Nespresso CitiZ Automatic Espresso Maker and Milk Frother

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.

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.

UPDATE 5/5/2013. Still use the Citiz all the time and are VERY happy with it. In fact, we have a Pixie to take with us when we travel. We now have a Breville frother which is the best we've found. Had a dinner party last week and my guests raved about the espresso after dinner.

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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.

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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."

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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.

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Jura Ena Micro 1

To start, if you are shopping for an espresso machine with and attached steam wand, this doesn't have one. So if that is a must-have feature for you, this machine doesn't have it. However if you're shopping for a machine that makes a perfect shot of espresso using freshly ground beans for every cup, while taking up as little space as possible, this Jura Ena Micro 1 might just be what you're looking for.

Compact Design:

While the size is compact (for an espresso machine of this quality), it's still very heavy. In the video, you can see I have my Breville BKC700XL Gourmet Single-Serve Coffeemaker set up next to it, and the Breville is slightly similar in size. The Jura is definitely longer than the Breville, and when I lifted them both (empty), the Jura outweighed the Breville several times over. So you will need a deep and sturdy surface to set this espresso machine one. It would fit perfectly on a kitchen counter, without taking up nearly as much space as many of the other larger models.

As mentioned before, this model does not have a steaming wand. The lack of an attached wand actually helps add to the Ena Micro 1's less bulky design. This is a plus for those who don't use the wand on a regular machine, those needing to use as little counter space as possible, or those who have their own separate milk frothers already.

Set up:

Setting this machine was fairly simple. I used the included instructional booklet and found the steps clear and easy to understand. The machine goes through a very short cleansing process the first time you turn it on for use, so reading the directions will help aid you through the steps. There is an included water filter, and taped to the inside of the "welcome kit" box, is a water hardness test strip. If you should choose to not use the water filter, there are instructions for using the strip to test your water and then setting the machine to work best with your waters hardness level. There are no extra water filters included, just the first one to use for the initial set up and first few months of use.

Settings:

While the design is simple, there are several settings options on this Jura for you to chose from. There is a hidden nob on the top of the machine for you to adjust the grind of the beans. The pour spout has a good range of adjustment up and down for your various cup sizes. Super tall or ultra short, there's a setting for it. The touch buttons on the top allow you to chose from 2 different strengths for your shot and 3 different sizes.

Clean up:

The beans that are ground are automatically emptied into a hidden internal storage bin. In addition, the machine cleans itself with hot water and empties into a hidden tray inside the machine beside the used ground beans. The Jura notifies you with a small subtle light when either of these areas need emptied. To clean, you pull out the tray and both the used cleaning water and the coffee grounds are inside. Be very careful the first time you empty these. I didn't realize that this tray was in 3 separate sections, and in the process of carrying it across the kitchen, dumped used ground all over the place. Once discovering that the coffee grounds section detaches from the water try, I was able to clean these out without any incident.

The water reservoir is easy to detach and fill. The lid also opens in a way that you can fill the tank without detaching it from the machine. The tank is a descent size, making a good number of drinks before needing to be filled again.

Drinks:

I've been making tons of drinks since getting this machine. I've been trying out a bunch of different recipes and have pulled a ton of shots while breaking this Jura in. Every shot has been consistent and there has never been a single coffee ground in any of the glasses. The beans are perfectly ground and water reaches the perfect temperatures needed to make an outstanding cup, every time.

Conclusion:

This machine makes a lengthy process extremely simple and fast. You pour whole beans into the back tank and with the press a single button, freshly ground espresso is poured in less than a minute. No grinding the beans separately (however there are included accessories in case you do want to use pre-ground beans with this machine). No need to tap down the grounds yourself, it does it for you. And there's no need to worry about cleanup at the time of making your cup. You can make drink after drink, and the used grounds and cleaning water are discretely stored for cleanup later. The machine is large enough that it's definitely a full powered and quality built workhorse, but small enough that it can realistically be set up on a kitchen counter without taking up all your space. I've been extremely pleased the the quality of this Jura. So if you're in the market for an espresso machine that's compact on size and you do not need an attached steaming wand, I highly recommend this one.

Update 3-12-13:

My first "system" clean.....It is a little intimidating when you don't know what you are doing and I honestly held off until I knew I had enough free time to fix any mistakes I made. Well, I have to report that it could not have been easier. I followed the directions and the machine did the rest. There are some things to keep in mind to make it go smoothly. First, make sure the water container is full. Second, make sure you have a big enough container to hold a mug of water. Also, the grounds container fills up to the rim with water, so when it is finished, CAREFULLY pull out the tray to avoid spillage. Keep in mind that it goes on and off many times while it is cleaning itself. The process takes about 15 minutes or so. Be patient.....and, because I am a little OCDish, I made a full cup and tossed it. That gives me 185 more drinks before I have to do it again. I have one more cleaning tablet left, so it looks like I'll have to get some more. If they are not too expensive, I will probably clean the machine more often. It is so easy. I continue to be amazed by this machine......Espresso for Dummies....perfect for me! :-)

Update 1-9-13:

Well, I am officially hooked. I use the machine all the time and now my wife is also hooked. The Jura Ena Micro 1 is so simple to use and a real work horse. We use it at least twice/day (that's now how many coffee's we make, as we makea few each time we turn it on!). The only real annoyance is forgetting to put a cup under the spout and having it pour into the grating when it flushes itself.....still, it's not even that big of a deal because I clean it after every use. In spite of the price, the is a MUST have!!!

