Nespresso Coffee Machines

nespresso coffee makers, www.coffeee.uk officially announced, are compact and small and are not as bulky as drip coffee machines. They're black-colored and range in price and sophistication. Some include an milk frother to create latte art, and they can be linked to an app to manage recipes or receive descaling notifications.

The most basic machines, such as our favorite the Essenza Mini, are simple and affordable but forgo features that can make more complex drinks. Other machines can brew larger sizes of drinks like gran lungos.

What is a Nespresso Machine?

Since 1986, Nespresso has marketed single-serve machines that utilize capsules to make espresso and coffee drinks. The brand has gained a loyal fan base due to its ease of use, speed and consistency in brewing a hot espresso-like drink. These machines are an excellent alternative to making espresso at home with a moka pot, both of which require time and care after each use.

A Nespresso machine uses pressure to extract the flavor of the pod, and then heats water and froths milk for coffee drinks like lattes and cappuccinos. Nespresso offers a wide selection of coffee and tea blends to fit different moods and tastes, including flavored and decaffeinated options. Their machines are sleek and compact, as well as easy to use, making the perfect option for those who want to have a quick cup of coffee or tea in the afternoon.

The Vertuo line was introduced to replace the Nespresso machines in 2014, using capsules from the Original capsules to make espresso shots. The Essenza Mini is the smallest model in this line. It is small and has a small water tank and space for capsules that are used. Its simple operation, using just two buttons--one for an espresso and the other for a lungo -- makes it easy to master.

All Nespresso machines automatically dispose of capsules that are used after making. This is in contrast to Keurig machines that require you to manually add the water every time. Based on the size of the reservoir and storage for capsules, these can hold anywhere from four to 12 used pods, which are discarded into a built-in receptacle each time you open the machine.

A few of the most sought-after models can be used with the mobile app from the company, which lets users to create custom recipes and to reorder the capsules at home. We tested this feature on the sleek stainless steel Vertuo Creatista, which also lets you make hot chocolate and iced drinks using a dedicated frothing chamber. The only issue we found with the machine we tried was that it does not support all varieties of milk and requires you to purchase an additional frothing wand should you want to make drinks using whole or 2% almond milk.

The Original Line

The Original line of pod-only machines includes the sleek Citiz and Essenza Mini. Both machines penetrate the capsule and pump hot water at high pressure through it, delivering an espresso or a lungo. The original machines utilize 1our coffee.

The Pro and Gran Lattissima have larger water tanks than the Lattissima One. This allows them to hold more water without having refill. These two models have an earlier time to heat up (15 seconds for an Espresso and 25 seconds for Lungo) and hot water functions that can be used to make iced or tea.

The only real downside to the Lattissima is the difficulty in altering the consistency and density of your milk foam. The machine is only compatible with skim milk (sorry Vegans and dairy-intolerant folks) and the foaming system does not work well with almond or vegetable milks. The wand for frothing is difficult to clean. This is a common complaint from Nespresso users. The Lattissima Pro or Gran Lattissima has a self-cleaning feature that scrubs the milky insides of the frothing device after each use.

The Vertuo Line

The Nespresso Vertuo makes a small and concentrated cup of coffee. It's the perfect choice for those who love espresso. Each capsule has a barcode along its rim that can be read by the machine's computer to determine the size of drink it should create. Nespresso's Vertuo pods are extracted with an innovative technology.

The Vertuo Line offers a wide selection of different drinks including Ristretto (mini espresso), Espresso, Lungo, Americano and Cappuccino. The machines also integrate with the Nespresso Aeroccino milk frother to create frothy lattes and cappuccinos.

Each Vertuo Line machine heats up quickly and is ready to brew in just 30 seconds. They have a smaller reservoir for water than the Original Line and require less maintenance. There are several models to choose from, meaning you can choose the one that is compatible with your home's style and your budget.

Vertuo Line machines can also make regular filter coffee unlike the Original Line machines that only brew Nespresso. It does this by using an additional spout located at the bottom of the machine.

VertuoLine machines are equipped with a new brewing technology that makes use of centrifusion to softly extract espresso and coffee. This allows the creation of an organic crema that preserves and enhances the coffee's aromas. The VertuoLine system also features an intelligent recognition system that alters the extraction parameters to match each Grand Cru blend.

Each VertuoLine machine comes with a manufacturer's assurance and a starter pack of Nespresso capsules. The company also offers a subscription service that delivers new Magimix Nespresso Vertuo Plus LE White Coffee Machine capsules each month.

The Nespresso VertuoPlus machine is the best overall machine. It is simple to use, heats up quickly and comes in a variety of colors. It can create five different sizes of espresso and coffee including a flat white, ristretto, and lungo. It can also make an espresso-latte, and it can be used with the Aeroccino Milk Frother to make lattes or cappuccino.

The VertuoPlus' only downside is that it takes longer to brew compared to other machines, especially when making an Americano. Comparing the Bunn Fastbrew with the Nespresso VertuoPlus, which can make an 8-ounce Americano in just 42 seconds, it took just 1 minute and 51 seconds. Luckily, you can speed up the process by selecting an automatic mode.