Nespresso by De'Longhi EN650B Gran Lattissima Original Espresso Machine with Milk Frother, Sophisticated Black

Product Information

Nespresso Vertuo Next: The Vertuo Next is notable for being made of 54 percent recycled materials, according to Nespresso. It didn't make our list, however, as we found usage a little more confusing than average, along with some coffee sediment at the bottom of our cups.

Coffee-wise, it works much like the other machines on this list: pop the capsule in the top, select your preferred drink and get your coffee almost instantly. Milk steaming is done separately, but it is automatic, and the temperature sensor underneath the jug means that it gives a wonderfully consistent silky froth. It purges (cleans) itself fairly soon after the cycle finishes, so it’s best to remove the milk just as soon as the steaming stops. One minor niggle: the single boiler means that you can’t steam milk at the same time as brewing a coffee.

Things to Know About Gran Lattissima

The Gran Lattissima is quite possibly our favourite machine on this list. It’s a fairly big machine, but it makes superb milk-based coffees at the touch of a button and the build quality is superb. It also leaves you with the possibility of purchasing re-usable Nespresso capsules, allowing you to buy and grind whole espresso beans. Fresh coffee beans will be much tastier than the coffee grounds contained in capsules, possibly for months. Like all brewing devices, Nespresso machines need time to heat up the water before they can make coffee and espresso. Fortunately, their heat-up time is significantly faster than that of real espresso machines, electric drip coffee makers, and many pod-based competitors, including Keurig. Nespresso devices require anywhere from three to 30 seconds to heat up. The majority fall in the middle of that range, averaging around 20 seconds. What features each machine had: Some Nespresso machines have advanced features like milk frothing, self-cleaning, and the ability to brew different types of drinks. Other models only brew espresso shots and have no additional features. In our testing trials, we used all of the features that a machine offered before making our final assessment. The Lattissima lineup consists of five devices with varying features. Gran Lattissima has the most drink options and the biggest capsule container. In terms of OriginalLine pods, I like the Gran Lattisima the most, and that’s mostly because of the extra drink options and stylish design.

This is in contrast to slightly less automated machines with steam wands, such as the Nespresso Creatista Uno. There is a higher workload when preparing your coffee, as you need to manually pour the milk, but there will be less cleaning to do. It only does the two standard drinks sizes – espresso and lungo – but we were impressed with CitiZ’s performance. Drinks came out at a consistent temperature and there wasn’t a great deal of variation in the amount pulled through each time. In comparison to the Essenza Mini, the Citiz is far more consistent. The milk carafe (referred to as the rapid cappuccino system) is the key to one-touch milk-based coffees and pulls milk from the jug through a spout and directly into your cup.

Alternatives

The Nespresso Gran Lattissima espresso machine is extremely easy to use, thanks to its 9 one-touch tactile buttons each representing a different drink. The Vertuo Coffee and Espresso Maker was the first item in Nespresso’s VertuoLine. Benefits include its reasonable price, fast heat-up time, and signature ability to make both espresso and drip-style coffee. It's naturally a great place to start for those specifically interested in a VertuoLine machine, rather than an OriginalLine one. Lattissima One is more compact than the Gran model. This means it has a smaller capsule container capacity (8 vs. 14). However, the water tank capacity is the same for both machines — 34 oz. The milk system functions as on the Gran Lattissima, but the milk container is smaller (only 4 oz compared to the 17 oz).