The young Barista version of myself would have called it heresy, but I bought a Nespresso Citiz.  I was in Williams Sonoma with my wife browsing their ludicrously expensive and wonderful espresso machines, when an employee asked if I would like a demonstration of their Nespresso machine.  She had me at free espresso, but no way was I buying a machine that uses capsules.  I need to grind whole beans to consider myself a real coffee aficionado right?  Well, unfortunately the espresso was much better than my little Breville espresso machine, and the process from start to finish was so fast! That is where it sold me.  Grinding, tamping and pulling espresso is a somewhat labor intensive task, and not the easiest thing to clean up after.  This was quick clean and pretty good. Before you get mad and leave, it definitely does not come close to quality, locally roasted beans ground fresh with a good grinder, and pulled on a $15k machine by a seasoned barista.  How could it?  But since I don’t have any of those things at home (except for the beans) I settled for this, and I don’t regret it.

Sleek and Convenient

It has a nice look to it, and doesn’t take up much space.  It holds water in the back tank and has few parts to clean up.  I have been using it for 3 months now with no problems.  Before I bought this machine, I would have to settle for terrible office coffee on days that I woke up late.  Now the process takes all of two minutes and I have hot espresso!  My wife and I like to entertain, and after dinner there is usually at least a few requests for specialty coffee, and I am happy to provide, but when I have to crank out 4 or 5 latte’s in a row, I end up grinding and brewing while everyone else is talking and enjoying themselves.  I don’t like to miss out, and with this machine, I don’t miss much.  And I didn’t even tell you about the Aeroccino!

Frothing Made Easy!

Nespresso also makes this nifty device for frothing milk that I bought with my machine.  You pour in milk, press a button, and seconds later you have hot frothed milk. BAM! He he.. sorry, I got excited. So about this thing, frothing is one of the most time consuming parts of making a cappuccino or latte and something you can easily screw up, but this takes all that away.  It is definitely not the greatest frothed milk you ever had, but convenience is at 10 so I’ll take quality at 6 for household use.

Final Comments

By now you realize I am a big fan of this machine, but also understand that you can’t expect the world from it.  It is not going to replace my local coffee shop, but for my current lifestyle it’s fantastic.  I am always on the go and often in need of a quick shot of caffeine.  This meets those needs and doesn’t taste half as bad as Folger’s at the office.