Update 11-12:

For some reason, my machine reset itself and started pouring the ristretto size as a full cup of coffee, and the other sizes were also different. Also, I was having problems with the ground coffee. A quick call to customer service (to try to figure out what I was doing wrong)fixed the whole thing. I was on hold for less than two minutes, and spoke to a rep who was very patient and helpful. First, the ground issue. It turns out the funnel has to be placed EXACTLY as pictured on page 14 of the manual. That's how sensitive the sensors are....I never realized it. As for the sizes, it turns out that the machine probably reset itself somehow. Holding the cup size down for 3 seconds will get it into program mode for that size. It starts pouring and when you press it again, that's where it will be set to. I reprogrammed every size and everything works perfectly. Total time spent with customer support: less than 15 minutes. Having my machine work perfectly again: Priceless! I LOVE this machine!!!

Update 10/13:

I really am loving this machine, and have now eperimented with many different beans.....I knew this wouldn't be good for me! Hahahaha. I am drinking iced espresso now with 3 large "shots" and it is really amazing how good it tastes. The only thing that I wish I had was a steamer/frother to make cappucino. This is just such a solid piece of equipment. We use it at least once/day. The other day we had a little party and made over 40. I wish there was a way to get water directly into it, as the water container is small for parties, but still, it is so fast. Everyone loved it, and loved the espresso!

Original Review:

In short: Buy the Jura Ena Micro 1 if you like espresso and want a fast, compact machine without a steamer.....now for the long version:

Let me start by saying that I have never had espresso before. My wife, however, LOVES it and has always wanted me to try it. Well, I finally did, and I have to say, I kind of wish I hadn't. Keep in mind that I think I couldn't tell a mediocore shot from a good one, but it was GREAT! I have been using the Jura Ena Micro 1 for about 2 weeks now, and EVERYONE loves it. Guests, family, friends ALL comment on how good it looks (it looks really great, very sleek). It grinds the beans for you, (reading the instructions warn you of using grounds that are too fine because it could damage the machine). You can use ground coffee, but instructions say not to grind them too fine. Every cup/shot is fresh....and delicious! You have everything you need here, and at this price, it should. It does not have a ateaming wand, but I don't think I need it (or maybe I do, remember, I didn't think I would like espresso).

The Micro 1 allows you to pick 3 different sizes and 2 different strengths. If you are sensitive to caffeine I would recommend the smallest weakest unless you have to build a barn or something.I wsa pretty wired when I made my first ("supersized"), but at least I got a lot done.

I love that you put the beans right in and leave it. That should create some extra counter space. This is a completely self-contained system. My wife loves it (and so do I). The Ena Micro 1 does everything you need it to do except hold the cup up to your mouth. So, if someone tells you, "For that price, it should grind the beans, pack it down, and clean itself," you can say, "It does." Yep, it cleans itself! How awesome is that? Ok, you still have to do a little work, but I don't mind rinsing out the drip tray and throwing away the grounds. It really only takes a couple of minutes.

While this is relatively small, I was surprised by its weight. It is solid and appears to have been built well. Not because of the weight, but more because of how things fit together, and even the plastic feels sturdy. The machine comes with a filter as well as a water tester to tell you how hard your water is and if you will need the filter. Apparently, the machine does need to be maintained by way of descaling, but that won't be for a while (I will update this as soon as I do it).

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We bought the Jura Ena 1 about two weeks ago and have been very pleased with it. It makes a great cup of coffee, and is super easy to use. Although the machine (on the outside) is all plastic, it appears to be all high-quality parts that fit together perfectly and seem well made. We compared this machine to the DeLonghi ESAM 3300 before buying it (on-line, not "in person"). Although the ESAM 3300 was significantly less expensive, we were a bit concerned about the quality. There were several reviews that mentioned quality problems, and many talked about very poor customer service. So we decided to pay a bit more for the Swiss-designed Jura machine, hoping that the Swiss attention to detail would pay off for us. Since we did not want cappuccinos, we also reasoned that this machine being solely aimed at making coffee/espresso was simpler and possibly less likely to break. As I mentioned, the machine appears to be very well made. I am impressed by the precision and quality of the parts that you can see. Our only minor issue that we have had with it so far is that the sensor that tells you if the trays are full with spent grounds/waste sometimes comes on after only a few drinks (in one case it came on after only one drink). Emptying the container makes it work again, so not a major problem, but I do wonder if this indicates an abnormality.

