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The best Nespresso machines that'll actually help cut down your trips to the coffee shop

Because $6 lattes every day? In this economy?
By Bethany Allard  on 
All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.

Our Top 4 Picks

Nespresso Essenza Mini (opens in a new tab)

Best overall value

The Essenza Mini is a perfectly reliable machine that delivers your morning espresso with the convenience your pre-caffeinated self needs, all at a fraction of the cost (and counter space) of other Nespressos.

The Good

  • Makes the same flavor espresso drinks as any other Nespresso at a much lower price point
  • Smallest Nespresso out there
  • Especially great if you already have a coffee machine you like
  • Replacing pods and removing drip tray is simple

The Bad

  • Doesn't come with a milk steamer
  • Will have to remove drip trays to fit larger mugs
  • Only holds up to six used pods at a time

The Bottom Line

This $179 Nespresso will make you the same tasting Nespresso as its $849 counterpart and is small enough to fit neatly into your existing coffee system without adding clutter.
Pros & Cons

Nespresso Vertuo (opens in a new tab)

Best all-in-one option

While it falls somewhat into the trap of trying to do more rather than doing one thing really well, the basic Vertuo offers the best qualities of the line at the most affordable price point, making it a great choice for those who want a quick cup of coffee and espresso.

The Good

  • Large but not bulky
  • Good versatility for those enjoy convenient coffee and espresso
  • Generates a thick layer of foamy crema
  • Tastier coffee than a Keurig

The Bad

  • Pods cost more
  • People note espresso isn’t as good as with original line machines
  • Can only make one coffee at a time

The Bottom Line

It's not necessarily a must buy for someone who enjoys both coffee and espresso, but it is worth it for folks who want to simplify their countertop appliance lineup, have a little extra to spend on pods, and don't mind losing out on large-capacity brewing.
Pros & Cons

Nespresso Breville Creatista Plus (opens in a new tab)

Best splurge option

The Creatista Plus makes the same solid espresso as the rest of the original line, but adds a few fancy features and an undeniable countertop appeal — it'll just cost you a pretty penny.

The Good

  • Looks like a legit espresso machine
  • Can use presets or customize milk steaming and amount
  • Luxe stainless steel design gives it great countertop appeal

The Bad

  • Will require cleaning out the milk steamer after each use
  • Likely not worth the price for most

The Bottom Line

Those with a big budget who want to feel like a barista without putting in all the effort of a barista will find a great match in the Nespresso Breville Creatista Plus.
Pros & Cons

Nespresso CitiZ&Milk (opens in a new tab)

Best for milk-based drinks

Fans of lattes and cappuccinos will appreciate the way the CitiZ and Aeroccino3 work together to streamline the process of creating delicious milky espresso drinks.

The Good

  • Relatively compact and nice retro design
  • Fits smaller and larger mugs easily
  • Connected frother makes for less countertop clutter
  • Not hard to find on sale

The Bad

  • Significant price jump from the Essenza Mini
  • Small capacity for milk

The Bottom Line

It costs a decent amount more than buying the Essenza Mini and Aeroccino3 separately, but what you get in return is a Nespresso that's completely curated to make all the milk-based espresso drinks of your dreams.
Pros & Cons

After careful hands-on testing, we feature our favorite gear and gadgets as Mashable Selects products in our dedicated shopping guides.


Never does the general population feel the crushing importance of caffeine more than in that time immediately after waking up, when we are at our least equipped to operate heavy machinery (in this case, your drip coffee maker).

Finding a caffeine fix that tastes great, doesn’t cost a ton, and requires as little effort as possible isn’t the easiest task, which is why people often justify the upfront cost of a Nespresso.

But before you head to their website and get overwhelmed by 13 machines that ostensibly do the same thing, you'll want to get some background info — and see if the investment will actually pay off in the long run. To help you out, we researched every single machine and even tested a few to pick out the best of the best.

