By Kate Harvey
Content Manager | Pou Whakahaere Ihirangi
They’re quick, easy and mess free, so it’s no wonder you might be eyeing up one for your kitchen bench. But choosing a coffee capsule machine isn’t just a matter of deciding which looks best – our testing has found big differences in the quality of the cuppa they make.
We currently have test results for 16 coffee capsule machines, ranging from a $90 model at The Warehouse to a very slick-looking $1,200 Breville. The good news is one of the best is also one of the cheapest.
The 4 worst coffee capsule machines
These 3 DeLonghi coffee capsule machines all shared the next lowest score. Test writer Amy McNabb explains that, while they didn’t score well on taste, their overall scores were also low because they’re DeLonghi. “Our surveys show that DeLonghi machines get more faults than most other brands,” Amy says. “The combination of making a poor tasting brew and not being able to rely on them means they end up towards the bottom of the list.”
“There are also 5 Breville coffee capsule machines that have low taste scores. Breville machines get a similar number of faults as DeLonghis, but people love their Breville machines, so the brand satisfaction rating bumps up their overall score,” Amy says. “I wouldn’t buy any of these models, though.”
The 3 best coffee capsule machines – including a cheap Nespresso machine we love
There’s one capsule coffee machine that stands out as the best you can buy in New Zealand. And it also happens to be one of the cheapest out there.
The next two highest scoring machines are both Breville Nespressos – the Creatista Plus BNE800 and Creatista Uno BNE500.
“The taste of the brews these two capsule coffee machines make is a big step down from the DeLonghi Nespresso Essena, though. And they’re much more expensive.”
If the idea of pressing a button and having the machine do all the work appeals, you could consider a fully automatic espresso machine. These use either whole beans or ground coffee instead of capsules, and most make a very good brew. Some can be quite expensive though. You can find the different options available by filtering by ‘automatic espresso machines’ in our espresso coffee machine test results.
