Nespresso Gran Lattissima Review (2023) - Is It Really Grand?

Review Summary

Nespresso Gran Lattissima

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Specifications

• Line: OriginalLine
  
  
• Display: None
  
  
• Materials: Stainless Steel, Plastic, and glass
  
  
• Colors: Sophisticated Black or Fresh White
  
  
• Dimensions (WxDxH): 7.9 x 14.4 x 10.8 inches
  
  
• Weight: 11.4 pounds
  
  
• Water Tank: 43.9 oz removable
  
  
• Spent Capsule Capacity: 14 capsules
  
  
• Power Rating: 1300 Watts

Key Features

• Brew Pressure: 19 bar
  
  
• Heat-up time: 25 seconds + 15 seconds for milk beverages
  
  
• Brewing Sizes: Ristretto (0.85 oz), Espresso (1.35 oz), and Lungo (3.7 oz)
  
  
• Customizable Brew Sizes? Yes
  
  
• Pre-programmed drinks: 7 (ristretto, espresso, lungo, flat white, café latte, cappuccino, latte macchiato)
  
  
• Milk System: Rapid Cappuccino System
  
  
• Milk Settings: Can customize hot milk and milk foam quantities
  
  
• Milk Jug: None - but Rapid Cappuccino System can be disconnected to store milk in the fridge
  
  
• Hot Water Dispenser? No
  
  
• Auto-off: 9 minutes
  
  
• Cleaning: Descaling and cleaning Alerts. Descaling, rinsing, and water emptying programs.
  
  
• Suitable for Latte Art? No
  
  
• Warranty: 2 years

Nespresso Gran Lattissima Review

Design and Build Quality

The Nespresso Gran Lattissima has a modern look for the modern kitchen. It comes in black and white with some touches of chrome.

By the way, in our opinion, this coffee maker looks better in white. White also hides better dust and smudges.

Compared to other super automatic espresso machines that can brew espresso and steam/froth milk, the Gran Lattissima is considered a compact machine. It is only 7.9 inches wide and only 10.8 inches in height. So it should fit on most kitchen counters and under most kitchen cabinets.

This machine is made of several materials. It has some stainless steel and plastic with matte and high gloss finishes. The top of the machine features a glass touch panel, with 9 one-touch buttons for easy preparation of 9 different drinks (2 of those are hot milk and milk froth so we don't consider them coffee drinks).

On top, further to the back, you will find the power button as well as the descaling and clean LED alerts.

We also like the big round coffee dispenser design, which gives the Lattissima a unique look.

The Gran Lattissima comes with a stand to elevate the platform where your espresso cup would go. This is a thoughtful feature since it'll help keep your espresso hot.

You will also notice the Rapid Cappuccino System (RCS) prominently featured in front - it looks like a milk container with a spout coming out from its side.

When not in use, you can remove it if you prefer the machine's looks without the RCS. You can store the removable milk container with any leftover milk in the fridge.

The water tank is removable and hides at the back of the machine. Which is a good thing, because it is not the most attractive thing.

Overall, the Nespresso Gran Lattissima is a compact coffee capsule machine that looks great thanks to its premium materials, finishes, and modern look.

Nespresso Gran Lattissima

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Features and Ease of Use

The Nespresso Gran Lattissima espresso machine is extremely easy to use, thanks to its 9 one-touch tactile buttons each representing a different drink.

Please beware though that two of these buttons are for hot milk and milk froth.

So in reality, this machine features 7 coffee recipes. These are the ristretto, espresso, lungo, Cafe Latte, cappuccino, latte macchiato, and flat white. Page 12 of the user manual does a good job explaining how this machine prepares these drinks.

Going back to its one-touch capabilities, the highlight of this Nespresso machine is its ability to prepare specialty coffee drinks with a touch of a button, and not have to manually pour the milk or move your coffee cup to a milk dispenser.

Just make sure when preparing milk-based drinks that you switch the milk frothing regulator to the "froth" position.

Further, the coffee, hot milk, and froth volume can be easily customized for each of these drinks.

To do so, touch and hold for at least 3 seconds the button corresponding to the coffee drink you want to prepare. Once the machine has brewed the desired amount of coffee, release the button and the machine will save the brew size for future uses.

If your drink requires milk or foam, hold the button again for at least 3 seconds and then release it once the desired amount of hot milk or milk foam has been dispensed.

The machine will confirm a new drink volume has been stored when the drink button flashes 3 times.

Unfortunately, despite the name "Gran Lattissima", you cannot customize milk textures or temperatures with this Nespresso machine. You either get hot milk, or milk froth, at a single temperature.

