Customer Reviews

Nespresso D120-US-BK-NE CitiZ Automatic Single-Serve Espresso Maker and Milk Frother, Limousine Black

5 star:		(109)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

With all the new style espresso machines on the market (Tassimo, Keurig, Flavia, etc.) I was convinced that Nespresso was more of the same: a set of stylish gimmicks designed to convince you that this "espresso" (though not real at all) was "the real thing." It never is.

Which is why the Nespresso is so great. It IS the REAL THING. The capsules contain nothing more than espresso coffee grounds. The machine is simply an automated and miniaturized "real" espresso rig. And the results speak for themselves:

-- full bodied crema like you get from the best barista
-- speedy and HOT cups of espresso
-- the espresso produced is crisp and clear, full bodied, and smooth
-- my Sicilian wife and all her relatives (numerous, and mostly named "Maria" "Antonina" and "Dominic") all fully approve of the espresso that comes out. Comparing is to "Nonna's" would be sacrilege, but although those words have not been spoken yet, I am conviced the thought has crossed a couple minds. :-)
-- all this in under 30 seconds and within a square foot of counter space.

The frothing unit that comes with the machine is nothing short of black magic. I have NO IDEA what it does or how it does it, but the results will amaze you. And the best part is it's easy to clean: no sticky milk mess left behind to make you wonder who's gonna get sick first.

Coffee for this machine is 55 cents per cup, and Nespresso delivers online orders with astonishing speed (which is good, because you can't get the coffee from anyone else!). A bit pricey, but in this case you DO get what you pay for... and then some.

This machine is brilliant. The best espresso or cappuccino I've ever tasted, and all in less than 2 minutes, start to finish. The milk frother is a miracle--quick, perfect, instant cleanup. My wife and I have been wired out of our heads since it arrived. We can't stop drinking the stuff. We're giving Stieg Larsson's characters a run for their caffeinated money! The reason is that all the usual inhibitors are gone: the coffee's gone cold and acrid in the pot, can't face the 20-minute production and cleanup for a cup of espresso, etc. It's like the world's smartest drug dealers got together and designed this thing. Got the slightest urge? Satisfy it! Why not? Just hit the button and it's there. Wait a minute, my wife's calling me. What's that? We're out? Excuse me, I have to go knock over a 7/11 so I can order another box of capsules.

I purchased the Nespresso Citiz several months ago and saved it for Christmas. It was a gift for both my husband and myself. Our morning routine has been to brew a pot of coffee, heat milk in the microwave, and froth by hand in a stainless steel frother. Needless to say, there are lots of steps and lots of items for the dishwasher, but we love our morning coffee. The Nespresso was a hit right out of the box. It is so simple to use, the milk froths better than anything we've ever done by hand, the expresso is divine. My husband said it best, "It is so good that it makes you think about what you are drinking and appreciate the experience of really good coffee." Like someone wrote in a previous review, "we're not going to Starbucks anymore." Yes it is expensive, but over time can actually save money. Yes, you have to order the pods from Nespresso, but this is high quality expresso and delivery is fast. I purchased the sample box to give us an opportunity to try everything. This is an exceptional product.

UPDATE: 3/11/10 The frother on our unit has quit working on two occasions . . .the first quit working after a month, the second after six weeks. While there was no problem getting replacement units, I am concerned that after the unit is out of warranty we will have a Citiz unit with a broken frother. I see someone else has had the same problem in these reviews. It is important not to leave the frother on the connector after use, and let it cool completely between uses. ( Even following these instructions, ours still malfunctioned.) The Citiz is wonderful. We love the coffee, getting pods is a breeze. Customer service is wonderful, but I am seriously considering taking our unit back to the store where we bought it and getting a separate unit and frother.

UPDATE: 5/2/10. The frothier quit again. We use it several times a day....4 to 5 times...it quit yesterday and we are frustrated. We treat it with kid gloves since we've been through four frothers since Christmas. Nespresso service has been great but we are going to return the unit to the store and exchange for the unit without the frothier and buy a separate frothier. Upside..we can take it with us. I would be interested in knowing if others have had similar problems.
Before buying the combined unit consider your usage. It may be fine if you only use it once a day. However, if you will be making multiple cups of latte each day, you may wish to consider buying separately.

UPDATE 11/9/2010 We did return the original unit in September and picked up a separate frother and the Citiz without the frother. We've been very happy since. In fact we took in on vacation with us. Stayed in several different hotels and it didn't bother us to haul it around as we really love the Nespresso coffee.

I give the Citiz itself 5-stars. I love this machine. It produces great espresso, at a low cost compared to a cafe or Fivebucks. I tried a traditional pump espresso maker and it is just too much hassle for my needs. I love espresso but I am no barista, nor do I care to be, and I don't want to spend a half an hour making it and cleaning up in the mornings. Nor do I want to spend a thousand bucks on a decent machine and more importantly, grinder. The Nespresso coffee is outstanding, with a dozen different flavors, and the sheer ease and speed at which I can produce them is insane. Unbelievably convenient with no mess.

