Review: DeLonghi Nespresso Lattissima Plus

Why choose DeLonghi Nespresso Lattissima Plus over others?

Nespresso Lattissima Plus is an interesting choice in the market. Along with Nespresso Lattissima Pro, these two models create a step-up story, with Lattissima Plus as a more basic, less technologically advanced and more affordable unit.

What differentiates Lattissima Plus from others in the market is a combination of a price tag along with the Nespresso quality.

I was able to customize coffee volume and froth density, but not the quality, texture or temperature of the milk.

Here are a few distinct features of the Nespresso Lattissima Plus:

• Intuitive and easy to use
• 4 buttons to brew coffee, and a rotative dial to adjust milk frothing
• Easy, straightforward and quick brewing process
• Standard and versatile exterior appearance
• A milk frother that whisks and froths the milk through steaming

Who is DeLonghi Nespresso Lattissima Plus perfect for?

DeLonghi Nespresso Lattissima Plus can be an interesting choice for those who appreciate real simplicity in brewing their espresso (and other drinks) quickly and efficiently. Due to Nespresso capsules, there will be no work involved with coffee grounds.

Lattissima Plus can be a compelling choice for some:

✓ Individuals or families with a medium budget

✓ Enjoy using Nespresso coffee capsules

✓ Easy and convenient to use machine

✓ Fresh, rich and creamy coffee

✓ Fast and simple coffee brewing

✓ A simpler and less technologically advanced machine (vs. Nespresso Lattissima Pro, Nespresso Creatista or Nespresso Creatista Plus)

Who is Lattissima Plus NOT perfect for?

Just like I mentioned in the Lattissima Pro review, the Lattissima line might best serve users with no or very little knowledge or understanding of the coffee brewing process.

As an advanced coffee lover (with some experience in brewing coffee), I was rather disappointed with the machine. Not only was it very limiting in what I could brew (due to the capsules), but quite expensive. Those who would like a professional high-end espresso may wish to consider other machines like Breville Nespresso Creatista or DeLonghi ESAM3300.

There are a couple of things that I feel might be disadvantages for some people.

✗ Very basic, not as technologically advanced as other Nespresso machines

✗ A milk froth whisks and froths (through steaming)

✗ A milk froth does not create a micro-foam texture that professional baristas (and Nespresso Creatista) do to coffee

✗ Customization limited to volume of coffee, and milk-to-coffee ratio

✗ Plastic-free appliance

✗ Low budget

DeLonghi Nespresso Lattissima Plus Review and Evaluation 🕵️

→ Appearance

Nespresso Lattissima Plus comes with a basic yet functional design. Though made mostly with plastic, I felt that the machine was rather well built. I was delighted to see that it sells in 3 different color options: silver, titan and white. My personal favorite is silver. It’s cheaper and it seems more versatile.

The drip tray is designed to hold one cup at a time. On top, there are illuminated control buttons that allow to choose my preferred beverage. There’s also a rotative dial to select a volume of steam to froth milk.

The machine itself is a very compact coffee maker. In my opinion, it would fit very well into kitchens or spaces of many sizes: from small to large kitchens.

→ Features and technical specs

Voltage: Nespresso Lattissima Plus is made for 120V, and can be used in Canada and the US only.

Basket size: Unlike regular espresso machines, DeLonghi Nespresso Lattissima Plus does not have a portafilter and cannot be used with coffee grounds. Users are limited to Nespresso capsules only.

These Nespresso capsules are aluminium, and I am not entirely comfortable with their long-term use. The capsules come in different flavors. They typically sell in a pack of 50 for about $35, which means they are about 80¢ per cup of coffee.

Lattissima Plus has a container that holds used capsules. I usually keep up to 12 capsules before I clean it out

Beverage size: Though the water reservoir is fairly large, holding about 30oz of water, there are a couple of pre-set volumes of coffee (which can be manually adjusted):

• Espresso 1.35oz
• Lungo 3.7oz
• Cappuccino Milk 1.35oz
• Latte Macchiato Milk 5oz

Weight: Nespresso Lattissima Plus is a compact coffee maker. This weighs about 9 pounds, which is about 3.5 pounds less than Lattissima Pro. I had no problems unpacking and setting it up on my countertop.

Unit size: Lattissima Plus is a compact appliance. It measures 12.5 inches in length, 6.5 inches in width and 11 inches in height.

Alas, unlike Lattissima Pro, I did not specifically love the design of the water reservoir. It was removable for cleaning or refilling. It was rather easy, but not as easy as it was in Lattissima Pro.

Water reservoir: The removable reservoir holds 30 oz of water.

Additional perks: DeLonghi Nespresso Lattissima Plus brews coffee primarily (and solely) from capsules. It is also less technologically advanced than some of its sister Nespresso makers such as Nespresso Lattissima Pro, Nespresso Creatista or Creatista Plus, or much more professional machines like BES840XL and BES870XL.

Compared with other machines, I feel that there are fewer things in this machine, but the features were quite awesome:

✓ A 19-bar pump system allowed me to brew deliciously creamy coffee. Though 19-bar pump system is way more than is needed or used in an espresso machine, DeLonghi Nespresso Lattissima Plus has enough power to begin brewing at higher pressure. This allows to reach richer and more creamy coffee, though will make the unit more expensive.

