Tap water (normal household potable water) is perfectly OK as long as it is free of odors that might alter the taste of the beverage. Bottled water is also OK. For cold beverages, use water at ambient temperature, never refrigerated water, and place two or more ice cubes (20g per ice cube) in the cup. The new Essenza Mini combines ease of use, minimalist beauty and unrivalled Nespresso quality to create the perfect coffee cup every time. The Essenza Mini offers 2 programmable cup sizes for espresso and Lungo coffees. Having considered purchasing a Nespresso machine for a while, particularly after realising how much I was spending on barista-crafted coffee whilst out and about, I decided to go with the smallest of Nespresso’s range: the Essenza Mini. If you’re looking to make endless coffees and prefer volume over specifically tailored individual drinks, this coffee machine, like most pod-machines, may not be for you. If you want to tailor your drinks with a higher temperature or shorter volume of water, then I’d recommend taking a look at the Tassimo Bosch My Way 2 that we recently reviewed.

Nespresso 11366 Essenza Mini Coffee Machine, Ruby Red Finish

All the Nespresso machines are equipped with a 19-bar pressure pump, which provides the power needed to pierce the film of the capsule and reveal the coffee’s 900 or so different aromas. The shape of the Nespresso capsule has been specially designed to ensure that the pressurised water flows evenly through the ground coffee during extraction. The temperature and flow time are also set to ensure that each precious aroma is expressed.Before we tell you the dimensions, just know that the Essenza Mini is narrower than your credit card! The Nespresso Essenza Mini Coffee Machine may be the smallest unit from Nespresso yet, but it confidently retains all the features and capabilities of some of the brand’s high end machines. All the way from the 19 bar pressure pump to peak energy savings, it’s clear that the reduction in size and price didn’t have any effect on the coffee quality and taste.

Nespresso Essenza Mini Review - The Coffee Maven Nespresso Essenza Mini Review - The Coffee Maven

Just when you thought you’d seen it all, here comes Nespresso with its most compact unit yet. Offering a choice between two distinctive contemporary shapes, three different colours to suit your space, and versatile programmable cup sizes, the Essenza Mini truly is a small machine that opens up a whole world of possibilities. For a daily average usage of 4 cups and if the water is hard, we recommend descaling your machine at least every 3 months. To be noticed that water hardness is the first reason of machine calcification and so it is recommended to descale the machine frequently (every 3months or less according to water hardness). Maintenance and cleaning Why should I descale my coffee maker?Follow the instructions in your personal instruction manual for descaling your machine as techniques vary according to the model you own.

Nespresso Essenza Mini Review - Coffee Tea Club Nespresso Essenza Mini Review - Coffee Tea Club

Note: for hard water descale twice per year. (If you don’t know what water type you have hard water tends to leave white marks in the water tank) Likewise, the control panel is as easy to use and as intuitive as it gets. All you have to do is decide whether you’re having the programmed espresso, or pre programmed lungo and the machine takes care of the rest.If your appliance has not been used for several months, the pump may have difficulty restarting the water flow. While the Essenza Mini doesn't come with a preset button for Americanos (espresso + hot water, like a regular coffee) like the Essenza Plus does, you can easily use the programmable buttons to set up your own Americano system: