Product Review: Nespresso Latissima +

I love coffee. I love tea. But I love coffee more. So we decided to invest in a quality coffee machine. We chose the Nespresso Latissima + ('cos anything George Clooney endorses has to be great, right?) 

The machine cost R4300 and came with an extensive users manual, a "menu" (an index of all the different flavours of coffee) and 16 free capsules. 

The Latissima +

The machine is pretty nifty (at R4300, it had better be!). Its compact and easy to fit in any corner of your kitchen. Everything is "one touch". You just press a button and lo and behold you have cafe quality cappuccino with perfectly frothed milk in less than a minute. For the technologically challenged like myself, this is pure magic. You get four types of coffee to chose from: Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato, Long Coffee and the classic Espresso. 

The milk container is removable making it easy to wash and you can stow it in the fridge if you have leftover milk. There is also a button you press that cleans the internal plumbing. Theres an automatic capsule ejector and a water tank at the back that's so slender, its barely visible. 

Nespresso uses capsules (pods). More and more people the world over are turning to capsules for their espresso fix. While the coffee connoisseur will frown on this, you can't deny how convenient it is. There are many Nespresso capsules to chose from, there are even some flavours like "chocolate" or "caramel." They are all also rated in terms of intensity on a scale of 1-12, which so far seems to be a very accurate rating.

I need to get myself this capsule holder!

I would highly recommend this machine to anyone who loves coffee. If you don't have R4300 to fork out, don't despair, you can pick up a Nespresso machine in the R1000's (like the U milk or the new Inissia). The biggest difference between the Latissima + and the others is the one touch technology for lattes and cappuccino, meaning you don't have to heat up, froth and add the milk separately. If you need to sample the coffee before buying, head to any Boardmans where there's a Nespresso representative or to the Nespresso Store in Sandton City. At the store you can also buy capsules or if you prefer online at their Official Website.

While the machines may be a bit more expensive than regular coffee machines, you are undoubtedly paying for a quality product, so I had no qualms with that. The capsules cost between R5-R6 each, which is cheap considering you won't pay anything less than R20 in a cafe for a decent latte. 

The Latissima + is simple yet elegant and the coffee is divine!

-P