Which is the best single-serve (pod) espresso machine?

Cost

Prices range from nearly $700 for the Gran Maestria down to just under $200 for the Essenza and the Verismo. Be sure to check the capsule cost factor below to take ongoing costs into account too.

	Value	Alternatives
Cost	Over $500	Nespresso Gran Maestria, Nespresso Maestria, Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X1, and Nespresso DeLonghi Lattissima
	$250..$500	Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X8, Nespresso Citiz & Milk, Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X7, Gaggia for Illy, and Nespresso Citiz
	Under $250	Starbucks Verismo 580, Nespresso Pixie, and Nespresso Essenza

Capsule Cost

Capsules are for use exclusively with the manufacturer's machine. There is a limited variety of coffees available compared to purchasing whole beans. The capsules eliminate the need to grind and tamp the beans. This and the increased packaging lead to a more expensive cost per cup of coffee.

	Value	Alternatives
Capsule Cost	$1.25	Starbucks Verismo 580
	$0.76	Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X1, Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X8, Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X7, and Gaggia for Illy
	$0.55	Nespresso Gran Maestria, Nespresso Maestria, Nespresso DeLonghi Lattissima, Nespresso Citiz & Milk, Nespresso Citiz, Nespresso Pixie, and Nespresso Essenza

Water Tank Size

The water tanks are removable for easy cleaning and refilling. A single filling suffices for multiple drinks, depending upon tank and drink size. A traditional espresso shot is 2-2.5 ounces; a larger luongo drink might be 6-8 ounces.

	Value	Alternatives
Water Tank Size	47 ounces	Nespresso Gran Maestria and Nespresso Maestria
	40 ounces	Nespresso DeLonghi Lattissima
	34 ounces	Starbucks Verismo 580, Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X1, Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X7, and Gaggia for Illy
	30 ounces	Nespresso Citiz & Milk, Nespresso Citiz, and Nespresso Essenza
	24 ounces	Nespresso Pixie
	22 ounces	Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X8

Pressure

The pressure developed by these machines is what distinguishes them from coffeemakers. Single serve espresso machines are capable of supplying the 8 - 9 bars needed to produce a good espresso drink.

	Value	Alternatives
Pressure	19 bars	Nespresso Gran Maestria, Nespresso Maestria, Starbucks Verismo 580, Nespresso DeLonghi Lattissima, Nespresso Citiz & Milk, Nespresso Citiz, Nespresso Pixie, and Nespresso Essenza
Pressure	15 bars	Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X1, Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X8, Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X7, and Gaggia for Illy

Disposable Capsule Count

The capsules are automatically ejected by lifting the handle on the machines with a disposable capsule container.

	Value	Alternatives
Disposable Capsule Count	15 cups	Nespresso DeLonghi Lattissima, Nespresso Citiz & Milk, and Nespresso Citiz
	14 cups	Nespresso Gran Maestria, Nespresso Maestria, and Nespresso Essenza
	12 cups	Gaggia for Illy
	10 cups	Starbucks Verismo 580 and Nespresso Pixie
	0 cups	Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X1, Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X8, and Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X7

Coffee Volume Control

The volume control allows the traditional 2-2.5 ounce espresso shot or the larger luongo drink. Most have a programmable feature.

	Value	Alternatives
Coffee Volume Control	Manual	Starbucks Verismo 580 and Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X8
Coffee Volume Control	Automatic	Nespresso Gran Maestria, Nespresso Maestria, Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X1, Nespresso DeLonghi Lattissima, Nespresso Citiz & Milk, Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X7, Gaggia for Illy, Nespresso Citiz, Nespresso Pixie, and Nespresso Essenza

Milk Frother

The milk frother is needed to make cappuccino and latte drinks. Nespresso's Citiz+Milk and Gran Maestria machines have an Aeroccino frother. It froths milk in a container alongside the machine. Stand-alone milk frothers are available.

	Value	Alternatives
Milk Frother	Yes	Nespresso Gran Maestria, Nespresso Maestria, Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X1, Nespresso DeLonghi Lattissima, Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X8, Nespresso Citiz & Milk, Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X7, and Gaggia for Illy
Milk Frother	No	Starbucks Verismo 580, Nespresso Citiz, Nespresso Pixie, and Nespresso Essenza

Cup Warmer

Temperature and pressure are finely controlled during the brewing processes. Dropping espresso into a cold cup can be sub-optimal, so some people run their cups under hot water or even "shoot a blank" by shooting a couple ounces of hot water from the machine (without coffee) into the cup to heat it. Machines with cup warmers do not require such manual measures.

	Value	Description	Pros	Cons	Alternatives
Cup Warmer	Passive Spray	Heats the cup with a jet of water sprayed directly to the cup.	Heats the cup quicker than a Passive cup warmer by putting the hot water directly in contact with the cup.		Nespresso Gran Maestria
	Passive	Cup can be placed on the top of the machine on a plate which is heated by the water from the machine's boiler.	Better than no cup warmer because a warmer cup produces a better quality coffee with a good crema.	Takes a while for the warmer plate to reach temperature.	Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X1, Nespresso DeLonghi Lattissima, Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X8, and Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X7
	None	No support for warming cups.		Coffee temperature will drop on contact with the cup and reduce quality.	Nespresso Maestria, Starbucks Verismo 580, Nespresso Citiz & Milk, Gaggia for Illy, Nespresso Citiz, Nespresso Pixie, and Nespresso Essenza

New?

Is this a new single-serve espresso machine with a recent or upcoming release date?

	Value	Alternatives
New?	Yes	Nespresso Gran Maestria, Nespresso Maestria, and Starbucks Verismo 580
New?	No	Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X1, Nespresso DeLonghi Lattissima, Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X8, Nespresso Citiz & Milk, Illy Francis Francis iperEspresso X7, Gaggia for Illy, Nespresso Citiz, Nespresso Pixie, and Nespresso Essenza