep the price as low as possible without buying total junk, so I appreciate hearing from those with real world experience with these little black boxes rather than being forced to rely on advertising hype.

In my post-Renogy research, I found an online retailer who seems to specialize in inverters. I didn't buy through them, but I sort of wish I had.

https://www.donrowe.com/2000-to-3000...ave-s/1939.htm

There are decent reviews of Don Rowe floating around the internet. No idea if they're real or "thanks-Mom" reviews, but I've had really good success working with small specialty firms similar to what this Don Rowe appears to be. Might be worth a call to see if they have a recommendation given your Nespresso use-case.

Gotta be careful with some of the online reviews. On Amazon, this KISAE SW1220 2000W PSW (also sold by Don Rowe for $100 less than Amazon) gets generally good reviews, but there's a 1-star review that drags it down - the reviewer complains that he's getting under-voltage faults, then goes on to say he plugged-in a fridge and freezer with only a 75AH battery supplying the inverter.

One last thought to emphasize is for a 2000W inverter and larger, I'd strongly prefer ability to hard-wire so you can get the full 17-amps (and surge of 34-amps) vs being limited to the GFCI outlet.

Good luck --

Peter

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

I now have received my Citiz and it works great at home but I think those of you who pointed out that I need a PSW inverter were right so I’m not taking it to boat until o have one. Replacing my old inverter/charger would be about $1500 but I see there are 2000W PSW (Renogy?) inverters for $200-$300 so thinking of adding one of those just for Nespresso and any future items that need it while keeping my old inverter charger as is. Does anyone see anything problematic about this idea? Before someone tells me to just get an aeroprrss or French press or drip filter or Moka pot I alresdy have all those but want my Nespresso to work onboard. I notice that Xantrex sells a PSW inverter that looks a lot like the Renogy but costs about $800. I wonder what the difference is to justify the cost? Anyone have experience with Renogy inverters on a boat?

It’s been mentioned in this thread and elsewhere online that the Citiz draws 1710 watts but I looked on the bottom of mine and it says 1260 watts. I wonder if the 1710 watts is for the 24volt version or did they reduce the draw on these machines?

just looked at the bottom of our citiz and it says 1200-1310w

incidentally also says made in ukraine...who would have thunked it ?

cheers,

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

In my post-Renogy research, I found an online retailer who seems to specialize in inverters. I didn't buy through them, but I sort of wish I had.

https://www.donrowe.com/2000-to-3000...ave-s/1939.htm

There are decent reviews of Don Rowe floating around the internet. No idea if they're real or "thanks-Mom" reviews, but I've had really good success working with small specialty firms similar to what this Don Rowe appears to be. Might be worth a call to see if they have a recommendation given your Nespresso use-case.

Gotta be careful with some of the online reviews. On Amazon, this KISAE SW1220 2000W PSW (also sold by Don Rowe for $100 less than Amazon) gets generally good reviews, but there's a 1-star review that drags it down - the reviewer complains that he's getting under-voltage faults, then goes on to say he plugged-in a fridge and freezer with only a 75AH battery supplying the inverter.

One last thought to emphasize is for a 2000W inverter and larger, I'd strongly prefer ability to hard-wire so you can get the full 17-amps (and surge of 34-amps) vs being limited to the GFCI outlet.

Good luck --

Peter

I checked with Don Rowe and they were very helpful but I've decided to go a slightly different route and replace my old 2500W inverter charger with a 3000W Xantrex Freedom XC ProMarine so instead of just one outlet, the whole AC system will be PSW. I was surprised that the economics pretty well demanded it. It was going to cost about $450 for a 2000W Wagan PSW inverter with remote on/off switch and I would have had to also buy and route battery cables as well as a wire to my single hard wired AC outlet that would have PSW power with the rest of the system remaining MSW when using inverter power. The new inverter charger with control panel and 2 day shipping came to $1267, but I just checked on eBay and was very surprised to learn that old inverter/charger units like mine are going for between $600 and $900 so after I install my new one I will put it on eBay, so if I assume I can get $500 for my old one including the controller, my net cost for the upgrade to a 3000W PSW inverter/charger with the potential to also charge lithium batteries if I eventually replace my AGM batteries with them is only going to be around $750 compared with the $450 it would have cost to just add an additional PSW inverter and keep my old MSW for the rest of the system. Plus, I'd rather just have one inverter onboard than 2, with the requisite additional wiring.

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by newhaul

My thoughts are same as several others you likely need a pure sine-wave inverter.

Yup. Got the new PSW Xantrex installed and the old one shipped out via EBay ($550) and FedEx and at this moment am enjoying a nice hot cup of cappuccino. Thanks to all who contributed to pointing me in the right direction. It was what I suspected but didn’t want to spend the money if it wasn’t going to solve my problem so all of your posts helped give me the certainty I needed.

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

These are both the best tasting, and the cheapest Nespresso pods I've ever tried, and I've tried just about everything:


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Solimo-Nesp...A3P5ROKL5A1OLE


7 pence each!! That's less than 1/4 of the price of regular Nespresso. The Ristretto is absolutely delicious.
.

That’s one problem I’ve found as a novice Nespresso user, the bewildering assortment of pods that you get on those introductory packages they send you. The colors help narrow it down but I find it hard to read the name in the foil top so I never know just what to expect. So I saw this post and ordered a box of the Solimo Ristretto and agree it’s delicious so thanks for the tip! [emoji106]. I got it on Amazon for .25 cents a pod so not as cheap as you’re getting it for but still much cheaper than the “real” pods. Planning to order more and now that it’s going to be my regular brew will try to find a lower price before ordering large quantity. Are you still getting it for 7 pence or thereabouts or has it had a Covid era price increase over there too? Or maybe I’m on the wrong side of the Atlantic? But even at .25 I think it’s a very good value.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

Yup. Got the new PSW Xantrex installed and the old one shipped out via EBay ($550) and FedEx and at this moment am enjoying a nice hot cup of cappuccino. Thanks to all who contributed to pointing me in the right direction. It was what I suspected but didn’t want to spend the money if it wasn’t going to solve my problem so all of your posts helped give me the certainty I needed.

Hey no problem that's what this community is for.
Thanks for the update.