Is a Nespresso better than a standard espresso machine?

If you're expecting a Nespresso to produce the same quality result as a well-crafted espresso shot, you'll be disappointed.

However, if you're looking to make a decent tasting espresso with minimal effort, a Nespresso is the machine to do just that. During our testing, it took no longer than a minute from turning on the machine to get hot espresso. There were no measuring out grounds, tamping down, or lengthy clean-up process. Even compared to a moka pot, a Nespresso is faster and easier.

Though you do lose out some on quality and a robust flavor that you might through other methods, the machines still make espresso shots with a nice layer of crema that more than do the trick for an at-home latte or cappuccino. Though Nespressos use pods like Keurig, the drinks it makes taste much less like pod-espresso than Keurig coffee tastes like pod-coffee.

While it may not have coffee snobs renouncing their daily visit to their artisanal coffee shop or their $600 Brevilles, the Nespresso does provide a level of convenience that's pretty much unmatched.

Will a Nespresso machine save you money in the long run?

Nespressos don't exactly scream budget-friendly at first glance. The cheapest machines start at $169, and the most expensive top out at $849, putting them well within the range of fully-loaded fancy espresso machines. (Though they do go on sale regularly and during shopping holidays like Amazon's Prime Day and Black Friday.)

Usually, people justify the investment in a more expensive machine based on what they might be spending at a coffee shop. Say your daily latte costs you $5 (for fans of dairy-alternative milks, this is already likely on the low end). If you use our top pick machine, the Essenza Mini(opens in a new tab), you'll be incurring an upfront cost of $179. There are off-brand discounted pods out there, but for the case of this example, let's say pods cost about 80 cents a pop. If you were to get a coffee every single day, here's how the price would shake out:

  • Daily latte habit for one year = $1,825

  • Daily latte habit with an Essenza Mini for one year = $471

This of course doesn't include the price of the milk you'd be using, and assumes you either a) own a milk frother or b) are fine microwaving some milk (as we did during testing). If 52 ounces of Chobani oat milk costs about $5, and you use 8 ounces of milk per latte, you'd be using about $285 worth of milk just on lattes for a year. It also assumes that you'd be using one pod per drink, when you could easily use two. Still, even doubling the number and adding in the milk cost puts it at a lower amount than a latte.

  • Daily Nespresso latte with rough cost of milk factored in = $756

  • Daily Nespresso latte with two pods and milk = $1,048

Don't get us wrong, there are some days when a latte out makes more sense — and we don't want to give the impression that millennials could afford a home if only they curbed their coffee habits — but as a Nespresso is still an investment, we wanted to show you how the math shook out.

Even with that under consideration, a Nespresso isn't quite as cheap as using a moka pot, a stovetop method for creating a rich-tasting espresso that'll run you about $30. But again, the Nespresso saves you a ton of time, which might make building that at-home cappuccino habit a lot easier. For what it's worth, I bought a single latte in the month period I was testing Nespresso machines, which was down from my average of three a week.

What's the difference between the original and Vertuo Nespresso lines?

The brand has two lines — the aptly named original line, which includes the first Nespresso models that only make espresso, and the Vertuo line, which can make coffee as well as espresso drinks.

The most obvious difference between the two lines is what kind of drinks they can make, but there's more to it than just that. Though both machines produce espresso shots, the process from pod to cup differs. Every single original line machine uses the same 19-bar pressurized extraction on every single pod that replicates the process of a traditional espresso machine. The Vertuo line machines, however, read a barcode on the pod to adjust specific water temperature and flow settings, then spins the pod and uses centrifugal force(opens in a new tab) for extraction.

The result is that Vertuo pods are more expensive, and don't have non-Nespresso branded options available at stores like Target like the original line (yet, at least). Many people also note that the espresso from the original line simply tastes better, which might be the result of a more closely replicated extraction process.

