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☕ Buying Guides · 2026Vertuo Pop+, Next, Up, Lattissima and Creatista, Essenza Mini, CitiZ and the Lattissimas, matched to how you drink, from Nespresso's own manuals.
Decide the cup first, then the milk. If you drink mugs of coffee, choose a Vertuo machine: they brew espresso and coffees up to 18 oz from barcoded capsules. If you drink espresso and lungo, choose an Original machine. Then pick the milk: none, a separate Aeroccino frother, a built-in one-touch carafe (the Lattissimas), or a steam wand you work yourself (Vertuo Creatista). For most mug drinkers the Vertuo Pop+ or Vertuo Up is the starting point; for espresso drinkers on a small counter, the Essenza Mini. Nothing here is scored: every figure is Nespresso's own manual or listing, and every recommendation is about fit.
Pick the line from the cup you drink, then the milk system from how much work you want to do. Every current machine sits in one box.
Nespresso sells two capsule systems that do not share capsules, and every machine belongs to one of them. That is the first decision, and it is about the cup you drink, not the machine.
Vertuo machines read a barcode on the capsule and brew the size it calls for, from a single espresso up to an 18 oz carafe-style coffee on most models. If your morning is a mug of coffee, this is your line. Original machines brew espresso and lungo, the short drinks Nespresso started with. If you drink espresso, or build milk drinks on an espresso, this is your line. Our Vertuo vs Original guide goes through the capsules, the cup sizes and the running costs in detail.
The second decision is milk, and there are four answers: no milk at all, a separate Aeroccino frother bundled in the box, a built-in one-touch carafe that makes the whole drink, or a steam wand you work yourself. Each step up adds counter space and cleaning, which is the cost people underestimate.
What this page is not: we have not run a Nespresso through our evaluation protocol, so nothing is scored or ranked best. Every figure is from Nespresso's user manuals or the machine's own Amazon listing, read on 30 October 2026.
Vertuo Pop+ — the entry point. Its US manual gives a 750 ml (25.4 fl oz) tank on the side and a body 8.6 inches wide; its listing names 5, 8 and 12 oz coffees plus single and double espresso, a 30-second heat-up and a descaling alert. It is the Vertuo for one person and a small counter. It also comes bundled with an Aeroccino frother.
Vertuo Next — a narrow 5.5 inches wide with a 37 fl oz (1.1 L) tank, and its listing names an 18 oz coffee alongside the 5, 8 and 12 oz sizes. When we checked, the machine on its own was listed for a future date rather than in stock, so the card below is the bundle with an Aeroccino3 frother, which was.
Vertuo Up — the one to look at for a household. Its listing gives a 47 oz tank that moves to fit your counter, a 3-second start, six cup sizes up to 18 oz, a Coffee Creations button for a more concentrated brew over ice, and cup size and temperature set from the Nespresso app. Its used-capsule container holds 13 mug capsules against the Pop+'s five, per the two manuals.
All three brew hot or over ice. None of them handles milk on its own; for that, choose a bundle with a frother or one of the two milk machines below.
This is where Nespresso's range spreads out, and where the price does too.
Essenza Mini — built for a small counter. Nespresso's manual gives a 0.6 L tank and a body 110 mm (about 4.3 inches) wide, and its listing a 25-second heat-up, a 19 bar pump and two programmable sizes, Espresso and Lungo. If you want espresso on a small counter and nothing else, it does that.
CitiZ — the classic Original-line machine, a size up from the Essenza Mini with the same two drinks and a 19 bar pump per its listing. It is also sold bundled with an Aeroccino as CitiZ & Milk.
For milk on the Original line, the choice is between a bundled Aeroccino and the two Lattissimas above. The Lattissima One suits one milk drink at a time; the Gran Lattissima suits a household that drinks several.
A starting point, not a verdict.
If you have not settled on Nespresso at all, our Nespresso vs Keurig guide compares the two systems before you choose a machine.
Every Nespresso needs two kinds of maintenance, and they are different jobs. Cleaning clears coffee residue: on most Vertuo machines it is a plain-water cycle you start with three presses of the button, and Nespresso's Vertuo Pop+ manual suggests running it monthly. Descaling removes mineral build-up, with Nespresso's descaling solution, when the machine's alert comes on. Milk machines add a daily wash of the milk parts.
Our Nespresso cleaning guide covers each machine's procedure, and how to descale a Nespresso covers the other half. If a machine stops brewing, start with Nespresso not working.
Every machine below was sold new by Amazon.com when we checked on 30 October 2026. Each product fact is its listing's own statement, and live prices come from Amazon at the moment the page loads rather than being typed here.
The smallest, cheapest way into Vertuo, with the tank on the side. Listing states 5, 8 and 12 oz coffees plus single and double espressos, brewed hot or over ice, a removable 25 fl oz water tank on the side, a 30 second heat-up and a descaling alert.
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The compact entry into the Vertuo system. Listing states a Vertuo Pop+ coffee machine with milk frother in Liquorice Black, more than 30 coffees with different aromas, intensities and flavors, hermetically sealed capsules, and a machine easy to use and to clean.
