Espresso machine vs Nespresso: which should you buy?

Day-one cost

Capsule: Nespresso Essenza Mini

$189.99 on Nespresso US. Wirecutter's Nespresso pick, praised as compact, efficient, and easy to use. Nespresso lists two cup sizes (espresso 1.35 oz, lungo 3.75 oz) and a 20.3 oz tank. No milk frother.

Espresso: Bambino Plus + grinder

$499.95 machine (Serious Eats' favorite) + $199.95 Baratza Encore ESP = $699.90. Automatic milk steaming included.

Difference on day one: about $509.91. A cheaper espresso route — the Stilosa at $149.95 — narrows that but makes noticeably worse milk and shots.

Per-drink cost

• Nespresso-brand Original capsules: about $0.90 each (50-count variety pack at $45, per BrewSift's pod price index).
• Original-compatible capsules: from about $0.32 each in the same index.
• Vertuo capsules (a different, larger system): about $1.24–$1.40 each.
• Fresh beans: depends on what you buy. At Breville's 18 g double-shot dose, a 12 oz (340 g) bag makes about 18 doubles:

Arithmetic only; ignores beans used while dialing in. Enter your own bag price in the setup cost calculator.

So a fresh-bean double costs about the same as one Nespresso-brand capsule, and more than a compatible capsule. Note the sizes differ: an Original-line espresso is a 1.35 oz single, while the espresso numbers above are for a double. An espresso machine is not mainly a way to save money over Nespresso; it's a way to get better coffee. It does save money versus a café — Serious Eats' example is someone "dropping $6 on lattes every day."

Taste and control

With an espresso machine you choose the beans, grind, dose, and shot length, and Serious Eats' guide is built around how much those variables matter. With capsules, those choices are made for you; the trade-off for consistency is less control over flavor. Most espresso machines also steam real microfoam, which a basic capsule machine like the Essenza Mini can't do on its own.

Effort and cleanup

• Nespresso: insert capsule, press a button, empty the used-capsule container (the Essenza Mini holds six, per Nespresso), descale occasionally.
• Espresso machine: grind, dose, tamp, pull, knock out the puck, purge the group head, wipe the steam wand, and backflush with detergent on schedule (Serious Eats).

A middle path

If you want café drinks without technique, a super-automatic such as the De'Longhi Magnifica Evo ($549.95 on sale) grinds fresh beans and froths milk at the push of a button. It costs more than a capsule machine, but per-drink cost is just beans and milk.

Related

Best espresso machines (hub) · Budget · Beginner · Under $500 · Under $1,000 · With a grinder · Compact · Semi-automatic · Super-automatic · Barista Express review · Breville vs Gaggia · De'Longhi vs Breville · Machine picker · Setup cost calculator