A convenient cuppa: Nespresso’s Lattissima Pro reviewed

Nespresso and DeLonghi also provide a third milk variety here, though it’s less about coffee and more just about warm milk in general. If you like a latte or maybe a babycino for the kids, you can press the Lattissima Pro’s “warm milk” button, and you’ll find only warm milk comes out, with a second button press stopping the warm milk dispensing in its tracks.

For a latte, this means you can heat up — and foam, if you choose — the warm milk for whatever amount you prefer, stopping it when you’re ready, and then making an espresso using the espresso buttons on the Lattissima Pro.

DeLonghi has also engineered the amount of milk froth to be defined with a knob on top of the unit.

All the way to the left makes it flat, while the opposite way makes the froth so stiff that you’ll need a spoon to get it out of the glass when you’re drinking. It’s a good inclusion, too, as it means that milk-based coffees can be easily defined for anyone making the beverage, which is a big deal since every person has a different tolerance of frothy milk.

Also of note on the milk side of things is the cleaning function, and after any time you’ve used the milk frother, you’ll find the LCD screen of the Lattissima Pro lights up to remind you to clean it. This is a very simple action, and we’re actually impressed DeLonghi has built this into the unit.

To clean, simply grab a spare glass and throw it under the spouts for both the coffee machine and the milk frother. Then turn the knob past the frothiest milk style into cleaning mode.

This will start up the “milk rinsing” mode, which together with steam and hot water, pushes all the remaining milk from the frothing spout, as well as pushing out any residual coffee grounds.

It’s a great function, and when it’s done, you can simply switch the milk frother back a regular setting, before throwing the milk bottle back in the fridge to stay cool for up to two days.

We’re told you should be able to buy spare milk bottles, too, so if you have a desire to keep soy milk and regular milk in the fridge for use in the machine, a spare bottle will help here.

One final positive for the machine is the inclusion of a water spout which turns the Lattissima Pro into a tea maker.

Sure, you could argue that tea pods can make a simple cup of tea possible, but we’ll take clean hot water and a tea bag any day over the overpriced tea pods, which don’t pack in as much value as you might think.

The Lattissima’s hot water spout is hidden on the right side off the machine, hiding in its little space just behind a flap, and to make it work, you simply get it out and plug it into the provided connection normally occupied by the milk frother.

When this is plugged in, the milk coffee options will switch off, and the bottom-most function will light up, denoted as “hot water.” Simply place a glass or mug under this, and hit the button when you want the machine to dispense hot water, hitting again when you’re done.

We did run into a problem you may encounter with the Lattissima Pro, and it really depends on what Nespresso machine you had before it, if any at all.

If you had one of the CitiZ, Lattissima, or Maestria machines, and you’re used to popping the pod in first, and then hitting the coffee button, the Lattissima Pro will operate just the same.

But the U and UMilk machines work in reverse, and if you press the button first, and then expect to pop the pod in, you’ll be surprised to find the coffee machine whirr into action, beginning to make your coffee before you’re able to stick the pod in.

If this happens to you — and it happened to us — you may find a frothy cappuccino made with water instead of coffee.

Thankfully, you can stop the cappuccino or latte macchiato settings in their tracks by hitting the button again, and a second later, it will switch off and wait for your next action.

It’s also not as playful a machine as say the Maestria, Nespresso’s other flagship model which is less about simplicity and more about letting you fiddle with the settings and be a sort of makeshift barista.

The Maestria not only has a completely different look and a traditional milk frothing wand, but also lets you control the amount of water used to make a short or long, which is something that isn’t as easily controlled on the Lattissima Pro.

One other issue is the price, and with a recommended retail price of $899, the Nespresso Lattissima Pro is not a cheap coffee machine.

The inclusion of the water spout helps to make this machine better value than its siblings, and the build quality is higher than any Nespresso unit we’ve seen prior, but at nearly a grand, it’s really only for people who drink a ton of milk drinks or offices that want something to replace the cafe on the corner.

Conclusion

While it’s not cheap, the Nespresso’s latest machine is an excellent addition to a coffee loving kitchen, and the Lattissima Pro is the best representation of convenient espresso we’ve seen yet, with a quick and easy milk-based drink possible here from a one button press.

Nearly a grand is a lot to pay, but if you can’t live without Nespresso in your life, and you’re over frothing the milk yourself and have the cash to spare, this is one addition to your kitchen you’ll want. Recommended.