A Nespresso machine doesn’t make true espresso but a lot of people use it because it’s cheaper and faster. When I’m at home, I like taking the time to make espressos and lattes.
When I’m out of town visiting family, I tend to drive to the nearest coffee shop, that isn’t Starbucks, and get a latte there. There is a good one nearby but sometimes I don’t want to make the drive every morning so I bought a Nespresso Essenza Mini. Nespresso espresso is passable, but it’s not as good as good espresso from a really good shop.
Below are how you can make various hot and cold drinks with a Nespresso.
Hot Drinks
Cortado. Extract 1 capsule on espresso (40ml). Froth/steam 60-80 ml milk to highest foam (you won’t use it all). Pour 20 ml of the hot milk onto coffee and spoon stiff foam into the cup for another 20 ml. This drink exactly fills a standard Nespresso espresso cup, which holds 80 ml. It looks nice in the clear espresso cups.
Flat white. Extract 2 capsules at ristretto (25ml) setting. Froth/steam 80-120 ml milk to low foam and pour onto coffee (plus or minus to your taste). You can make 1 capsule if you want (use about half the milk).
Cappuccino – small. Extract 1 capsule on espresso (40ml). Froth/steam 80 ml milk to highest foam and pour onto coffee (plus or minus to your taste).
Cappuccino – large. Extract 2 capsules on espresso (40ml). Froth/steam 150 ml milk to highest foam and pour onto coffee (plus or minus to your taste).
Latte. Extract 1 capsule on espresso (40ml). Froth/steam 100-200 ml milk to medium-low foam and pour onto coffee (plus or minus to your taste). Use 2 capsules and up to 250 ml milk if you want either a larger drink or a stronger drink.
Latte macchiato. Same as latte except it’s much foamier (maximum foam) and you pour the steamed/frothed milk in first and then extract the coffee into it. Excellent in a tall clear glass.
On Creatista Plus the default steaming levels are set mostly according to the above foam level recommendations. Some may prefer to increase the foam level above the default for cappuccino so the foam is stiffer. The flat white, cappuccino, and latte programs give the option to extract a second capsule after the milk if you need two. The only other setting that needs to be changed on Creatista Plus is to reduce the coffee extraction to the lowest level (25 ml) on the Flat White program.
When using syrups use about 1 pump (1/4 ounce / 7.5 ml) per capsule (or a bit less). Put the syrup in first and extract the espresso onto it so it mixes well.
“Extract 2 capsules” means use a second, fresh capsule for the second extraction. On Vertuo, you can use a double espresso capsule.
When making a latte with the Aeroccino, you can warm up 30-60 ml of milk in the microwave in your mug, then extract the coffee into the warmed milk, and then pour on a full batch of Aeroccino foamed milk.
Cold / Iced Drinks
Capsules to use
You need a concentrated punch of coffee flavor, which can easily get diluted as we add ice, milk, and syrup. So we use espresso shots (40 ml) for all of these drinks. If the drink is larger or has more dilution, you will likely need to extract more than one pod: use 2, 3, or 4 Original pods depending on the drink and your taste. In Vertuo, you can use the double espresso pods. For the drinks with milk or a lot of dilution, the stronger pods are best. For the less diluted drinks, you can really use any pod you like. The iced pods are designed to be chilled and keep some flavor and many people like them but the normal pods work just as well. Experiment to find what you like.
Chilling the espresso
This is the heart of making an iced espresso drink. These techniques will apply to almost all of the recipes below.
Ice cubes. The simplest approach is to fill your glass with ice cubes and extract the espresso(s) over the ice. The ice will melt and water down the espresso. This may be just the flavor you are looking for, in which case this technique works for you. Larger ice cubes melt less (because the center portion continues to cool the drink with less surface melting). Nespresso sells or gives away on promotion silicone ice cube trays with large cubes that work very well. You can also buy silicone ice cube molds online.
Coffee ice cubes. A way to combat the dilution is to make ice cubes (in the silicone trays) with cooled espresso or coffee. This is a good way to use up pod varieties that you ended up not liking. Then when the cubes melt, they are not diluting the iced drink.
HyperChiller. You can greatly reduce your use of ice and melting by purchasing a HyperChiller. You keep this unit in your freezer. It contains a collar of water that freezes. When you pour hot espresso into it, it will cool it significantly without any dilution. It will not chill it all the way to iced temperature so you will still need to add a few ice cubes (or coffee ice cubes) but the cubes will not melt so much.
