Nespresso Citiz

There was a time when everyone was talking about the Nespresso coffee makers. People were just psyched about them and I didn’t think it was because George Clooney played in the Nespresso commercial. So I decided to check them out and see how great these machines actually are. And trust me, they are. My extensive research has brought me to the conclusion that the Nespresso Citiz & Milk is a very ingenious machine that makes great espresso. It has many great features and a cool design that fits in any type of kitchen. So here is everything I found about the Nespresso Citiz & Milk.

Single Serve Coffee Machine

The first thing I’ve read about the Nespresso Citiz is that it’s a single-serve automatic espresso maker. The ”single-serve” part simply means that the machine has a single grouphead so only one espresso can be made at once, which is very common among home espresso makers. The ”automatic” part means that the machine’s pump, the water temperature and the water volumes are automatically controlled by a microprocessor. Therefore, all you have to do for an espresso shot is to add the coffee, place a cup under the coffee outlet, press a button and the machine does the rest of the work for you. So this is what I call a smart espresso maker that’s just perfect for the lazy or hasty mornings.

Since the Nespresso CitiZ is an automatic espresso maker, you are not phisically controlling the pump while brewing (like you do with the DeLonghi EC702), but you do get to choose the amount of water used for an espresso shot. In order to do that you have to press one of the two pre-programmed buttons for espresso or lungo. The microproccesor will use the preset amount of water to extract the wanted espresso volume in less than a minute. So it seems that the Citiz is a fast machine that does most of the work by itself. This is a feature that I would definitely appreciate in my espresso maker.

The Capsules for Nespresso Citiz

It’s also good to know that this espresso maker only works with Nespresso coffee-filled capsules. You might think this is inconvenient, I admit I did too at first. The main reason for this was that you can only buy these capsules from the Nespresso stores or online at Nespresso.com. For online purchasing you will have to become a Nespresso Club member by setting up an account on their website. You place an order and they’ll have it delivered at your home in a day or two. So it’s not that inconvenient after all. You can experiment with 16 different Nespresso pods. There is a wide variety of aromas (very roasted, cocoa, citrus, spicy, winey, honey, cereal, woody, flowery) and there are different strengths (on a scale from 1 to 10) to choose from. Most of these coffee capsules cost $0.60 and some of them cost $0.65. Considering the high quality espresso you get from them, I would say the price is just right.

The Nespresso Citiz is very efficient. It saves you the setup process before brewing and the cleaning process that comes afterwards. You just need to hit the on switch, slip in the coffee capsule, press the button for espresso or lungo and you’ll have a nice cup of espresso in no time. The appliance perforates the sealed capsule and soaks all the ground coffee for optimal filtering. With the 19 bar pump pressure, it extracts all the aroma and produces a thick golden crema that the espresso lovers long for. And it gets the job done with no mess since it’s provided with an incorporated container that holds up to 10 used capsules. So brewing with the Nespresso Citiz is easy, fast and clean.

The Thermoblock Technology

A reason for being a fast espresso maker is that it features the thermoblock technology. This means that the Nespresso Citiz has a thermoblock heating element instead of a boiler. In other words, it has a hot, multi-channel block of metal rather than a hot tank of water. When the brewing process starts water is pushed through the superheated block and it becomes progressively hotter until it reaches the coffee grounds. The good thing about thermoblock machines is that they pull quality espresso shots and are pretty cheap at the same time, plus they take less pre-heating time than boiler machines.

Milk Frothing with Aeroccino

If you are interested in making milk-based espresso drinks, this Nespresso Citiz & Milk is the perfect espresso machine for you. It has an integrated milk frothing device called Aeroccino that makes a great hot or cold milk froth. All you need to do is fill the Aeroccino with the desired amount of milk and press the Start button. Just make sure that you do not overfill the milk frother. The milk level must not pass the line indicated on the inside wall of the Aeroccino, because otherwise you will end up with a mess on your hands.

The Nespresso CitiZ & Milk Espresso Machine has a special feature, designed for milk-based espresso drinks: the folding cup support. This allows you to place bigger cups or mugs under the coffee outlet, after filling them with milk froth. This ingenious feature swept me off my feet because I’ve never managed to fit a bigger sized cup under any other espresso maker I’ve seen so far.

On the Technical Features

This espresso machine operates at 1260 Watts so it’s pretty powerful. We know that the higher the wattage, the higher the power of the machine and the bigger the power consumption at the same time. That’s why the Nespresso Citiz has a power save mode that activates after 30 minutes of non-use. You will know that the machine is in the power save mode when the buttons are blinking alternately every two seconds. Other features that you might find useful are the removable drip tray and the removable water tank with a 33.8 ounces (1 litre) capacity. This makes cleaning and refilling easy as pie. It’s important to rinse out the machine once in a while. Using descaling powder for this will ensure a prolonged lifetime for your espresso maker.

How to use Nespresso CitiZ and Milk Machine

Where Can I Buy the Nespresso Citiz & Milk?

Many people claimed they bought the Nespresso Citiz & Milk for it’s reliability and ease of use. It is indeed a very solid, well-built machine that requires little maintenance. It seems to have the best overall reviews and also an accesible price (under $300). The best place to buy it from is Amazon.