Please note: Unfortunately Nespresso no longer produce the Inissia Coffee Machine but we’ve been so impressed with its performance in the 5 years we’ve had it that we decided to keep this Editor’s Choice article live as a testament to the quality of this coffee maker.
In 2015, I purchased a Nespresso Inissia Coffee Machine for my girlfriend as a Valentines Day gift. It is now 5 years since we got the Inissia and I am confident that I can give an honest and unbiased review of this KRUPS capsule coffee machine.
Firstly, why did I choose a Nespresso Capsule Coffee Machine?
After much research of capsule coffee machines, bean-to-cup coffee machines and manual espresso coffee machines I finally decided that the Nespresso Inissia by KRUPS would suit our needs perfectly.
We are not coffee connoisseurs by any means, however we do like a decent coffee, but I felt that a bean-to-cup or manual espresso coffee machine was both too expensive and too much trouble for us. I looked at many types of capsule coffee machines and felt that the Tassimo and Dolce Gusto designed machines were too restrictive in their functioning. The capability of being able to use as much or as little water as I wanted with the Nespresso designed coffee machines was an important factor for me. I like the fact that I don’t need to use milk pods to create certain drinks, and most importantly, there are many compatible capsules available for the Nespresso machines, which does not seem to be the case with the other two.
The Inissia Coffee Machine
I ordered a Nespresso Inissia coffee machine in Ruby Red, and despite having no other items of red in our kitchen, it looks great! I feel that it has a small foot print and it is not obtrusive at all. This was a concern of mine at the purchasing stage, but my fears were unfounded. It fits perfectly against a wall and it is easy to use in situ.
The cable length is adequate and the cleanable parts come apart and refit easily. The capsule container holds 11 used capsules and the drip tray performs perfectly. The drip tray can be folded up to accommodate glasses, mugs or cups taller than 90mm, up to a maximum height of 138mm.
This coffee machine has some useful features such as energy saving mode, water volume programming and descaling mode.
What’s great is that this coffee machine is very easy to use!
1. Add water to the detachable water jug at the rear of the machine.
2. Turn on the machine and wait about 30 seconds.
3. Lift up the handle and place your coffee capsule in the machine.
4. Close down the handle and place a cup or glass underneath the spout.
5. Press the espresso or lungo button depending on the size of coffee you want.
6. Wait for the machine to pour your coffee.
7. If you want more water, simply press the button again to turn on the flow. Press once more to stop the flow.
8. Enjoy your coffee!
“How is the coffee?”, I hear you ask. Well, this really all depends on the quality of the coffee capsule that you are using, but when it comes to the mechanics of the coffee machine, it’s very good indeed. The 19 bar pressure pump creates an excellent crema on your drink every time and there is very little wastage.
As I mentioned at the start of this Nespresso Inissia review we have had this coffee machine for well over 5 years, and I am very pleased to say that we have never had any problems at all. It makes us coffee every day and still looks as good as new. I wipe it down with a damp cloth from time to time and the capsule catcher and drip tray get cleaned weekly. It is very easy to clean and use, however the instruction booklet supplied is hard to understand when you need to read it!
The instruction booklet has been designed to cater for twelve languages therefore it uses diagrams to explain how to use all the features of this coffee machine. Unfortunately these diagrams are difficult to decipher so I was forced to search online for instructions when I wanted to descale the coffee machine. Fortunately Nespresso have a comprehensive YouTube channel and it was easy to find the answers to my questions there.
Along with the Instruction Booklet was a neat folder with a QuickStart Guide, Coffee Menu, Safety Instructions, Guarantee and Serial Number for access to the Nespresso Club. The whole package of coffee machine, welcome folder, free capsules and box gives the feeling of a product that has been carefully designed and built to last. You really do get a quality product with Nespresso© I feel.
Coffee Capsules / Coffee Pods
We purchased our coffee machine from Amazon. It arrived safely and well packed in its stylish Nespresso box that included, as a gift, 40 original Nespresso coffee capsules. The coffee pods supplied with our coffee machine were 10 of each of Ristretto, Arpeggio, Roma and Decaffeinato Intenso coffee capsules.
