Home > Categories > Beverages > Hot Brewed > Nescafe Dolce Gusto Cafe Au Lait review
Simple idea, fancy French name. This is delicious coffee with milk, all in one capsule. The perfect morning drink. It just sound so much sexier in French.
Product reviews...
The coffee machine was put to use today with the Cafe Au Lait, the flavour this time was much stronger, and was not as well received by some of my coffee connoisseurs, but others liked it and asked for seconds, so I think it was simply that we all have different taste preferences, when it comes to coffee. These pods are the coffee and milk combined system, and my family prefer the separate milk pods, and coffee pods, as the milk seems to come out more fluffy and creamy - just like a brought one.
The image on the box is a fairly accurate representation of the coffee, it looked a little darker than how we like our coffee, and we had guessed the flavour was stronger, and the box doesn't give any reference to flavour or strength, they rely on the consumer checking out the descriptions on the website, which is great if you are shopping from home, but not great if you are in the supermarket and wanting to make a flavour decision for the first time.
When it comes to ease of use you simply pop the pod in, you can't go wrong, the machine is so simple, we have tried the hot chocolate and the nesquick flavours and the kids can whip up their own, cleaning it is easy too. The pods are recyclable too, which is wonderful, as it is easy to go through several of them!
These pod systems come in two varieties the boxes hold 16 pods, but some of the boxes are 8 milk pods, and 8 coffee pods, or like this flavour 16 pods of a coffee, milk, combination. If you were aiming for value for money the 16 coffee pod boxes would work out at only .60c a cup, where as the separate milk and coffee pods, work out at $1.20 a cup, which is still much cheaper than going to your local for a coffee! I will definitely purchase these Nescafe pods again, but not this particular flavour as we like the milder coffee flavours.
I was lucky enough to be gifted a Dolce Gusto machine a wee while ago from a friend, but with so many different options, and not knowing which I would like, it is hard to decide on a new flavour or type in the Dolce Gusto range. I was super excited to receive two different selections to try - this being one of them.
Looking at the box, the graphics and visuals are clear, with it easy to see which one you are searching for on the supermarket shelves due to different colours for different varieties. This box contains 16 capsules, making 16 smallish coffees. For a mug size I would recommend using two, however it is easy to see after using one capsule if you need another. The box features a lot of info, and a competition (outdated), instructions and what is included. Opening the box is fairly easy - these are gummed down well to prevent the capsules falling out, and once opened the capsule colour matches the picture on the outside, and has a strength indicator for where to set it.
I retrieved a capsule and mug, and set it up. The smell of the coffee was delightful - like the beans were roasted and ground right in my kitchen. It takes mimimal effort to prep, no grinding, tampering, not milk frothing - it is done all in one! In a couple of minutes, my Cafe au lait ( coffee with milk ) was ready. The first sip was great - not too much froth, hit of the caffeine, and lovely full flavour. I did not have to add any sugar, which is great, and meant it was not too bitter. Personal preference, but I added a splash of cream to mine, making it a little more indulgent.
I would love to see more options for either refillable or recyclable pods - as what will stop me buying them very frequently is my concern for the environment. I do think that in the big urban centres this is more of an option.
All in all this was a great coffee - better than an instant one, not quite a coffee shop, but definitely a treat kind of coffee to enjoy. Owning a nail salon - these capsules, with 16 to the box will be the standard ones I will have there available all the time, perfect for my clients to make on their own, and treat themselves whilst I pamper them!
I love a good coffee which is why I was keen to review the Nescafe Dolce Gusto Cafe Au Lait. I'd actually seen this flavour before on the supermarket shelves and been really keen to try it as it looks like a really good coffee. I made the coffee as per the instructions and the first thing I noticed as the coffee brewed into my mug was the delicious smell. I love a frothy, delicious creamy coffee and definitely felt I got this with the Cafe Au Lait pods. The froth on the top was perfect as per pictured on the front of the box. The coffee wasn't too strong, or too weak it was just right, which is how I personally like my coffees. When buying coffee pods I hope to get a cafe style coffee in the comfort of my own home and I feel I really got what I am after with these coffee pods.
