If you dream of having espresso, americanos and marvellous macchiatos delivered at the click of your fingers, but can’t quite afford your own personal barista, then you need one of the best Nespresso machines on your kitchen worktop.
I’ve tried and taste-tested all kinds of the best coffee machines, and it’s fair to say that Nespresso machines often win out in terms of pure convenience. You get all the usual capsule benefits of ease of use and mess-free preparation, but no other brand delivers such a vast variety of flavours. Nespresso’s capsule collection encompasses everything from light, floral Ethiopian brews to robust Italian espresso to fire up your mornings – there’s a whole world of coffee to explore.
There is one other decision to make before you set off on your travels, however: which of the two types of Nespresso machine suits you best. While some use the original Nespresso capsules, which pack a mouth watering amount of flavour into a tiny foil package perfect for espresso and shorter coffees, the newer generation use Nespresso’s larger, spinning Vertuo capsules to serve up everything from pitch perfect ristrettos to travel-cup filling altos and latte macchiatos. It’s either or, though – no machine supports both types.
Here I’ve recommended two of our favourite machines of each type, so all you have to do is read on to find the perfect machine to fill your coffee cup. With prices starting at around £80 – and maybe even cheaper if you can wait for sales – these four machines are guaranteed to bring a little coffee shop magic into your home.
Who tested these Nespresso machines?
Sasha is a freelance journalist who has been reviewing tech and consumer products for over two decades. His kitchen (and basement) hosts a vast collection of coffee machines ranging from affordable capsule models to high-end manual espresso machines and these are accompanied by a troop of hard-working coffee grinders. Every day starts (and often ends) with freshly brewed coffee. His current favourite capsule machine? The Nespresso Vertuo Lattissima – the pint-sized latte macchiatos are a guilty pleasure.
The quick list
Want to get to the most convenient coffee machines as conveniently as possible? Here's the condensed list of the best.
This cute, compact machine is the odd one out here: it’s ‘Nespresso compatible’ rather than 100% official. Nevertheless, it brews superb coffees with both standard Nespresso and L’OR’s own coffee capsules – including L’OR’s huge XXL pods. It’s sensibly designed, quick to heat up and brew, and the twin spouts mean you can pour two espressos or small black coffees simultaneously. It’s amazingly good value.
Best small
Best for tiny kitchens
The dainty Citiz is classy and straightforward. It’s the smallest machine here, slotting easily into a sliver of worktop space, yet still ekes out oodles of flavour from Nespresso’s classic capsules. Ready to brew in 20 seconds, it serves up a rich 40ml espresso or a steaming hot 110ml lungo. It’s a more than a bit pricey at full RRP, so it’s well worth shopping around.
The Plus isn’t the cheapest Vertuo machine, but it’s the best – and you’ll often find it discounted in the sales. The motorised design is quieter and more reliable than other models in the range, and it makes consistently delicious coffee with zero faff. For everything from gorgeous espresso to travel-cup-filling americanos, it’s a joy. Add a dash of milk and even white coffee fans will be happy.
If you adore lattes and latte macchiatos, then the Vertuo Lattissima is your perfect partner. It takes the design of the classic Vertuo Next machine and bolts De’Longhi’s LatteCrema milk frothing technology onto the side. It pours a lovely espresso or black coffee in addition to deliciously frothy cappuccino and latte macchiatos with a single press of a button.
Best value Nespresso machine
This Philips-made machine isn’t an official member of the Nespresso family: it’s actually ‘Nespresso-compatible’. In practice, though, it’s every bit as good as Nespresso’s own models. And it’s actually a tad more versatile as you can use both original Nespresso and L’OR’s own brand capsules – including L’OR’s XXL pods, which are designed to deliver a double dose.
The design is rather swish. The curved physique looks every bit as good as the official Nespresso models, and Philips has added a bit of subtle bling with a snazzy pair of gold spouts.
Those dual spouts aren’t just for show: they allow you to pour two coffees simultaneously. With Nespresso’s own capsules that means two very short lungos (or two small shots of espresso). Switch to one of L’OR’s XXL pods, however, and you can brew two 40ml espressos or two small 110ml cups of black coffee. Or you can be entirely selfish and brew one big cup for yourself. One word of warning: only smaller cups fit side by side on the drip tray.
That tiny drip tray needs regular emptying, too, as the Barista Sublime drips for a good while after each shot. This can be an annoyance: it separates into three parts a little too easily. The 0.8-litre water tank is on the small side, too, but this is unlikely to prove annoying for all but the thirstiest households.
Crucially, though, the coffee is consistently excellent – and any minor quibbles evaporate given the price and how often it’s on sale. The £110 RRP is very reasonable, but shop around and you’ll find it discounted heavily – and sometimes with 50 or 100 capsules thrown in.
Read our Philips L'OR Barista Sublime coffee machine review for the full details.
