The Nespresso Pixie espresso machine has a sleek and compact design that uses premium materials.
It's a no-fuss, intuitive espresso maker that even your kids could use. However, its simple design comes at the expense of many features.
Yet, its price is higher than other similar compact Nespresso machines such as the Essenza Mini.
Is it worth getting this machine?
Read this Nespresso Pixie Review to find out!
The Nespresso Pixie espresso maker has been designed by Breville and De'Longhi. Both companies offer slightly different variations of the Pixie.
Breville's design is called the Pixie Titanium and De'Longhi's design is called the Pixie Aluminum.
The main difference between these two is the side panel; the Breville design has large grills whereas the De'Longhi design has a perforated aluminum panel. Take a look at the pictures below to see the difference.
Besides their looks though, both Nespresso Pixie variants are the same in terms of functionality, features, and coffee preparation.
The control panel consists of 2 buttons, referred to as the "Espresso button" and the "Lungo button" by Nespresso in their operating manual.
Both variants have the same water tank size of 23.8 oz, which can be removed. It is small though, so if you're a large household you may need to change it quite often.
The Nespresso Pixie also features a lever that needs to be lifted to reveal the orifice where you would insert the Nespresso capsules. To secure the capsule, fold the lever back down.
After brewing is done, this lever is folded up and then down to eject the spent Nespresso capsule.
The drip tray of this coffee maker also folds towards the front paneling of this machine. This allows you to use taller glasses if you want to make an Americano or add milk to your drink.
The lever design can also be used to carry the machine - it seems this Nespresso machine was designed with the goal of making it as portable as possible.
The Nespresso Pixie coffee maker does not come with many features - only the essential ones to make a good cup of espresso as easily and quickly as possible.
The lack of features makes it a breeze to learn how to use as there isn't much to customize.
There are only two buttons to worry about: one with an espresso icon and the other one with a lungo icon. You can press any button to power your machine and start the heating process.
This brings us to a feature that is worthwhile mentioning: the Nespresso Pixie machine only takes 25 seconds to heat up. While it's doing that, you will see the Espresso and Lungo buttons flashing telling you the machine is warming up.
And you don't have to wait for it to warm up. You can go right ahead and insert your favorite coffee capsule and then press either the Espresso or Lungo button.
When the machine is warm enough it'll start brewing your espresso.
You can also adjust your brew size. This is done by simply holding the espresso or lungo buttons until the desired amount of coffee has been served. The Pixie will automatically remember this brew size for next time.
Something that this machine lacks is a milk frother. So if you want to have a cappuccino or a latte, you will need to buy a separate frother, or purchase the Machine + Aeroccino bundle for an additional cost.
Like all other OriginalLine Nespresso machines, this one only prepares espresso coffee.
So if you're looking for a Nespresso machine that can make regular coffee, you can check other Nespresso machines within the VertuoLine.
The Nespresso Pixie makes a decent espresso drink thanks to its 19-bar high pressure pump.
However, it could never rival the espresso from a traditional espresso machine. The main limitation of capsule based espresso machines is that the coffee is not as fresh (it could have been in the capsule for months!). Also, the Nespresso capsules contain less ground coffee than what a barista would use with traditional espresso makers.
We do not penalize the Pixie too much for this, however, since this applies to all Nespresso single serve coffee makers. Even the fancy Creatista Pro that costs 3-4 times more could never match the espresso quality of a portafilter espresso machine.
But this is the nature of capsule coffee machines - they trade off coffee quality over convenience.
Luckily though, the Nespresso Pixie belongs to the Nespresso OriginalLine. This means you can use third party capsules from other coffee roasters, widening your coffee choices.
Also, if you put in a bit of work, you could improve your coffee quality. This can be done by getting Nespresso capsules than can be re-used. You could buy whole coffee beans, grind them, and then fill the capsule.
Cleaning and maintaining your Nespresso Pixie espresso maker is an almost effortless task given the simple design of this machine and the lack of a milk system which bacteria love.
The Pixie automatically cleans itself, but there are some components that need some of your care to remain in top shape.
You should also make it a habit of regularly cleaning the spent capsule container, which has a capacity of 9 to 11 capsules. Nespresso also recommends cleaning the coffee outlet with a damp cloth, as well as regularly rinsing the drip tray. These tasks are relatively trivial and should not take more than 5 minutes from your day.
The Pixie also has a water tank level indicator - it'll flash red when the tank is empty or needs to be cleaned.
You will need to keep track of time when it comes to descaling. Nespresso recommends in their descaling guide to descale every 3 months or every 300 capsules, whichever comes first.
The descaling process takes 15 to 20 minutes.
Overall, the Nespresso Pixie requires minimal cleaning and maintenance; perfect for those on the go.
The Nespresso Pixie offers great value for your money.
Its price hovers around $210 to $220, but we've seen it as low as $161.
Note, however, that the Nespresso Essenza Mini offers the same functionality, is even more compact and lighter, and can cost up to $50 to $100 less (again, depending on any deals available).
So what gives?
You are paying more for the premium design and aluminum casing materials.
So if you don't care much to have an all-plastic machine, get the Nespresso Essenza Mini. But if you don't mind paying more for a more attractive machine, get the Nespresso Pixie.
Despite the higher cost, the Pixie still offers great value, especially if you purchase coffee every day.
A cup of coffee will cost you $3 per day, or almost $1,100 per year. The Pixie will cost around $220, and each capsule costs about $0.80. Assuming you drink coffee once per day, the total yearly cost of this espresso machine would be about $521.
So getting the Pixie should still help you save a significant amount of money.
And if you get third party or re-usable capsules, you will save even more.
Bottom Line
The Nespresso Pixie features an industrial look while being one of the most compact Nespresso machines available on the market today! It heats up fairly quickly (25 seconds) and is capable of brewing a great shot of espresso using its high-pressure 19-bar pump. All in all, this machine is the best compact Nespresso coffee maker your money can buy. Plus, it looks sleek with an aluminum finish!
Pros
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The Nespresso Pixie is compatible with any OriginalLine Nespresso capsule. It is also compatible with third-party Nespresso capsules and re-usable Nespresso capsules.
The key differences between the Nespresso Pixie and the Essenza mini are:
No, the Nespresso Pixie coffee maker cannot brew regular coffee. This is true for all Nespresso machines from the OriginalLine.
You could make an Americano though, by pouring hot water over your espresso shot.
No, as far as we know it isn't. Although the Pixie is one of the earlier Nespresso models to come out, it has recently been updated. The Pixie is amongst the best-selling Nespresso machines.
Some Pixie models though, such as the "Electric titan" have been discontinued.
The main difference is the capsules. The Pixie takes OriginalLine capsules whereas the Vertuo takes VertuoLine capsules.
Turn off your machine, and then press and hold the Lungo Button for 5 seconds. You will then see the LEDs flash 3 times, indicating the machine has been reset to factory settings.