Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

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: 4.5 Aesthetics: 5 Ease of use: 4 (see cons) Durability: 5? Value: 5+ PROS: -1-- QUALITY This 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-- DESIGN The 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-- SPEED Starts 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 USE The 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.