A specialist in pod coffee makers with its Nescafé brand, the Nestlé group marketed a tea machine a few years ago under the name Special.T. This device was neither more nor less than a capsule machine for making tea. Recently, the Swiss group wanted to bring together the best of both worlds to make everyone agree by developing an accessory to convert its Dolce Gusto capsule coffee maker into a tea machine capable of preparing a wide variety of teas.
Compatible with 8 models of Dolce Gusto coffee machines (Genio S, Genio S Plus, Genio S Touch, Piccolo, Piccolo XS, Infinissima, Infinissima Touch, Mini Me), the infuser replaces the capsule holder that holds the Dolce capsules Gusto (coffee, milk drinks or tea) and can ensure the preparation of 25 different types of teas, infusions and rooibos. To start a preparation, simply activate the hot water selector, set the volume of the drink on the 7th (water level).
According to Nescafé, the Special.T brewer is supposed to “optimize the flow of water in order to allow the good infusion of the tea” , “protect the tea leaves to preserve the aromas“, And “master the infusion“: just that! To date, Special.T capsules are only available for sale on the special-t.com or dolcegusto.fr websites but impossible to find them in supermarkets. It takes €24.90 for the infuser. The boxes are all sold at the same price, €3.70, except for the limited editions, which are a little more expensive, €3.90. The calculation is quick: a tea costs between 37 and 39 cents. The positioning is the same as that of Nespresso: top of the range.
At the financial cost we can also mention the ecological cost of this concept, the capsules are made of aluminum (as at Nespresso) and are for single use. If the concept makes it possible to push the versatility of Dolce Gusto coffee makers and to appeal to the greatest number of people, it must be recognized that this accessory takes the opposite view of more committed innovations such as CoffeeB (from the Café Royal group) which launched the year last the first 0 waste capsule coffee maker.