Nespresso - Lattissima One Espresso Machine by DeLonghi - Warm Slate

I'm new to this and aside from looking better than any other machine out there....the coffee is hot and SUPER fast. I'm talking about less than 1 minute!

It’s an OK machine, considered its price. It must be improved due to its high price. It makes loud noise and the milk tube container is a minus because it’s hard to clean.

PROs - SUPER easy to use - Relatively compact - High pressure pump for great flavor - Very quick to brew - Steamed milk/foam is to die for - Very easy to take apart for post-caffeinated cleaning - Thoughtful design touches like coffee drip cup, used pod catcher, and little door to cover steamer nozzle tube when not in use - Perfect temperature for drink-and-go right out of the machine CONs - A bit loud, especially given its diminutive size - Coffee pods a bit more expensive than K-Cups for a questionable value depending on your expectations - A damaged pod can't be re-used to extract the coffee bliss within Seemingly aimed at the busy professional or millennial with no tolerance for even microwave-fast cooking speeds ;-) this no-nonsense espresso SHOT maker really produces an outstanding espresso drink that's limited only by the flavors of the pods you can find. It doesn't have a clock or auto-timer but it heats and brews so quickly it's not like you really need to plan ahead anyway. Amazingly, the temperature is set JUST right directly from the spout, at least for me--in the past, I've had to brew a cup and then wait a bit before being able to enjoy a drop without scalding my tongue--but the Nespresso gets it right every time. The unit is pretty small relative to most other coffee makers that might be taking up space on the counter and disassembly and cleaning is a breeze--which is a really good thing because you need to clean the unit after every use that involves the dairy dispenser. The one niggle we noticed is that if there's a dented pod, the teeth might not punch the top to extract the coffee goodness inside--and there are no second chances with a damaged pod :-( Just remember that this unit made for brewing a SHOT of espresso, not a full cup of coffee. I have on occasion used 2 or 3 full pods to get "more satisfaction"...but that's only because the first shot simply whetted my appetite! Nearly a grand-slam for the espresso lover in you or your family (I'd give it a 4.5 if I could)--so long as you understand the value proposition in advance between how much you'll pay up front for the machine and the pods, and how much you'll have afterwards swimming around the bottom of your cup.

The Nespresso Lattissima One is a beautiful machine that saves counter space and works quickly, but it is rather messy and is designed more for aficionados than the average coffee lover. The included sampler offers a confusing mix of 14 capsules that are difficult to distinguish from one another. Capsules are color coded & their foil lids list fancy names, but despite the flavor chart they all tend to taste the same – even when drinking cups back to back. While generic capsules are offered online, it is rare to find capsules in the store. Luckily the website offers a program that will ship the capsules to your door at selected intervals – including a free UPS shipping envelope for you to ship off empty capsules for recycling. While the machine does make quick work of producing quality espresso, my main complaint is the mess. It’s nice that the milk is frothed right into the cup, but at the end of the process it spurts foam past the cup and all over the counter. The directions state that the frothing mechanism needs to be cleaned after every cup – a process that includes disassembling 5 pieces and either running them through the dishwasher or washing them by hand (which includes soaking each piece in soapy water for 30 minutes). Coffee also drips from the nozzle for several minutes after brewing is complete. The tray below is not removable and if you have the white machine it will probably show coffee stains rather quickly. If elegant presentation of the Latissima One does win you over, I believe you will be satisfied with the drink produced. But, I believe it is a machine that still requires improvement before becoming universally impressive. Pros: + The machine is small and looks beautiful + The capsules are tiny (& recyclable) which reduces waste compared to other single serve coffee containers. + The bottom has the machine has multiple paths to wrap the cord so that it does not clutter the kitchen counter. + The tank is easy to remove and holds enough water (4.5 cups / 36 ounces) for a few days of use. + You can adjust the amount of water that each button dispenses. This slightly impacts flavor, but it is a great option that I sincerely appreciate. + The machine ejects used capsules into a hidden container out of view. Unfortunately this does not happen automatically after brewing – meaning that “family members” still constantly leave the capsules in the machine. + Reusable capsules are available online (although they are not made or endorsed by Nespresso) + The water takes less than 30 seconds to heat. + You don’t have to wait for the water to heat. You can simply press the cup/brew button and the process will begin when the water is hot. + The machine includes a water hardness mode that adjusts how often the Descaling reminder appears. This reduces mineral build-up inside of the machine and keeps it running smoothly. NOTE: The included water test strip is definitely not on the first page of the user’s manual (as stated in the directions). It is tucked into a random page. Simply flip through the booklet to find the test strip. Cons: - The Machine is rather loud. This is probably because the machine has to pump steam through the capsules with high pressure, but it is still louder than I expected. (It sounds like a water pick.) - Nespresso capsules aren’t as widely available as K-Cups. - My opinion is that the Nespresso capsules tend to cost slightly more than K-Cup options. - I find that the nozzle drips after I have removed my cup – requiring additional clean-up. - Capsules are recyclable, but you must return them using a prepaid UPS shipping bag. The bag is free when you purchase more capsules online, but it’s not particularly convenient & I doubt most people will save the cups until they receive the recycling bag. - The milk steamer must be disassembled and cleaned every time it is used. It would have been nice if they figured out a way to feed the hot water through the milk nozzle to help keep the parts clean. - The bottom tray is not removable (which makes cleaning less convenient) and it not large enough to hold a standard coffee mug. - The used capsule tray has a second compartment underneath that is designed to hold the coffee that drips out of used capsules. It is easy to forget about this tray which collects stale coffee and becomes messy / smelly if you forget to clean it. Capsule Flavor Guide: Cafecto de Cuba: Dark Roasted & Dense Ispirazione Shakerato: Powerful & Long Lasting Ispirazione Salentia: Woody & Creamy -------Intenso------- Kazaar: Exceptionally Intense & Syrupy Dharkan: Long Roasted & Velvety Ristretto: Powerful & Contrasting Arpeggio: Intense & Creamy Roma: Full & Balanded -----Espresso----- Livanto: Round & Balanced Capriccio: Rich & Distinctive Volluto: Sweet & Light Cosi: Mild & Delicately Toasted -----Pure Origin----- Indriya from India: Powerful & Spicy Rosabaya de Columbia: Fruity & Balanced Dulsao do Brasil: Sweet & Satiny Smooth Bukeela ka Ethiopia: Floral & Wild -----Lungo----- Envivo Lungo: Potent & Caramelized Fortissio Lungo: Rich & Full-Bodied Vivalto Lungo: Complex & Balanced Linizo Lungo: Round & Smooth -----Decaffeinato----- Ristretto Decaffeinato: Powerful & Contrasting Arpeggio Decaffeinato: Intense & Creamy Vulluto Decaffeinato: Sweet & Light Vivalto Lungo Decaffeinato: Complex & Balanced -----Variations----- Vanilla: Vanilla Caramelito: Caramel Ciocattino: Chocolate

