Ah, a tale of two espressos…the Lattissima Plus vs the Pro…Is it a fair contest? These 2 Italian beauties , both capable of making dynamite espresso at the touch of a few buttons.
I realize this issue comes up a lot so I’ll tackle that right now. Some people are on the fence regarding the Plus vs the Lattissima Pro and it comes up in discussions a great deal. Although you get a lot of great features with both of them and you can’t go wrong whichever one you choose, there are some differences to point out:
First off….the price difference. You’ll spend about $100 – $200 less for the Plus for the smaller size and fewer settings…however you’ll be getting the same workhorse functionality. Now are the extra features worth the added cost?
It could – Depends on how varied you want your drinks to be!
[toc]Touchscreen
The Pro has an impressive LED digital touchscreen with 6 settings: Ristretto, Espresso, Lungo, Cappuccino, Latte Machiatto and Steamed Milk/Water. Through this panel you can customize the settings as well as functions like the auto-off, water hardness setting, and volume.
It’s also got digital word readouts too, which makes it easier to know which setting is which if you’re not used to strictly icon symbols.
The Lattissima Plus has 4 settings via green backlit push buttons : Espresso, Lungo, Cappucino and Latte Machiatto. While it may be a little less sophisticated, it does allow for some creative drink making hacks.
You can also customize the volume, when you want the auto-off to be set and manage the water hardness setting via the buttons as well. So whether or not you think you need the added settings besides the Plus’s four is up to you.
Milk Container
The milk container is somewhat different – they both work well doing their job, being storable and the parts washable – Obviously, the first difference is they are shaped differently, but one biggie is the fact that the Pro has an auto-clean function that kicks in after brewing. With the Plus you have the button to the side to push to give it a final post-cycle quick rinse.
This is not a negative thing to me; you can also push it down for a little bit longer if you need to, which some people say helps to “prime the cup” for a hotter beverage as the steam wand gets pretty hot to the touch.
Drip Tray
The drip trays vary somewhat – The Pro has a platform that is hinged and you can push it up out of the way to accommodate taller cups.
Colors
Lastly, the Plus has color options – they can vary and availability may depend on how popular. These include red, Stainless Steel, and Titan (which is a sort of gunmetal gray.) The Pro only has the stainless steel.
Nespresso Lattissima Plus Original Espresso Machine, Red
Lattissima Pro Original Espresso Machine with Milk Frother
Price Difference
The Pro has a price tag that’s about $100-$200 higher give or take – It’s larger, the milk container is also larger and has the extra function, and the extra settings mentioned above. Another addition is that of a test strip that the Pro includes to test the water hardness before choosing a setting via the touchscreen.
The chart I put together below shows these major features side by side. I know it’s not very sexy, but it does let you see both these machines up close at a glance.
[table id=11 /]
The similarities in both machines includes:
- 19 bars of pressure
- Both use the Nespresso OriginalLine coffee capsules exclusively
- Energy-saving function
- Customization options
So hopefully you may have gotten off the metaphorical “fence” by now? LOL! There you have it…Two machines, made by the same great company Nespresso – many functions. Hope this will have been helpful!
