When I attended the BlogHer general conference in July, my blog friends and I wandered around the Expo hall every day, where countless brands had set up booths. We sampled Greek yogurt, soda, and gummy vitamins, but every single day, we always made a beeline for the ice cream and NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto tables for our sweet tooth fix.
The folks from NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto were demonstrating a few of their single-serve machines and drinks, including a skinny cappuccino, caramel macchiato, and chococino. The line usually stretched out three booths over; everyone wanted to sample their fancy coffee and see the cute penguin-shaped makers!
After such a positive experience at the conference, I was thrilled when NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto sent me one of their machines to test, and they also generously offered to give away another to one lucky AHB reader!
I received their most basic entry-level model, the Piccolo. It’s cute, compact, and barely takes up any space on my counter. After pressing the “On” button, the machine warms up in less than 30 seconds and can immediately dispense steaming hot water through the capsules, so your coffee drink is ready less than 60 seconds later.
As a very small machine, the Piccolo only stores enough water to make about two of their specialty drinks, making it ideal for people who only sip on a limited amount of caffeinated drinks in the morning. It’s also perfect for college kids, especially in dorms, because it takes up so little space and requires virtually no clean up. Those coffee grounds can get messy!
If you aren’t big on straight black coffee or espresso, NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto also sells a variety of sweeter latte, macchiato, tea, and even hot chocolate (that’s the chococino I mentioned earlier!) capsule packages for you to drink. They aren’t just for hot beverages either—they have iced tea and cappuccino kits too!
The main downsides of the Piccolo are that the specialty capsules can be expensive and that the machine vibrates rather noisily as it brews. As long as you stand next to it for those 45-60 seconds while it works, just in case your mug starts to dance off the drip tray as the machine shakes, you’re fine. And really, it’s less than 60 seconds… I don’t mind standing next to the machine and smelling that rich coffee smell during that time!
And now for the giveaway! NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto is giveaway away another Piccolo machine to one lucky reader! To enter, just follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter box below. It sometimes takes a few minutes to load, so be patient! (If you’re reading this in an email, click on the link to enter.) After logging in with your email address or Facebook account, enter using as many options as you’d like.
Good luck, and thank you so much for reading my blog!
*NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto Giveaway will be open until 11:59 PM Pacific Time on November 16, 2014. Open to the US only. Winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond, or else a new winner will be selected.
Holly says...
I just tried this yesterday and loved it. Would love to win. Also, just discovered your blog today. It’s awesome! thank you!
Holly says...
By the way, I would keep it, but share coffee drinks with my family and friends 🙂
Amy says...
I’m so happy you found my blog, and thank you for taking the time to leave a comment Holly! 🙂
Nicole Dz says...
My sister wants a new coffee machine and she was just telling me about his exact one, so I would give it to her.
Ta says...
I would love to get a one of these for my sister!
April says...
Would love to keep this for me and my boyfriend. We both love coffee. 🙂
Angela says...
I think i would keep it
Marsha A says...
Was there a winner selected for the giveaway?
Amy says...
Yes Marsha, thanks for checking!
Marsha A says...
I don’t see a winner’s name posted in the Rafflecopter widget, so didn’t think anyone was chosen.