Lattissima Touch review, Nespresso progresses for 2015
If you do not have time to take some fresh coffee beans, grind them yourself and then go ahead and make the perfect cup of coffee, then you have a few options available to you. The first is instant coffee, although this lacks the full-bodied flavor. The next would be to use one of the pod systems, with there being three main options to you, Dolce Gusto, Tassimo and Nespresso.
I already have those first two, so was very excited when I was offered to review the Nespresso Lattissima Touch by DeLonghi. We often see on the commercials that the Nespresso coffee pod system is as close as you can get to fresh coffee, and so it was finally great to know if this was true or not.
There have been an array of Lattissima machines over the past 8 years, and the Touch is the latest for those that love either a strong or milky coffee. This model may be a bit larger than some of the other machines in the Nespresso range, but then you have to remember this does the lot – apart from grind the coffee that is.
Being able to use the pods and also froth its own milk puts it in front of the Dolce Gusto and the Tassimo right away, as when going for a latte or cappuccino from those two machines, you are often left with a strange after taste because they do not use fresh milk. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the taste of their coffees, with the Tassimo having the larger range, it’s just when you want drinks that use milk, they start to taste a little funny.
You could just use the coffee pods and froth your own milk, but that sort of defeats the point, and so this is where the DeLonghi Nespresso Lattissima Touch comes into its own.
The design – From the moment I took this machine from its box I was impressed with its design, and while it does have a bit too much plastic, it does look modern and stylish. Everything about its design has been well thought out, such as the adjustable shelf that slides in and out, the milk frother that can be detached and stored in the fridge to save pouring out unused milk, to the 3-meter cable.
I also love the container that stores the used coffee capsules in once the machine has finished with them, although just make sure you empty it from time to time. There are a few color options, and it was the white that was sent to me, although I think the black would look better – just a personal opinion.
Using the Lattissima Touch – The main part of the DeLonghi Nespresso Lattissima hands-on review is to try the machine out and see if it is a great all-round, cappuccino, latte, ristretto, lungo, and espresso maker. It did take a little while to get the hang of even preparing the machine, such as the water tank being a little hard to get used to when it came to locking it in place. However, once you get the hang of it, it is pretty easy.
When switching on the machine you will notice that all six lights begin to flash, which means it is heating up. You need to be careful at this stage because the touch controls can be a bit on the sensitive side, and you do not want to start the coffee making process by mistake. As for those controls, I did not have a clue what they were for, and with no instructions sent to us, a quick search on YouTube showed us just how to use this machine, which I have embedded for you below to make life that little easier.
Having said that, we know that you will get a set of instructions with a brand new machine, so familiarizing yourself with the settings before just steaming in would be a better idea. We say this because the each button has a different function for what type of coffee you like, along with the milky options as well, and you can also program these to add more water or milk to the drinks for your desired taste.
Making just a coffee drink is very simple, you just put the desired pod into the slot, close the lever down and then press the button. The top one is for lungo, the middle for espresso and the bottom for ristretto. On the right hand side these are for latte, cappuccino and warm milk froth. One of the video below helps to you shows you how to program these to your desired volume and taste as well.
If you do prefer drinks that use the milk frother, then make certain you do a clean cycle after every use, which does not take long. You can see instructions on this in one of those videos below this review.
Overall impression – Once programmed it only takes one touch to make your drink and you will not be disappointed thanks to its maximum of 19 bar of pressure. Ok, we know you are limited to just the Nespresso range and so cannot have coffees from the likes of Costa, but there is still a good choice available and you are sure to find a flavor that you like.
It would have been nice to have a selection of other flavors to try, but I made do with what I had. All have a good strong flavor, although they are a little weak when you try to make a traditional Americano, and so you will want to use a smaller cup in order to do so. This machine is perfect if you like a milky coffee, or a small cup of strong coffee, but not so much if you want an Americano – unless you use two pods in a larger cup.
If you are mainly an espresso drinker, then the Lattissima Touch will not be for you, although if you do not mind spending the extra money to enjoy a lovely cup of cappuccino or latte, then who are we to put you off. The machine offers good value for money once purchased, as the pods are cheap, and so is milk. The fresh foam maker is also a huge positive, as is the one-touch system. However, there are a few things to consider that might put you off, and those are the water tank can be a little tough to get used to, you are restricted to compatible pods and finally, having to keep cleaning the milk unit.
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