Best Nespresso for tiny kitchens
If you just want an ultra-compact Nespresso machine with the minimal compromises, the Citiz is a great pick. It supports Nespresso’s standard capsules and the simple, sensible design serves up tasty espresso and black coffee. Frankly, it’s hard to beat.
It’s a tad larger than the smallest model in the range, the Nespresso Pixie, but it’s still a wonderfully compact machine. At only 13cm wide, it’ll slot into even the tiniest kitchen worktops. The 1-litre removable water tank helps, too, as you can refill the tank without having to constantly slide the machine back and forth.
Turn on the Citiz, and it’s ready to brew after 20 seconds. Simply pull back the silver handle, slot the capsule into place and press the handle down again. Press the espresso button and you’ll get a 40ml shot of espresso. Press the Lungo button and you’ll get a small 110ml black coffee. Hold down either button and you can set your preferred amount – but 110ml is the max.
The results are steaming hot and consistently tasty. Even the longer coffees have a surprisingly rich crema on top – add a dash of milk and you’ve got a lovely coffee with barely any effort at all. All you’ll have to do is empty the drip tray diligently – like most machines, the Citiz tends to drip after each brew – and empty the capsule bin after every 12 drinks or so. Easy.
Best Nespresso for long coffees
The Vertuo Plus’ thunder may have been stolen by its cheaper stablemates, the Vertuo Next and Vertuo Pop, but it remains the best of the bunch. It’s the quietest Vertuo model I’ve tested, makes great coffee, and the design both looks and feels a cut above.
Our review model was finished in a lustrous glossy black with chrome highlights, and it’s a good looking machine. You can also take your pick from white, red, matte black and grey, if that’s a better match for your kitchen. Shop around and you might notice that some Vertuo Plus models have a slightly different profile – some have a flattened top and some rounded – but they’re all functionally identical. Like several of Nespresso’s machines, they’re made by different manufacturers.
The 1.2-litre tank allows you to brew roughly five mug-sized coffees before needing a refill – so larger coffee-drinking households won’t be running back and forth to the sink. One really neat touch is that you can rotate the water tank around to the left or right, or straight back – it’s useful for fitting it in awkward spaces.
Lightly click the wide front button and the motorised lid lifts up to allow you to insert a capsule. The machine accepts all Vertuo capsules apart from the XL and Carafe versions, so the smallest capsule you can use is a 25ml Ristretto, and the largest a 230ml Mug. Heat up time is just under 30 seconds.
All of the Vertuo machines are noisier than the Original models – the Centrifusion technology physically spins the capsules to extract every drop of flavour from the coffee – but the Vertuo Plus is markedly quieter than the Next or the Lattissima. Quality of the coffee is spot on, too, and it brews a wonderfully hot, tasty espresso or mug sized capsule in under a minute.
Best Nespresso for frothy coffees
The Vertuo Lattissima fuses Nespresso’s Vertuo Next model with De’Longhi’s LatteCrema milk-frothing technology. The result is a Nespresso machine that serves up a lovely espresso or lungo, and also serves a delightfully frothy cappuccino or indulgent latte macchiato.
These added milk-frothing talents mean that the Lattissima is one of the larger capsule machines on the market, but it’s still not hideously oversized. At 19cm wide, it’ll slide into most kitchens fairly unobtrusively, although it is a substantial 43cm deep. The 1.6-litre tank unclips easily from the rear, which makes refilling a tad easier, and the 500ml milk carafe simply clips onto the right hand side and comes to pieces to make for easier cleaning.
The Lattissima supports all of Nespresso’s Vertuo capsules, so you can choose anything from a 25ml Ristretto to a 535ml Carafe. The size of capsule affects the size of milk drinks, though, so make sure to check your cup is big enough before hitting the button – depending on the capsule you use, you may end up with anything from a 180ml cappuccino to a pint-sized 590ml latte macchiato.
It’s typically simple to use. It’s ready to brew in under 30 seconds, and the milk system takes about another 30 seconds to prepare for milk frothing. The milk carafe isn’t refrigerated, though, so you’ll need to pop it in the fridge after use and keep on top of cleaning – any milk residue goes bad very quickly. The quality of the results are worth the extra housekeeping, though – the milk-based coffees are dangerously moreish.
Read our Nespresso Lattissima review for the full details.
How we tested these Nespresso machines
I'm constantly testing coffee machines at home and these four Nespresso machines have been on long term test for several months.
They’ve all been used for weeks at a time, so I’ve learned what I love – and don’t love – by making them part of our day-to-day routine. I've also tested them with a wide selection of capsules, including third-party capsules for the models which use original Nespresso capsules.
I don’t just taste-test them, however, I make sure that they pour consistent volumes of coffee with specialised coffee scales; test the temperature of each brew to make sure they’re not too cool; and measure the noise levels from 1 metre away to compare how noisy they are in normal use. If I love them, I reckon you’ll love them too.