Power draw of Nespresso type coffee machine.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by wingssail

I don't doubt your cruising cred, I just don't know how you can fit "400 watts solar 400 wind 75 amp alternator .trace 2512 inverter charger . 3500 diesel generator And lifepo4 house bank. I can store several hundred coffee pods onboard" on a 29 foot boat.

As for supplying yourself with those pods while travelling, yep I guess you can have them shipped in. I just know how challenging it was to find locally sourced roasted coffee beans around the word. Fun, but challenging. Pods, I never saw. Maybe now you could.

I honestly don't get the attraction of these devices. You're buying ground coffee which is either in a little filter cup or you put it in one, and you heat water which pours through that filter. And for that you have to store a one cubic foot electric device which needs an outlet and a power supply and you still need a tea pot and a stove for other things. I just think my Melita filter is as easy or easier and makes just as good coffee, especially when I grind the beans about 30 seconds before I brew it, and one pot gives six cups. And don't you have to throw away the empty pods?

But fine, I don't think anything less of you, I'm just a little confused about why.

La Paz is hurricane alley, the crowd there is kind of cliquish, there is ZERO sailing among the resident liveaboards and certainly no racing. I live in Puerto Vallarta Area, La Cruz. Best sailing of anywhere I've been bar none and no hurricane has hit here ever, only fringes.

Ah ok la Cruz

200 in rigid panels on the pushpit and 200 in flex to set out when at anchor.. my yanmar genset is sitting on my lazerette, and the inverter charger is in the locker under the dinette the alternator is on my westerbeke in the engine room . I also have the air x 400 mount on the aft deck to pole up when not at the dock. The lfp bank is under the sole on top of my keel .
As to why we'll I want it and have the infrastructure to support it so .......

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

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

Maybe they’ve gone downhill but the 17 year old Xantrex freedom 25 I just sold for $550 was still working just fine. I’m not sure what it cost new but I’d be surprised if it was much more than I sold it for. I can’t think of anything else aboard my boat I can say that about after 17 years.

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by wingssail

Well Newhaul, for living ashore or being in a marina, or near one, your Kuregg or Nespresso might be fine.. but since this is a cruiser's forum I just want to mention that carrying your automatic, 120v, coffee machine on board will be a hassle as will finding power to run it, and finding your "pods" elsewhere in the world will be near impossible.



We need to let go our land ties and find sailing friendly solutions.

I find my Nespresso machine to be the most sailing friendly way to make coffee on my boat. Unlike my French press, aero press, Melita filters to my insulated carafe or mocha pot, there’s no chance of a spill or getting scalded by a poorly timed wave. It’s quick and easy to make just one cup, which is great offshore when different watches cause everyone to be on different sleep schedules. The energy used is trivial and unlike all the other methods it only requires enough energy to heat just that amount of water which will be used. I have a propane stove with a limited amount of propane but with my wind generator and solar panels and genset and alternator and 1000ah battery bank I’m unlikely to ever run out of electricity and much of it is renewable. I found a great location for my Nespresso machine on a 5” wide ledge where nothing else ever was located because unless secured somehow, it would fall off when the boat heeled. I prevented it from sliding off the ledge with 3m dual lock tape and from tipping with a length of dyneema string that’s passed through 2 tiny screw eyes I screwed in between the cracks in the staving behind the unit, and then the string loops around the machine and the 2 ends with loops tied into each end are secured with a little S shaped shackle. It’s always out and available and plugged in so all I have to do is turn on the inverter and with a 35” warmup and about the same to brew the coffee, I’m only about a minute away from enjoying a cup of hot coffee and with nothing to clean up or put away except after every 10 pods are used to dispose of them in the trash or some can be recycled but I haven’t done that.

I’d say the disadvantages are that the pods are proprietary so you have to keep a large supply on hand if away from the reach of Amazon shipping. But it seems like now there are precious few places like that and the little pods can be stored most anywhere aboard so it’s easy to have a large supply stashed away before setting out for an extended period. Another disadvantage is that the pods have to be disposed of but they are easily crushable so don’t take up much space.

