Nespresso Citiz Review [ Delonghi or Breville? ]

Are you looking to make espresso at home? At the same time, you want to make your coffee conveniently and as effortlessly as possible. You may be in luck. Read on this Nespresso Citiz review to find out if it is right for you.

Nespresso Citiz Review: Who it is for?

The Nespresso Citiz espresso maker makes espresso-making at home convenient and simple with its patented Nespresso capsule system. With capsules, there is no need to grind and tamp ground coffee into any coffee attachment. There is no clean-up of coffee powder spills on the kitchen counter. All is needed is to slot the coffee capsule into the machine and let it do its work.

If you value convenience and do not wish to spend too much time or effort to make coffee, this capsule-based espresso maker is suitable for you.

How is Nespresso Citiz Different From Pixie and Innisia?

This espresso maker is very similar to the Nespresso Pixie and Innisia. But the difference lies in the larger water tank. This means you get to make more cups of espresso before there is a need to topup the water tank.

In addition, the coffee sprout is located higher than in the Nespresso Pixie and Inissia. If you like taller cups coffee recipes, Nespresso Citiz can give you that extra flexibility.

Related: Citiz vs Pixie vs Innissia

7 Benefits of the Nespresso Citiz Espresso Machine

1 Compact Design

Nespresso Citiz is really compact

Nespresso Citiz has a really elegant design. It is one of the more compact Nespresso model. So it will be easy to slot it into any corner of your kitchen. There are also multiple colours to choose from – Chrome, red, black and white. This gives you more options to select a color that matches to the general mood of your kitchen. The two buttons on top of the machine also come with lights which will lit up when the machine is on, adding a more elegance to the machine.

2 Quality of Coffee

The Nespresso Citiz uses the nespresso capsules. This means that the coffee is of good quality since they have gone through Nespresso’s highly rigourous coffee selection.

In addition, the Nespresso capsules are sealed air-tight. Thus, the coffee freshness is preserved. With fresh good coffee as input, this sets good foundation for making a tasty cup of espresso. Of course, the other input which is water must also be of good quality.

Machine wise, the Nespresso Citiz boasts a 19 bar high performance pump. This pressure Is sufficient to attain the optimal espresso pressure to extract the many flavours and aromas in the coffee capsule. The end result is an tasty espresso with a thick, rich crema layer on top.

3. Efficiency in making coffee

Making espresso with the Nespresso Citiz is extremely efficient. With the Nespresso capsule system, there is no need to spend time to grind or tamp coffee grounds. Simply slot in the Nespresso capsule into the machine.

The Nespresso Citiz also heats up to the ideal temperature in only 25 seconds. After slotting in the espresso capsule, all it takes is to press one of the two buttons to select your drink option. Then the Citiz espresso maker takes over the job.

There is no need to wait at the machine. The Citiz will stop the coffee flow automatically once the preset drink volume is reached.

It’s really simple. Just check out this video.

The effort required is also made minimal. The large water capacity of 1 litre enables you to make more cups of espresso for every top up of the water tank.

Its large unused capsule capacity of 10 capsules gives you the option to delay the emptying of the container for a few days. This sure saves you some time to clean up after making your espresso. A good to have quality for busy people rushing for work in the morning!

4 Versatility of Drink Options

Nespresso Citiz comes with two drink options, espresso and lungo. ( Espresso is 40 ml of coffee. Lungo is 110 ml of coffee. ) The volume of water used for the two drink options have been pre-programmed. Neverthless, if you have preferences for your drink volume, you can easy re-programme the preset value.

Choose between Espresso or Lungo

This re-programming is very easy. It is just 5 simple steps.

1. Just turn on the machine and wait for the lights to turn steady.
2. Then fill the water tank with water and insert the capsule.
3. Put the cup under the coffee sprout.
4. Press and hold either the espresso or lungo button.
5. When your preferred volume is reached, release the button. With that, the CitiZ will remember your preferred volume.

If you wish to just have lesser coffee just on the spurt of the moment, you can also do so by stopping the coffee flow earlier by pressing the espresso or lungo button again. If you like more coffee, just press the button again to top up some more coffee.

If you wish to make Americano, there is no need to change your cup. You can stick with a large mug. The coffee sprout on Citiz is high enough to accommodate a larger cup. Just eject the capsule and press the espresso or lungo button to release hot water from the coffee sprout.

5 Ease of cleaning

Cleaning of the Nespresso Citiz after use is easy. The capsule container, drip tray, drip grid and water tank are all removable. It doesn’t require much effort to dismantle the parts for cleaning. After removable, just wash them under the tap with water and some mild cleaning agent. For the exterior, simply wipe the surface with a damp cloth.

Besides daily cleaning, it is necessary to perform descaling on the Nespresso Citiz periodically. This descaling will remove any lime accumulated in the water tank. This lime build up is due to the minerals in the water reacting with the boiling of water. It is essential to remove them as the lime will affect the taste of your espresso. In addition, this lime build up will affect the heating element and may affect the optimal temperature for espresso extraction.

