2016 Coffee Machine Reviews

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Nespresso brews up award-winning coffee machines

An espresso machine is the best friend of any coffee lover, letting you make café-quality coffee from the comfort of your own kitchen.

According to Canstar Blue’s latest survey, more than one-quarter (28%) of coffee machine owners actually prefer the coffee they make at home over that bought from a café. Better yet, 44% say they spend less money on buying coffee while they’re out since buying a coffee maker. With nearly half (48%) of respondents claiming to use their espresso coffee machine every day, those savings quickly add up.

The problem for consumers is that coffee machines can be worlds apart in quality, and short of trying them all, it’s difficult to know which brands deliver the best results. That’s why, as part of Canstar Blue’s commitment to helping consumers make the most informed purchasing decision, we have commissioned nationwide research asking New Zealand coffee machine owners how they rate their machine across key criteria including ease of use, reliability, value for money and overall satisfaction.

The results of the 2016 survey saw Nespresso as the only brand to rate five stars for overall satisfaction, making it our latest Most Satisfied Customers Award winner for coffee machines.

Nespresso produces a range of capsule coffee machines with prices on its New Zealand website ranging anywhere from $199 to $799.

Is it cheaper to make coffee from home?

Opinion is divided on whether or not owning a coffee machine actually saves you money, so let’s take a look.

According to Canstar Blue research, 13% of coffee machine owners see their purchase as a status symbol, and while price is not always a reflection of quality, many of us are willing to spend the big bucks on an espresso machine. We recorded the average spend to be $399. Interestingly, men spent noticeably more than women ($427 versus $376).

But that’s not the end of the story. Our survey also revealed the average capsule coffee machine owner spends an additional $41 each month on capsules. That works out to be $492 each year, or $891 when combined with an average coffee machine purchase.

Contrast this to purchasing a standard priced flat white each morning. Assuming a $5 coffee on your way to work each weekday for 48 weeks a year (factoring in holidays), your coffee fix might cost you around $1,200 per year. In this scenario, a coffee machine is clearly the cheaper option by at least $300. As a general rule, the more coffee you drink, the more you stand to save by purchasing an espresso machine.

What types of coffee machines are there?

The three most popular types of commercially available espresso machine are capsule, manual and automatic.

• Capsule machines: The simplest coffee-fix solution, just insert the capsule and press a button to produce a coffee. While these machines are limited to compatible capsules, there’s plenty choose from.
• Manual machines: These coffee machines are for those who really know their coffee. Manual coffee machines use coffee beans instead of capsules and give you complete control over blends and brewing, letting you make your coffee just the way you like it.
• Automatic machines: These machines meet halfway between the ease-of-use of capsule machines, and the quality of manual machines. Automatic coffee machines also use coffee beans, and can create a wide range of pre-programmed coffees with a press of a button.

The results of our research below show that capsule coffee makers are the most popular, followed by manual then automatic machines. Here’s who owns what:

• Capsule 53%
• Manual 29%
• Automatic 16%
• Unsure 2%

What drives espresso machine satisfaction?

We take our coffee very seriously, which means we expect a lot from our coffee machines. There are plenty of things to consider when buying a new coffee machine, but based our research, the greatest drivers of customer satisfaction are:

• Reliability 30%
• Ease of use 25%
• Value for money 22%
• Design 16%
• Ease of cleaning / maintenance 2%

It makes sense that reliability is the most important driver of satisfaction, after all – you don’t want to your coffee maker to break down when you need your fix. Ease of use was also an important criteria, which is perhaps a reason why capsule coffee machines have proven so popular.