So I think my Nespresso machine is very cruiser friendly but I’m keeping my hand cranked burr grinder and French press and melitta cone and filters and insulated carafe onboard too for when I have lots of guests to feed at once or I just feel like grinding up and trying some particular beans I find that sound good to me. My aeropress and mocha pot will soon be going ashore. But to each their own and I could see where someone else could justify having just the aeropress or melitta filters or French press onboard for coffee with none of the other stuff. But my problem is that I used to frequently fly to Rome and Nice where I got hooked on the taste and texture of espresso so I have an automatic machine at home and since that’s not practical on the boat, and I find the Originsl type Nespresso machines to make pretty good espresso, that’s what works best for me.

[Alistair242]

I have used both Nespresso and espresso machines. The Nespresso is convenient but as the capsules are only 5oz the coffee tends to be a little weaker. Espresso machine baskets tend to be 8oz or slightly bigger and you are using freshly ground beans. Big difference. Nespresso pods often contain additional chemicals to make the coffee more like a normal espresso pull.
There is also the issue of disposing of the capsules, which for the most part are not biodegradable.
On our boat we currently have an Aldi Expressi machine. These pods are 8oz and offer a wider variety of strengths. Same issue with disposing of the pods and we have purchased a small espresso machine and a grinder to get what we feel are the best espresso drinks with only organic waste to dispose of. This assuming we buy and use coffee beans.
Each to their own. The Nespresso drinks are a little different yet very convenient.

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by Alistair242

I have used both Nespresso and espresso machines. The Nespresso is convenient but as the capsules are only 5oz the coffee tends to be a little weaker. Espresso machine baskets tend to be 8oz or slightly bigger and you are using freshly ground beans. Big difference. Nespresso pods often contain additional chemicals to make the coffee more like a normal espresso pull.
There is also the issue of disposing of the capsules, which for the most part are not biodegradable.
On our boat we currently have an Aldi Expressi machine. These pods are 8oz and offer a wider variety of strengths. Same issue with disposing of the pods and we have purchased a small espresso machine and a grinder to get what we feel are the best espresso drinks with only organic waste to dispose of. This assuming we buy and use coffee beans.
Each to their own. The Nespresso drinks are a little different yet very convenient.

I’m not sure what you’re referring to when you say 5oz and 8oz pods unless it’s the size drink you can reasonably make from it? But with espresso drinks the shot of espresso is only about one ounce and the small Nespresso pods are adequate for that so not an issue there. But I guess the gist of it is the Aldi pods are about 75% bigger and that does seem like an attractive feature for making coffee. The newer Vertuo line of Nespresso pods are like that but the machines are larger in size too so more difficult to locate on a boat. Also, rather than pressure, they make their coffee by a very high speed swirling that I don’t really understand and some coffee connoisseurs have complained they don’t make as good espresso as the older, smaller line of machines. However, I recently visited with my niece and she has one of those newer machines and I couldn’t tell any difference except each pod made more liquid. Another downside to the vertuo line is that they have a code on them that tells the machine what they are and how much water to apply, so you can’t buy pods for these machines from other sources than Nespresso and that means there aren’t any less expensive pods available like with the original version. I hadn’t been aware of the Aldi machines but from reading about them online they seem like a very good option, but not very widely marketed in the US.

When you say you bought a small espresso machine was that also for the boat? What brand/model did you get? I considered that option too but all the ones I checked into that I thought would make good espresso were too bulky, plus I was attracted to the simplicity and convenience of a pod based system instead.

[Alistair242]

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

I’m not sure what you’re referring to when you say 5oz and 8oz pods unless it’s the size drink you can reasonably make from it? But with espresso drinks the shot of espresso is only about one ounce and the small Nespresso pods are adequate for that so not an issue there. But I guess the gist of it is the Aldi pods are about 75% bigger and that does seem like an attractive feature for making coffee. The newer Vertuo line of Nespresso pods are like that but the machines are larger in size too so more difficult to locate on a boat. Also, rather than pressure, they make their coffee by a very high speed swirling that I don’t really understand and some coffee connoisseurs have complained they don’t make as good espresso as the older, smaller line of machines. However, I recently visited with my niece and she has one of those newer machines and I couldn’t tell any difference except each pod made more liquid. Another downside to the vertuo line is that they have a code on them that tells the machine what they are and how much water to apply, so you can’t buy pods for these machines from other sources than Nespresso and that means there aren’t any less expensive pods available like with the original version. I hadn’t been aware of the Aldi machines but from reading about them online they seem like a very good option, but not very widely marketed in the US.

