Is your love affair with coffee getting serious enough to take to the next level?
Are you tired of waiting in line at cafes to get your early morning latte?
Well look no further than these two inexpensive single serve espresso machines and their compatible frothers. Allow me to introduce you to Nespresso’s Inissia and Citiz!
Let’s start with the Newer model: The Nespresso Inissia.
Right off the bat, you can tell that the compact and chic Inissia definitely won’t be the eyesore of your kitchen
This small machine will fit right under most standard cupboards and takes up little counterspace. It only stands at a foot tall and is just over 4.5 inches wide.
It is petite and easy to move, weigh in in at 5.25 pounds.
But don’t let it’s size fool you– this bad boy supersedes industry standard by producing a whopping 19 bars!
As you may have read in some of our earlier articles, “bars” are the unit of measurement used to describe the amount of air pressure pushed through your coffee.
This pressure is very important because the speediness and concentration needed to pull a perfect shot of espresso is dependent on the pressure level.
Nespresso consistently provides excellent coffee by manufacturing all of their machines to go above and beyond the beyond what is needed to produce true espresso.
So what is true espresso?
True espresso is marked by it’s 3 part anatomy and the different tastes that reside in each of them.
The crema is the deliciously sweet foam on the top of the shot.
The middle is the caramel-y flavor and velvety mouthfeel.
The heart has the bitter properties and all of the acidity that varies depending on the type of beans and roast level.
So don’t let the capsules confuse you. Though they are single serve, Nespressos are not synonymous with Keurig style machines.
The Nespresso capsules are aluminum instead of plastic, making them more environmentally friendly.
This design change keeps the grounds fresher for a longer amount of time because aluminum is not as breathable as plastic.
And as an added plus, you won’t get any weird after-taste.
There are 23 flavors on the market that are compatible with this machine. 4 are decaf. and 3 are flavored.
4 of those 23 flavors are tailored for the second type of coffee you can brew with this machine: the lungo.
Contrary to popular belief, the lungo is not a double shot and it is not lungo stronger than an espresso shot.
So what is a lungo?
It is a shot that is pulled for a longer amount of time with more water. Because of this, lungos are actually much milder in taste than an espresso shot.
Now that you are familiar with the machine at a distance, let’s get into the details to show you how easy it is to brew with the Nespresso Inissia.
The first step, you should fill up your basin with filtered water.
It’s easy to pull up out of it’s place and holds up to 34 ounces of water.
Be sure not to use just regular old tap water. If you do, it’s likely that the machine will need to be descaled more often than the typical annual cleaning.
Making our way to the face of the rig, the next feature you’ll see are the buttons that control your brewing options.
These buttons blink as the machine warms up and water starts to boil.
The lungo icon shows a larger glass and the espresso icon is a demitasse.
But Nespresso doesn’t presume to take autonomous control your coffee experience. In addition to the pre-determined settings, they have made the vast majority of their designs programmable. With a simple press and hold, you can pull your desired amount of water through your capsule– and as an added plus, the machine will remember your the last brew time and replicate it during the next cycle.
At the very front of the machine, we have a lever that opens up to reveal the capsule hole.
They have made this model simple enough that sleepy first cup of coffee will come with ease.
The brewing basket is shaped specifically for the pods. There’s no room for error.
The pour spout on the face of the machine.
It’s tear drop shape allows mugs of all sizes sit underneath it.
But if your cup is too tall, the drip tray folds up.
You just set the cup on the counter and press against the machine to ensure that the tray does not pop back out again.
Once you are done brewing, you can give the drip tray a gentle pull forward to clean up.
The dredge box sits inside the machine and can hold about 11 used capsules. But it is better to empty it out and rinse after every brew. This prevents molding.
You can also dump out any coffee that leaked into the tray and rinse that out as well.
Speaking of cleanliness, once a year it is imperative that you run a descaling solution through the machine.
It’s really simple and takes less than 20 minutes.