It's important when trying to decide whether Nespresso is "worth it" for the buyer is to recognize the expectations and limitations that come with purchasing one. This will not produce a large cup of coffee - "lungo" is 110 mL, which, with milk froth, fills about 2/3 a coffee cup. This only accepts Nespresso capsules. These are baseline expectations, though chances are if you're even considering this, you already know these details. That said, this machine is compact, beautifully designed, and arrives assembled. I really like the brown one we received, which looks warm but upscale for the modern kitchen. The coffee produced is clearly, wonderfully stronger, creamier and more flavorful than what our regular brewer makes, and there are tons of flavors to choose from in the Nespresso Club. Despite its simplicity, it's not quite simple enough just to press a button and get coffee, though nearly there. When we first started the machine, the milk froth button wouldn't activate for us even if we'd filled the milk container more than necessary; it started working after the second cup we made, for no apparent reason. We also noticed the machine is "designed only for cow's milk", unfortunate considering so many people are lactose intolerant and use almond or other nut-based milk in their coffee. We're not really sure how this changes the way the machine operates if it receives almond milk. We'll update this review when we feel brave enough to try. Once everything gets going, it was really easy to make plenty of great coffee. One consistent drawback we have found is the cup tray is quite small, tough to balance yours on. And stemming from that, even if you use a wide-mouthed cup, the froth production is…a little erratic. We've attached photos of milk froth intermittently spraying out from the nozzle well past where you would expect it to go. We'll keep tinkering with it to find the perfect balance, but given the distance of the spout from the cup it'll be a challenge. I received the Nespresso for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review, and even though we're very happy with it, it's important to recognize the retail price for this machine is $379. That's a lot of money to pay for something limited to single-serving capsules that can't be reused, which makes this an expensive introductory price to a subscription service, not to mention the prominent environmental footprint of disposable capsules (though there is a recycling program available). That being the case, I would recommend this Nespresso to someone who loves to try different and eccentric flavors of coffee/espresso, and has the financial means to afford it. I can't guarantee someone on a tight budget would be able to consider this a worthwhile purchase, but I can guarantee you'll find the coffee really, really good, and for many people, that may be worth every penny.