When you say you bought a small espresso machine was that also for the boat? What brand/model did you get? I considered that option too but all the ones I checked into that I thought would make good espresso were too bulky, plus I was attracted to the simplicity and convenience of a pod based system instead.

We bought one of these. Reviews are good but once again its a manual system so everyone will make a coffee a little different. I have no issue with the Nespresso machines and we have one at home but prefer to make my own.
Draws max 1300W.

https://www.google.com.au/aclk?sa=l&..._QQwg96BAgBEHs

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Alistair242

We bought one of these. Reviews are good but once again its a manual system so everyone will make a coffee a little different. I have no issue with the Nespresso machines and we have one at home but prefer to make my own.
Draws max 1300W.

https://www.google.com.au/aclk?sa=l&..._QQwg96BAgBEHs

That price is a real hit to the pocketbook but looks nice .

[s/v Jedi]

A Bialetti Moka Express is hard to beat and there are induction compatible versions as well

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by Alistair242

We bought one of these. Reviews are good but once again its a manual system so everyone will make a coffee a little different. I have no issue with the Nespresso machines and we have one at home but prefer to make my own.

Draws max 1300W.



https://www.google.com.au/aclk?sa=l&..._QQwg96BAgBEHs

That looks very nice to me and even has a steam frother and looks like it has a similar footprint to my Citiz Nespresso machine. I’d have to upgrade my burr grinder to a larger size but that’s very doable. Nice to know about!

[Alistair242]

Originally Posted by newhaul

That price is a real hit to the pocketbook but looks nice .

Thats an Australian site in AUD so most likely 1/3 less in the USA.
Good coffee is essential and a few dollars spent on good equipment is money well spent for me. Much like safety gear and most other items on a boat.

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

A Bialetti Moka Express is hard to beat and there are induction compatible versions as well

I have one of those too but I can never quite tell when it’s done so I worry that I’m going to overheat it and melt the seal between sections and that leads me to take it off the heat before it’s finished. I’ve never melted it so far but just the knowledge it’s a possibility makes me watch and listen to it like a hawk. I probably just need more practice or a demonstration from someone who’s used it a lot. . Plus, at least with the coffee I’ve used in mine, it doesn’t have any crema like real espresso or even Nespresso has. I do like it’s strong taste but I guess for me it’s neither fish nor fowl, not quite espresso and not quite coffee, so I prefer my other options and I really don’t think I need to have every possible method of making coffee onboard.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by jtsailjt

I have one of those too but I can never quite tell when it’s done so I worry that I’m going to overheat it and melt the seal between sections and that leads me to take it off the heat before it’s finished. I’ve never melted it so far but just the knowledge it’s a possibility makes me watch and listen to it like a hawk. I probably just need more practice or a demonstration from someone who’s used it a lot. . Plus, at least with the coffee I’ve used in mine, it doesn’t have any crema like real espresso or even Nespresso has. I do like it’s strong taste but I guess for me it’s neither fish nor fowl, not quite espresso and not quite coffee, so I prefer my other options and I really don’t think I need to have every possible method of making coffee onboard.

Wait for the hiss of steam you will hear it and just know

[starcruiser]

Ours is a Lavazza pod machine rated at 1200 watts AC. That's about 100 amps at 12 volts.The inverter is 2000 watts continuous, 3000 watts peak. Battery bank is Fullriver 12v, total of 550 amp hours. We make coffee in the morning before the solar panels start generating power. The previous night, led lights, tv viewing, running the diesel heater, and the 12 volt compressor fridge, and warming the bed with an electric blanket, may have consumed about 30 amps from the bank.

So, we start with a morning voltage around 12.5 volts. Switch on the inverter, and then the Lavazza with its thermoblock. As it begins heating, the voltage rapidly drops to close to 12 volts, sometimes to about 11.8 volts. It holds there for a couple of seconds then rapidly goes back to 12.5 volts. So, from switching on to being ready to brew, takes about 30 seconds all up. Here, the machine is just idling. It's hot, and the tiny vibe pump itself draws very little as you pull the coffee.

For frothing...we warm the milk on the lpg stove and use a cheap battery frother which works on 2 AA batteries.

If the momentary voltage drop worries you, just run the engine while it's all happening and the alternator output will prevent the drop.