Refrigerator/freezer. You can extract your espresso shots in advance, even the previous day and chill them in your refrigerator. You can also place a fresh shot in the freezer for a few minutes to cool it partially and then use ice cubes. Some people feel that the flavor of shots deteriorates if they are kept for too long but with the flavorings and milk in most iced drinks it may not be that noticeable. With my real espresso machine and a double shot, I usually put it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
Limiting dilution. Chilling the espresso even for a few minutes in the refrigerator will greatly reduce the amount of ice you need.
Syrups and sweetening
Many iced drinks are made with plain or flavored syrups.
One pump of syrup is 1/4 ounce or 7.5 ml. Iced drinks require more syrup than similar hot drinks because cold dulls the taste of sweet flavors. For a typical sized iced drink use 2-3 pumps of syrup. For a large size, even more.
When using ice cubes, put the ice cubes in the glass, pump the syrup on top, and extract the espresso over that. If you are using a HyperChiller, chill the espresso plain and pour the cold espresso over ice and syrup.
You can also use granulated, brown, or raw sugar, or artificial sweeteners. Dissolve the sugar well in the hot espresso before chilling.
Milk and foaming
Many of the drinks involve milk. You can use cow’s milk or any plant-based milk you like. The plant-based milks will impart certain flavors and you may find particular combinations with certain flavored syrups that work well.
If you have an Aeroccino 3 or 4 or a Barista Recipe Maker (or a non-Nespresso frother that does cold), you can make cold milk froth, if you like. If you have a Creatista, you can make partial froth by placing a couple of ice cubes in your milk and steaming it. Stop the steaming after it starts to foam because you don’t want the machine to steam the milk all the way hot.
Basic drink recipes
These are arranged from most coffee flavor to least. Following this list are ideas for specialty drinks.
Iced espresso. Extract espresso over ice (or other chilling method) and drink.
Iced caffe Americano. Extract espresso over ice (or other chilling method), add cold (preferably filtered) water to taste and drink.
Iced espresso tonic or seltzer. This is an iced caffe Americano made with cold tonic water or seltzer instead of water. This really showcases the flavors of some of the lighter or limited edition capsules. The tonic especially compliments pods with bright acidity. Not normally served with syrup, but of course you can make it however you like.
Iced caffe latte. Extract espresso over ice (or other chilling method), add cold milk of your choice to taste and drink. For a one pod drink, use ice cubes that partially melt plus 4-5 ounces (120-150 ml) milk. These are very commonly made with syrup, either plain or flavored.
Iced macchiato, cappuccino and iced flat white. These are essentially the same as iced caffe latte with less milk. You could use two ristretto shots (25 ml each) to make an iced flat white for some variety.
Specialty drink recipes
Frappuccino. This is an iced caffe latte made in a blender with ice. To get started, add two shots of espresso (preferably cooled a little) into a very good blender with ice cubes, milk, and syrup. Blend to smooth consistency and drink. (Note that some chains do not use fresh espresso shots to make such drinks. They use pre-made espresso-flavored concentrates that give a stronger, more consistent taste. Your version may not have quite the same intensity of flavor. It’s possible to purchase some of these concentrates if you really want.)
Iced caffe mocha. This is an iced caffe latte made with chocolate sauce or syrup or some other form of chocolate flavoring. A pump of vanilla or peppermint syrup can also help finish the flavor.
Put a serving of dark chocolate syrup in an espresso or shot glass, brew the espresso pod into the same glass, stir to combine the syrup and espresso.
In a separate glass (such as a mason jar) fill it 2/3 or 3/4 with ice, then skim milk to cover the ice.
By now, the espresso/chocolate has cooled and bit, so pour it over the iced milk and stir together. (For additional fun, add Bailey’s or Kahlua)
Iced caramel macchiato. This is an iced caffe latte made with a bit less milk, and adding flavorings. Put the vanilla syrup in your cup, adding ice (or use another chilling method), pulling two espresso shots, add 3-4 ounces (90-120 ml) milk, and top with caramel sauce.
Iced shaken espresso. This is an iced caffe latte made with less milk, and with plain or flavored syrup, and shaken in a cocktail shaker or closed jar. Pour the drink into your glass and enjoy. If you want to replicate the drinks from a major chain, check which types of milk, syrup, and any other add-ins they use and you should be able to make a very similar version at home.
Vertuo larger sizes and cold brew
On Vertuo, you also have the option of making iced drinks from larger coffee sizes.
Cold brew is totally different process, in which coffee grounds are extracted over many hours in cool water. It’s a great product but you can’t make it with Nespresso machines.