I love coffee, but I really can't stand the prices they charge in cafes and coffee bars - considering what goes in them, it seems like an absolute rip-off to me to charge several pounds for the drinks. Because of this, this coffee machine from Nescafe called Dolce Gusto was the perfect present for me. Although the product itself is expensive - over £100 - you can get delicious coffee from it for much less than you would pay in the shops.

-ooo- The Product -ooo-

This is a really eye-catching product that has a great design, and doesn't look at all out of place in a modern well designed kitchen. It is very smooth and curved in design, and looks almost futuristic. Of course, the design is not the most important thing, but when you spend this much on a gadget, you expect it to look like it's quite top end, and this does that.

How it works, then, is that you have a variety of little capsules which you plug into the machine, which combine with the water from the hot water tank to make your drink. You have capsules for milk, then different capsules for each different type of coffee - a Machiatto, or Capuchino, or Mocha-type drink, for example. You plug it in and switch in on, and the drink blends together and pours into your mug that you place below.

-ooo- Would I Recommend? -ooo-

The most important part of a coffee machine is of course the quality of the coffee, and this is pretty good here. It's not quite as nice as the best ones you get in cafes and shops, but it's not at all bad, and tastes better than the normal ones I make at home. It has a nice sweet flavour (which I like, but I suppose not everyone will), and has a really nice taste to it - it also comes out nice and hot, which is important for me, as I hate lukewarm coffee.

The machine itself is very easy to use, and I like the idea of the capsules. They fit in easily, and are very convenient. However, they are expensive - they cost about 20p each, which isn't that much at all compared to shop drinks, but it does get a little expensive over time. However, I think this is still quite economical if you drink a lot of coffee.

Overall, I think this is a great product - it looks good in your kitchen, produces lovely fresh coffee and works really well.