I really like a good cup of coffee, especially in the mornings. In fact I struggle to feel human until I have had my first brew of the day. While I usually drink instant, or if I can be bothered I might put on the coffee machine for a filtered coffee, I do particularly enjoy a cup of ‘posh’ coffee, which means a trip to one of the high street coffee chains and spending around £4 on a coffee and usually more if I decide to add a cake or a sandwich. By the time I’m finished, I’ve normally spent £10-£12, which is a lot of money, even at just one visit a week. The thing is, a cup of instant or filter coffee just doesn’t hit the spot in the same way as a latte or a cappuccino does.
With this in mind, I was really excited when I received the NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto Jovia coffee machine. The Dolce Gusto Jovia is a ‘pod’ type of coffee system (they do seem to be very popular these days), so as well as being able to make a standard cup of coffee (Americano), there is also a large variety of the posher coffees available too, including latte macchiato, cappuccino, mocha and hot chocolates – perfect for a treat and to get your taste buds stimulated.
The Jovia is made by De’Longhi, and is available in red, black and white. I received the black one and I think it’s a lovely looking machine. It is not much larger than my kettle, so it doesn’t take up lots of space on the kitchen worktop and I love the curvy, retro styling. The instructions that came with weren’t the easiest to follow, but fortunately they don’t need to be. The machine is extremely easy to set up and get going and it is really simple to use.
The water tank is located at the back of the machine and just clips off the back of the unit. It holds 0.8l of tap water, and the tank clicks easily and reassuringly back into place. You then choose your drink – I chose the latte macchiato for my first drink, which is made with two pods. You start with the white milk pod, then follow with the brown coffee pod. It has a maximum of 15-bar pump pressure which forces the water through the pods. This means you get eight drinks from a box of 16 pods, whereas some of the varieties only use one pod which means you will get 16 drinks out of the box (a box of pods costs around £4). With the latte option, you switch the machine on and wait for the indicator light to go from red to green. You then open the pod tray and put the first pod in and select ‘hot’. When there is enough of the milk in your cup, switch the water off, remove the used milk pod and replace with the coffee pod. The process is repeated until you have a lovely cup of foamy, frothy, milky coffee.
I have to say that I enjoyed the coffee more than any coffee I have had for a long time. It is absolutely delicious and served in a glass cup, it really looks the part too. The thing I really like is that because the machine is a manual one, and you turn the water on and off yourself, you can adjust the ratio of milk to coffee to suit your own tastes which is handy. The Jovia machine also has a cold function which can be used to make an iced coffee – Dolce Gusto also sell an iced cappuccino coffee pod, but I haven’t yet tried this.
I am absolutely over the moon with the machine. The pods are available in all major supermarkets, at around £4 for a pack of 16 capsules. This makes the lattes and cappuccinos just 50p a cup, and the espressos and americanos 25p – a massive saving on going to out for a coffee and they taste just as good, if not better.
The machine has an RRP of £99.99, which I know is expensive, but it is available for less when on offer making it a bit of a bargain (and saves you a small fortune compared to going out for a coffee).
I’m delighted with the machine and the pods, it’s quick and easy to use and the coffee tastes delicious.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £99.99
For more information, visit www.dolce-gusto.co.uk. Available to buy from Amazon here.
