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Nescafé Dolce Gusto Coffee Machine UK Review 

 March 7, 2017

By  Enda McLarnon

There is little question that the Nescafé Dolce Gusto Coffee Machine Jovia is one of the best selling pod style coffee machines, currently available on the UK marketplace. These pod/capsule style coffee machines are easy to use, fast and very efficient at making great tasting coffee.

Nescafé Dolce Gusto Coffee Machine Jovia

They are also mess free as they simply use a pod to make the coffee. There is no need to grind, use grains or try to dispose of those. Simply pop a pod into the coffee machine, push a button, wait a few seconds and then enjoy your brew.

On Amazon UK, and on other online websites, the Nescafe Dolce is the best selling coffee machine in this pod style. This one along with the Bosch Tassimo dominate the UK markets. As you can see from the image above, this one does look really cool. It is a really stylish machine in appearance alone.

What Buyers Say About the Nescafe Dolce Jovia Manual Coffee by De'Longhi

Below we have summarised what real life buyers make of this machine. Overall they rate this Nescafe model as a 4.7 out of 5 star machine. This is based on a 5 star rating system, with 1 being the lowest rating, and 5 stars being the highest.

I have shown the buyer ratings by a percentage split, which I think you may find useful, to see the ratings at a glance.

It is pretty easy to see from these ratings, that 7 out of 10 people gave this one the full 5 star rating. Over 87% rated it a 4 star product or higher. Around 8% were clearly not happy with their purchase. Generally speaking though, the majority of buyers were pleased with their purchase.

What Buyers Didn't Like Abut the Dolce

If the percentage of 1 star reviews is small, I tend to ignore that, as the complaints are normally pretty small. However at 8% that is significant enough to have a more detailed look. So I did and here is what those buyers had to say.

Like many reviews there were a couple of "strange" ones so I have ignored those. The ones that did exist are all about two things. Firstly some buyers received a faulty product that would not switch on and they had to return it. That is never a great experience.

The second type of poor review was about the red cable that is used for the power. Some buyers really did not like that, as it did not match their kitchen decor.

My advice would always be to read over low ratings to find out why. I guess one can be unlucky and get a faulty product. That does mean you have to get it returned and replaced and that is never a good experience. In addition if the thought of a red plug and red lead put you off then don't buy this one.

I did notice that they tend not to show this lead in any of the advertising. I did however have a search around and found the potentially offending lead. I have to admit it is not the best looking feature. For most people they will keep that around the back and pretty much out of sight.

nescafe_dolce_gusto_red_lead

Video of the Nescafé Dolce Gusto Coffee Machine Jovia

Before diving off into a detailed review, it is worthwhile finding out what this coffee maker can actually do. The actual coffee maker, that carries the Nescafe brand name, is in fact made by the high quality Italian brand De'Longhi.

These two big brands teamed up to deliver this particular coffee maker. Underneath, you will find a video review of what types of coffee you can make with this particular model. The choices are quite varied, and you can make both hot and cold coffee drinks.

So now you know what it does, let's take a closer look at some of the details.

Nescafé Dolce Gusto Coffee Machine Jovia by De'Longhi Specification & Key Features

  • Coffee shop quality thanks to a 15 bar pressure system for good strength and a great crema head
  • Can make a whole variety of great coffee drinks
  • The pods are readily available in many UK supermarkets so always a good choice available
  • It is truly easy to use and super simple
  • It is also very easy to clean
  • Comes with a 2-year guarantee
  • Measures 17 x 33 x 23 cm and weighs around 2.5 Kg
  • Works off the main's supply and has a 1,500 watt heater
  • It can hold 0.8 litres of water to make the coffee
  • The water tank can quickly be removed for easy and hassle free filling
  • When you buy the machine it does come with a set of starter pods

Can You Use Different Pods in this Nescafe Machine?

Quite a number of people ask if you can use Bosch Tassimo pods in this machine and the answer is no that is not possible, as the Tassimo pods are much bigger. You also can not use K-Cups either. Normally you find that you have to buy the correct pod for each type of machine.

Who Would Buy the Nescafe Dolce?

These types of machines are convenience coffee makers. You fill them up with water, insert a pod of your choice, and then hit a button. Your coffee comes out the spout and it is ready to drink. That is how simple these are to use and how simple they are to keep clean.

The one thing that I don't really like about this particular model is that you have to watch it when it is making the coffee. You then have to gauge when to stop the flow of coffee (it doesn't do it automatically like many other machines).

Many people use these just to make a quick brew as and when they fancy a coffee. They are also used by some people in their small office for the same reason. Many people also use these in holiday homes and in caravans.

It is also a good choice for anyone who likes to try different types of coffee drinks. With this machine you can get 30 different types, and that is an impressive range.

Range of coffee drinks

How Much are the Nescafe Dolce Gusto Coffee Pods?

It will vary depending on where you buy them. I have included average prices here for one reason. If you are going to buy this machine, then the pods will be your main running cost. I think it is therefore important to understand the average prices for these.

Nescafe Dolce Gusto Latte Macchiato Coffee Pods Cost

This is a good rule of thumb - 16 pods cost around £4.80 so that is about 30 pence a capsule or 30 pence per drink. If you buy in bulk they will be cheaper. The price also varies depending on which coffee drink you want to try. These price variations are small though, and it is always a good idea to shop around.

Our Summary & Verdict on the Nescafe Dolce Coffee Machine

I own and prefer the Bosch Tassimo. This one works perfectly well and I have used it at my brother's house many times. There is a decent choice of pods available, and I actually do like the style of it (apart from the red lead) It does look well in a kitchen though thanks to a pretty sleep design.

I also like my coffee piping hot, and this one does not get it as hot as I would like. That said, most people seem happy enough with the results. Many people are a tad surprised when they first use this, as it is quite noisy.

These smaller machines are all like that though, in that they generate a lot more noise than you may first expect to hear.

If this is not the pod machine for you, then check out our top 10 list of coffee pod machines by clicking here.

This product has an RRP of around £90. Most shops and online stores however sell this at around £45. There are also promotions available from time to time, so always worth keeping an eye out for those.

Enda McLarnon


Enda McLarnon has a Business Management Honour's Degree and applies his professional insight, to analyse and write helpful product reviews with tips and useful advice. I am also a coffee lover and enjoy tasting all of the coffee types the world has to offer.

Enda McLarnon

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  1. Nowhere, but nowhere in the instructions supplied with this RIP OFF piece of tripe does it tell you that you need a mobile phone & internet connection to use this device. I purchased the device and after 3 days of frustration I find that I need to upgrade both my mobile phone & sim card just to make coffee with this thing. So, £30.00 for the coffee maker & God knows how much for the devices to work it. Money well spent, its going back or in the bin where it belongs. Oh, & by the way there were NO pods in the box when I unpacked it.Thanks so much Nescafe.

  2. Makes a really nice quick coffee.
    My son has had one of these for Christmas and we both absolutely love it.
    Can’t fault it in any way and love the red lead.

  3. My machine has worked perfectly for a year and made beautiful coffee. However, it has now decided that instead of the green light to signify it is ready for use, I get the amber light. It does continue to work and produce coffee but am I right to continue to use it in this state or is there a way of rectifying the fault?

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