Capsule systems · review
The Original system, where the patents expired and everyone makes capsules. The machine is unremarkable; the point is that you can buy pods from a supermarket at a third of Nespresso's price.
The bottom line Buy the system, not the machine — and Original is the system that stays cheap.
There are two Nespresso systems and they are not variations on a theme. Original is the older one, using the small conical capsules, and its key patents have expired — which is why supermarkets, roasters and dozens of independents all sell compatible pods. Vertuo is the newer one, protected and effectively single-source.
The CitiZ is a competent Original machine and that is close to the whole review. Nineteen bars, two programmable volumes, twenty-five seconds to heat, a slim upright body that suits a narrow worktop, and a build that keeps running for years. There is nothing clever about it and nothing wrong with it.
What matters is what it lets you buy. Original-compatible capsules from a decent independent roaster cost roughly a third of Nespresso’s own and are often fresher, because a small roaster fills to order rather than to a distribution schedule. Over three years of daily coffee that difference dwarfs the price of any capsule machine on the market.
The limitations are real if you drink long. Original capsules are sized for espresso and lungo; asking for a mug gives you a thin, over-extracted drink, which is precisely the gap Vertuo was built to fill. And there is no milk here at all unless you add an Aeroccino.
If you drink espresso, this is the sensible capsule machine. If you drink mugs of black coffee, buy the Vertuo and accept the supplier.
At 190 $, it is the 6 cheapest of the 6 models in this category published here.
| System | Nespresso Original |
|---|---|
| Pressure | 19 bar |
| Cup sizes | 2 programmable |
| Water tank | 1 L |
| Heat-up | ≈ 25 s |
The good ones are close, and some independent roasters selling Original-compatible capsules are better than Nespresso's own, because they fill them fresher. The cheap supermarket own-brands are noticeably thinner. The point is that you have the choice, which Vertuo owners do not.
Running cost and freedom. The Pop is cheaper to buy and permanently more expensive to feed. If you drink espresso rather than mugs, the CitiZ pays back the difference within a few months and keeps paying.
7.6/ 10
Buy the system, not the machine — and Original is the system that stays cheap.
Espresso and lungo drinkers who want capsule convenience without capsule prices.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nespresso CitiZ | 190 $ | Nespresso Original | 1 L |
| Nespresso Vertuo Next | 180 $ | Nespresso Vertuo | 1.1 L |
| Nespresso Essenza Mini | 150 $ | Nespresso Original | 0.6 L |
| NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto Genio S | 110 $ | Dolce Gusto | 0.8 L |
A reference exists on these Amazon stores: France, Germany, Italy, 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.
15 bar · hot & cold drinks · milk capsules
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.
Best for: A household with mixed tastes where not everyone drinks coffee.
≈ $110 / £70 / 80 €
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 €