First, turn the machine on.
As it warms up, empty the drip tray and the used capsule tray.
Add 500 ml to the tank along with the Nespresso Descaling solution.
Press and hold both buttons for 3 seconds to activate the cleaning cycle.
Once the buttons stop flashing, press the lungo button and wait til the solution brews out all the way.
Repeat that cycle with the water/cleaning solution that just brewed through by pouring it into to water tank.
Run another cycle through.
Then fill reservoir and run that through without a pod to ensure that all the solution is rinsed out.
Then rinse the tray and water basin out with super hot water.
Don’t forget to press and hold both buttons again to bring you back to normal brewing.
Enjoying and maintaining the Nespresso Inissia is really that easy!
Now, let’s talk about the Inissia’s big sister, the Nespresso Citiz.
Though it is slightly larger than the Inissia, it’s modern design proves to be just as aesthetically pleasing.
It takes up about 5 inches of counter space and stands at 14.5 inches (still fits under most counter tops.)
Though it is as sturdy as it looks, it only weighs 7.5 pounds, so it’s easy to move.
The Citiz is just as powerful as the Inissia.
It is packing that Nespresso strong 19 bars of pressure into every brew.
You have the same shot options as the Inissia: espresso and lungo.
These pre-programmed brew times are customizable with the press and hold protocol. It saves those settings for the next brew as well.
The notable difference between the Inissia and the Citiz is that the latter is much faster!
The Citiz is ready to brew in 25 seconds!
Let’s look at how quick and easy brewing with a Nespresso Citiz is and talk about the different pieces of the machines as we go along.
The first thing to do is fill the 34 ounce water tank located at the rear of the machine with filtered water.
As that comes to a boil, choose from the various pod options.
Use the handle on top of the machine to open up the brew basket and insert it into the capsule shaped hole in the top.
As you close the hatch back, you’ll hear the pop of the machine piercing the pod.
Next choose your favourite mug! There are two places for your cup to sit. If it’s a demitasse, you can use the tray that sits on a hinge in the front of the machine. And if it’s a traditional coffee mug, you can fold that tray and set your cup on the drip tray.
To ensure that you’re getting the best coffee out of your machine, do that annual descaling by following the same instructions as the ones I provided for the Inissia.
See? The Nespresso Citiz is just as easy to use as the Inissia. The biggest difference is that the Citiz has a 
+Milk combo!
This frother is the Nespresso Aeroccino 3. (Please not this can be purchased separately if you choose to go with the Inissia.)
If you’re prefer your espresso in a latte or cappuccino, the +Milk model is well worth your money.
This combo pack has a nifty little platform for your frother to sit in while it does it’s job. So you can have wonderfully foamed milk with just the touch a button. No pump necessary.
The Aeroccino 3 comes with two wands.
One has a spring on the end that helps produce the thick micro-foam that is the staple of a good cappuccino.
The smaller wand warms and froths the milk while creating the light layer of foam for a latte.
The wands and center post are magnetic. You don’t have to screw anything in or hope it doesn’t snap off! The
Aeroccino 3 is incredibly fast and easy to use.
After you’ve chosen which wand you want, the only other decision you need to make is: hot or cold.
On the walls of the cylinder, there are “max fill” lines for both options.
Nespresso has made the design of this frother very intuitive. The light that illuminates the power button will turn red for hot and blue for cold. To switch between the two, all you have to do is hold that on and off button down until the ring reflects your temp setting.
Once that decision is made, just press the button and have your frothed milk in one minute!
It’ll take a little practice, but once you get a groove going, you can have the frother finish and your espresso pouring at the same time!
Both the Inissia and the Citiz are guaranteed to give you cafe quality beverages with just a push of a button.
There really is no bad choice when it comes to Nespresso’s products. It’s really up to your counter space and pocket book. But if you’re ready to make a purchase today, you can click on any of the product photos to place an order!