My only issues with this particular unit is the footprint. The Citiz was designed with the urban consumer in mind, limited counter space while still embracing functionality and style. When you purchase the Citiz with Milk, the espresso machine is attached to that base unit along with the Aerochino. And while the machine is still great, it's space conserving design is rendered completely useless. Furthermore, where my Espresso machine lives, the frother is more convenient on the left side of the machine, which isn't an option with this combo. So I returned this unit to Amazon, who is always a pleasure shopping with and handling returns from my experience. I then opted for the Citiz stand alone unit, and separate Aerochino. I found a bundle at W&S that Amazon didn't seem to offer. Also, if you go the separate Citiz and frother route, the stand alone frother seems a little bigger and better. It also has a handle, and you can store it wherever you want.

I bought the Citiz + Milk from the manufacturer. What I wish I'd known is that they make the milk frother as a separate component. The Citiz + Milk has a larger footprint because it includes a platform that powers the espresso maker and frother. But it's also possible to get a stand-alone Citiz and buy a ($50 more expensive) frother that you can use and store independently of the machine. That may be better for people with small spaces.

Now, on to the machine itself. It is well-designed, easy to use and easy to understand. It makes a FANTASTIC cup of espresso, and for milk coffee drink lovers, it makes FANTASTIC cappucinos, etc. The very first drink I put together using the machine was hands-down, no question, superior to the [ubiquitous coffee chain] that I buy two of every day at work. So for me this Citiz machine gets the full 5 stars.

It's just plain fun to use. Nespresso goes all out with the packaging to a hilarious degree, even sending a binder full of information. It makes you feel like you just bought a really, really special device. The thing is, overblown packaging aside, you DID just buy an espresso machine worth every dang penny.

I have to say the milk frother deserves praise on its own. It makes froth so thick and firm you can almost stand up a spoon in it. It has the consistency of meringue.

I'm very happy with my Citiz + Milk.

UPDATE 12/27/2010: I've had mine for a year now, still operating flawlessly, and I wanted to pass along some user notes. I don't keep the frother on the Citiz charger/base when not in use. I read that it's possible for electric current to continue to be passed to the frother, even when the unit is off. This 'may' be what is causing other people's frothers to stop working. I don't have any scientific proof/disproof, but I haven't had any problems with mine.

Nespresso identifies some capsules as espressos and other as lungos (American-style coffee). I have found that all of the espressos work as "lungos," since making one just means using twice as much water. In other words, I have discarded all the prescribed do's and don'ts, and have just played with the machine and capsules to figure out combinations I like. Same with the milk quantities. Also, some milks froth better than others. The fat content in the milk seems to make a difference. My advice would be to just play around with it, and not get too hung up on Nespresso's "rules."

I was walking down the old and dusty streets of Paris peering through shop windows at delights to tempt the weary traveler, as Pierre played his old accordion for passers-by. I came upon an old cafe that featured some of the best espresso and cappuccino I'd ever tasted. The place felt like home, Edith Piaf was playing in the background, the barista, Fifi, was friendly and beautiful and a flirt, and made these delightful drinks effortlessly with this nifty little machine I'd never seen before that seemed so easy, even a child could operate it. Ahhh, the memories...

Okay, it wasn't a street in Paris and the barista was actually my wife. And her name is Dana. But the espresso and cappuccino sure tastes like those great times in Paris (where I have my fondest espresso memories...even better than Italy, I have to say). This little machine is just killer. Small, extremely well-built and smartly-designed, the Nespresso is must-have if you like your coffees the way they make them in Europe. At first I was skeptical, if not downright condescending: little "coffee cartridges." (Pre-fab coffee.) Such simple, unsophisticated operation. It doesn't take an FAA class-B certification to make a drink from this machine, and here aren't ten flashing lights and six dials. Most of all, the thing takes up about a square foot of counter space. It's just a toy, right?

Wrong. This machine can make very good and varied drinks. Some complaints about rigidity of operation are unjustified in my view. You can mix and max capsules to create "blended" drinks, and if you want weaker espresso or cappuccino you can put a capsule through two cycles. Used capsules are ejected into a tray beneath the machine automatically when you open the top to insert a new one, and when the bottom tray fills the top no longer accepts new inserts. The tray slides out for effortless cleaning. The machine can also make a "lungo," a bigger brew that's closer to American coffee. The frother is equally simple and equally well-designed. Two attachments, held in place magnetically, allow you to choose between just steamed milk or lots of warm foam. The entire frothing operation is silent and takes just 70 seconds. The unit cleans easily. It feel sturdy and appears to be built to last. Time will tell, of course, but when I read reviews of other espresso machines and hear about flimsy parts that break off or clog easily, and some of these machines cost two or three times what this does, I just shake my head in wonderment. Just the other day was at a department store examining some of the full-sized models that sell for more than $600, and was shocked at the flimsy quality of the construction, the cheap buttons and knobs that seemed would break in three months.

