Nespresso Creatista Review: Breville Machine For Lattes and Cappuccinos

By Shabbir
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The Nespresso Creatista is one of the most talked about Nespresso machines. Given the popularity of the original option, more versions followed in the form of of the Nespresso Creatista Plus and the Uno.

For this Nespresso Creatista review, we will look at the two most popular options, the base version and the Nespresso Creatista Plus.

Breville Nespresso Creatista Plus BNE800BSS, Brushed Stainless Steel

Nespresso Creatista By Breville Review

Everyone who loves a good coffee has heard of the Breville Nespresso Creatista. The model comes with a 19 bar pump and quick temperature settings that can heat up your water in a matter of seconds.

The Breville Nespresso Creatista comes with a handy steam wand as well. Interestingly, the automatic steam wand does the milk frothing for you, which makes it a lot more convenient and straightforward than some of the manual options out there.

With the Breville Creatista, you can make a total of eight beverages, this thanks to the various temperature settings and the steam want with automatic milk frothing options.

Beverages you can make thanks to the automatic steam wand and temperature settings include the Ristretto, Espresso, Lungo, Cappuccino, Cafe Latte, Latte Macchiato, Flat White and Milk Froth.

You can also get the Breville Creatista in different colours, so you will find a Breville Nespresso Creatista that fits in your kitchen interior without much trouble.

Nespresso Creatista vs Creatista Plus

Now that you have an overview of the Breville Nespresso Creatista, it is time to compare it to the Nespresso Creatista Plus. We will evaluate each coffee machine according on performance, brewing quality, design, durability, and maintenance. We also look at some of the points that can be improved for each coffee machine.

Overall Performance

Each espresso machine provides a good range of beverages, but there are some minor differences in the performance spectrum.

The Breville Nespresso Creatista has a short heat-up time of ten seconds. While that is almost impossible to improve upon, the Nespresso Creatista Plus managed to do just that with a heat up time of 3 seconds. Obviously, the heat up time of the Nespresso Plus is astronomically fast with its 3 seconds to say the least.

With the Nespresso Creatista Plus, you also receive more texture levels where milk frothing is concerned. Even though each espresso machine provides automatic frothing through the steam wand, the plus review shows that the upgraded version provides more options for things such as latte art.

And the performance differences continue, this time with the milk temperature settings, which can be quite important for a versatile espresso machine. While the original Nespresso Creatista provided a solid five milk temperature settings. However, the upgraded plus version provides a whopping 11 milk temperature settings.

One of the biggest features most Nespresso machines were lacking in the past was decent milk frothing capabilities. It is clear that the brand paid extra attention to this with the Creatista. Before the arrival of this beauty, you had to pay at least over a thousand dollars to get a decent milk wand. Well, no more thanks to this automatic coffee maker.

Some of the more advanced automated coffee machines can be a nightmare to operate, but fortunately this is not the case for the Creatista. This coffee maker is so convenient to start with, even for those who never made a latte in their life.

In short, optimal performance is certainly obtained from the plus espresso machine. Of course, this does not make the original Creatista Nespresso obsolete, just a little less powerful than the Creatista Plus.

Brewing Quality

Both coffee machines are built by Breville, so you can expect similar performance in terms of brewing quality. Both coffee makers use the same capsules, so there is not much difference in that department.

Of course, the additional settings for the Creatista Plus do allow for more precision in the coffee brewing process. It also allows for more intricate latte art. So, the brewing quality of the Creatista Plus is just a little better.

As we mentioned earlier, before the arrival of this line of coffee machines, the frothing capabilities of the Nespresso were lacking. Now, you can count on a combination of capsules with excellent flavors as well as frothing that does not leave you wanting to throw your coffee maker out the window.

And to make things extra convenient during the brewing process, you can also count on a stainless steel milk jug and a full box of Nespresso OriginalLine capsules if you purchase the coffee plus from a recognised retailer. The box in question is referred to as the tasting box, and it is a brilliant start for new brewers!

When you are new to coffee brewing and especially pod brewing, you might have no idea about the coffee flavors you like. Instead of purchasing coffee flavors that you do not like, the taste box enables you to try a whole lot of coffee flavors, making it much easier to order later. After all, the name of each pod and the respective color is printed on the box for easier reference.

