Nespresso - which machine?!

[tiredmama2020]

Dolce Gusto is just about to give up. DH has been looking at Nespresso for a while but never made the switch. Going to get one as part of his birthday.

Can anyone recommend a certain machine? I didn’t realise there were so many models 😬 From what I can see there are two shapes of pods? Does one offer more variety than the other? 🤔

The main decision is whether you want a machine that use the Classic or newer Vertuo shaped capsules. Machine will take one or the other, not both.

Personally, I prefer the Vertuo machines as they dispense the exact quantity of water for the coffee type of the capsule - espresso, lungo etc whereas the older Classic ones you have to watch and stop the machine when you think enough has been produced.

There isn't much to choose between the Vertuo machines, choice is down to style and colour really. The premium/deluxe ones are a bit more solid with lots of chrome rather than plastic handles and drip trays.

Have you looked at the machine for £1 subscription offer? If you drink a lot of coffee it may be worthwhile.

https://www.nespresso.com/uk/en/subscription

Personally, I prefer the Vertuo machines as they dispense the exact quantity of water for the coffee type of the capsule - espresso, lungo etc whereas the older Classic ones you have to watch and stop the machine when you think enough has been produced.

I have a Pixie machine for the classic capsules and it stops automatically when it’s dispensed the correct amount of water. Having said that, I’d prefer a Vertuo if I had to replace my machine. Tried one in Italy (where they have had them a lot longer than we have in the U.K.) and it made a bigger and nicer cup of coffee.

Personally, I prefer the Vertuo machines as they dispense the exact quantity of water for the coffee type of the capsule - espresso, lungo etc whereas the older Classic ones you have to watch and stop the machine when you think enough has been produced.

Not at all!! It comes with a preset volume of liquid which you can easily change if you want.

When I saw it at the shop it seemed to me that the Vertuo pods were more for Americano rather than espresso/ristretto coffees, so we went for classic pods.

The main choice is milky drinks or just coffee drinks. We have a Gran Latissima which does all the milky drinks including straight hot or frothy milk to make hot chocolate

@GCAcademic agrees with me. Vertuo seems to be for more water-y coffee. FIL would hate that he thinks ristretto is not short enough

You can buy cheaper versions of the original pods although if I was replacing mine I would go for new one as I like longer coffees (although I solve this by just pressing the button twice at the moment 😂)

I've got the Pixie one with a milk frother and use it daily. You can chose a short or long shot and I use soya milk. I personally didn't like the Vertuo pods as they're very watery.

I like the range of classic pods - the Roma and Venezia are the ones I use the most, with the Scuro and Corto for milky drinks. I paid around £120 for mine on offer and it's best the best investment. I like that you can recycle the pods too. Another good pod source is Grind where you can get compostable pods - the blend is good too.

The Vertuo machines read a barcode on the capsule and dispense the correct amount of water for that specific capsule size. There are 5 different serving sizes - 40ml espresso, 80ml double espresso, 159ml gran lungo, 230ml mug and 414ml alto.

The Pixie cannot do that. It dispenses 40ml when you press the 'espresso' button or 110ml when you press the 'lungo' button. You can change the amounts those buttons dispenses if you want but it's a manual process kit automated like with the Vertuo.

@ChequerBoard Our Nespresso Latissima One produces the right amount of water so I’m not sure where you’ve got that from.

OP - love the One Touch - it’s got a frother with it

We have the Nespresso touch. Its used all day everyday and is flipping brilliant. Couldnt be without it.

[quote RogueV]@ChequerBoard Our Nespresso Latissima One produces the right amount of water so I’m not sure where you’ve got that from.

OP - love the One Touch - it’s got a frother with it[/quote]
As I have already said, the Vertuo are the only machines that have a range of 5 different cup sizes automatically dispensed according to the bar code on the capsule.

Lattissma is very similar to the Pixie in that it has buttons that you press to choose the amount of water (espresso or lungo) or water & milk ( latte, cappuccino, macchiato) dispensed. It is not automated according to the capsule inserted.

In my experience the machines that have milk features included never heat the milk up quite enough and they tend to go wrong pretty quickly.