Ah, but these capsules are the fly in the ointment, right? Ordering them is probably a pain, right? Nope. My wife placed an order one afternoon and the next *day* they were on our front step--even though the shipping rate was said to be two-day. We wondered if the jiffy service was a fluke and tried it again--same result. Lots of interesting flavors are available, from Blue Batak (very popular with some, but I don't care for it) to marron glace, which I like very much. The unit is very portable. There's even an optional carrying case so you can tote it to the office or on vacation with you, though we haven't gotten that yet.

Is it as good as the very best, very richest European espressos? (I won't even discuss American espressos, which most of the time are bitter and flavorless.) In two letters, n-o. But it's very close, at least as close as you can get without buying one of those thousand dollar machines that take up the whole counter and then learning how to become a home barista. I've had some better espressos, but I'd put this in the 90th percentile. I'd like a little more deep flavor and a bit more heat (though you can up the serving temperature by doing a first round with no capsule inserted: the machine just shoots hot water into your cup and warms it). But this machine makes espresso better than most places out there, and far better than Starbucks or Peets. The only small criticism--and it is small--is the filler level in the frother is a bit hard to read, and if you overfill by even a hair the milk will spill over when steam it, so you have to be very careful. Best to undershoot slightly if you're unsure.

So sorry, Fifi, but I may not be returning to the cafe, and I prefer D'Indy to Piaf anyway. So pass the marron glace and let's enjoy a lazy morning with the Nespresso single serve espresso machine. A lazy afternoon sounds good too...

For more of my foodie adventures centered around travel in Europe, follow me at "we8there-dot-com" and look for the European Travels section.

Works fine for making espresso. But if you like lattes, this machine is a poor choice. The frother does a poor job - mine still operates in a half-hearted fashion, but the milk is neither hot nor frothy. Tepid and flat is more the result. More than half the time the frother stops part way through its cycle with a blinking red light. Other reviewers have noted similar issues, not only with the CitZ frother but also other aeroccino models. I also own the stand-alone aeroccino model, and it does a much better job (though scorched milk and overflows are common occurrences).

Buyer beware!

I tried it out at a local store, and was really impressed with the ease and flavor. When I got it home, I was even more impressed. I do wish the pods were available locally, however the order was delivered in 2 days flat.

The milk frothing is something I was never very good at with a traditional machine. This is the best easiest way I have found.

Could not be more pleased.

The espresso maker works great, but the frother completely stopped working after about 3 weeks. I called Nespresso and they said the frothers were on backorder, so they sent us a temporary unit to keep until they shipped the replacement for the machine. It was super easy and they were great. Excellent customer service.
However, I'm not sure I would get the frother unit again. It makes the unit's footprint quite a bit larger and it does scorch and overflow on occasion. We only use the machine to make latte's, so heating the milk in the microwave would accomplish the same goal. The frother also makes stiff foam with a separate attachment. We have never made stiff foam so I cannot comment on how well that works. Final opinion: love the machine and company, but ditch the frother.

For 5 years I have owned Italian coffee equipment: espresso maker and grinder, grinding fresh locally roasted beans and making our family's lattes every morning. I love it, we get excellent coffee drinks (much better than the well known chain!) in the comfort of our own home and we save an estimated $3000 per year vs going out to get them. It is also loud, messy, and time consuming!

We recently stayed with family in Europe and they had the Nespresso Citiz and Aerochino combo. My first thought was "how good an espresso drink can this little job make?", my first sip was "Wow this is pretty good", and the first set of drinks I made with it was "Wait, I am done and cleaned up and drinking my latte in less time than it took me to steam the milk at home!"

The footprint on the kitchen counter is something my wife really appreciates. The Citiz is about the size of my current grinder. Another big plus is the quiet operation. Since I value my hearing I use earplugs when making espresso with my current rig, and if everyone is asleep I still run out to get my coffee since I would wake everyone up. Not with the Citiz....

I also like the variety of coffee offered, and the long-lasting packages will allow me to offer my guests decaf - something I never do now because we don't use it ourselves and I could not keep the beans fresh enough. I can also make the robust drink I like and choose a less "aggressive" roast for my wife if she wants it.

The only downside is the need to purchase the coffee directly from Nespresso. I really hope someday I will be able to get the coffee via Amazon Subscription....

Being the sort to not to needlessly waste, I have not dumped my Italian espresso maker quite yet - it still works - but I know what I am getting when it gives up, and the lure of the convenience may induce me to sell it in favor of the Citiz.

PS - When I got home these were still not available in the US, so I decided to try using espresso pods in my maker as a shortcut. Their brand pods in their brand adapter, factory sealed fresh. YECHHH!!! It was not acceptable quality at all. Nespresso wins this one hands down.