The Nespresso Creatista Plus machine, makes it easy to be your own barista and make a range of perfect coffee at home.
Coffee is a primary food group in our flat. The day hasn’t really started before the first cup, but coffee is a delicate thing; there’s a reason the world of the coffee aficionado is one of precision scales, accurate temperature measurement and practised technique. Coffee shops spend a surprisingly long time every morning making sure that the machine, grinder and coffee are all in tune with each other to ensure a good cup of jump starter espresso.
That’s all very well for baristas pulling shots all day every day, but all we want is a good cup of coffee produced at short notice without too much faffing and bother. The Nespresso Creatista Plus Machine is a great way of squaring that circle, letting us make high quality drinks without the trouble of having to tune our grinders or warm up the machine for ages before we want to use it. The machine takes just 3 seconds to warm up, and has a 19 bar pump.
It is made by Sage by Heston Blumenthal, so you can be assured of excellent results and quality. The machine also has a remarkably small footprint, just 7″ wide, and tall enough to easily fit underneath wall cupboards making it suitable for the smallest of kitchens.
Like all Nespresso machines, it takes the Nespresso coffee pods. Lift the lever at the top, drop the pod in and close the lever – no worries about the precise pressure of tamping down the coffee. There’s an LED screen on the top of the machine that lets you choose what drink you would like. The choices are: ristretto, espresso, lungo, flat white, café latte, cappuccino, latte macchiato, milk. You change the selection by turning the select knob, and then just press start.
I really like the fact that you can adjust the different programs. In the ristretto, cappuccino and lungo programs you can adjust how large the drink will be, and with drinks involving milk you can adjust the temperature and frothiness of the milk, the machine produces 4 styles of milk, including the “micro-foam” essential for latte art. If you lose the instruction book no matter as the machine has a handy quick start guide on that high res LCD screen. It really is fool-proof, and you can use it straight out of the box.
Milk frothing is done with a steam wand. Just fill the jug between the two lines, and place it on the machine with the wand inside, choose the milk programme and then press start. Once the milk has been frothed and the jug removed, the machine automatically purges the steam wand to keep everything clean. With a jug of hot milk in hand, you can apply the final home barista touch with some latte art. Before too long, you can find yourself miles down a YouTube rabbit hole of latte art instructions. Of course, the downside of this is that it delays that vital first cup, so it might be worth keeping it simple for the first thing in the morning before venturing onto greater flights of creativity.
Of course you do need to buy the Nespresso capsules for the machine, which do cost more than the equivalent ground coffee (31 – 39p), but it does result in a perfectly fresh cup, and the used capsule can now be sent back to Nespresso for recycling.
At £449 it is not cheap, but the cafe quality results mean you could save a great deal by making your morning latte at home.
If you want to try before you buy, or even just have a lesson in latte art then you can visit the Nespresso Creatista Studio at 235 Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill, running until Sunday 5th March, and learn how to make that perfect cup of Instagram-able lattee. It is a drop in with no need to book, so just turn up. After London the studio will be moving to Leeds for two weeks from the 8th March.
Review and photography commissioned by Nespresso. We also received a Creatista machine and coffee capsules. All opinions our own. Images of Creatista Studio courtesy of Nespresso.
Elizabeth
My goodness how swish is this?! My first concern was the use of the plastic pods, but I’m really glad to read that you can now send them back for refilling. Fantastic!
Helen
The pods are aluminium, so no plastic involved. The machine is AMAZING!
Kate
I’m so glad to know that you can send the pods back to be recycled. It’s one gorgeous machine and I love your gif!
Helen
it is a glorious machine! Glad you like the gif. I’ll pass that onto Ed who made it!
Pam Greer
Oh my, I need this!!! I would love to be able to make all of those drinks in my own home!
Helen
It is a beautiful machine.
Talya
Oh wow what an incredible piece of kit! I’m thinking it might be time for an upgrade in our house….
Helen
I am seriously in love with it. The only problem is I am drinking so much coffee!
David @ CookingChat
good coffee is appreciate at our place, too! looks like a great device for brewing it at home, more sophisticated than what we have.
Helen
it is SO sophisticated. Only think it doesn’t do is the washing up!
Tara
Such a great machine! I love how compact it is and all the options. Perfect addition to the kitchen.
Helen
So compact, room for one anywhere.
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables
Wow! I didn’t know you could refill the pods! So smart! And that machine is so beautiful I’d love it on my countertop!
Helen
recycle rather than refill. The machine is so beautiful.
Sophie
What a gorgeous looking machine – almost makes me want to start drinking coffee again!
Helen
It is certainly a thing of beauty.
Alida @My Little Italian Kitchen
Sturdy, posh and beautiful too! It looks so incredibly professional, just like drinking coffee at a coffee bar.. slurp!
Helen
Just like drinking at a coffee shop. such an amazing machine
Joanna
I so need one if these machines in my life. We just have regular coffee machine, i just need to find a spare £449
Helen
The milk frothing is AMAZING. I suppose if several people in a household regularly takeout cafe coffees the break even point is a couple of months.
Ana De- Jesus
I would love a coffee machine especially as you can choose how large you want the drink to be and what flavour. That is pretty neat!
Helen
It is the Rolls Royce of coffee machines!
Jayne @ Sticky Mud and Belly Laughs
My husband would LOVE this! I’m loving the sleek design. I think we need to upgrade :)
Helen
There is a certain amount of “need” with this machine!
Baby Isabella
It would look lovely on anyone’s worksurface! It’s just a shame we don’t drink coffee :( fab machine x
Helen
it is a beauty.
Kara
I so need one of those in my life. How did you do the flickering photo, it is so cool?
Helen
Any coffee drinker needs one of these.
Sophie's Nursery
This looks great! Can’t survive without morning coffee :D x
Helen
None of us can!
Danielle
Wow that machine looks amazing my husband would love it he can’t survive without a cup of coffee in the morning xxx
Helen
If I don’t have my coffee no one wants to be in the same room as me.
Fashion and Style Police
I love my coffee so this post is making me thirsty for a cup. The machine looks amazing.
Helen
the machine is every shade of awesome!
Cliona
This looks so cool, the design is really stylish. I don’t have a nespresso machine but this one really appeals as capuccino is my faourite coffee drink. Can’t do without my morning coffee fix!
Helen
This machine makes the MOST amazing frothed milk.
Anna
I need this, I have been thinking of getting one soon, my ex boyfriend used to have one and is brilliant, especially if you are a coffee addict like me. x
Helen
It is an amazing machine, the milk frothing is especially impressive, as is the size of the machine. We love it.