✓A rapid water heating (in about 40 seconds) was possible due to the thermoblock heating system. This is a bit slower than Lattissima Pro (25 seconds), Nespresso Creatista (10 seconds) and Nespresso Creatista Plus (3 seconds). For me, however, Lattissima Plus did not heat water enough, and coffee tended to be not as warm as desired.

✓ DeLonghi Nespresso Lattissima Plus came with an intuitive 4-button operation. With a couple of clicks, I was able to brew coffee quickly and efficiently.

✓ Quick auto-off. It takes about 10 minutes for the machine to turn off, when on idle.

→ Performance

Brewing time: Nespresso Lattissima Plus comes with a thermoblock heating system. It is less advanced than Lattissima Pro. Therefore, it heats up water in about 40 seconds. This is not a long time, regardless. Once started, the brewing (and frothing) should take no more than 2.5 minutes.

Flavor: I’ve tested and enjoyed all the 4 pre-programmed coffee beverages:

• Espresso
• Lungo
• Cappuccino
• Latte Macchiato

They were tasty, creamy and rich. I actually enjoyed them.

Temperature: As I mentioned earlier, Lattissima Pro has a thermoblock heating element. It is among the best heating elements in coffee makers. I was surprised that the machine did not yield my desired (or expected) temperature for brewing espresso.

Because my coffee tended to come out lukewarm, I measured the heated water’s temperature. It reached between 180 to 185 F degrees (vs desired 195 to 205 F degrees).

Milk Frother: Lattissima Plus comes with a simple milk frother. It froths milk by releasing steam. Milk is not always super hot, as there’s no temperature adjustment. I was not able to reach my preferred firmness or texture of froth.

Pressure / pressure gauge: Lattissima Plus is supposedly equipped to yield 19 bars of pressure. This amount of of BAR pressure is more than is typically needed or used in an espresso machine, but 19 BARs will allow to initiate brewing at about 15-16 BARs of pressure.

Noise levels: I did not find anything unusual with the noise levels in this espresso machine.

Cleaning: Cleaning is a bit of a double edge sword for Lattissima Plus. It can be very easy and speedy. But, if I want to froth milk, it can be really difficult and time-confusing for me.

One of the machine’s advantages of this machine is the ease and speed with which I could clean it. The extra storage for 12 used coffee capsules can also be cleaned in no time. Every month, I descale the machine, a process that takes me around 10 minutes using the descaling solution available through Nespresso. As a word of warning, I would recommend thoroughly washing the milk reservoir after each use, as it tends to have a peculiar scent.

However, frothing milk requires a use of several additional parts to clean. This takes a bit of time to disassemble and to thoroughly clean the machine.

Customer-reported technical issues

DeLonghi Nespresso Lattissima Plus comes with a 1-year limited warranty from the day of purchase.

From what I have seen, the vast majority of users truly love this machine. I personally have not experienced any major issues with the machine.

However, there are a few users who expressed a couple of concerns:

• Allegedly prone to “airblock” if sits on the shelf for too long. I have not experienced this issue, but if airblock occurs, pushing the air through the tube inside the machine may be necessary. This is fairly complicated, and it could be easier to return an espresso machine and get a new one.
• After descaling, the milk frother may allegedly can stop working.
• The machine can allegedly stop working after a couple of months. Again, we do not know enough about how users use this machine, and whether the machine is cleaned regularly. I have not experienced any such issues.

→ Health and safety

I am so surprised that I was not able to fin any official statements on the BPA-status of this machine. DeLonghi seems quite transparent with other machines, but not with the Lattissima Plus. Perhaps, no answer is an answer? I also strongly dislike that I need to use aluminium capsules.

You should always remember to put the milk carafe back into the fridge after you’ve used it. If not, the milk out in the open could seriously damage your health.

→ Price to value: is Nespresso Lattissima Plus worth the money?

Though Nespresso Lattissima Plus is less expensive than Lattissima Pro, I am not fully convinced that the price-to-value of this machine is strong.

On the positive side, I appreciate that the machine is quite simple and easy to use. It yields good and rich coffee.

On the negative side, I think that this machine costs too much, and the machine is very basic. It does not have more nuanced perks that Creatista or Creatista Plus come with. Those nuanced features allow to brew a much stronger, richer and better cup of coffee (or a shot of espresso). Further, this machine severely limits a user to use aluminium capsules. Those capsules cost about 80 cents per a cup of coffee. Because there is not a lot of competition to produce capsules, these capsules can become more expensive overnight.

Should I buy Nespresso Lattissima Plus? Owly’s verdict! 🔨

DeLonghi Lattissima Plus coffee and espresso machine brings together Nespresso capsules, simplicity and richness. It is a good-looking machine, compact and reliable. Despite those amazing features, I don’t find Lattissima Plus to be an attractive choice for three reasons:

• egregious retail price,
• capsule limitations, and
• less sophisticated features and equipment (vs other Nespresso machines).

In this price point, there are many wonderful espresso machines, including a much cheaper Nespresso Creatista version, which yields a shot of espresso that I enjoyed much more.

What do you think about Nespresso Lattissima Plus? What was your experience with DeLonghi Lattissima Plus machine?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments, under this Nespresso Lattissima Plus review!