Value for money is really good as you get 16 coffee pods in the box for $9.99, which works out at less than $1 per coffee. Whereas with some of the other Nescafe Dolce Gusto coffee pod flavours you only receive 8 coffees. I really enjoyed the taste of the Cafe Au Lait and the simplicity of making a delicious coffee, I can easily make a coffee with my 3 children at my feet.
Overall this is one of my new favourite coffee pod's. Its delicious, easy to make and extremely good value for money. Thanks Nescafe for the chance to review this awesome product.
I am a sucker for a cafe style coffee I do always keep instant coffee at home and generally only drink decaf but if I am out and about I can't resist a cappucino or a mocha from the local cafe or service station. I am on a pretty tight budget at the moment so a cafe coffee is very few and far between so when I noticed these available for review I thought I needed to give them a go.
I am currently living with a family member who has a machine but had not really used it beyond the capsules they had bought when they first bought the machine so I had the machine ready to go I just needed some capsules to put in it. Having tried sachet cafe style coffee I was a little tentative as I have not liked the powdered sachets as I find them too sweet and incredibly difficult to stir enough to dissolve all the powder.
I actually really enjoyed this I am not a great fan of milk and find some uht/powdered milks a bit off putting but this was actually enjoyable for me and not having added sugar like the sachets I found I could actually drink it easily. Being the first time I had used a pod machine I found the instructions very easy to follow and loved that my coffee was ready to go so quickly so definitely a fuss free way to have a cafe style coffee at home and more in my budget as a box would last me a while seen as I am not a regular drinker of caffeine.
Definitely a great coffee to start the day with nice and strong and milky but not too heavy so I could drink it with my breakfast without feeling weighed down. I think I could get used to drinking it on those days I am at home and needing a caffeine hit to get through the morning.
I find myself liking coffee less and less and had taken a hiatus from using my dolce gusto machine due to costs, but this is a drink that is better value than others in this range as for $9.99 you get sixteen drinks instead of just eight, as the milk is already in this pod. Everything in one pod should also cut down on your waiting time as you only have a single pod to deal with. I tried this as per the suggestion on the box/pod and did find that this was a tad too bitter for my liking, but decided that I would try it with more water before adding sugar into the mix.
I set this up to the full amount of bars, just one more than the suggestion says, to see how this would affect the overall drink. I did find this improved the taste slightly but it still didn't have me dying to have another cup of coffee. However, my brain has been in a bit of a fog with this relentless heat and so I made myself another coffee, back to the suggested amount of water, but added a teaspoon of sugar... Much better. Still in a fog, I made another cuppa using full amount of water and a teaspoon of sugar, and whilst I still don't love this drink, it was much, much better.
I will buy this again, because it does have a nice taste to it, it's worthwhile cost wise and it gave me a good enough caffeine kick.
I must start off by being honest and saying that I am not a coffee drinker, never have been and never will be, when it comes to drinking hot drinks hot chocolate is always my drink of choice. However I have a lot of family members who are mad coffee drinkers, who need to have their coffee fix at particular times throughout the day, for this reason I opted to review the Cafe Au Lait as I knew that I would plenty of people who would be keen to sample these for me.
When my in-laws heard that I have coffee machine that I needed them to help me try out they were straight around, as it just so happened to be close to afternoon tea, I prepared the first coffee as directed which was super quick and easy. I simply popped the coffee and milk pod into the pod dispenser of my Eclipse and then 6 bars for the strength and watched as the coffee was poured from machine to mug. My in-laws were amazed by the lack of steps needed to prepare their coffee and were excited to give it a try. The smell of the coffee was strong, but not overpowering which my in-laws were happy about as they are not fans of ultra strong coffee. The taste of the coffee was well suited to those trying it, however they did feel that a teaspoon of sugar was needed to make the coffee taste perfect, they said that they would happily drink this on a daily basis and that it was just as good, if not better than some of the coffee's they have tried from neighbouring cafes. They loved the froth that came out on top of their drinks saying it was "just like you get when you go to a restaurant".