However, it is not much of a hassle to perform the descaling as well. Descaling the Nespresso Citiz is just a 11 simple steps and using the Nespresso descaling liquid. You can easily follow them in the user guide.

Descaling the Nespresso Citiz

Basically, it is as follows:

1. Eject the capsule
2. Empty the drip tray and used capsule container
3. Fill the water tank with 0.5 liters of water and a 1 Nespresso descaling liquid
4. Put a cup under the coffee sprout
5. Switch on the machine and press both espresso and lungo button for 3 seconds to enter descaling mode.
6. After both buttons are blinking, press the lungo button and wait for the water tank to be emptied.
7. Refill the water tank with the descaling solution collected in the cup. Then repeat step 4 to 6.
8. Then empty and clean the water tank. Then fill in with drinking water.
9. Repeat step 4 to 6 again to rinse the machine.
10. After all these have been done, press the espresso and lungo buttons for 3 seconds to exit the descaling mode.
11. The machine is now ready for use!

6 Energy Efficiency

One nice feature for the Nespresso Citiz is its energy efficiency. Citiz saves energy by turning off automatically after 9 minutes from last use.

However, you can change this to 30 minutes if you prefer for Citiz to stay powered for a longer time. Re-programming is just a fast and simple 3 steps process.

7 Complimentary Welcome Gift

Nespresso Citiz comes with a complimentary gift pack containing 16 Nespresso Original capsules with different tastes. This gives you the opportunity to try out different variety before deciding on your preferred capsule flavor for your next capsule order.

Key Features of Nespresso Citiz

• Compact design.
• Fast heating up time of 25 seconds
• Large water tank with a capacity of 34 ounces ( 1 liters )
• Large used capsule container with capacity of 10 capsules
• Automatically shuts off after 9 minutes
• Removable water tank, drip tray, grid, capsule container

Technical Specification

• Dimensions : 5.1 inches wide x 10.9 inches tall x 14.6 inches deep
• Weight: 7.5 lbs / 3.4 kg
• Power: 1720W
• 4 Colors available – Chrome, red, black and white.

Nespresso Citiz By Delonghi and Breville – What’s the difference?

For the Nespresso Citiz, there are two different designs in the US market. The Nespresso Citiz you see below on the left is made by Delonghi, while the one on the right is by Breville. ( In UK, the 2 designs are made by Krups and Magimix respectively)

Nespresso CitiZ by DeLonghi ( By Magimix in UK )

Nespresso CitiZ by Breville ( By Krups in UK )

Essentially, both versions of the Nespresso Citiz has exactly the same technical specifications. In fact, the design is not much different. The only difference in the design lies in the coffee sprout. Hence, even their dimensions are the same.

Potential Shortcomings of Nespresso Citiz Espresso Maker

Hard to see water level

With the water tank located at the back of the machine, it is difficult to see whether the water level is getting low. This makes it non-ideal to push it under the cupboard.

No Milk Frother

Nespresso Citiz can only make espresso. If you like milk based drinks such as latte, consider getting Nespresso Citiz and Milk Espresso machine package instead.  This package comes with a standalone Nespresso Aeroccino milk frother which can help you froth milk automatically. 

Nespresso Citiz & Milk Chrome

Is Nespresso Citiz and Milk Espresso Machine a Good Option?

Aeroccino uses a mechanical whisk to mix the air with milk. So the foam produced is rather airy than foamy.If you like true authentic cappuccino foam, you may not like the milk texture.

If you really like to create Latte Art, consider getting the Nespresso Creatista Plus instead. This comes with a integrated steam wand, perfect for steaming and texturize milk

Related: Best Nespresso machine for Latte

Nespresso Citiz Review: Final Verdict

The Nespresso Citiz is elegant and compact. It is simple to learn and easy to operate. There are only two buttons for espresso and lungo drink options. The preset drink volume can be customized to your preference. With Citiz’s automatic flow stop and capsule system, making coffee is an automatic affair with just a touch of the button.

In terms of performance, Citiz has a powerful pump of 19 bars and a fast heat up system to heat water to optimal temperature in only 25 seconds. This creates the optimal conditions to extract and brew tasty espresso.

Nespresso Citiz’s energy saving features makes sure that the machine will shut down after being idle for a period of non-use. This is really a great feature for us busy people who have a lot on our mind very morning. Making sure that we have shut down the coffee maker is probably one that we would rather not have on our checklist before we leave home. Who doesn’t want a piece of mind?

Check It Out

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Easy to clean
• Slim and Compact
• Iconic design
• Energy saving
• Large water tank of 34 ounces
• Large used capsule capacity of 10 capsules
• Automatic coffee flow stop
• Can be used as a hot water dispenser.

Hope this Nespresso Citiz review has helped you to make a decision.