Last Updated on August 20, 2021 by YourBestCoffeeMachine
The Nespresso Lattissima series include the Nespresso Lattissima Touch and Nespresso Lattissima Pro. These are 2 pod coffee machines which give you everything you need to make amazing cappuccinos and lattes with ease in the comfort of your own home.
Making coffee has rapidly evolved over the last few years. Different flavours, different methods and different coffee makers are introduced almost every day. With all these developments, more and more people have the freedom to choose their own flavours or create their own coffees by themselves. If you have a specific query, feel free to jump to that section of the article.
- Nespresso Lattissima for lovers of cappuccinos and lattes
- Lattissima Touch vs Lattissima Pro – What’s the Difference ?
- Which Are the Best Nespresso Capsules for Lattes and Cappuccinos ?
- What about the crema ?
- Milk Frothing
- One of the Fastest Single Serve Coffee Makers – Ready in 40 seconds plus Auto Off
- Cleaning and Descaling the Lattissima
- Design – Sleek and Compact
- Our Verdict on the Nespresso Lattissima Touch and Nespresso Lattissima Pro
Otherwise, let’s dive in and compare these 2 similar machines from Nespresso.
Nespresso Lattissima – Perfect for Cappuccino and Latte
Both the DeLonghi Nespresso Lattissima Touch and Nespresso Lattissima Pro have a detachable milk frother making it easy to keep leftover milk fresh in the refrigerator. I recently bought a Lattissima Pro and I am really impressed by the milk frother. It provides great textured milk foam and you can adjust the thickness and amount of froth to suit your personal taste.
Overall, both the Lattissima Touch and the Lattissima Pro make a very tasty cup of cappuccino or latte and the espresso alone is rich and flavorful. Now, I don’t even go to coffee shops anymore, I just make my favorite coffee at home in the morning and put it in my best thermo cup and bring it to work. You can actually make an amazing milky coffee without the barista training and it is guaranteed to be just as good.
Lattissima Touch vs Lattissima Pro – What’s the Difference ?
Comparing the Pro to the Lattissma Touch, there are only a few differences and they’re not obvious at first glance.
Firstly, the controls. The Nespresso Lattissima Touch has 6 button controls allowing for your selection of 1 of 6 different drinks. The Lattissima Pro has an “intuitive digital touch screen”.
Secondly, the cleaning. The Nespresso Pro has automatic cleaning of the milk frothing components. Just turn the dial to “Clean” and it automatically cleans the components. This doesn’t seem to be a full clean which you would still need to do regularly we think for better hygiene. It also has an intuitive descaling clean function which tells you when the machine needs descaling (you do have to program your water hardness level in for it to do this).
The Lattissima Touch has the same descaling warning, but you have to hold the steam button down to run steam through the milk wand to clean it. Some users also reported difficulty with keeping track of all the parts that form the milk frothing container, which you need to take apart for a proper cleaning.
Thirdly, the drink options. There really is only 1 difference in drink options between the 2 machines – with the Nespresso Pro you can have just hot water. That isn’t an option with the Nespresso Lattissima Pro. Both machines give you the option of making Ristretto, Espresso, Lungo, Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato and warm milk froth.
Lastly, the capacity of the water reservoir and milk carafe. In the Pro the water tank is 43.96 oz which is about 35% larger than in the Lattissima Touch which holds 30.4 oz. The Pro also has a larger milk carafe holding 0.5 litres (16 ounces) compared to the Touch milk container which holds only 0.35 litres or 11.8 ounces. Oh, and the Pro has an automatic empty water tank detection system just in case you need that!
Which Are the Best Nespresso Capsules for Lattes and Cappuccinos ?
With so many Nespresso Capsules to choose from, it can be confusing to decide which is best suited for a milky coffee drink like a cappuccino or latte. So why choose? Our pick for the best Nespresso capsules for cappuccinos and lattes is the Ispirazione Variety Pack of 50 by Nespresso. It contains 5 different varieties, with varying intensity levels from the Capriccio (intensity 5) right up to a Ristretto (intensity 10). So you can choose the impact of your caffeine hit depending on how you feel !