Taking into consideration the price of these capsules they really are great value for money as many of the Nescafe coffee capsules come in boxes of 8 coffee pods, and 8 milk pods giving you a total of 8 drinks, however the Cafe Au Lait pods have the coffee and milk all in one which means that a box will make 16 cups of coffee which works out to be roughly 62 cents per cup of coffee.
So while I won't buy these for myself they are definitely something that I intend to keep on buying to have on hand for visitors who are fans of coffee.
When I opened this box I was delighted to find that there were sixteen drinks inside rather than the eight that were in the other coffee-and-milk combinations. I thought this would mean that the box would be better value than the rest, so I looked forward to trying it out on some of my friends. I had invited three people to test the product out for me and was looking forward to some good feedback.
The brew smelled good, and the cups were steaming hot - so hot that everyone had to delay tasting the contents for a few minutes. Finally one person (my elderly aunt) had a sip and she was delighted. She likes coffee and has always drunk it in preference to tea. She is quite modern in her choice of products and likes to try the very latest whenever she can. She liked the fact that it was reasonably strong and not too sweet, and said she could probably manage a second cup later in the evening.
The other two, her neighbours (who are quite a bit younger), were not as glowing in their comments. He thought it was okay, but nothing special - he had already tried several other blends in the range and for him this one lacked character. His comment was that it is good insofar as it was streets ahead of the instant coffee he is forced to drink at work, but falls far short of the latte macchiato or even the chai tea latte he has tried on other occasions. They have a coffee machine of their own so are familiar with a number of the Dolce Gusto range, including some of the new flavours they have tried with me over the last few days.
His wife said it was not sweet enough, and the coffee was too strong. She asked for a teaspoon of sugar and some fresh milk; once these had been added she said it was quite pleasant but she would probably still go for latte macchiato as it has more flavour and the right degree of sweetness without needing additives. She was quite disappointed as she had expected the single capsule would be a much better buy. However, she did say it was satisfying enough with the extra milk and sugar and she would happily drink it if there was no other variety available.
It is interesting that different people have different perspectives on flavours and combinations, but I guess that all this shows is that it is important to give people a choice so their tastes are catered for. My aunt was very happy with the drink just as it was and said she would not add anything - it was fine just as it was.
Defintely the best Dolce Gusto capsule value wise - 16 capsules makes 16 coffees. Really yummy and creamy and as with other capsules super easy to use. Leaves a nice wee milky layer on the top and can be sweetened with a touch of sugar. I have found that there isn't quite as much caffeine in these as I would have liked and by morning tea I'm looking for my next fix.
We picked this product as we found we were going through the other varieties too quickly (most others have eight capsules with milk and eight with the actual coffee) so dollar for dollar it made sense to buy these ones. With the low amount of caffeine though we find that we go through just as many as before but it is a nice blend to have after dinner. So handy to have these capsules though for when friends or family drop by, a bit nicer to serve them with these than just plain old instant coffee.
We would definitely recommend to others, but probably more so to those that are okay with having a quick coffee or two during the day and don't rely on the caffeine to function, otherwise stick to the other Dolce Gusto varieties.
Random listing from 'Beverages'...
To enjoy all the goodness Mai'a has to offer, all you have to do is slip your Mai'a Coffee Straw into a glass of cold milk, sip back and relax!
As the milk passes through the straw, special coffee beads dissolve to deliver a scrumptious, refreshing drink unlike anything experienced before.
Mai'a is available from leading supermarkets in the coffee aisle now!
They're ... more...
All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.
"Character - the willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life - is the source from which self respect springs."
Joan Didion (1934 - ), 'Slouching Towards Bethlehem'