Breville Nespresso Creatista Plus

This little machine is my hero every morning! I absolutely love the sleek look – just like a machine in a coffee shop! I just drop a pod into the slot, and pour some milk into the jug, and I have an amazing latte in under one minute. I’ve taste-tested these lattes against the ones at my favorite coffee shop, and they’re every bit as good. I also am able to use non-dairy milks (cashew, almond, oat) and they foam up beautifully! After extensive use, here are the things I’d want to know if I were considering a purchase:

-Pre-programmed drink options: This machine has many drinks such as flat whites, cappuccinos, lattes, ristretto, and espresso pre-programmed with set milk temps, foam levels, and espresso level. The programmed settings are very useful when you want to be able to push two buttons and go. Using these settings, I can have an espresso drink in one minute – from when I turn the machine on to when I’m screwing the lid onto my travel mug. However, the settings can be modified easily. You can select a flat white, but if you like a foamier flat white, you simply turn the dial up from the pre-selected “4” on the foam level to whatever level of foam you prefer. This is handy for experimentation, and I’ve discovered my ideal drink based on these settings.
-There doesn’t seem to be a way to set your drink to a double shot. Most coffeehouse drinks are at least two shots, and I find that I prefer two shots in my morning drink. However, each of the pre-defined drink options assume one espresso shot. Because of this, I find myself preferring to simply select “espresso” twice, to get two shots, and then simply using the steam milk function at the temperature and foam level I want, and combining for a “DIY” espresso drink. I wish I could select the number of shots I want when configuring my drink.
-Likewise, the machine doesn’t tell you how much milk to use for each drink. I know from my frequent coffeehouse visits, cappuccinos and lattes have different amounts of milk added to the final drink. However, while the machine defines a foam level depending on which drink you select, it doesn’t tell you how much milk to use. I’ve garnered some knowledge on this from watching barista YouTube videos, but it would be helpful if the machine would walk though the preparation by stating “add 8 oz of milk to the jug” or something similar.
-The milk steamer auto-cleans after each use. This is great because it keeps it from getting plugged up, and I’ve found that I haven’t yet needed to use the included cleaning tool.
-The machine includes a small reservoir for the discarded pods. It holds about 6-8 before needing to be emptied, at which point you can dump them into a recycling bag provided by Nespresso and mail them back (at no cost) for recycling!
-The drip tray has a sensor which will alert the machine to notify you when it’s full and needs to be emptied.
-I LOVE that the machine is calibrated based on the PH level of my tap water. They send a water testing strip with the welcome guide and the machine is calibrated upon setup based on the results of this test.
-The machine is also shipped with a sample pack of 16 pods – enough to get you through a couple weeks and decide which Nespresso options are your favorite.

Guests are impressed. My only complaint is the frothing pitcher that came with, the min/max lines aren’t pressed into the metal enough it’s hard to read from the inside.

I bought this to upgrade my Nespresso Pixie which I have been using for the last two years. I did not find any difference in my coffee; it still tastes the same but I paid around 3.5 times more for this machine than before. The only difference is that it looks more fancy on the counter top.

Easy to use, very fast to start, and looks amazing. No issues after more than a year and we use it a lot.

I seldom write product reviews, but I would be remiss in not pointing out how much I love this espresso machine! It works flawlessly and is such a pleasure to use!

So I have owned a lot of machines from a Nuova Simonelli Aurelia (world barista championship machine) which required a 20amp circuit installed at my house to a lot of the lower end machines like the Brevilles and Delonghi (not a fan of Delonghi). You never buy a pod machine to save money – you buy it to save time. I think they figured if you bought Nespresso brand coffee pods you’re essentially paying around $50 or so dollars a pound which is crazy expensive. Yet when you compare the convenience of a good latte that costs you near a dollar with a $5-7 with tip coffee at starbucks, you’re doing ok.
So what do I think of this machine? I actually really like it. I can make a latte in the time it takes my other machine to warm up. This machine takes 3 seconds to go and my other machine – I need to grind, tamp and then it still takes my other machine roughly 30 seconds to heat up. It could probably make a few cups before my professional machine even warms up. I love doing things myself and enjoy the art of the grind, the tamp, adjusting for weather and knowing my skills but honestly sometimes I just want a quick, consistently good latte or flat white. The machine definitely delivers there. I love how hot it makes the shot, I love how adjustable everything is, and I love that I can make a coffee two minutes before a meeting. (I can’t even get my other machines warmed up) I bought one for my work and brought it home and my wife loved it so much she asked me to leave it. I ordered another for my Dad because he loved mine so much I had to get him one. The settings that work for me are flat white – milk level 2, latte milk level 5, and cappuccino milk level 8. They closer to the real deal with those settings. Please don’t judge my poor latte art – I was just trying a few with the machine and thought I would post them to show how close to the real thing you can come with this machine on the first go… I’m sure if I gave it a few tries – I could probably get them a bit more symmetrical. The point is – you can still have fun with it.
So maybe you’re wondering – does it match a full professional machine? First off – of course not – I can do a better shot, have more options, and can do a lot more with latte art and milk texture on a real machine. I can get a lot better and more authentic crema on a professional machine. On a professional machine I can choose exotic beans and experience crazy weird taste and half the fun of coffee is making it. (nespresso has quite a variety though which is worth trying – including some good third parties like Pete’s, ect) That being said – It’s not supposed to compete with a professional machine. It’s a home machine under $500. We’re talking a HUGE price difference to a professional machine which can range in the 10-15k range for a good one like the Aurelia. (And you still need to buy your Mazzer grinder for 1-2k!) it’s a lot of work and expensive to own a professional machine. I also find I can waste more on a coffee machine – you need to drink enough to get through a bag of beans before they get past the first month of roast.
So if you want a good machine, that makes decent espresso, and can do it consistently well, and extremely fast. I think this is an excellent addition to any home.