Nespresso (Nestlé) - Essenza Mini EN85B

I’ll get flamed for this because it’s not BIFL, nor is it coveted in the coffee community. But espresso is not a cheap hobby… But if you like just regular espresso pulls you really can’t go wrong with a basic **original line** Nespresso. The shot is actually very decent - We’ve had our esenza mini for a decade and it’s been excellent. Just keep up on descaling and it will last you a long time. Can you get better espresso? Absolutely. Will you have to take out a second mortgage and redo your kitchen for all the gadgets/grinders/etc. also yes.

The “original” line is very much an espresso. By definition. You might be thinking of the “vertuo” line which uses centrifugal force to extract which isn’t espresso by definition.

It Christmas and all, but that’s wrong - the ratio and grind freshness is totally irrelevant. The **grind size, coffee amount and pressure used to brew** is all that matters. **By definition** the OL is an espresso. Sure, it’s not as good as more artisan methods. But an espresso nonetheless. If you ever travel abroad, OL pods are ubiquitous for quick espressos. Vertuo on the other hand is not espresso at all as I mentioned.

Nespresso Essenza-Machine - it comes in three colors, uses the smaller pods that are sold by other brands. I got mine as a gift six years ago and running strong. Artizan Coffee makes organic, mold-free pods that are biodegradable that work with this machine. For a cheaper option, Trader Joe’s makes pods too. You can also get a nice milk frother for $50.

As someone who went through uni with a Nespresso but grew up with a moka pot, I definitely recommend the Nespresso (Essenza Mini to be exact). It basically fits on your desk and makes you coffee in 30 seconds without any effort. Traditional coffee is probably cheaper but pods have a very big price range too and I would say it's fairly affordable.

The Essenza Mini is known to be the quietest

You don't need to pick which one is more faster cause it only took seconds to minute, I honestly dont think it matters. For Citiz and essenza, those are original line coffee machines, smaller capsule. Vertuo lines are good too. The difference between vertuo and original line is the extraction method. The original line uses pressure to extract coffee from capsules while the vertuo uses bar code for reading and then it identifies the volume of your coffee. You might consider the creatista so you could easily make coffee in just one press, it automatically adds milk depending on your coffee choice. Also the cup size, in vertuo you need larger cup size so if you like large cup of coffee you should go with vertuo. I have tried both vertuo and original line. I tried pixie, Citiz and creatista from original line and there is no big difference in the coffee extraction really. For vertuo, I tried vertuo plus and it's really good.

If you like black coffee and also want the espresso shot for your weekend mocha, an Original Line Nespresso (like a Citiz & Milk or Pixie/Essenza Mini + Aeroccino frother) is often the best bet.

Hatte früher auch eine gebrauchten vollautomat gekauft dann komplett auseinander genommen und Grund gereinigt, Dichtungen gewechselt, schlauche neu usw. War den Aufwand nicht wert nach paar Monaten dann bruheinheit defekt usw. Wenn du 100€ Budget hat eine DELONGHI Nespresso Maschine zb essenza Mini (60€) und ein aufschäumer zb Sensor milk twister oder auch einer vom Lidl geht auch und du bist bei unter 100€ mit echt guten Cappuccino. Wenig Wartungsaufwand einfach zu reinigen und Kapseln gibts überall.

SInce you value that classic crema and cafe-style lattes CitiZ by De’Longhi is definitely the top pick on this list. For anyone who wants that same quality on a smaller budget [Essenza Mini](https://www.reddit.com/user/No-Beach-8401/comments/1qoqr8w/top_6_nespresso_machines_you_can_buy/) is the way to go it delivers the exact same espresso experience without taking up much space. Both are solid choices for the Original line!

I have the Essenza Mini and I was surprised how loud it is!

I personally can't stand the taste of Vertuo pods. I've had my Pixie since 2013, and it's still going strong. OLs offer me more flexibility—I can just have an espresso, or add hot water to make an Americano coffee. Pods are also cheaper than VL. I use a 3rd party Italian-made Passalacqua Manhoa pods. They're superior to some of the native pods, albeit they pull a bit slower, which is not uncommon for 3rd party. Plus, I paid $40 for 100 pods ($50 now, presumably from tarrifs). Machines like Essenza, Pixie, or Citiz are simple and have the same pressure and output as the more expensive models with frothers, milk containers, or other bells and whistles, which to me, is not worth the extra hundreds of dollars.