Nespresso Essenza Mini Espresso Machine by Breville, Piano Black

Nespresso Original Line vs. Vertuo vs. Keurig: Which is best? Are Nespresso coffees a must?
I specialize in kitchen reviews. Of the countless gadgets I’ve evaluated, none gets more use than my superb Nespresso Essenza Mini. We’re coffee connoisseurs and get 99% percent of the quality we used to from time-consuming fiddling with my high maintenance Saeco Classico espresso machine. But is the Original Line as good as the more recently introduced Vertuo? Can Keurig complete with these European wonder machines? Read on to learn more:First, if you are going to order an Original Line machine, this Essenza Mini is THE ONE to get. Don’t let its diminutive size scare you. It’s so small you can leave it on the counter or conveniently store it and effortlessly use it daily with wonderful simplicity. Everything about this machine is FANTASTICO—ease of use, simplicity of cleaning, and no maintenance whatsoever.Second, if you are reading this review, may have a Keurig and possibly find its results mediocre. We sure did. The Nespresso gives you all of the convenience of Keurig, great coffee varieties, yet flavor worth of any expensive high end coffee house. Even the better Keurig coffees are simply not up to the flavor excellence of the Nespresso machines.ORIGINAL LINE VS VERTUO: DOES IT MATTER?So what about Original vs. Vertuo lines? It’s no secret that Americans like a big cup of java and Nespresso developed the Vertuo solely for the American market. Compared to Nespresso’s original line, the Vertuo claim to fame is the variety of drink sizes it offers. If dainty little Ristretto’s are not your thing, you can choose coffees that make cups of quite large sizes. For example, big mama Alto XL Intenso is the Mac truck of Nespresso coffees, yielding a giant 14 ounce cup.But the downside of Vertuo is that it utilizes a different extraction method. While the Original is 99% undetectable from old school ground espresso that’s hand tamped (a pain let me tell you!) the Vertuo is more about convenience while still giving a very fine tasting cup. Time and time again, professional reviews give a slight nod to the Original machine’s flavor, though.With the original system like with the Essenza Mini, you do get three size settings, tiny Ristretto which we never use, Espresso, and the largest volume Lungo. Although Nespresso makes lungo-specific pods with 20% more coffee, we like the Lungo setting while still using the regular sized pods. Compared to ploddingly slow Keurig machines, your amazing espresso (on any size setting) is ready in under 40 seconds!WHICH TYPE OF CAPSULE IS MORE ECONOMICAL?This was the deciding factor for us: The OriginalLine patent ran out some years ago and there is now a wonderful variety from competing brands, too. Some swear only true Nespresso-branded coffee is worthy of the machine and I am here to counter respectfully with one word: “Bunk!” I’ll admit that Nespresso’s coffees are consistency wonderful, yet they can be double the price of another famous brand we have found at our supermarket, Lavazza. Try the Deciso. It’s a 10 intensity roasted in Italy—fantastic and sometimes on sale as a BOGO at our market.Another great brand found here at Amazon is Cafespresso. It’s half the price, or less, than Nespresso coffee. We have only tried the 6 intensity Medosto and it rivals any mid strength coffee from Nespresso at only .37 a pod! Truly wonderful.One downside of Vertuo is that it is still under the patent. Unless you want the tedious habit of buying a contraption to tamp your own pods, you must use only Nespresso branded Vertuo at a fairly high cost, depending on size selected.I PREFER A BIG CUP OF COFFEE: DOES THAT MEAN MY CHOICE IS VERTUO?Nah! This machine, and any Original Line machine can knock out a double in less than 90 seconds! Just put your cup under the machine, add the capsule of your choice, brew. And QUICKLY repeat. Now, even with two capsules used, you have a cup as large as the Vertuo machine that remains very reasonably priced.DO I NEED A MORE EXPENSIVE MACHINE WITH A FROTHER?No! It is far better and cheaper to get a separate simple to use frother. We drink cappuccinos and lattes almost exclusively. The Nespresso Aeroccino frother is sometimes bundled with this machine but is quite overpriced. I’ve reviewed several frothers and highly recommend the Miroco ones. I use mine every morning. It’s half the price of the Aeroccino and easy to clean. In terms of quality froth and easy of use, the Nespresso Aeroccino and Miroco are equally good. Don’t bother with those cheap wand stick frothers. They are inferior and a pain to use. Here’s a link to Miroco’s stainless model review if this has frothed your interest:https://www.amazon.com/review/R3E10Y90RV2IZ0/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07HH9BHL1WHAT ABOUT NESPRESSO’S DOLCE GUSTO POD MACHINES?Before Nespresso developed the Vertuo line, it tried another pod system for the American market called Dolce Gusto. Think of it as Keurig-deluxe but no where near the quality of either of its Original or Vertuo lines. Nespresso is no longer marketing Dolce Gusto consumers but instead to the professional market of businesses, etc. Pods are only available through Amazon and each pod is expensive. We have a little used Dolce Gusto and abandoned it in favor of this magnificent Esssenza Mini.Jumpin’ Java! This sure has turned out to be a long review. Hope it has been of some help. Now time for good cup of coffee, for sure!HAPPY BREWING!

