A while back, Nespresso released the Essenza Mini, a truly compact espresso machine that you can fit anywhere. It’s my personal choice that I keep right beside my workstation for a quick cup whenever I need an energy boost. With 3.3 inches in width, countertop space is the last thing to worry about with the Essenza Mini.

However, there’s now a new and improved version of the Essenza Mini that goes by the name Essenza Plus. What’s new in this new version? What’s ‘Plus’ about it and how is it different than the Essenza Mini? This is what you’ll find out in this post.

Essenza Plus vs. Essenza Mini, What’s The Difference?

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The Essenza Mini is a basic espresso machine that can brew two drinks: Espresso and Lungo, and with the help of a milk frother, you can make any coffee recipe.

The biggest difference between the Essenza Mini and Essenza Plus, and it’s my personal favorite feature here, is the Hot Water button, which allows for automatic brewing of Americano or using hot water for anything else you like.

Design wise, the Essenza Plus is wider than the Essenza Mini at 4.6” to 5.5” wide (Depending on the model). But a great design feature that the Essenza Plus has is the fact that it has a repostionable water reservoir, making it more adaptable to your space.

Essenza Plus Features:

The Essenza Plus is still a compact espresso machine, although, it’s slightly wider than the Essenza Mini. In return, it offers many new things:

-Additional serving size options

-Hot Water on Demand

-Connectivity

-One-Touch capsule order.

Available from: Amazon.comBreville

Let’s talk about these new features, one by one:

The Essenza Plus has 4 coffee sizes:

-Espresso, Lungo, Americano and Americano XL.

What are Americano and Americano XL?

Americano is usually made by adding hot water to a shot of espresso. On the Essenza Plus, the Americano option is programmed to brew 0.85 oz of espresso followed by 4.2 oz of hot water. Americano XL recipe uses 1.35 oz of espresso followed by 5.4 oz of hot water.

Nespresso Essenza Plus
machine image source

Can I Make any other Coffee Drinks?

Of course, you can make any espresso based drink like Cappuccino, Latte or Macchiato if you choose to bundle your machine with an Aeroccino milk frother, or use any other frother you choose.

Hot Water on Demand

This is a really useful feature, to have hot water at a press of a button. It’s great not only for Americano preparation, but it’s great for other things like tea or preparing instant meals.

The best part about this is that the hot water has its dedicated spout, which means you don’t have to worry about getting hot water with coffee residue in it.

WiFi Connectivity

The Essenza Plus is Bluetooth and WiFi enabled. Usually, I’m not a fan of connected machines. I just don’t see the use for it. And in this case, it can either be useful to you or a total novelty, you decide!

The Nespresso app on your phone or tablet can do many things, including help you reprogram drink volumes, get recipes and set up some configurations. Another thing it can do is allow you to set up a preferred capsule order to keep on your account. Once you start running low on capsules, the only thing you’ll have to do is press the One-Touch Order button on your machine and your preferred order will be sent to Nespresso. This button is kind of smart, too. Once your order has been confirmed, the button will display a steady white LED light, and you’ll have 2 hours to cancel your order via the app, if you want to. If your button flashes an Orange LED light, then something went wrong and you’ll have to check via the app, too.

You will not be able to order through the One-Touch button again until your pending order has shipped. But I do wonder, what if you press the button by mistake? What if you don’t even realize you hit that button and just end up with a surprise order showing at your door? This is the type of ‘too much convenience’ that is not always helpful, but is cool to have as a novelty.

Features Recap:

-Repositionable water tank allows you to keep it at either side or at the back.

-Capacity: 33.8 oz

-Dimensions (WxDxH): 4.6 x 15.7 x 10.1

-Used capsules container capacity: 11 capsules

-19-bar pressure pump.

-Available in two designs and colors.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Is Essenza Plus Different than CitiZ or Pixie?

CitiZ and Pixie are two of Nespresso’s earlier OriginalLine machines. They are still in production and are going strong. While all three models offer the same serving sizes, Essenza Plus is the only one with a dedicated hot water dispenser and selection for Americano drinks.

Is Essenza Plus a Discontinued Model?

No, it’s still being sold (as of 2022) and fully supported by Nespresso.

Features of Essenza Mini

Essenza Mini is an entry-level Nespresso machine perfect for anyone who prefers espresso or lungo on a daily basis. If you’re an occasional cappuccino or latte drinker like myself, add in a milk frother for a creamy milk every now and then.

