The Infinissima has had an update. The striking, infinity symbol-shaped pod coffee machine now comes with touch controls so you can easily customise the length of your morning drink.
Design and appearance
1.2 litre tank
Fits under standard kitchen cabinets
Long power cable
The De’Longhi Nescafe Dolce Gusto Infinissima Touch is a 15-bar pod coffee maker that has more in common with the organic design movement than the functional, boxy shapes of most appliances.
The dark grey plastic superstructure wraps around a 1.2 litre transparent tank and resolves in a bulbous pod head. Although Nescafe refers to the look as an “infinity design”, there’s a avian feel to it: it resembles nothing as much as a beak-less, black swan.
It’s certainly eye-catching. One of the nice design features is the transparent tank, which doesn’t block light like chunkier countertop appliances.
The ‘infinity-swan’ itself sits on a dark grey lozenge-shaped base that hosts the pull-up-and-twist black ring drip tray and a soft push power button that illuminates on the side.
Although the machine is tall at 38cm, it still fits underneath standard kitchen cabinets. And its 26cm depth is offset by its narrow 16cm width; its presence will not overwhelm a smaller kitchen.
The black cable is 76cm long, so placement is flexible. You don’t need to put this appliance directly in front of a plug point.
Weighing in at roughly 2.8kg, the machine is not too unwieldy to manoeuvre, but you’ll need to find a spot for it on your countertop. You won’t want to lug it in and out of a cupboard all the time.
Alongside the machine, you’ll find a Get Started guide with usage instructions largely in pictographic form, a Welcome to the World of Great Coffee booklet, a two-year warranty and a leaflet of safety precautions.
Using the Infinissima Touch
Tank can be easily removed to fill at the sink
Fiddly drip tray
Pod drawer can get stuck
Once you’ve cleaned the machine, you’re ready to start making coffee. The top of the tank lifts off easily and you can either remove it to take it to the sink or fill in situ with a jug.
One slight issue was the lack of a maximum volume guideline on the tank to prevent you from overfilling, so you need to gauge what’s feasible yourself. We made this out to be about 900ml, or three 300ml mugs; to get the full 1.2 litre capacity, you’ll need to fill the tank in place.
Switch on the machine with the push button on the base (which will turn green), pop a cup or glass on the drip tray, and insert your pod of choice into the drawer at the top.
Use the touchscreen to choose your volume and flip the lever to either cold or hot. Your drink will dispense almost immediately without splash or spatter.
The appliance instructions are not very clear about what the green touchscreen volume bars mean in terms of actual volume in a cup. It took us a bit of rooting around to discover that one bar relates to 40ml of coffee, while seven bars is 300ml.
Of course, Nescafe expects you to follow the volume directions on the coffee pod boxes, but you’ll still want to know what size cup to use.
The touchscreen means that there’s more of a learning curve than with most Dolce Gusto machines, particularly if you want to make drinks that involve two pods, such as a cappuccino or a flat white. But then there always is a brief ‘figuring out’ period with any new appliance and this one is easy to use.
Changing the drip tray height can be fiddly. There are three height options: base level for a long latte glass, mid-level for a conventional cup and high for an espresso cup. You pull up the tray and give it a twitch-turn to lock it into place, but you must know roughly where the notches are, and we pulled it all the way out the first few times by mistake.
We also noted that the pod drawer can get stuck if you leave a spent pod in the machine for too long, so do remember to remove pods as soon as you’ve made coffee.
Dolce Gusto pods
Over 50 varieties
Starbucks-branded pods
Milk and coffee pods for mixed drinks
As this is a Dolce Gusto machine, once you buy, you’ll be locked into Dolce Gusto pods. This includes a Starbucks Dolce Gusto range so, all in all, you have over 50 different varieties to choose from. A single box of pods is roughly £3.50, although you can get deals if you buy a box bundle and there are compatible generic supermarket brands.
If you’re deciding between a Nespresso and Dolce Gusto machine, there is a difference between pod types. Nespresso pods are coffee-only, and arguably with more of a focus on quality coffee. Dolce Gusto, however, includes mixed drink options. Many of the blends err on the side of sweetness, so if you’re careful about your sugar intake, do read the nutritional information on the pods carefully.
That being said, there are some options that may give the pods a wider appeal: for example, a lactose-free plant-based flat white almond and a plant-based flat white coconut, as well as the lungos, ristrettos, americanos, and caramel latte macchiatos you might expect. There’s also a Nesquik hot chocolate.
In terms of recycling pods, you can now request a Podback recycling bag from the Nescafe Dolce Gusto website and return your spent pods via a Yodel Collect+ point.
Price and availability
This model is the Infinissima Touch, named because of its volume selection touchscreen. If you want this feature, make sure you opt for the right model. The manual Infinissima is generally cheaper but be prepared to shop around as prices on all models vary from retailer to retailer.
The best way to get value for money when buying the Infinissima Touch is to get the Coffee Machine Starter Kit, which also comes with three boxes of pods, for £41.65.
If you’re not too worried about the touchscreen, other models in the range include the Genio S Plus, which also allows for coffee customisation, and the tiny, pared-down Piccolo XS.
Verdict
If you want a Dolce Gusto machine, the touchscreen, capacious tank and impactful design make this an appealing choice, although slight issues with the pod drawer and drip tray made it a little less than perfectly easy to use.
For more coffee machine options, have a look at our round-up of the best coffee machines we’ve tested, which are fully reviewed and rated.
Specs
De’Longhi Nescafe Dolce Gusto Infinissima Touch: Specs
Tank capacity: 1.2 litres
Pressure: 15-bar
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