Ultimately, if you enjoy coffee and espresso drinks the Vertuo might be worth it (which you can read more about below), but getting a drip coffee machine along with an original Nespresso isn't a bad choice either.

Best overall value
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
Specs
  • Drink sizes: Espresso (1.35 oz) and lungo (3.7 oz)
  • Water tank capacity: 20.3 ounces

Among the three Nespressos we hands-on tested, there was no discernible difference in flavor, and online reviews corroborate that this is pretty much the case with the entire original line. (As for the Vertuo line, many people mentioned feeling less than fond of the espresso flavors, which are also more limited). With that as the case, picking the Essenza Mini as the best Nespresso was pretty much a no-brainer.

You won't be paying the extreme cost of the $849 Creatista Pro, and you won't be losing much counter space — the Essenza Mini we tested fit perfectly alongside a drip coffee machine. The water tank wasn't huge at 20.3 ounces, but this machine is for making 1.35 or 3.7-ounce espressos, not 20-ounce coffees. Refills were infrequent, and when they happened, hardly an inconvenience. The drip tray is removable, which is great for squeezing in larger mugs. Though it only held about six used pods, emptying it took all of five seconds.

Ultimately, we much preferred the compact design to the larger machines we tested, and gladly dealt with the little quirks as a result. This machine is an especially worthwhile pick for anyone wanting a Nespresso, but especially for those who already own a coffee machine they love.

Best all-in-one option
Credit: Nespresso
Specs
  • Drink size: Espresso (1.35 oz), double espresso (2.7 oz), gran lungo (5 oz), and cup (8 oz)
  • Water tank capacity: 40 ounces

If you’ve been living off Keurig coffee and love the convenience, chances are you’ll be into the Nespresso Vertuo. You get the quick brew coffee, plus you can add some lattes in the mix. However, if you’re regularly making a pot of coffee for the household in the morning, or prefer that taste of a well-made pour-over, you might not find the taste of Nespresso coffee ever growing on you – it’s decent, but the Nespresso is first and foremost an espresso-based machine, which means the coffee it makes is best for those looking for a quick, single cup. (There is a Vertuo that can make a carafe's worth of coffee, but we felt that if that's what you're using it for, you might as well get a much cheaper drip coffee maker).

The pods are also on the pricey side, and the unique shape of the Vertuo line means that you are pretty much limited to Nespresso’s offerings, so the cheaper generics are off the table. The Vertuo line also ditches the pressurized extraction of Nespresso’s original machine for a Centrifusion™ technology(opens in a new tab) that does the trick, but doesn’t replicate the process of a traditional espresso machine. As a result, people tend to find the Original line’s espresso closer to the taste of actual espresso.

We didn't get a chance to test out the Vertuo for ourselves this time around (though we plan on it in the future), but we did test three original Nespressos alongside a standard drip coffee machine. Honestly, using both worked great — but it was easy to see a situation where brewing a single cup of pod coffee would be convenient.

That's why we think the Vertuo remains a great option for the person that likes a cup of coffee in the morning and an afternoon-latte, or for the household of casual coffee and espresso drinkers — it just might not be for every person who enjoys both coffee and espresso.

Best splurge option
Credit: Breville
Specs
  • Drink sizes: Ristretto (0.85 oz), espresso (1.35 oz), and lungo (3.7 oz)
  • Water tank capacity: 50.7 ounces
  • Milk temperatures: 11 options
  • Milk foam settings : 4 options

At a certain point, you’ve got to ask yourself when it’s worth just getting a regular espresso machine. Honestly, $649 might just be that point, but an espresso machine requires an effort investment that a Nespresso doesn’t. If that remains the make or break factor to you and you have a larger budget, the Breville Creatista Plus is the way to go. 

