Nescafé Coffee Vending Machines: What Alternatives Are There?

Nescafé, Nespresso – it’s all synonymous with great coffee and a great lifestyle to go with it. But what if you don’t like Nescafé? What if you don’t have the budget – or the machine you want cannot be found locally? Yes, yes, you might love a machine and want it with every fibre of your being – but what happens if you just can’t get it? We’ve found the most closely-matched equivalents of your favourite Nescafe Coffee Vending Machines in South Africa!

Nescafe Coffee Vending Machines

The products available in Nescafé’s coffee vending machines includes:

1) Nescafe Milano – seen typically outside a move theatre for self-service, it uses instant coffee and milk powder.

2) Nescafe Alegria – Also an entry level vending machine (not to be confused with the home-based Alegria) – this machine also uses instant coffee and is more appropriate for offices

3) Nescafe Lioness – likely the most popular coffee vending machine across the globe, it has since been replaced with the upbeat Alegria and Milano vending machines.

Nescafe Coffee Vending Machines Alternatives

We’ve closely matched the capabilities of each machine with alternatives in South Africa.

1) Instant Coffee Vending Machine – easiest vending machine to use – the layout and design is basic but user friendly. This machine can be customised to exclude cappuccino’s and replace that with tea. Great for an area exposed to many first-time users or an area that requires a high volume of coffee to be made in a short time. The machine uses instant coffee and thus will not produce the absolute best quality cuppa.

2) Bean Vending Machine – a step-up from the instant vending machine, this option includes full coffee beans inside a canister. They are ground up internally and dispensed with powdered milk. An excellent hybrid for ease of use with quality coffee.

Nescafe Coffee Capsule Machines

The products available in Nescafé’s coffee capsule machines includes:

1) Nescafe Jovia – 0.8 litre water tank, plastic finishings, retails for around R 1 300.00

2) Nescafe Mini Me -0.8 litre water tank, plastic finishings and unique design, retails for around

R 1 650.00

3) Nescafe Genio – retailing for R 1 900.00, two year warranty, stainless steel finishes, 500ml water canister.

4) Nescafe Circolo – Nescafé’s top of the range capsule coffee machine retails for about

R 2 500.00.

Nescafe Coffee Capsule Machines Alternatives

This is a bit of a tricky one, because your alternative will be based on what you’re looking for.

Convenient, better-than instant coffee: Capsule Machines

You can get decent capsule machines for as low as R 1 200.00.

High quality bean-to-cup and speciality coffee: Home bean-to-cup machine

A home bean to cup machine with integrated milk frother is available for as low as R 7 500.00 excluding VAT.

Regular quality coffee: French Press / Aereopress

Regular quality which is still better than instant coffee, but at a low cost – use ground coffee and brew it through a French press. This is a great idea if you are the sole coffee drinker.

Convenient, plain coffee: Filter Coffee Machine

Commercial range filter coffee machines will set you back around R 3 900.00 excluding VAT and are a great, reliable and cost effective way to serve better-than-instant coffee en mass.

High mass, top quality coffee: Bean to Cup Range

If you’re looking to really impress, want the top of the range in quality, aesthetics and speciality drinks for a group larger than needed at home – consider a bean to cup automatic coffee machine, retailing for around R 15 600.00 excluding VAT.

It’s easy to see there are – and always will be- better suited alternatives. It’s not always what’s in the name or branding – but rather what you want VS what you get.

Share your thoughts – is brand a huge influencer for you?

Note that Aquaspresso and all affiliates thereof are in no way associated with or stockists of Nescafe, Nestle or Nespresso Products. The views expressed in this article are not those of the company or publisher.