When the Nespresso Capsule Coffee Machines first arrived on the scene, the only place you could buy coffee pods was via the Nespresso website or in their Nespresso Coffee Boutiques. Now, however, there are many coffee capsule options available to the Nespresso Coffee Machine owner. Many supermarkets have their own brand of Nespresso compatible coffee pods, and nowadays you can find many manufacturers of compatible pods that can be purchased on the high street or on online.
The coffee capsules from Nespresso and other brands come in many flavours, strengths and intensities. Some are suitable for ristretto or espresso sized coffees, whilst others are more suited to larger coffees such as a lungo or a tall cappuccino (as my partner takes her coffee).
The original coffee capsules from Nespresso are made of metal. They are an exact fit for the coffee machine and work perfectly. They are also recyclable which is good news, however they can only be recycled at official Nespresso recycling points, which is a pain. I like to recycle as much as possible and Nespresso actively encourage its users to recycle the used pods but unfortunately there is no recycling point near me.
After trying out many different brands of coffee pods we feel that the Nespresso coffee capsules probably have the best flavour but other brands are now very close in quality and taste. We are often trying other brands of compatible capsules, so having a capsule coffee machine allows its owner to enjoy many flavour taste tests, which can be a lot of fun!
Recently, friends of ours purchased a Nespresso Capsule Coffee Machine after enjoying a coffee with us one day. One of our friends should not consume too much caffeine on the orders of his doctor, but he has found it very difficult to find a compatible decaffeinated capsule with any intensity of flavour, despite the fact that there are many decaffeinated coffee pods available to buy. He often describes them as weak and flavourless. It would seem that manufacturers think that people that drink decaffeinated coffee must like weak coffee, and this simply isn’t the case. I have recommended the official Nespresso Decaffeinato Intenso coffee capsules to him, which I personally found to have lots of flavour. Although they are more expensive to buy, they might just give him the intense coffee flavour he desires!
The Different Inissia Models (KRUPS, Magimix, Siemens and De’Longhi) and Colour Options
During my research into buying a Nespresso Inissia coffee machine I discovered that there were different manufacturer options and many colours available to me. After a little more reading it seems that the differences between a KRUPS, Magimix or De’Longhi Nespresso coffee machine are aesthetic only. They are all produced in the same factory on the same production line, so really your choice boils down to which colour you prefer.
When I purchased our Inissia coffee machine there were a large range of colour options available to me, including Black, White, Green, Canary, Blue Sky, Pacific Blue, Blueberry Blue, Grey, Summer Sun, Vanilla Cream, and Ruby Red.
That being said, I preferred to purchase a coffee machine with the KRUPS brand name rather than Magimix. For us, this decision worked in our favour because the vibrant Ruby Red coloured coffee machine that we wanted is a KRUPS branded product.
Check the Deals
You can get some excellent deals when purchasing your Nespresso Inissia coffee machine. Some sellers may include an Aeroccino, whilst others will offer a selection of coffee pods for you to try for free. Do your research as there are many sellers offering Nespresso Coffee Machines on Amazon UK and it’s worth looking around.
Our Rating and Final Thoughts
As you have probably discovered by reading this article, my girlfriend and I are very happy with our purchase of the Nespresso Inissia Capsule Coffee Machine by KRUPS. We’ve found it to be robust, reliable, attractive and easy to clean. What’s more, it has made great coffee day in, day out for over 60 months without fault. We think it’s a 9 out of 10 stars.
It loses one star for the following reasons, but these ‘bad points’ are minimal:
1. In my opinion, the instruction booklet is poorly designed, but this is easily remedied by seeking answers to your questions on the Nespresso website or on their YouTube channel.
2. Compatible coffee capsules can be hit and miss sometimes, but this is in no way the fault of Nespresso or of their excellent coffee machine.
3. It’s not exactly quiet whilst using, but when the machine is pumping out 19 bars of pressure you’re going to have some noise!
This is a product that I would happily recommend to people. It is very affordable and the coffee pods (especially the compatibles) are good value. I paid about £65.00 when I purchased ours and it has proved to be an excellent investment!
If you are looking for a good value coffee machine that can make great coffee to your own required taste then Kitchen & Cook Shop highly recommend the Nespresso Inissia coffee machine, it’s just a shame that it’s not made anymore.