For starters, it looks exactly like a normal espresso machine (especially the Breville espresso machines(opens in a new tab), which makes sense considering the collaboration). Flavor-wise, it’s going to give you the exact same product as the Essenza Mini. However, the touch screen recipe selections take all of the guesswork out of making milk based drinks, initiating the process for you, so all you have to do is load up the machine and press start. The steam wand automatically purges after use, and based on customer reviews, is more reliable than that of the cheaper Lattissimas. Plus, once you get the hang of what you like, you can customize how much milk and steam you want with ease. Though we didn't hands-on test this machine ourselves, both of these features, plus the countertop appeal, made this machine a favorite among customers.

Again, it is a steep price for a Nespresso. But if you want the feel of an espresso machine, have the budget, and aren’t into the whole portafilter and tamp process, this high-end Nespresso will fit the bill for you.

Best for milk-based drinks
Credit: Nespresso
Specs
  • Drink sizes: Espresso (1.35 oz) and lungo (3.7 oz)
  • Water tank capacity: 34 ounces
  • Milk heat and froth settings: 3

Drinkers of daily lattes and cappuccinos who don’t already own some sort of milk frother, the Nespresso CitiZ&Milk is for you. 

We tested the CitiZ without the frother, but the addition of the Aeroccino3, Nepresso's frother and warmer, makes it the perfect option for keeping things relatively budget-friendly, while catering to those who love a milk-based drink. Technically, you can purchase any of Nespresso's milk frothers for any machine, but the Aeroccino3's price gets cut in half when bundled with the CitiZ. Plus, being attached to the machine (though it is removable) makes for a much more streamlined experience on your countertop.

The CitiZ comes with two different trays that easily accommodate smaller and larger cups, which is especially useful for anyone who enjoys a milky espresso drink. While we didn't find that removing the tray on the shorter Essenza Mini was that bothersome, it is slightly more convenient to not have to — and if you know that you'll be drinking solely larger capacity drinks, it might be worth the extra cash. While you're taking the minute or so to brew your espresso, the Aerocinno can foam cold milk, foam hot milk and heat it up, or just heat it up (which is why it costs more than a $15 frothing wand). All of these functions are available with the touch of a single button. The main drawback is that Nespresso recommends only foaming up to 4 ounces of cold milk at a time, so it'll likely take more than one batch for a milkier drink.

Though we didn't hands-on test the Aeroccino, based on customer reviews it seems much more worth the cost than the $400 Lattissima One(opens in a new tab), which seemed likelier to break down and harder to clean.

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How we tested

For about a month, we did the hard work of drinking at least five espresso drinks per week. Typically, we mixed them in with some oat milk due to personal preferences, but we did make sure to try each espresso on its own from the different machines and in the various sizes.

We also tested out a variety of Nespresso capsules. So far, we've tested three Nespressos: the Essenza Mini, the CitiZ (without the Aeroccino3), and the Pixie. Of that list, only one made it on our top picks. The rest of our selections were the result of extensive research including customer reviews and coffee blogs' reviews.

In particular, here's what we were looking for when testing:

  • Taste: We considered whether the flavor seemed to change from machine to machine, and if people experienced any odd or unusual tastes with their machine

  • Durability: We looked at how long machines tended to last and complaints of quick breaks. Ultimately, we didn't include any machines that seemed to be more prone to issues, as it doesn't really save you money when your machine is constantly on the outs.

  • Convenience: This word came up again and again, as Nespresso's pod system promises convenience above all else. With this in mind, we paid close attention to how long it took to heat machines up, how difficult (or simple) it was to clean them, and how easily they would fit — both functionally and literally — into someone's kitchen.

  • Value: We considered how much an espresso habit might cost if you go to a coffee shop (which you can read more about in the intro of this article), and therefore, how much a Nespresso really saves you. That factor is what pushed that Essenza Mini to the top of our list, as it has one of the lowest cost barriers of both of the Nespresso lines, but still makes a quality espresso. Still, we did choose more expensive machines for those who are willing to pay more for the easiest possible at-home espresso making process, even if it doesn't save them a ton of money.


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