Design

While the Creatista Plus and the original Nespresso Creatista do share a lot of similarities, there are some differences in the design. We already mentioned some of the performance features that are different, but that is not the only thing that must be discussed in terms of design.

The water tank of the Nespresso Creatista is different from that of the Nespresso Creatista Plus. The Plus version has a water tank with a capacity of 60 oz, this opposed to the older version that had a capacity of 50.72 oz. This evidently reflects in the design.

With the Nespresso Creatista Plus, you will also notice a larger capsule container. The previous model could hold up to ten capsules, while the new version can hold up to twelve.

You will also notice some physical differences when you place these coffee machines next to one another. The original Nespresso Creatista is made from a combination of plastic and stainless steel. However, the Creatista Plus is made from stainless steel alone. Breville stands for superior quality with most of their products, so it seems it is no different with the Creatista Plus.

Durability

The Creatista Plus scores just a little better in terms of durability in our book, even though both models are among the strongest on the market today. The biggest difference lies in the material used for the construction.

Since the Creatista Plus is fully made of stainless steel, it is more durable than the original version that was made from a combination of stainless steel and plastic. Since stainless steel can last for many years without signs of wear and tear, this is a big bonus in our book.

It is also worth mentioning that official retailers will provide this machine with a two year warranty. Obviously, a two-year warranty does show a lot of trust from the manufacturer and certainly supports the fact they are providing quality.

And to add to the success song of the machine’s durability, this coffee machine also comes with cleaning assistance features. One of the most important is the auto-purge, which can prevent common problems such as blockages.

Maintenance

Maintaining a Nespresso machine is pretty similar across the board. Each of these coffee machines has a maintenance cycle that takes approximately five minutes, so there is no much difference there.

But what about the exterior of the Creatista Plus and the original version? Well, they are quite similar in that regard either. In our opinion, both models are the same where maintenance are concerned with neither one standing out from the other.

To keep your machine in excellent condition, we also recommend looking into the Nespresso descaling kit. If you live in an area with hard water, then a descaling kit is even more needed, as a lack of descaling could cause some serious damage to your machine.

Fortunately, the descaling kit is quite affordable and can be ordered alongside your regular supply of coffee. Each kit comes with two sachets of descaling agent. The agent will successfully remove lime scale on the inside of your machine, preventing it from damaging its inner mechanisms.

Please note that you should never clean this machine with vinegar. While it is a common trick you can find online, the manufacturer claims that using vinegar can damage the machine. You should also clean the appliance with a simple damp cloth once you finish descaling.

Points for Improvement

From our original creatista and plus review, it is clear that the Plus version takes the win. But is there still room for improvement where the Plus model is concerned? This is what we think.

Well, it kind of depends on the type of coffee brewer you are. If you are a big fan of automation, then there is no problem.

On the other hand, if you like to personalise your beverages to meet your own preferences and therefore want more control and precision, that automation could get a little bit in the way.

Another potential improvement would be the latte art you can make with this model. While it does enable you to make the typical leaf and heart-shaped latte art, anything more intricate than that is not really possible.

Unfortunately, the more expensive coffee makers are still the only option for more complex latte art. That being said, there are not many machines out there that actually give you the ability to create latte art for the affordable price of the Creatista. So, we are really having to go far to find a negative for this machine.

The Plus is pretty perfect in every way, so the only true way to make this option even better is by adding some manual brewing options. Of course, this could make the coffee machine more expensive. Maybe a side model with some of these additional features would not be the worst idea?

Verdict: Should you buy a nespresso Creatista?

When it comes down to coffee machines, you will not find much better than the Creatista. The original version was good to begin with, but they truly outdid themselves with the updated version.

Obviously, the Creatista is not the most affordable option when it comes to capsule coffee brewing. However, you do get an astronomical amount of features and some of the best pod coffee you can buy.

Breville Nespresso Creatista Plus BNE800BSS, Brushed Stainless Steel
The Creatista is truly a piece of art, but it does require a bit of an investment. Nevertheless, if you are looking to take your home brews to a higher level, we cannot think of a better machine to do it with than the Creatista.

Last update on 2024-03-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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About Shabbir

Shab is the Chief Caffeine Officer at Coffee Brewster. When he's not weighing out coffee beans for his next brew, you can find him writing about his passion: coffee.