Perfect size, perfect performance
Fits anywhere. Minimal plastic contact with water. Super easy to use and adjust water output volume. Heats up quickly, dispenses quickly – people don’t get impatient when making sets of drinks for friends. Run two pods for a double shot espresso. Run through a pod twice for a cup of plain coffee. Tastes great. Cute and perfect.

The Espresso Monolith
TL;DR:Solid machine at a great price with a clean design. Counter footprint so small it’s hard to believe. Starts fast. Operation feels secure and reliable. (Hello solid steel lever!) Altogether great update to the already winning Nespresso formula.Espresso quality: 4.5Aesthetics: 5Ease of use: 4 (see cons)Durability: 5?Value: 5+PROS:-1– QUALITYThis machine kicks out high quality shots and long pulls that hardly anyone will have any complaint for at all. The taste depends only on the choice of pod, using pure water (see below), and keeping your machine clean (as in past Nespresso models). The only thing I’d knock it for would be that the crema isn’t *quite* as good (robust and foamy) as you’d get on a full Italian machine. Short of dropping $12-25k+ (seriously) for one of those beasts, this is the best you’ll get at home and it’s ~95% of the way there. (Just my opinion, but as a former barista, I have used multiple such machines.)-2– DESIGNThe design is what sold me on this one in particular. Past Nespresso models have had a variety of attractive looks, but nothing beats Bauhaus minimalism in my book. Sadly the sides of the machine are glossy and show fingerprinting (see photo), but not too badly. The stark white Breville logo looks glaringly out of place on front an otherwise so beautiful machine. Wouldn’t be a problem if they had simply used a dark grey instead of white and/or placed the logo on the back. Far from a deal breaker though.-3– SPEEDStarts up very quickly; <30s from cold to ready. Espresso pulls at a normal speed; up to a minute for long shots. See video.-4-- +No skill necessary! And faster! And easier! And no clean up! Minimal maintenance!-5-- ++The price is right! (Personally, paid $75 on Black Friday. Check camelcamelcamel.com for price history.)CONS:-1-- EASE OF USEThe only real con here is refilling the water tank. You can kind of lift the lid a bit but really you have to remove the tank to fill it easily. The tank is at the back so there's a reach around every time. Plus who knows how much abuse the little rubber gasket at the mount will take before failing? I'd feel better if it could be filled without removing and if the tank could swivel around like the old Nespresso U machines. Altogether not a big deal though.FYI:> Water tank comfortably holds one full standard (16.9oz/0.5L) water bottle worth of water. (Always use filtered or purified water in ANY espresso machine! Nespresso included.) See picture. I use bottled water (and recycle the bottles).> The two buttons come preset at 1.35 and 3.72 ounces, but can be easily reprogrammed, like most Nespresso machines. You can also hold the button after pulling a shot to add water to taste.> The machine has an auto-off eco feature that is on by default but can be disabled. Startup is so fast I didn’t find that necessary. Leaving your machine on constantly can encourage the growth of bacteria (due to the heat), so it’s a helpful feature. Plus good for the environment and your utility bill.> Descaling your machine regularly can have a dramatic effect on the quality of the espresso. To reduce the frequency that’s needed and to improve shots in the mean-time, always use filtered or purified water. This is true of any espresso machine. To descale you run liquid descaler from Nestle through the machine. You can get instructions and materials from the Nespresso website.ENVIRONMENTAL:The pods are recyclable using postage-paid bags you can get for free with any Nespresso order. Each bag holds about 70-100 pods.

A lot of the Fairmont hotels are switching their Keurigs for the Nespressos so I had a chance to try a few of them. So yummy that I had to get my own. I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to strong coffee; not an issue with this baby cause you just press the button again and it pumps out more water through the capsule. When I want a latte, I just pull out my Bodum french press, put some soy milk in, microwave for 90 seconds (without the metal pumping piece), pump it a few times to get the froth and voila – a perfect latte. I still use my Keurig at home but when I want to really enjoy my cup of coffee, this baby gets used. A real treat!Update: have had machine for 3 months and it stopped working properly. Pods just drop down instead of being held up to make the coffee. Nespresso customer service was fantastic! Within 3 business days, I had a loaner machine and am shipping mine back. Amazing service! I figure I have already made back the money I spent on this thing making my own soymilk lattes with flavoring at home every day. I just use my Bodum French Press to pump air into the soymilk for froth (heat it for 90 seconds first in microwave).

When you take an espresso and dump it in a keurig coffee, you get a legit coffee experience. Also tastes great in homemade ice cappuccinos as an extra kick.