Also note, that this machine is easy to use, but the setup process can be time consuming. For example, it involves disassembling the Rapid Cappuccino System, washing its numerous components, drying them, and then re-assembling them.

This is something you will need to do quite often (see the Cleaning and Maintenance Section).

Coffee Drink Quality

The coffee drink quality of this machine is good overall; however, the coffee drink quality depends on the drink in question.

In terms of espresso drinks, the Gran Lattissima does well thanks to its powerful 19 bar pump. It also has the advantage of being part of the Nespresso OriginalLine. OriginalLine Nespresso machines are compatible with third party capsules, widening the selection of coffee types you can brew.

It also leaves you with the possibility of purchasing re-usable Nespresso capsules, allowing you to buy and grind whole espresso beans. Fresh coffee beans will be much tastier than the coffee grounds contained in capsules, possibly for months.

In terms of milk drinks, the Gran Lattissima can either dispense hot milk (flat milk), or milk foam.

Flat milk recipes include the café latte and the flat white. However, given the nature of the Rapid Cappuccino System, there will be no micro-foam and the milk texture between these two drinks will be the same. So these drinks might feel a bit 'off'.

Foamed milk recipes include the cappuccino and the latte macchiato. They do not contain hot milk, just milk foam.

You can also create a custom drink if the recipes by De'Longhi do not suit your definition of a particular drink.

You could brew an espresso shot separately, and then use the one-touch hot milk or milk foam buttons (and program these as well) to create your favorite milky drink.

Overall, this Nespresso machine makes good espresso-based drinks by simply tapping a button. However, there is a trade-off between the automation the Gran Latissima provides versus more milk steaming settings - and the resulting milk.

Cleaning & Maintenance

Cleaning and maintenance are where the Gran Lattissima struggles.

Fully automated espresso machines like this one have inner components where the milk circulates. So a thorough cleaning is very important to avoid your machine becoming a thriving bacteria colony.

This is in contrast to slightly less automated machines with steam wands, such as the Nespresso Creatista Uno. There is a higher workload when preparing your coffee, as you need to manually pour the milk, but there will be less cleaning to do.

This is why after preparing any coffee drink that contains milk, the "Clean" LED light will turn orange. This is telling you you need to run the rinsing process. To do so, place an empty container under the milk dispenser, and turn the froth regulator knob to "Clean". The cleaning process will start and end automatically.

The process is a bit messy, so you may need to clean the machine with a cloth afterward. Water tends to drip from the milk system spout.

Let's dive a bit deeper to understand what cleaning this machine involves.

Daily, you should:

• Remove and rinse the capsule container, the drip tray, the cup support, and its drop collector.
  
  
• Remove the water tank, rinse and re-fill.
  
  
• Place an empty container under the coffee outlet and press the Lungo button to rinse.
  
  
• Clean the coffee outlet of this machine, as well as any surfaces that have become dirty.

It's not that bad and fairly typical of most automatic espresso machines.

That is if you don't use the Rapid Cappuccino System.

If you do, you will need to clean it after every use as per De'Longhi. Realistically speaking, most people would do so at the end of the day or every few days.

To clean the Rapid Cappuccino System (RCS), you have two choices:

• Disassemble all 6 components of the RCS and put them in the upper level of your dishwasher. Once done, you will need to re-assemble them.
  
  
• If you don't have a dishwasher, you will need to disassemble all 6 components and soak them in hot water with mild soap for more than 30 minutes. You will then need to dry them and assemble them.

Regardless of which cleaning method you use, you most likely will need to assemble the RCS every morning before making that cappuccino you crave.

That is not very convenient.

Nespresso Gran Lattissima

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Value for Money

The Nespresso Gran Lattissima espresso machine is overall a good-value purchase.

At the time of writing, you can find it for about $650. This cost, spread out over one year, results in about $1.78 per day. This is way less than a cup of coffee from your local coffee shop which could cost you $3 to $4.

Even by accounting for the cost of capsules, each at $0.80, you will be saving money if you buy coffee every day. The total cost per day would be about $2.60 over one year.

So this machine will pay for itself within one year even if you account for capsules.

However, at $650, it starts to approach the cost of many espresso machines with built-in grinders, which are cheaper to operate since they do not use capsules.

However, if the convenience of single serve capsule machines is something important for you, then the Gran Lattissima is a good value purchase.

However, make sure you keep it clean or risk it breaking down!

Our Verdict

Nespresso Gran Lattissima

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Frequently Asked Questions