-Select from two sizes, espresso or lungo. Both are programmable.

-Removable water reservoir capacity: 20 oz

-Dimensions (WxHxD): 8.1in x 12.8in x 4.3in

-Used capsule drawer: 5 or 6

-Weight 5.1 lbs

There’s nothing else on the machine other than the two buttons. To turn it on, simply press any of these buttons and they’ll start flashing. Once they are solid, the machine is ready for use.

This is great brewer if you want something compact. It is very low maintenance and requires no clean up other than the occasional rinse of the pod holder and drip tray. So you can literally put it anywhere from an office, dorm, or kitchen. It’s great for RVs too if you’re usually on the go. The same goes for the Essenza Plus, too. Both are quite compact, but the Essenza Mini is even smaller.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Nespresso Essenza Mini Make Just Hot Water?

Technically, it’s possible. Although it’s nothing like the Essenza Plus, it does not have a dedicated spout for hot water. But, you can just select a brew size without inserting a pod and hot water will come out, although it will most likely have some coffee residue. What I do is run an ’empty’ cycle a couple of times to get rid of the coffee residue and will end up with clean hot water.

Does The Essenza Mini Store Used Pods?

It does! I know it looks too small to hold any used pods, but it has a small drawer that can hold about 5 used pods.

Can Essenza Mini Make Regular Black Coffee or Americano?

Essenza Mini, on its own, only makes Espresso. If you want to make an Americano, you’ll have to boil hot water separately. As for ‘regular black coffee’, which I am assuming is drip coffee, then no, it can’t do that.

Is It Worth It? Should You Upgrade Your Esssenza Mini?

If there’s one feature that makes this machine awesome, it’s the hot water on demand. The fact that it has its own dedicated spout makes it a true winner. With other Nespresso machines, you could always get hot water simply by not placing in a capsule and hitting any brew button. But what you would get is hot water mixed with some residue from previously brewed coffee. With the Essenza Plus, you’re getting hot water that goes through its own dedicate pipe so it doesn’t mix with the coffee at all.

Between the Essenza Mini and Essenza Plus, I absolutely recommend the latter.

Should you upgrade your current Essenza Mini (or other Nespresso machine)? It depends on whether or not you’ll need the hot water on demand. Americanos are a great way to enjoy a longer cup of coffee that is smoother and less bitter than a shot of espresso or lungo. You can still make Americanos using any Nespresso machine, of course. Just add hot water using a kettle. But if you’re in a situation, like myself, where you can’t keep a kettle and an all-in-one solution would be the best choice then the Essenza Plus is your machine.

As for the Connectivity and One-Touch ordering, while it’s innovative and all, I don’t think of it as a necessity at all. You can still use the app to order your capsules and get your recipes without the need to have it directly connected to your machine.

Capsule Compatibility:

The Essenza Mini Plus, like the Essenza Mini, is an OriginalLine machine. Which means it is compatible with all OriginalLine capsules from Nespresso or other brands. There are also some refillable capsules you can use, but always purchase these with caution as some are not built very well and can cause the needle inside your machine to break and void your warranty.

Nespresso Essenza DeLonghi vs. Breville, Is There a Difference?

This is a question I see in regards to every Nespresso machine, whether it’s the Essenza or other models. Some machines are labeled as Nespresso DeLonghi and other are sold under Breville’s name, which is another kitchen appliances brand. Why are Nespresso machines sold under these other brand names and which is better?

Truth is, there is NO actual difference between Nespresso machines sold under Breville’s or DeLonghi’s name other than very few design and color differences that do not affect the function of the machines at all. All machines remain Nespresso machines and use Nespresso capsules.

Why are they sold under Breville and DeLonghi names?

To keep up with demand around the globe, Nespresso has partnered with these two trusted brands (as well as KRUPS in the UK and parts of Europe, too) to help them with manufacturing and distribution. And that’s all there is too it. Whichever secondary brand name your Nespresso machine will have, they are all the same internally. So after picking your favorite Nespresso model, choose your favorite color and design, you don’t need to pay much attention whether it’s Breville or DeLonghi.

About the Author

Nicole

Enjoying coffee, one pod at a time. Bringing all my coffee expertise to this blog.

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