We love that these Nespresso capsules are part of the Climate Friendly Pledge program which means this product is part of Nespresso’s commitment to help preserve the natural world. This particular pack is certified as having the Rainforest Alliance seal. This means sustainable farming methods are used to help improve farmer livelihoods & mitigate climate change. And the capsules are fully recyclable as part of Nespresso’s pod recycling program.
Wondering what the 5 different varieties are in this pack? Here’s a little more on each:
- ISPIRAZIONE ROMA: A full and balanced coffee blend. Intensity 8. A fusion of Arabica Beans from South and Central America combined with Robusta
- CAPRICCIO: A rich and distinctive coffee blend. Intensity 5. A fusion of Arabica Beans from South America combined with Robusta
- ISPIRAZIONE GENOVA LIVANTO: A round and balanced coffee blend. Intensity 6. 100% Arabica- South and Central America Beans
- ISPIRAZIONE FIRENZE ARPEGGIO: A intense and creamy coffee blend. Intensity 9. 100% Arabica- South and Central America Beans
- ISPIRAZIONE RISTRETTO ITALIANO: A powerful and contrasting coffee blend. Intensity 10. A fusion of Arabica Beans from South America combined with Robusta.
What about the crema ?
All coffee enthusiasts and connoisseurs all know that the key to really good coffee is in extracting that perfect crema from the coffee beans or pods. Well, the Nespresso Lattissima Plus features a powerful 19 bar pressure extraction system that does an excellent job of getting you the ultimate espresso crema in every single cup.
The perfect crema ensures a smooth finish and smoother flavours in the coffee. It also helps in binding all the flavours together and creating the perfect coffee mixture. A flawed extraction system with insufficient pressure will result in a weak coffee and an unpleasant coarse crema texture.
Nespresso really have set the bar high with their extraction system. The fact that it gets to the perfect heat in about 40 seconds is a bonus, making it one of the fastest coffee machines on the market. The Thermoblock technology maintains the perfect temperature between cups making for rapid brewing of multiple cups of your favorite milky coffee.
Milk Frothing with the Patented Instant Froth Dispenser
Another feature that makes the Nespresso Lattissima machines extra special is the DeLonghi exclusive and patented Instant Froth Dispenser (IFD) that gives you the perfect milk froth at the touch of a button. The removable milk carafe has a capacity of 0.35 litres (Touch model) or 0.5 litres (Pro model) to add to your milky drinks such as cappuccinos and lattes.
Users report that having the ability to just make milk froth is a bonus. Some say that adding it to a hot chocolate or to make a creamier tomato soup is a nice feature that makes the machine a more versatile addition to your home.
It also means you can personalize any of your drinks by having different proportions of milk and coffee depending on your preference.
One of the Fastest Single Serve Coffee Makers – Heating up only takes 40 seconds
One of the best and newest features that the Nespresso Lattissima has is their thermoblock function. The thermoblock function is the perfect solution for your morning rush or at any time you’re in a rush because this technology enables the machine to heat up in as short as 40 seconds, serving your coffee in literally a minute.
This makes it one of the fastest single serve coffee makers available which can be important when you just need to get on with your day. The Thermoblock also keeps the temperature at the ideal level making it quick to get a second or third cup in quick succession. Some machines require a waiting period between cups to get the temperature to optimal levels again.
Energy-saving auto turn off
Besides the Thermoblock function, there is also an energy-saving function which is very efficient and economically beneficial since heaters of any kind usually take up the largest chunk in energy consumption. The machines automatically turn off after 9 minutes of inactivity – taking one less task off your mental to do list.
So with this function you are not only saving money but you are also being environmentally friendly.
Descaling and Cleaning the Lattissima
As if the Lattissima does not have enough convenience to offer, it also comes with a button that cleans up your milk carafe automatically. The removable milk carafe can be cleaned by the simple pressing of a button although we still recommend a deeper clean regularly. That does mean you’ll need to take the milk carafe apart and as noted above, some users found this challenging as there were a lot of small parts to keep track of.
