Nespresso Creatista Uno By Sage Review

If you are feeling artsy, the Nespresso Creatista Uno by Sage is the perfect coffee machine to indulge your creative side.

The Creatista Uno is a pod coffee machine (see some other here) that comes with an automatic steamer with adjustable texture levels. You can then free pour the textured milk to create latte art.

In addition to milk coffees, you can make three types of black coffees: standard Espresso, the more concentrated Ristretto and a larger serving called Lungo.

The Creatista Uno comes with a set of introductory capsules and you can order more via the Nespresso app or on their website. Read on to learn more in my Nespresso Creatista Uno review.

Nespresso Creatista Uno review

What I like

• Easy to use
• Wide range of coffees
• Automatic milk frother
• Easy maintenance

What I don’t like

• Pricey
• No on/off switch

What are you buying?

1. Artsy pod coffee machine

If you’ve ever wanted to replicate the latte you get from your local café, complete with the art, the Nespresso Creatista Uno is the best coffee machine.

The machine doesn’t make the art for you; it just makes it easier to create it.

In keeping with the creative spirit, the Creatista Uno has a beautiful design with a high-gloss plastic body, pop-out cup support and a metal milk jug.

It’s the kind of coffee machine you’d expect to find at an artisanal coffee shop.

If you buy appliances for their form as well as function, you’ll love the Creatista Uno.

As I mentioned, this is a pod coffee machine.

It doesn’t use ground coffee or coffee beans. Instead, you pop in ready-made pods and then press a button to get your coffee.

You’ll get a welcome set of capsules when you buy the Creatista Uno. You can easily order more on their website or app.

2. Fully automatic steam wand

To make milk coffees, use the steam wand.

You won’t find a better frothing nozzle in another brand of coffee machine. It works automatically, creating the perfect texture and froth for your cappuccino or latte.

There are two steaming settings you can configure.

One is temperature. You can choose from three levels.

The other is froth level. Again, you can choose from three levels.

With a combined 6 settings, you can make just about any milk coffee style you want ranging from a less dense flat white to a foamy mocha.

Once you’ve selected your preferred settings, dip the steam wand into the milk jug. For best results, use the barista-style jug that comes with the coffee machine.

The wand has a sensor to monitor milk temperature.

Once the milk is hot enough, it stops automatically. Once you remove and lower it back into place, it will automatically purge with hot water for self-cleaning.

To create art, free pour the textured milk into the coffee in a pattern.

Nespresso has a few video tutorials for creating art. Here’s one for simple art:

3. Versatile coffee styles

You can make three types of black coffee (no milk) by pressing the corresponding button on the control panel.

• Ristretto: A smaller and more concentrated shot of espresso. The machine passes less water through the same amount of coffee, resulting in higher concentration. The default volume is 25ml.
• Espresso:  A standard 40ml shot.
• Lungo: A larger shot of espresso. The machine passes more water through the same amount of ground coffee, resulting in a less strong but slightly more bitter flavour. The default volume is 110ml.

4. High pressure for better flavour

The Creatista Uno passes water through the pod at a pressure of 19 bars, one of the highest of any coffee machine.

The increased pressure allows more flavour extraction, resulting in rich and intense coffee.

It also results in a thick crema.

5. Adjustable settings

You can adjust various settings to customize your coffee flavour or quantity.

For example, you can change the default volume values for the three types of coffees. This will vary how strong each coffee is.

If you prefer a slightly less intense Ristretto, you can increase volume (up to 30 ml). If you think the Lungo needs a stronger kick, you can decrease the volume (up to 70ml).

For the Espresso, you can adjust the volume between 30ml and 70ml.

When steaming milk, you can adjust the milk temperature and the froth level. This is handy when you want coffee that’s smoother and less dense (e.g. flat white) or one that’s foamier (e.g. Latte Macchiato).

6. Rapid heating

The Creatista’s 3-second water heating rate is the best in the industry.

It ensures there’s almost no delay when you press one of the ‘give me coffee’ button.

How easy is it to use?

Like most pod coffee machines, the Nespresso Creatista Uno doesn’t require any barista skills to operate.

Most of the features, including the usually tricky milk frothing bit, are automated.

You just press a button and the machine does everything for you.

You don’t even have to grind coffee. The pods are super convenient and fast.

One feature we love is the pop-out coffee cup platform. It raises the coffee cup closer to the spout and leaves space on the main drip tray for the milk jug.

You can actually froth the milk with the ready espresso or lungo waiting patiently on the pop out platform.

The settings and configurations are pretty easy to figure out.

The only settings that you’ll need to consult the manual twice to operate are setting the water hardness, going into descaling mode and starting the emptying cycle.

These settings require pressing multiple buttons. But you’ll figure it out quickly. And anyway, you use them only occasionally.

The everyday settings are easy to use.

Maintenance is easy. Just clean various components daily and descale the machine when the descale alert lights up.

What accessories are included?

• A set of Nespresso capsules
• 480ml milk jug
• Water hardness test strip. Use this to set the water hardness in the machine (this ensures you get a descaling alert at the right time to prevent damage to internal components).

Nespresso Creatista Uno key features

Pros

• Easy to use pod coffee machine.
• Makes a wide range of coffees.
• Automatic milk frother with adjustable settings.
• Easy maintenance.
• Fast heating minimises delays.

Cons

• A bit pricey.
• No on/off switch. Turning off requires pressing two button simultaneously. Not a big deal but it’s unnecessarily complicated.

Anything else you should know?

If you want a long-term supply of pods, we recommend this 50-pod Nespresso pack containing five flavours with 10 pods of each. The flavours are Roma, Livanto, Ristretto, Arpeggio and Capriccio.

Conclusion

Similarly to Sage Creatista Plus, the Nespresso Creatista Uno is one of the best pod coffee machines in the market. It will cost you more than most pod coffee makers but it’s worth it.

I especially love the focus on high quality barista-style coffee, which you could see in this Nespresso Creatista Uno review.

Where to buy?

• Amazon UK: >> Click here to see today’s price