🙈🙈🤣 I can see this isn’t going to be as easy as I thought! I was hoping there would just be a stand out machine that everyone named 🙈

Maybe more detail would help...

• He drinks mainly Americano (Dolce Gusto number 9) but likes a cappuccino when he fancies it.
• Loves to try new types though!
• Visitors are mainly cappuccinos and lattes
• I’m a fake coffee drinker 😅😬 hot coffee is vile - iced is the only way 😍😂

Happy to buy a milk frother separately if it’s better.

Lakeland do a duel capsule machine that does dolce gusto and nepresso. It got a best buy in WHich

www.lakeland.co.uk/62120/Lakeland-2-in-1-Coffee-Pod-Machine-Dark-Grey

I know this isn’t what you asked, but I would get a bean to cup machine instead. I find the coffee is much nicer, and the pods are so expensive.

@GemmaRuby

I know this isn’t what you asked, but I would get a bean to cup machine instead. I find the coffee is much nicer, and the pods are so expensive.

@GemmaRuby I have looked at a bean to cup before mainly because I like the look of them in a kitchen 🤣🙈 But DH works away from home for weeks at a time and can be home for a day here or there or a few weeks at a time so he quite likes the pods because they’re always fresh 🤷🏻‍♀️ He felt like a bean to cup wouldn’t be great being left sitting for a few weeks as I know I wouldn’t really use it much when he was away 😊

I see his point. We keep our beans in an air tight container and just put a small amount in the machine as needed so they’re not getting stale.

Just depends on your budget and space. My mum got a good deal on a smaller coffee only machine with a separate frother. In our kitchen we don't have plugs to spare

I’ve got a Latissima Touch which has the built in milk heater/frother.
I’ve had it for 2 years and I’m very happy with it - I’ve never had any issues with milk temperature or foaming. It’s used several times a day and still works as well as the day I got it!
I do clean and descale it regularly which probably helps.

@grey12

Just depends on your budget and space. My mum got a good deal on a smaller coffee only machine with a separate frother. In our kitchen we don't have plugs to spare

I have a decent sized space for it - counter space probably the width of one standard kitchen unit. One double plug socket available. Could move to a bigger area if needed but I think most Nespressos are relatively compact aren’t they? The people we bought from had every appliance going all out on their surfaces and a mass of sockets 🙈 I mocked it at the time but since having DS the counter space and sockets and have come in very useful for sterilisers/baby monitors etc 🤣

We have a big one and it doesn't take that much space. But my mum's is about half the size and works great too.

If you have the budget, enough space and drink regular milky coffees, definitely choose one with frother included. You easily put it in the fridge after use. The separate one needs to be cleaned afterwards

Deffo Nespresso Latissima touch

I have this one or possibly an older version of this as mine makes coffee in 3 sizes. I love it. We used to have one with an integrated milk part but it was harder to clean and the milk was never warm enough. We ended up buying an Aeroccino as well. Our current machine has an integrated base for the Aeroccino on the side (so no need for a separate plug). But I kept the one we bought for the old machine and I bring it on holiday.

I considered upgrading to a vertuo machine but it seems pointless for the moment. But if we were buying for the first time now I’d probably choose one, on the basis that the older models might be phased out.

Are you anywhere near a shop? I’ve always found them really helpful and informative plus they make nice coffee while you’re thinking about what to buy.

Thanks @thelegohooverer 😊 I did wonder about the milk being hot enough actually! I know quite often machines tend to make things on the cooler side!
I’m about an hour away from the nearest shop unfortunately 👎🏼

Sage Creatista. It's amazing! I bought mine second hand on eBay, after seeing them JL. I started off with one of the smaller machines and the separate frother, but the milk was not hot enough. This is perfect!

My friend has both the vertuo and the classic machines. I can't tell the difference. But you can only buy the vertuo pods from nesspresso.

I have a Vertuo machine and love the espresso from it. I like it better than that from a standard nespresso machine. If I want a bigger coffee I add water.

I’m not a big fan of its long coffees myself, but visitors like them.

If you want cappuccino etc you’d need to heat milk separately.