Happily, the milk carafe and all components can go into the dishwasher. With the built in cleaning function, some users reported being dissatisfied with the need to hold the button down on the Lattissima Touch. The Pro on the other hand is a single touch of a button and it automatically runs the cleaning cycle. This was a game changer for me, and part of the reason I chose the Pro over the cheaper Touch model.
To make pod cleaning easier, there is a built-in small container with the machine that collects used capsules so all you have to do is throw it out when its full. The Pro holds 15 empty capsules and the Touch only 9 empty pods.
Anyone familiar with home coffee machines, knows that the inside of the machine needs regular descaling to remove mineral deposits left by the water used. Both Lattissima machines have a warning to alert you to the need for descaling, which is based on the level of water hardness you select. Here’s a short video on how to descale your Delonghi Nespresso Lattissima machine.
Design – sleek and compact
Both of the Lattissima models come with an adjustable drip tray and a cup warmer. The adjustable drip tray can accommodate different sized coffee cups and glasses.
Factoring in all the features this coffee maker has, you would think that this is a gigantic machine like the ones you see in coffee shops but you would be shocked that its dimension is only 10.79 x 7.6 x 13 inches (31.9 cm x 16.7 cm x 25.3 cm) and weighs only 4.5 kg (12.6 pounds).
The Nespresso Touch is smaller with a more compact footprint. It measures 6.8 x 12.6 x 10.15 inches and weighs 9.9 pounds.
It also has a black glossy finish which makes it very sleek and compact. It would fit in and look amazing in any kitchen, as well as not taking up too much storage area.
It is a high end coffee machine
As for the pricing, compared to some other Nespresso coffee makers, it is in the high end range (around $450 – $500 for the Nespresso Touch, and $500 – $550 for the Lattissima Pro) but given all its features, the price is definitely worth it. You also have to take into account that the Nespresso coffee pods and blends are more expensive than the normal ground coffee beans so it is an additional cost. However, with all of the Nespresso compatible pods now available, your choice of capsule and ability to shop around is greater.
It comes with some freebies
Both the Touch and Pro versions usually come bundled with some freebies. There is a Nespresso Welcome Kit that will help you in setting up, all the necessary information, and troubleshooting instructions. DeLonghi will also provide a free pack of Nespresso coffee capsules in all 16 blends.
A word of warning before you buy a Nespresso
There are important things to take note when you buy any machine. You should always read the instructions carefully. Although most people find the Lattissima easy to make when using the automated drink features. Learning to program and customise your drinks can be complicated as there are a lot of functions that may be overwhelming. It may take time to learn about everything this coffee maker is capable of and to modify some functions to your preference.
Also, some parts need to be in a specific position attached to the machine otherwise it will malfunction or will not deliver perfectly, for example the nozzle that produces steam to the milk frother has to be attached at a specific angle. So, once again read the manuals and instructions carefully when re-assembling the product.
Our Verdict on the Nespresso Lattissima Touch and Nespresso Lattissima Pro
All in all, both the DeLonghi Nespresso Lattissima Touch and Nespresso Lattissima Pro are guaranteed to fulfil all your coffee dreams and needs. It is definitely one of the best of its kind and you will not regret having either machine in your kitchen. You could also buy this as a present for a loved one – rest assured that you will become an instant favourite, just like the coffee produced by this coffee maker. For our money, spending a little extra to get the Lattissima Pro was worthwhile – even though it’s slightly larger in size, the convenience of having a larger water tank and milk reservoir plus the automatic cleaning function, makes this the better option for our family of coffee drinkers.
Please assist
We are fitting a Lattissima Pro to a Boat and a Lattissima Plus to a Motor home. We see they have a class A-40% energy rating however we need to know what the power consumption is during the coffee production phase.
We need to size an inverter to run the two machines.
Thank you for your assistance