Cru Kafe Coffee Pods Review

We were recently sent some Cru Kafe Flat White Nespresso Compatible Organic Coffee Capsules to try, they arrived in gorgeous black packaging, looking sleek and inviting.

On opening the bag you could smell the coffee, I popped one straight into the machine and I was presented with a dark earthy smelling coffee, the taste of which is really lovely.

My husband, who loves his coffee used the words ‘ I think this may be the best one we’ve tried’ referring to several of the different capsules available including Nespresso which means this is high praise indeed.

I have really enjoyed the coffee in iced coffee and as a flat white first thing in the morning, my husband being more of an espresso drinker has enjoyed the coffee on it’s own although it does suggest it is better as a flat white.

The great thing about Cru Kafe is that you can order a monthly subscription delivered to your door, which means you don't have to worry about running low as new ones will regularly arrive.

The capsules are recyclable and the packet a bit less bulky than some of the others in boxes currently available, there is also less packaging than some of the others available on the market.

The coffee is great but my only grumble is the price, it is a little on the high side compared to others with a capsule including delivery being 40p-46p if you buy just one offs or 37p-41p if you have a monthly subscription. However it is organic so you are getting something rarely available from other coffee makers and suppliers.

As these are from a smaller independent company and this is wonderful tasting coffee, it might be something we buy on occasion, as a gift to ourselves, but not something we'd buy regularly.

NB: We were sent a packet of Cru Kafe capsules for the purpose of this review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Caffe Cagliari - Italian Coffee Meets Nespresso

I have raved a lot about my Nespresso machine, and how I love it for it's easy coffee making qualities. There is nothing I love more than sitting in the kitchen enjoying a quiet coffee and reading a recipe book whilst listening to the distant sound of children playing.

My five minutes peace and quiet, this time bought to you by Caffe Cagliari's new Nespresso compatible ilove Espresso Capsules. Caffe Cagliari are a family company steeped in over 100 years of Italian history. Alessandra Cagliari, the great great grand daughter of the founder handles the marketing and packaging today, so even now it is still family run.

With five different coffee's to choose from there isn't as big a range as Nespresso themselves. They cost 30p a capsule (or slightly less if you buy 80 of one variety), so they are around the same price as Nespresso's cheaper capsules.

The coffee itself was divine, I am not normally one to drink an espresso at home, known mostly for my love of a latte, however with this coffee I was drawn to drinking it as a short as it was so tasty. Having never been to Italy I cannot compare with the coffee over there, but having drank many an espresso in cafe's in both England and France, I recognised the smoothness and distinctive taste of a great espresso.

Whether it is the way it has been roasted or the choice of beans I was impressed by the quality of the coffee, even the decaf tasted great, making it perfect to drink throughout the day all day if you want.

Sitting in my little corner of the kitchen I got to enjoy my coffee, a biscuit and five minutes peace.

I really enjoyed the coffee and will definitely be buying more for our machine, the coffee was tasty, smooth and very drinkable. Perfect for an early morning pick me up or after dinner coffee, to find out more about Caffe Cagliari or if you fancy giving a try then you can pop over to their shop.

NB I was sent a few coffee samples, coffee cups, sugar and biscuits to form this post. All opinions are my own.

Big Cup Little Cup Review and Discount Code

I was recently approached by Big Cup Little Cup to see if I would like to review their coffee.

The Big Cup Little Cup capsules are Nespresso compatible and are a slightly cheaper alternative to the Nespresso range. Offering a wide range of coffee's for those that love small cups of coffee or big cups with several different strengths.

The coffee itself was good quality and enjoyable, had a good crema and other than a few bits of coffee dust in the cups you couldn't really tell they were any different.

I mention the dust only because I don't recall really noticing this with the Nespresso capsules, however the way in which the capsules are made and stored is probably the reason for this but it doesn't really affect the coffee itself.

The capsules come in separate foil bags so there is a a bit of wastage, the boxes are a little bigger and so they aren't as easy to store.

Recycling the capsules is also a little more difficult, with the Nespresso capsules you just put them in a bag and coffee and capsule are collected, with the Big Cup Little Cup capsules although the plastic is recyclable it does require you to empty and rinse out first.

Not really something I want to be doing but I do hate waste and this was one of the only reasons I was happy to go with the capsule system in the first place, that they were easy get rid of and be recycled.

Both my husband and I really like the range Big Cup Little Cup have to offer, so much so we ordered the Coffee Lovers Discovery Pack, 300 capsules for £75 ordered and delivered within 24 hours so a great service.

Better still you can get 15% off with code MUMMYDIARY0810 until the 1st November 2013 so that makes them even better value.

NB We were sent 2 free boxes of coffee by Big Cup Little Cup for review, all words are my own and after trying the samples, we chose to buy some more.