Nespresso Sage Creatista Uno review: sophisticated and stylish coffee maker for the time poor (and ca$h rich)

Nespresso Sage Creatista Uno offers coffee with all the trimmings, plus the ability to deliver it in decent volume. Making very good coffee is therefore within easy reach of anyone from solo caffeine cravers through to families who love a brew. You could buy a much cheaper Nespresso machine and get identical coffee, but the rapid start-up and brilliant milk foamer make it a cut above, as long as you want milky coffee, in a hurry.

Enthusiastic consumers of coffee have plenty of options when it comes to choosing the best bean to cup coffee machine, but lots of us also want the benefit of convenience. Enter then the range of best Nespresso coffee machines, that allow you to enjoy great coffee, but without any of the hassle.

Nespresso machines deliver quick and easy cups of caffeine in a dazzling array of flavours and types thanks to their capsule-friendly designs. There’s no grinding or associated faff, and that's appealing despite the fact that pod coffee isn't the cheapest. There’s also the waste issue of spent pods or capsules, although Nespresso is doing its best to make them increasingly recyclable.

Nespresso Sage Creatista Uno: price, availability and what is it?

The Nespresso Sage Creatista Uno is a hugely popular coffee machine that has been around for a while now, but continues to appeal to lovers of quality caffeine. For good reason too as it’s a beautiful looking thing that can produce coffee from coffee capsules from the Nespresso Original range of pods.

There are actually variations on the model theme, with the Sage Creatista Plus costing about more and the Sage Creatista Pro model topping things off with a price tag to make many people wince. By comparison, you can secure this great coffee machine for just over £300. In America and Australia it is called the Breville Creatista Uno and can be had for US$399 or AU$599.

Or you could get if for less, by looking out for the best Nespresso coffee machine deals that are always on the go.

While it’s one of the cheaper options, the Nespresso Sage Creatista Uno offers a little more than some lesser pod-powered machines. It’s got a steam pipe that lets you produce milky lattes and super frothy cappuccinos, which immediately appeals to our coffee palate. This feature is a neat twist on rival machines that come with a more basic milk frothing accessory too, so it’s a great start.

Right out of the box the Nespresso Sage Creatista Uno offers the ability to create eight ‘barista-quality’ espresso and milk recipes and all at the touch of a button. Well, that’s what the manufacturers claim, so we’re always keen to see just how much that stacks up. Read on for our experiences with this fab little machine.

Nespresso Sage Creatista Uno: features

If you’re looking for a full range of quick coffee options then the Nespresso Sage Creatista Uno makes a lot of sense. It’s certainly fuss-free with a no-nonsense manual that takes you through all of the steps needed to make regular coffee, milky coffee and Latte Machiatto options. The manual is also great for getting the lowdown on first use and descaling procedures.

Setting up the coffee machine is similarly straightforward. All you really need to do is remove the packaging and attach the removable drip tray. Overall, the design and build quality feels very good indeed. There’s even the pluspoint of a milk jug that compliments the premium feel on offer.

Sure, there’s a lot of plastic present, but it’s solid and, as with most Sage products, the fit and finish justifies its price tag compared to the more ostentatious Creatista Pro – though feel free to read our Sage Creatista Pro review if you're feeling flush. 

The function buttons on the top are similarly solid to the touch leaving you with the feeling that this is a machine that will turn in a decent few years of service. A reasonably generous power cable is a practical consideration too.

Nespresso Sage Creatista Uno: performance

After doing the initial pre-clean of the Nespresso Sage Creatista Uno we were soon ready to go. Capacity is good, with a 1.5 litre water tank, which usefully can be removed. Meanwhile, the machine can hold 12 used capsules, which is also handy and means that you don't have to be emptying it every other cup or two.

There are three levels of milk temperature on offer, while the automatic steam wand proves to be rewardingly effective. If you're into fairly immaculate lattes and cappuccinos, served up with minimal effort, you can't do much better than this machine, in fact.

Similarly, you can choose from three different texture levels, resulting in a finished coffee to suit most tastes in both espresso and lungo quantities. There’s a neat pop-out cup holder to rest your espresso cup on by the way. We were also impressed with the programmable water hardness options, which if you live in a scale-encrusted environment could prove handy even though we haven't had the machine long enough to evaluate its true worth.

We made a few coffees in quick succession, including one from the trio of button options that include a lungo, espresso and a ristretto. The promised 19 bar pressure holds its own and delivered successful cups each time. For time poor types the machine is really useful, especially with that 3 second heat up capability. Add in the faff-free pods and you’ve got a very short wait for a brew with the ability to deliver an espresso in around 24 seconds.

The unit offers up 25ml petite ristretto, 40ml classic espresso and 110ml longer lungo cups while the ability to use that milk jug and steam nozzle merely adds to the appeal. Being fans of coffee with milk we found that side of the coffee making equation to be just as straightforward, with the supplied metal jug coming into its own. There are markings for maximum and minimum on this, incidentally, to remove any guesswork for the inexperienced user.

Choosing one of the three milk temperature options from the control panel on the top of the unit lets you produce your drink of choice. We tried flat white, cappuccino and the latte machiatto options and, with a prod of the steam button the Uno did a nice line in fine, frothy milk. The ease of use and reasonably low maintenance involved in cleaning up afterwards left us feeling very enamoured with the Uno.

So, is Nespresso Sage Creatista Uno any good?

We’re not quite sure how we haven’t hadn't our hands on the Nespresso Sage Creatista Uno before now and it’s easy to see why this is such a best seller. While some people prefer to bypass the Nespresso pod route and go for a more manual approach this coffee machine is perfect if you want capability, versatility and convenience all rolled into the one package.

There’s oodles of choice of Nespresso pods while the hot milk this machine turns out is largely excellent. It really adds a neat touch to an otherwise solid appliance. And, before you start fretting about how much cleaning up will need to be done as regards the steam wand then this has an auto purge feature. It's great.

That, combined with the clever design of the components means the Sage is pretty low maintenance all told. You also get the benefit of an LED alert if you need to clean the steam wand, while there’s a similar digital nudge if the machine requires a descale too.

Yup, the Nespresso Sage Creatista Uno is a little bundle of joy which, if you want coffee quickly and without the effort will deliver the goods on all fronts. You may eventually want to move on up to the next level and go all 'barista like', but if it's convenience you’re looking for then this machine is a very strong (and milky) option.

If you want to get your hands on the Nespresso Creatista Uno, check out the best Nespresso coffee machine deals for more.