We have now gone through a cleaning cycle, and it was quite simple. You do not have to remove any parts (other than the usual drip trays etc.) or disassemble the machine in any way. Just pop in a cleaning tablet and follow the simple steps.

We tried it with the same coffee beans from our local coffee shop. It does not seem to make the coffee quite as strong. In other words you need 3 or maybe even 4 shots to equal the strength of the Americano made at the coffee shop with two shots. Even with this however, we calculated the payback versus us buying coffee (Americanos) every day from the local coffee shop, and it works out to be about 9 months. Since this machine has a 2 year warranty, we concluded we cannot go wrong.

I think we would give this machine 4-1/2 stars if they allowed it (due to the minor issues mentioned), but since we cannot do that we decided on 5 stars.

Overall, we would definitely buy this machine again.

Pros:

Great coffee

VERY simple to use press one button and you have your coffee or espresso.

No extraneous pieces (foaming wand etc.) to break etc. if all you want is coffee

Takes up little space

Looks great

Cons:

Spent coffee container light comes on sometimes before it seems it should, requiring you to empty the container before it will continue

After coffee is made there is a faint sign of very fine coffee grounds around the rim of the coffee cup (but the coffee still tastes great)

We will update this review if our opinion changes in any way.

Note: You might notice that some of the other reviews are from people in the Amazon Vine program. As far as I understand, this means they received their unit free of charge for evaluation. I am sure they tried to be fair and evaluate versus what the machine would cost, but in our case it DID cost us a lot!

Read Best Reviews of Jura Ena Micro 1 Here

Hands down, this is the best coffee maker that I have ever used. The only thing that could make this better is the ability to provide a continuous water source to the machine. It's not needed though because it is super easy to setup and use. It makes excellent coffee.

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We have owned Jura-Capresso coffee and espresso machines for over 15 years and they have been excellent appliances. This one is no different. We have double-shot lattes every morning and my wife wanted to be able to go up to the machine and make it herself. Very few espresso, etc., machines are user-friendly. We looked at a host of manufacturers and kept coming back to Jura. We then looked at the entire line and really decided that all that milk and extra plumbing in the top-of-the-line machines was a nusance and had to be cleaned every day so that idea was dismissed. We then saw the Micro and liked it but what to do about the frother? Frothers are technique-dependent so we scoured the internet for options and came up with the Breville BMF600XL... everybody raved about it that bought it. We took the plunge and are extremely satisfied with all of the usual parameters of describing an excellent cup of "euro-style" coffee. The combination is highly recommended for moderate users of coffee. The bean and water container are rather small and we top them up every day after use.... no big deal.

One observation, we use the Micro on our kitchen countertop and the water tank is in the back; the clearance between the water tank (with its' handle) and the bottom of our cabinet (16-17 inch clearance) is very small and so replacing the water is a little awkward. That said, we'd buy the combination again and recommend both without reservation to anyone who loves a trouble free cup of a variety of coffee drinks that are easy-to-make, render reliable taste shot after shot, day after day. There is no technique dependency in grinding beans, tamping, and frothing milk. It also makes a terrrific coffee Americano!

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Mosa Cream and Dessert Whipper

This is my first whipper. Feels real solid, works great and is very easy to use. Just two problems. The description above says

"Includes 2 decorator tips and simple recipes" however there were no recipes at all. Not a big deal though. The bigger problem is that the inside of the canister is coated with a Teflon-like layer that is starting to peel off. I have only used it 3 times so I will probably be returning it.

Once you get the hang of it, this whipped cream dispenser works great and is easy to use. Just don't overfill it or instead of whipped cream you'll get a high pressure jet of liquid heavy cream. We learned that the hard way...but that's true of any whipped cream dispenser.

Pros: fresh whipped cream whenever you want, flavored and sweetend however you want.

Cons: None really, other than the space it takes up in the fridge.

I like to fill it about half full of organic heavy cream, add two tablespoons of powdered sugar and one teaspoon of vanilla. Lid it, shake it well, then add the nitrous and shake again. Best whipped cream you've ever had.

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I had the isi cannister prior to this one, and it worked sometimes. This machine is awesome! It comes with two tips, I haven't even tried the tulip tip yet. The handle and overall design of this whipped cream maker is much better than the isi, I would recommend this to anyone in the market to make their own whipping cream.

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Good solid feel, nice fit and finish, a real steal for the money! The body of the whipper is solid aluminum and it does a great job at the task to which I have assigned it. I was actually rather surprised by how well the whole thing was put together.

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Had my last whipper break down after just 3 months. The pin would no longer puncture the canister and the screw casing that holds the canister cracked.

Looked around for a replacement and got this one.

First impression was disappointing as the whipper is black, but the plastic top is white and looks cheap. Not at all like the picture.

Then I tried it. Others whippers take a lot of getting used to. The first squirt after a new charger is put in can be quite messy as the pressure is at its maximum. Not so with this device. Each time I dispensed the cream it came out smooth and evenly.

All in all the device may not be as pretty as the picture, but it works quite well.

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