Nespresso Essenza Mini

07 October 2022 – Nespresso Essenza Mini

This blog post is going to look at one of the most well-used, well-loved, and most used products that I have in my home, my Nespresso coffee machine.

Figure 1 - Nespresso machine on my desk

I got my Essenza Mini Nespresso machine for my 18th birthday when I started university. It was purchased with their £1 machine deal, in which you buy a machine for £1 and then pay £18 a month (all this money goes into your account which you can buy coffee with) for a year. I think this was a great deal and brilliant value for money. This coffee machine is their original style using small capsules from their original collection, these vary in price from around 36p per capsule to 60p a capsule for some of their special collection coffees. With a regular takeaway black coffee ranging from £1.39 (McDonald's) to £2.45 (Café Nero) a Nespresso coffee certainly works out as good value for money, and I much prefer the coffee.

Figure 2 - Buttons on the machine

The design of this machine is very simple and very intuitive. The machine can offer two different ‘pours’ for the coffee, either an espresso or a lungo (meaning long). As this is a more basic machine it offers one or another, whereas more expensive machines have dials for both espresso and lungo meaning you can make either a very short, strong coffee or a longer one depending on your preference. The button on the left is for an espresso and the one on the right is for a lungo, these are simply defined by a small cup symbol for the espresso and a large cup symbol for the lungo. Once the button is pressed it illuminates orange, showing that the coffee is brewing. This to me embodies Dieter Ram's principles that say good design should be understandable and involve as little design as possible. The buttons sit seamlessly on the top of the machine and give good physical feedback when pressed.

Figure 3 - Capsule slot open

The slot for you to place the coffee capsule is once again seamless, and intuitive. The capsule falls easily into the slot and the lever clicks down nicely, puncturing the foil to allow the water to percolate through. The design all makes sense and makes the task almost mindless to complete. Nothing is tricky or awkward and it creates no mess, which when you’re making your morning coffee is a massive benefit.

Figure 4 - Side view of the machine

The design of the machine is conveniently modular. The clear section on the right is the water canister, this lifts off easily by lifting the lid, it can then be filled with water and secured back onto the machine. The drip tray on the far-left slots onto the machine and can be used to pull out the section that holds the used capsules. It's long and narrow which makes it easy to slot into different spaces in the kitchen or in my case on my desk as can be seen below.

Figure 5 - Machine on desk

This year I have chosen to have the machine on my desk in my room as we have limited space in our kitchen, I can only do this as the product doesn’t generate much mess or take up too much space. I like the colour scheme too, it's simple with just black and red, it feels classy but not too boring. The most crucial thing for a coffee machine to achieve is to produce good coffee and I feel that this machine does that. A lot of coffee traditionalists say that it's not real, proper coffee, and I do see their point, there is something so alluring about using a traditional espresso machine, but there are many downsides to them too. I think that the Nespresso machines are a great middle ground, encompassing good value for money, easy use, and simple, clean, and sleek design.

I do feel like I am giving myself a treat every time I make a coffee with this machine, I like the sound it generates, I love watching the steam come from my mug as the coffee cascades in and I love having the smell of freshly brewed coffee circulate my room.

Something that I have found particularly interesting whilst writing this post is that I do feel like have an emotional connection to this inanimate object. I like to make sure it’s clean, I don’t want it to get bashed and I would be truly sad if it broke. I think the concept of an object evoking an emotional response is something a lot of people would think is silly until they think about products and objects in their life and realise the emotional attachments they have to them.

Coffee seems to be an area that evokes an emotional reaction for so many people. The passion that it generates can be so easily seen; the hatred of big coffee chains or the total reliance and routine of always getting a Starbucks on the way to work. Even in pop culture, it can be seen, ‘Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee’ is a phrase I can think of hearing in countless TV shows and movies. I think coffee unites people as a common ground that so many people love and probably rely on. I’m sure if you think about it you have a favourite mug, I certainly do, and when one of the pair broke I was definitely more sad than a piece of ceramic warrants.

For me, it's comfort and something I will always enjoy. A long day, a cold day, a stressful day, a celebration and I think to offer ‘let's go grab a coffee.

I clearly love coffee (maybe a little too much?) and my Nespresso machine is a big part of that. I would certainly say to anyone considering buying one that it’s a great investment.

Nespresso website: https://www.nespresso.com/uk/en/