Review on Nespresso Essenza Mini Espresso Machine by Breville - Piano Black by Bethany Neal

TL;DR: A reliable machine at a great price with a clean design. The counter's footprint is so small it's hard to believe. run fast The operation seems safe and secure. (Hello, solid steel lever!) All in all, a great update to the already popular Nespresso formula. Espresso quality: 4.5 Aesthetics: 5 Ease of use: 4 (see cons) Durability: 5? The taste depends only on the choice of capsule, the use of clean water (see below) and the cleaning of the machine (like previous Nespresso models). The only thing I would say no to is that the crema isn't *quite* as good (hard and fluffy) as a full Italian auto. Aside from losing $12-$25k+ (seriously) for one of these beasts, this is the best you'll get at home and it's 95% of the way. (Just my opinion, but as a former barista I've used several of these machines.) -2-- DESIGN What attracted me to this coffee maker was the design. Previous Nespresso models have had a variety of striking looks, but nothing beats the Bauhaus minimalism in my book. Unfortunately, the sides of the device are shiny and have fingerprints (see photo), but that's not a big deal. The crisp white Breville logo looks completely out of place on the front of such a beautiful machine. It wouldn't be a problem if they just used dark gray instead of white and/or placed the logo on the back. However, this is not a critical factor.-3-- SPEED Starts very quickly; <30 sec from cold to done. Espresso draws at normal speed; up to one minute for long-range shots. Watch the video.-4-- +No skills required! And faster! And easier! And no cleaning! Minimal maintenance!-5-- ++The price is right! (I personally paid $75 on Black Friday. Check price history on camelcamelcamel.com.) CONS: -1 - EASY TO USE. The only real downside here is filling the water tank. You can lift the lid a bit, but you actually have to remove the tank to fill it up easily. The tank is located on the back, so there is always access. Also, who knows how much abuse the little rubber pad on the mount can take before it fails? I would prefer if it could be filled without disassembly and if the tank could be rotated like the old Nespresso U machines. Overall it doesn't really matter. FYI: > The water tank comfortably holds a full standard water bottle (0.5L). (Always use filtered or purified water in ANY espresso machine! Nespresso included.) See image. I use bottled water (and recycle the bottles.) > The two buttons are preset at 1.35 and 3.72 oz but can easily be reprogrammed as they are on most Nespresso machines. You can also hold the button down after taking a shot to add water to taste. The start is so fast that I didn't find it necessary. Leaving the machine on all the time can encourage bacterial growth (due to the heat) so this is a useful feature. It's also good for the environment and your electricity bills. Regularly descaling your coffee maker can make a big difference in the quality of your espresso. To reduce the required frequency while improving images, always use filtered or purified water. This applies to any espresso machine. To descale, run a liquid Nestlé descaling agent through the machine. Instructions and materials are available on the Nespresso website. ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION: Capsules are recyclable in stamped bags, which you receive free of charge with every Nespresso order. Each bag holds around 70-100 pods.