The Nespresso Lattissima One is a compact machine designed for coffee drinkers who want to be able to focus on espressos and other bold coffee flavors at home. It is not designed to fill your big hot drink travel mug for your morning commute, but rather to provide densely packed flavor in small cups, or espresso shots to add to your favorite morning brew. This machine is also equipped with a milk foam system that takes skim dairy milk (sorry Vegans and people with dairy intolerance, it isn’t designed to work with vegetable milks) and creates a hot milk foam for a cappuccino. Overall, the machine has a nice design aesthetic. It comes in a box that contains one sample pack of pods, the machine, and assorted documentation. I would suggest reading the directions as they explain how to set the system up, flush it for first use, and how to manage the fresh milk system. It is very compact, sitting easily under the cabinets with plenty of clearance on top to use the machine. Since the maximum cup size is under 4 fluid ounces, the smaller water tank on this unit will last for several cups before it needs to be refilled, which is an easy process as the water tank comes off easily and stands on its own. As machines like this are prone to scaling (the build up of deposits from hard water) I would suggest using distilled water in the machine. This also leaves the flavor of the espressos unaltered by the flavor of your local water. The espressos from the machine are bold and dark, which is what you are expecting from a machine dedicated to small cups. The sample pack has flavors from balanced to very strong. The machine makes an interesting cut pattern in the pods where you can tell it’s using an immense amount of pressure to extract the contents. Which leads me to a comment about the machine – it’s loud. For such a small machine that exudes a sophisticated design language, the pump is pretty noisy. So loud it woke up my kids (or so they claim), which makes it hard to use in the morning when people are generally trying to get a cup of coffee going. The milk system is part of the machine that is less common on household machines and it quickly makes a hot froth that is dense and very nice for a home machine. The final product won’t quite meet the pictures on the box, but it does a good job. Cleaning it is another matter though. The entire milk system has to be taken apart and either washed in a dishwasher or soaked for 30 minutes in warm soapy water before being rinsed out. Since many of the parts are small using a dishwasher basket or just hand washing the parts is a good idea to avoid parts falling into the bottom of the dishwasher. Pulling the system apart, especially the nozzle, is rather hard and I feel like I’m about to break it before it finally comes apart. Overall the Nespresso Lattissima One is a compact, well designed machine for those coffee lovers who want to be able to brew espressos and small cups at home. The milk froth option allows for more options and is a feature that is less common on home machines. Two drawbacks hold it back from a perfect rating though – the machine is loud and the milk system is a bit of a hassle to pull apart and clean.

My 16 year old son was so excited to get this that he was literally un-boxing it on our way into the house. In about 2 minutes he had it opened and completely assembled and ready to go.. My first thoughts are that this unit is higher overall quality than other pod-style coffee makers I have and have used. It's heavy than it looks that gives one the feel of substantial quality. The handle for the pod insert has a very nice metallic look and feel. Overall, tactile feedback is very good. After running the recommended first time use instructions, we made our first cup of espresso in literally 40 seconds. It was pretty cool to watch the process with the brewing of coffee and the frothing of the milk. Important note, it did come with a sample packet of 14 pods so that was a nice bonus. On first sip, the quality was very much in line with what I have experienced at specialty coffee houses, and for $4 +tip at the coffee house, I can see this unit paying for itself fairly quickly for this family of 4. Very good quality. I will admit that it does require some maintenance, but that IS NOT at the fault of the machine. I for one don't want the remnants of spoiled milk brewing in my machine so cleaning is a part of ownership. That said, the cleaning process is relatively simple and not time consuming. End of the day, if you are looking for an easy to use and maintain espresso machine that produces quality espresso, you can't go wrong.

1st off, mine arrived broken. The clip that holds the milk container was snapped off. I checked inside the milk container and around inside the packing box and was unable to find the other half of the broken piece so it must have happened at the factory and somehow got past the QA dept. 2nd. The instructions are printed extra tiny, even though there is plenty of room per page to have increased the font size they chose super small as the default for some reason. I have 20/20 vision but had a bit of a hard time reading them... 3rd. Read the instructions several times... and then read them again. It can get very complicated. 4th. Clean, clean, clean... and if you use the milk function be prepared to have to disassemble and clean even more. I would have liked to have given this 5 stars except for the few negative things I mentioned above. The positives are: 1st. Once cleaned, set up, and ready to go, it makes an amazing cup of anything you select. 2nd. Comes with a water hardness test strip, and is adjustable to account for your water hardness. 3rd. The brew/liquid level is adjustable if you would like more or less water to coffee ratio. 4th. The flavor!!! Wow, this thing is awesome and the flavor is amazing!!! 5th. The foamed milk is so good it's almost whipped cream. Overall this is an amazing machine with a lot of cool features, it brews an amazing cup of your favorite Coffee beverage right in your own kitchen. The only things negative I found were that mine came with a broken part. I was able to make it work by zip tying it together. The cleaning process is kinda complicated for the milk side of things, it would be nice if there was just a clean button and I could place a cup under a nozzle or something. And I tried to find a replacement for my broken part online but it doesn't appear to be available.