Breville Nespresso Creatista Plus Machine Review 2024

Are you one of those people who don’t feel like the day begins until you get some caffeine in you? Are you in the habit of making a daily trek to the local coffee bar? Would you rather stop doing that and start making perfect coffee creations from the comfort of your kitchen?

If you answered yes to the questions above, and if you’re looking for a pod-based espresso maker, then you’re going to like what you read here in our Nespresso Creatista Plus review.

We’ll be the first to admit that this machine won’t be for everyone because not everybody is going to be interested in a pod-based machine. If you are, though, you’ll find a lot to like here, and in the sections that follow, we’ll outline everything that the Creatista has to offer. Read on, and let’s take a closer look.

An Overview of the Nespresso Creatista Plus Espresso Machine by Breville

Before we get into the particulars of this machine, we should first provide a bit of background.

The design of the Nespresso Machine is owned by Nestle Corporation. They license the design out to major manufacturers of coffee and espresso machines like DeLonghi and Breville.

Breville is one of the major players in the industry, and they’re the people who actually manufactured this model, which is why you’ll find it for sale on both the Breville website and Nespresso’s own website.

The second thing to mention again is the fact that this is a pod-based machine. If you’ve already spent money on a coffee grinder and you want espresso made from fresh beans, then this isn’t the machine you want.

Pod-based machines have pros and cons, with the biggest con being that you’re limited to whatever sorts of coffee the company that makes the pods is offering. True, you can sometimes get off-brand pods to work, and if so, that will expand your options, but this will involve some trial and error.

The good news is that Nespresso offers a delightful range of pods for their machines, and if you buy one, it will come with a “starter kit” of assorted coffee pods. When you need to resupply, you can get all the pods you want from right here.

As you can see, there’s a lot to choose from!

Form Factor, Footprint, & Aesthetic

This is an exceptionally strong component of our Nespresso Creatista Plus review. This machine is sleek and honestly pretty. It’s just pleasing to look at, and if aesthetics matter to you, then this model is probably going to win you over.

If the sleek look of the thing doesn’t do it, then perhaps you’ll be charmed by the fact that you can order your Breville Nespresso Creatista Plus in any of the following accent colors:

Not many specialty coffee machines come with color options, but we’re thrilled to see it here. If you want to keep your kitchen color coordinated, you may be able to find an option that blends well with your prevailing color scheme, and that’s pretty cool.

The fact that it’s a good-looking machine is nice, but at the end of the day, function matters more than form for most folks, as does the overall footprint of the machine because nobody wants an appliance that’s a space hog.

This is another area where the Creatista Plus shines. It measures 6.7” W x 16.1” D x 12.2” H. The depth dimension is a bit larger than average, but the height is the real story here.

It’s short enough that it should slide neatly under your kitchen cabinets, which makes it easy to find a permanent home for the unit. If you do have to move it around to use it, it only weighs 11.4 pounds, so that won’t be a struggle either.

Reservoir Size of the Nespresso Creatista Plus by Breville

While we don’t regard this as one of the strongest components of our Nespresso Creatista Plus review, it’s not awful, either. The water tank is located at the back of the unit, so you’ll generally need to pull the machine out to detach and fill the tank, which has a capacity of fifty ounces.

Given that this unit brews espresso drinks one cup at a time, it doesn’t use much water per shot, even if you opt for a Lungo. Even so, it’s not hard to find comparably priced machines with bigger water tanks.

If you’re the only coffee drinker in your house, the tank size won’t be an issue. But if you live in a large, bustling household with several coffee drinkers and you all enjoy multiple cups a day, you’ll probably find yourself having to refill the tank slightly more often than you’d like. 

It’s certainly not the end of the world, and it’s by no means a deal breaker. But if you’re specifically looking for a unit with a huge water reservoir, you can find machines with more to offer on that front.

The Boiler System of the Breville Nespresso Creatista Plus

Breville uses a patented technology called “Thermojet” in many of the machines they currently sell.

It is known for its ability to bring the boiler inside the unit up to temp very quickly, and it’s in use on this model. You won’t have to stand around drumming your fingertips on the counter and waiting for your espresso machine to warm up if you get one of these. It will be ready to go in about three seconds!

That’s faster than most of its peers, and we love it. If you’re standing by the coffee maker all bleary-eyed first thing in the morning, we think you’ll love it too. Kudos to Breville for a job very well done on that front! Best of all, it’s paired with an impressive nineteen-bar pressure pump!

The Control System of the Breville Creatista Plus

We love machines with good clean designs and intuitive control systems. 

This one makes us very happy. There are only a handful of buttons to contend with, all located on the top of the machine. And thanks to the well-written user manual, it will only take you a few minutes to master the basics of the Creatista Plus’ use, even if you’re not accustomed to working with gadgets and gizmos.

