Nespresso Pixie Espresso Maker, Aluminum

Can I give it six stars? PLEASE!
Addendum, 2012: In order to remove the water tank effortlessly, you need to OPEN the lid of the water container. There are latches on the lid itself which engage when the lid is closed! If you open the lid, the tank comes off without any resistance. If you keep it closed and try to remove the tank, you will have to force it and and will break the plastic. II've been using my Pixie for a year multiple times a day and it still runs perfectly. I descale the unit every 4-5 months and I've never had any problems with leakage after it's been descaled. One year in and my Pixie is jsut as good as the day I bought it.

I previously used a Tassimo system as my primary coffee maker but moved to a Nespresso Pixie when Starbucks dropped Tassimo. Since I've switched to the Pixie, I couldn't be happier and I've never had coffee this good at home.

First of all, the Pixie is a very stylish machine and it seems extremely solid in construction. The Pixie is made of aluminum and...

Water reservoir is a faulty design - easy to crack
I wanted to love this Pixie, I really did. As a Nespresso addict with a C101 and a CitiZ, this seemed like a logical next step to espresso nirvana. Lower power consumption, faster start-up times, smaller footprint - what's not to like? Oh, and Made in SWITZERLAND too - my other Nespressos had already been outsourced to a foreign supplier.

Unfortunately, the Pixie arrived with the water reservoir already cracked. Odd since it was in the original, unopened box and also sent well by Amazon (double boxed).

On closer inspection, the cracks in the reservoir were along stress lines of the cover. Two design faults of the new model are 1. the cover of the reservoir has clips which go into the coffee maker and steady it - since the reservoir is plastic however, those stresses over time will crack the reservoir along where the clips are and 2. to keep a low profile, the reservoir base sits directly on the counter, not on a separate base (see CitiZ for better design). MORE...

Best all around unit
It's been about two months, I hate writing rewiews as soon as I get something. I want to give it some use before I write about it. We've used this unit at least 1-4 times a day. I particularly like the Lungo feature as I'm more of a volume drinker. Partner likes the espresso feature. Personally, I use the espresso cups for my Lungos and they're totally fine.

Features I like:

1. It's compact but not tiny. We've taken it on several trips so we don't have to drink hotel coffee. It packs well.
2. Quick operation: I can turn it on and easily within a minute (and that's pushing it) it's ready to go.
3. Automatic Shut off: After nine minutes the unit automatically shuts off. When you're rushing out the door for work, the last thing you want is "Did I turn it off". It's not going to burn the house down, but if you're energy conscience then knowing it's not just sitting there all day keeping the next cup of water warm, you'll like this feature.
4. Location...

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