Capsule systems · review
Makes hot chocolate, chai and iced drinks as well as coffee, using a separate milk capsule instead of real milk. Good at being a drinks machine, mediocre at being a coffee machine.
The bottom line The right machine for a house that drinks everything, and the wrong one for a house that drinks coffee.
It is worth judging this machine against what it is for, because on coffee alone it loses to both Nespresso systems and there is not much argument about it.
What the Genio S does that they cannot is everything else. Hot chocolate that tastes like hot chocolate rather than cocoa stirred into water, chai lattes, iced drinks, and a decent range of teas. In a household where one person drinks coffee, one drinks chocolate and a teenager wants something cold, this is the only machine here that serves all three without compromise or fresh ingredients.
The milk mechanism is the defining choice. Rather than steaming fresh milk, you insert a second capsule containing a milk powder preparation that foams under pressure. It never spoils, never runs out and needs no cleaning — and it does not taste like milk. Anyone who has drunk a properly textured cappuccino will notice immediately. Anyone who has not may be perfectly happy.
The costs are worth stating plainly: two capsules per milk drink means twice the price and twice the waste, the bin fills fast, and the coffee capsules themselves are aimed at volume rather than concentration, so the espresso is thin next to a Nespresso Original shot.
Buy it as a drinks machine that also makes coffee. Do not buy it as a coffee machine that also makes drinks.
At 110 $, it is the 3 cheapest of the 6 models in this category published here.
| System | Dolce Gusto |
|---|---|
| Pressure | 15 bar |
| Milk | Separate milk capsule |
| Drinks | Hot and cold |
| Water tank | 0.8 L |
Because it is not milk. Dolce Gusto milk capsules contain a milk powder preparation that dissolves and foams under pressure. It is stable, it needs no refrigeration and it never runs out — and it does not taste like fresh milk steamed by a wand. That trade is the entire design.
Yes, generally. Dolce Gusto capsules are larger and run at lower effective pressure through the puck, aiming for volume and versatility rather than a concentrated shot. If coffee quality is the priority, Nespresso Original is a clear step up for similar money.
6.8/ 10
The right machine for a house that drinks everything, and the wrong one for a house that drinks coffee.
A household with mixed tastes where not everyone drinks coffee.
Same category, nearest prices. Only the specifications every one of them states are shown — a half-empty column compares nothing.
| Model | Price | System | Water tank |
|---|---|---|---|
| NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto Genio S | 110 $ | Dolce Gusto | 0.8 L |
| Nespresso Vertuo Pop | 100 $ | Nespresso Vertuo (centrifusion) | 0.56 L |
| Lavazza A Modo Mio Tiny | 70 $ | Lavazza A Modo Mio | 0.5 L |
| Nespresso Essenza Mini | 150 $ | Nespresso Original | 0.6 L |
A reference exists on these Amazon stores: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, United States. Listed is not the same as in stock — availability changes daily.
Details checked on August 8, 2026.
Specifications: manufacturer sheet and Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. No product on this site has been physically tested.
A Modo Mio system · 0.5 L · 12 cm wide
A third capsule system worth knowing about, because A Modo Mio capsules are among the cheapest in Europe and the machine costs almost nothing. The coffee is Italian-roast dark and unapologetic about it.
Best for: Espresso in the Italian style, at the lowest running cost of any capsule system here.
≈ £70 / 75 €
Original system · 0.6 L · 11 cm wide
Eleven centimetres wide, twenty-five seconds to heat, and it takes the Original capsules that dozens of brands make. The cheapest sensible way into the system that stays cheap to run.
Best for: A small kitchen, a studio flat, an office desk, or a second machine.
≈ $150 / £80 / 90 €
Centrifusion · 5 cup sizes · 54 % recycled plastic
The Vertuo machine with the full range of cup sizes, up to a 414 ml carafe. Same excellent long coffee, same single-supplier capsules, in a body made largely from recycled plastic.
Best for: Someone who drinks large black coffee and occasionally wants a carafe.
≈ $180 / £130 / 140 €