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The same machine with the frother in the box, for milk drinks. Listing states the same 6 cup sizes and 5.5-inch Vertuo Next body, compatibility with Nespresso Vertuo and Starbucks by Nespresso Vertuo capsules, and an included Aeroccino3 milk frother for hot or cold milk at one touch.
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The newest Vertuo, with the biggest tank short of the milk machines. Listing states 6 cup sizes including 5, 8, 12 and 18 oz coffees plus single and double espressos, a 47 oz multi-position water tank, a 3 second start and a Coffee Creations button for a more concentrated brew over ice.
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Vertuo mugs plus one-touch milk drinks from a built-in carafe. Listing states 6 sizes including 5, 8, 12 and 18 fl oz coffees and single and double espressos, one-touch cappuccinos, lattes and hot foam from a detachable, dishwasher-safe 16 fl oz milk tank, and a 30 second heat-up.
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Vertuo with a real steam wand, for people who want to pour latte art. Listing states 6 sizes including 5, 8, 12 and 18 oz coffees and single and double espressos, a barista steam wand with 3 customizable temperature and froth settings, a stainless steel 8 oz milk jug, and automatic used-pod ejection.
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The cheapest current way into the Original line, which is the line third-party capsules fit. Listing states a compact Original-line Nespresso Essenza Mini espresso machine with a 25-second heat-up and an energy-saving automatic shut-off, brewing the full range of Nespresso espresso coffees.
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The classic Original-line machine, a size up from the Essenza Mini. Listing states an Original-line espresso machine with a 19 bar pump and fast heat-up that brews espresso and lungo at the touch of a button, with an Original capsule welcome kit.
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One-touch milk drinks for one, with nothing left in a carafe afterwards. Listing states espresso and lungo, three one-touch milk recipes (espresso macchiato, cappuccino, latte macchiato) from a single-serve milk jug with a detachable lid, and a dishwasher-safe milk jug.
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The most milk recipes in the range, from a carafe you keep in the fridge. Listing states 9 one-touch beverage selections including foamed and flat milk recipes, an integrated milk container that can go in the refrigerator between uses, a sliding drip tray and a 19 bar pump.
Check price on Amazon →For mug-sized coffee, start with the Vertuo Pop+ for one person or the Vertuo Up for a household, which has a 47 oz tank and brews up to 18 oz. For espresso, start with the Essenza Mini. Add milk with an Aeroccino bundle, or choose a Lattissima if you want the machine to make the whole drink. We do not score Nespresso machines, so this is a recommendation about fit, not a ranking.
Choose Vertuo if you drink coffee in mugs, since Vertuo machines brew up to 18 oz on most models as well as espresso. Choose Original if you drink espresso and lungo or build milk drinks on espresso. The capsules are not interchangeable, so the choice also decides what you buy for years. Our Vertuo vs Original guide covers it in detail.
Four routes: a bundle with an Aeroccino frother, the Vertuo Lattissima or Gran Lattissima with a built-in carafe, the Lattissima One with a single-serve milk jug, or the Vertuo Creatista with a steam wand. The carafe machines make the whole drink at one touch; the Creatista asks you to steam the milk yourself.
Its listing gives a 47 oz multi-position water tank, a 3-second start, six cup sizes up to 18 oz, a Coffee Creations button for concentrated iced coffee, and cup size and temperature adjustable in the Nespresso app. It also has a dedicated maintenance button for cleaning and descaling.
For espresso, the Essenza Mini: Nespresso's manual gives it as 110 mm wide, with a 0.6 L tank. In the Vertuo line, the Vertuo Next's listing gives 5.5 inches wide.
No. None of the Nespresso manuals we read calls for a cleaning tablet: the Vertuo cleaning cycle runs on plain water, and Original machines are rinsed by running the Lungo button without a capsule. Descaling, which is a separate job, uses Nespresso's descaling solution.
Sources for this page: Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ User Manual (North America edition, 2025-06-23), nespresso.com/shared_res/manuals/vertuo-pop-plus/ · Nespresso Vertuo Next User Manual (US edition), nespresso.com/shared_res/manuals/vertuo-next/vertuo-next_user_manual.pdf · Nespresso Vertuo Up User Manual (English/Finnish/Swedish edition), nespresso.fi · Nespresso Vertuo Lattissima User Manual, nespresso.com/shared_res/manuals/vertuo-lattissima/vertuo-lattissima_user_manual.pdf · Breville Vertuo Creatista BVE850 User Manual (US 120 V), assets.breville.com/BVE850/ · Nespresso Essenza Mini Instruction Manual (international edition), nespresso.com/shared_res/manuals/essenza-mini/ · Nespresso Lattissima One User Manual (F121, 2021), nespresso.com · Product specifications are otherwise each machine's own Amazon listing copy (title and feature bullets), read 2026-10-30; every card links to the listing it was read from. We have not lab-tested brewers; where a figure is a manufacturer's, the page names the manufacturer, and machine capabilities come from our own published review records.
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