Nespresso Vertuo Creatista review | Tom’s Guide

If you went to the Nespresso website and sorted your price from high to low (which, let’s face it, very few of us are in a position to do) the Nespresso Vertuo Creatista is what would show up at the top.

That’s right, this sleek hunk of stainless steel and curved edges is Nespresso’s most premium offering, boasting Breville-brand automatic steaming and Nespresso’s Vertuo technology that will automatically brew all manner of short and long drinks optimized to each pod.

At time of writing, you’ll have to part with at least $500 (or £500 if you’re based in the U.K.) to get your hands on this machine. That’s on a par with some of the best espresso machines on the market, and more expensive than many of the machines in our guide to the best coffee makers.

So I reviewed this coffee maker in the Tom’s Guide test kitchen to see if it deserves a spot in our guide to the best Nespresso machines.

There’s a lot that I like about the Vertuo Creatista, but if you gave me 500 bucks, I’d be running to the open arms of Breville, De’Longhi, and the like for my new machine. Perhaps, as someone who loves crafting coffee from scratch, I’m not the target buyer.

But I can appreciate that those who love lattes, value convenience, and want a kitchen full of sleek and premium countertop appliances could be enamored with this investment. Here are my full thoughts on the Nespresso Vertuo Creatista.

Nespresso Vertuo Creatista review: Price and availability

The Nespresso Vertuo Creatista comes in a few colors, all with elements of stainless steel. At time of writing, you can find it for $520 at Amazon, but it retails for closer to $600 at Nespresso itself. It’s a similar story in the U.K. where it’s currently available for £535 at Amazon but costs £649 at Nespresso.

The brand will usually butter you up with some freebies to convince you to shop direct, and there’s usually some form of promotion happening, so it’s worth shopping around.

Nespresso Vertuo Creatista review: Design

I can’t decide if the Nespresso Vertuo Creatista looks cool, or really weird. But regardless of my opinion, we can all agree that it’s eye-catching. It’s well-made too, with cool stainless steel exteriors and a sturdy multi-level drip tray. It also comes with a Breville brand milk jug, which means you can let your machine automatically steam your milk but pour it yourself, which I personally prefer to machines like the Lattissima Creatista which have an automatic milk dispenser that is super convenient, but removes some of that hand-crafted charm.

Nespresso, and Breville for that matter, have really landed on the hot coffee trend du jour with this machine: removing all the variables that can result in a bad cup of coffee, but giving you control of all the steps to make you feel like you made the drink.

You only need to master four buttons with the Nespresso Vertuo Creatista. The first is the button on top of the left hand Vertuo brewing unit, which will automatically brew the optimized length of coffee for whatever pod you add to it.

There are three buttons on the milk steaming wand: the temperature button allows you to toggle between three milk temperature settings, and the foam button allows the same level of control over how thick and sturdy your milk foam is. Then, the central button kicks off the steaming process. All in all, it couldn’t be much easier.

Nespresso Vertuo Creatista review: Performance

Nespresso’s Vertuo tech is the only thing setting this machine apart from its Nespresso Original-line predecessor, the Nespresso Creatista Plus. You wouldn’t buy either machine if you weren’t interested in milk-based coffee, but with the Vertuo you get the option of brewing a range of coffee drink sizes and strengths using Nespresso’s Vertuo line of capsules.

I put Vertuo vs Original line Nespresso machines head to head to help people decide which was best for them, but in short, I think the taste of the espresso you can achieve with Original-line machines is marginally better, but not worth it for most people considering how much less capable these appliances are than Nespresso’s Vertuo line coffee makers.

The Vertuo Creatista can brew a range of drink sizes: 18oz, 12oz, 8oz, 5oz, double espresso, and single espresso. I made a few different drink lengths when testing, and they all tasted more or less the same as the quality of drink you’d get from any Nespresso Vertuo machine, in my opinion. The brewing unit itself, while it looks great and feels well-made, doesn’t brew too differently from the $99 Nespresso Vertuo Pop.

That means you’ll end up with this matte froth on top of your coffee which is meant to replicate crema, but doesn’t do an amazing job. It fades fast, and starts to look a bit funny if you leave it sitting.

I did get to have some fun with Nespresso’s range of over-ice coffee pods, making one of the brand’s limited-edition flavors (watermelon cold brew, anyone?) which you can’t get in Original-line machines. While you’re restricted to Nespresso’s own line of coffee, the brand keeps its customers happy with a huge range of popular seasonal flavors.

Onto the milk, which elevates the whole machine. The automatic steam wand on this machine is quite impressive, allowing you to sit your jug of cold milk on the base of the machine with the steam wand inserted, while it does an authentic job of texturizing the foam and heating it up to your preferred specifications. Then, you can pour it yourself and even have a go at some latte art.

If you’re someone who likes drinking milk-based coffee like latte and cappuccino, it won’t disappoint. My milk came out glossy, evenly textured and thick every time I used the steam wand. The main issue is that the milk always came out on the hotter side, even on the lower heat level. On the hottest setting it hit 200°F/71°C, and at the lowest level it came out at 145°F/63°C. This is low enough to not scorch your milk, but it means you should be careful when making plant milk-based drinks, as they will burn at lower temperatures.

How does the Nespresso Vertuo Creatista compare?

By combining the Vertuo dispenser and Breville steam wand, Nespresso’s Vertuo Creatista is by far its most versatile offering. It can make 6 coffee lengths and 9 different milk foam and temperature combinations. So if you definitely want a Nespresso machine, you love milk-based coffee and you want the most versatile option out there, it’s a no-brainer.

However, if you prefer espresso-based drinks and would rarely make use of Nespresso’s longer drink offerings, I have a proposition: what if you just bought an espresso machine? Take the Ninja Luxe Café Espresso Machine, for example. It has a in-built grinder, assists with tamping and brewing the coffee, and has an automatic steam wand to boot. It also has an option to make cold brew and carafes of drip coffee, so it can cover the full range of coffee drinks you’d make with a Nespresso Vertuo. Aside from a little more labor on your part, the Ninja makes it just as easy to make a delicious drink at home, but you can use fresh-ground beans instead of pods. It’s $549, so it will cost about the same as the Nespresso, but I’m pretty confident it’ll give you a better brew.

Should you buy the Nespresso Vertuo Creatista?

It’s not that I think the Nespresso Vertuo Creatista is a bad machine. Far from it, there’s a lot to like here. It’s capable, well-made, looks cool, and offers a huge amount of versatility. I made some fun and tasty iced coffee, the espresso, while inauthentic, didn’t taste too dissimilar to the sort of brew you’d get at a big-name coffee shop, and it’s got an excellent milk steamer.

The issue is that it costs the same as some of the top espresso machines on the market. Historically, Nespresso buyers were time-poor and in need of quick and convenient coffee without having to spend a fortune. But times of changed, and now there are plenty of machines that can brew you a great shot of espresso and automatically steam your milk for you. And, at an entry level they’ll cost the same as the Nespresso Vertuo Creatista.

So, if you’re interested in the Nespresso Vertuo Creatista because you love Nespresso and you want the best of the best that pod coffee has to offer, this machine gets my wholehearted seal of approval. But if you’re interested because you love lattes and cappuccinos and you don’t know where to start, I recommend taking a look at my guide to the best espresso machines. I have a feeling you’ll find something you like the look of more, and it might even cost you less.