Of course, part of the reason that the control system is so simple here is that this unit only allows you to make a few different coffee drinks. You can make espresso, Café Latte, or Cappuccino from the selector buttons, and there are instructions in the manual for making latte macchiato and ristretto.

The controls give you the ability to adjust the volume of water in your cup from 0.85 ounces to two ounces and control the milk temperature in a band that spans 133-169 degrees Fahrenheit and the amount of milk froth (from 0.08” to 1.2”).

In addition to that, the Creatista Nespresso Plus allows you to brew one cup or two at your option, which means you can brew two cups into the same large cup and wind up with a Lungo.

Plus, this machine does have a steam wand that can steam and froth milk. We’ll talk about that just below, but the bottom line is that using these basics as a starting point and with the ability to steam and texture milk, you can actually create just about any specialty coffee drink you want.

The Milk Frothing System of the Breville Creatista Plus Coffee Machine

There’s more to say in this section than you might imagine!

First, though, let’s cover the basics. Generally speaking, there are two approaches a manufacturer can take when it comes to milk froth. They can either build a steam wand into the design or they can go with an auto-frother.

As the name implies, an auto-frother is basically a hands-free system, while the steam wand is what you see the barista at your local coffee shop using when he prepares your drink.

This unit does utilize a steam wand, but the texture settings depend on where you set the dial, so unlike a conventional steam wand, there’s nothing to practice, really. You set the controls for how much froth you want and stick the frothing jug under the wand.

At this point, we should also mention that there are a number of variants of the Creatista Plus.

These include the slightly older base model Creatista, the Creatista Uno, and the Creatista Pro.

For the most part, the differences between these models are scant. In the case of the base model Creatista, it only comes in one color (brushed stainless steel) and has a marginally smaller water tank.

The main differences between these models lie in the number of milk texturing settings, with the base model Creatista offering four options on that front and the Uno offering just three.

By contrast, the Creatista Plus gives you eight different milk texture options and is constructed with thicker stainless steel, making it more durable.

The ultimate, though, is the Creatista Pro. It’s slightly larger than the others, with a correspondingly larger 67-ounce water tank, and does away with all the buttons entirely, replacing them with a brightly lit touch screen that makes the machine look even sleeker than its smaller, less expensive cousins.

Of course, those features come at a price, and the Creatista Pro is the most expensive machine in the product line.

Whichever model you opt for, we think you’ll be impressed by the quality of the drinks you can create.

The Breville Creatista Coffee Machine is Easy to Keep Clean

Like any coffee machine, this one does need regular attention. You’ll want to wipe down any part of the unit that comes into contact with water, coffee, or milk, which includes the drip tray and the steam wand.

The good news is that the steam wand is self-purging, so it doesn’t need a lot of attention. Just wipe it off with a damp cloth after each use, and you’re good to go! The unit also needs periodic descaling, but the instructions for doing that are clear, and the process doesn’t take very long—you can’t really ask for more than that!

Extras on Offer

If you decide you want one of these, you’ll get a stainless-steel milk frothing jug and a variety pack of coffee pods to experiment with and get you started. We can’t think of anything else you might need!

Pros & Cons of Breville Nespresso Creatista Plus

The biggest pro with the Creatista is that it’s super convenient and has fast heating. There’s a huge variety of pods available, so you’ll be hard-pressed to get tired of the options available to you.

On the downside, some people just don’t want a pod-based machine, especially one that’s a bit on the pricey side.

If that’s you, then you’ll be inclined to give this one a pass.

Nespresso Creatista Plus Review Conclusion

Ultimately, these kinds of machines are pretty self-selecting. You’re either going to be in the market for a pod-based machine or you’re not. If you’re not, you won’t give this one a second look, and we can’t say we blame you.

If you are, though, then this one (or one of its close cousins we mentioned) deserves a spot on your shortlist of options to consider. It’s a solid, great-looking machine that delivers consistently good results, and what’s not to like about that?

Other Options to Consider

If you’re interested in this kind of machine but have decided that the Creatista Plus isn’t a perfect fit for you, here are the links to some of its cousins that might be a better option.

Smaller, less expensive, and with fewer milk-texturing options, this is a somewhat scaled-down and more basic version of the unit we just talked about. If you’re on a budget, though, and don’t need tons of milk texturing options, it’s a solid choice.

The larger water tank and the touch screen are the major differences here, making this an even sleeker and more beautiful machine. If you live in a busy household with lots of coffee drinkers, you’ll really appreciate the expanded size of the reservoir too!

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Official Manufacturer Support

Sources & Resources

• Breville, Official Brand Website.
• Breville Nespresso Creatista Plus User Manual.
• Effects of Coffee/Caffeine on Brain Health and Disease, NCBI.
• How Nespresso’s Coffee Revolution Got Ground Down, The Guardian.
• 10 Nespresso Recipes That Take Coffee to the Next Level, Insanely Good Recipes.