Nespresso vs. Senseo

With a Nespresso machine, you can only make 1 cup of coffee at a time. Place the capsule in the machine and push the handle down. You'll have a nice cup of coffee in no time. The capsules end up in a removable container after use. These can fit an average of 10 capsules. When the container is full, you empty it in the trash can. You can adjust the coffee volume in advance, so you decide how much water the machine uses.

You can make 2 cups of coffee at the same time with a Senseo machine. To make coffee, you place the coffee pad in a pad holder and put it back in the machine. You get 2 of these holders. One is for 1 cup of coffee, the other for 2 cups. Push the lever down and press the button. After each use, you throw away the used coffee pad. A Senseo machine doesn't have any extra functions or settings in most cases.

You use a capsule to make coffee with a Nespresso machine. A capsule contains coffee from freshly ground beans and is sealed airtight. This keeps the coffee fresh and it retains its taste. The Nespresso system brews the coffee under a high pressure of 19 bar. That way, hot water pushes through the capsule at high pressure. Thanks to this, the coffee tastes a lot like an Italian espresso. Nespresso offers lots of choice when it comes to coffee flavors. It costs between € 0.43 and € 0.60 on average to make 1 cup of coffee with a Nespresso capsule.

You use pads to make coffee with a Senseo machine. With a coffee pad, you can brew a cup of filter coffee. The coffee pad is a satchel made from special filter paper that contains about 7g of ground coffee. You make 1 cup of coffee with 1 pad, which gets made under a low pressure of 1 bar. So the water flows through the coffee slowly. A cup of Senseo coffee costs as little as € 0.12 per cup.

With a Nespresso machine with a built-in milk reservoir, you can make a cappuccino or latte macchiato with the push of a button. A machine with a separate milk frother automatically foams the milk. When it's done, you pour it into your cup yourself. You also have the option to froth milk manually in a jug if you have machine with a steam wand.

Want to make a cappuccino with a Senseo coffee machine? You need a milk frother for this. This machine froths the milk for you automatically. You can then pour the milk into your cup yourself, just like with a Nespresso coffee machine.

You have to descale the Nespresso machine 2 times per year. This prevents clogging in the pipes of your coffee machine. Made a milk specialty? Clean the steam wand or milk frother right after use. If you don't plan to use the coffee machine for 2 weeks, give it a quick rinse. This ensures coffee residue won't nestle in the machine

You need to descale the Senseo machine once every 3 months. This prevents errors and clogging coffee residue. Some machine have a limescale light that flickers when you have to descale it.