Nescafé Dolce Gusto Infinissima coffee machine review 

Aside from its unusual design, the main selling points seem to be the bigger than average water tank and the range of more than 45 drinks the manufacturer claims it is possible to make using the machine.  

It’s one of the cheapest pod machines on the market, so it’s great that you get a lot of options for your money. We also like that the pods are easy to buy from most supermarkets and that the machine takes compatible options too, which may be cheaper.  

But both gadget lovers and coffee aficionados will be looking for a lot more than that, and this machine may fall short of their exacting standards. 

To see whether the Dolce Gusto Infinissima would cut it as one of the best coffee pod machines, this machine was tested by coffee lovers who have owned a range of machines over the years. We were interested to see how drinks from it compared to coffee made by other pod machines. 

But it wasn’t all about the end results. The machine was put through its paces in both the Saga lab and at home. Using it over a number of days, we tested it for design, performance, ease of use and value for money. 

From taking the machine out of its box and setting it up, to sipping the finished drink, we looked at how it performed at every stage.  

We compared it to others on the market, as well as getting a feel for how everyday coffee drinkers will enjoy it. 

And, of course, we considered the price, asking ourselves who would want to buy this machine and whether they’d consider it money well spent. 

The design of this machine is the talking point. It’s tall and curved in the shape of the mathematical symbol for infinity. Before I found this out, I thought the shape was a duck. 

Either way, it’s out of the ordinary, the clear plastic water tank taking centre stage in the central loop of the design.

If you lift the “beak”, that’s where you’ll find the plastic pod holder, which you must pull out and fill or empty manually. This can be a messy business, especially if you are having a white coffee and must take out and dispose of the wet milk pod before replacing it with a new coffee capsule. 

Another feature is the rotating cup holder, which also acts as a drip tray. It allows the cup stand to twist and fix into three different positions, which does cut down on the splashing this machine is prone to. You twist it out fully to empty it of drips. 

The machine comes in black and white, black and red or black and charcoal. We tested the latter. It looks good enough but is entirely made of plastic, lacking any chrome elements that would give it a touch of luxe. 

It’s fairly slim, so slips into a small worktop space, and is light to carry and move around. It is also pretty sturdy despite being a tall machine, and the lever that you push to the right for hot drinks and to the left for cold is easy to operate. 

It was easy to get it out of the box and set it up on the worktop. The step-by-step drawings give clear instructions on how to make a black or white coffee, so we followed those to the letter. 

But we did hit problems. After we’d pushed the lever to the right to make our first hot coffee, the machine gurgled for a very long while with nothing happening. Eventually, after some jiggling and wiggling, we found out that the water tank had not perfectly slotted back into place. Once resolved, the coffee began to pour. 

But then came problem number two. More used to machines that measure out a preset amount of liquid, it came as something of a shock to realise this wasn’t the case with this machine. 

You have to manually move the lever back to the centre, otherwise your cup will overflow. The aim is that you are in control of the strength and size of your drink, but when you forget or get distracted, the result is an annoying mess, which also wastes a pod. Hopefully, it’s a mistake that most won’t repeat too many times. 

That flexibility on the level of water also means you have to judge yourself on how much is the right amount for the coffee you like, which could mean you get different results each time. 

With no collection pot for used pods as part of the machine, you have to take out the pod holder after each use and remove the capsules. They are wet and messy, and the temptation is to tip them directly into the bin, but if you want to recycle them via the Dolce Gusto scheme, you’ll have to drain them before putting them into special recycling bags and sending them back. 

You have to order the bags from the Dolce Gusto website and follow the instructions. This adds an extra layer of faff and we suspect puts many people off recycling the pods.

Once you get the knack of it, it does its job pretty well. 

You can make a vast range of hot and cold drinks with this machine, from simple coffees to plant-based flat whites, caramel latte macchiatos to cold coffee brews, using Dolce Gusto’s own range. It also has decaffeinated pods and hot chocolate choices. In addition, you can buy compatible pods, from supermarket own brands to a special Starbucks range. 

But with all that choice, you may go through a few boxes of pods before you find the right blend for you. We tried the Dolce Gusto Cappuccino pods to start and didn’t like them at all.

Although there was a nice froth to the drink, the milk pod produced a sweet, artificial-tasting liquid and the coffee was bitter. The Café au Lait blend was a better fit, along with the Americano pods for a simple black coffee.  

The machine is straightforward to use. It is, though, fairly noisy when making a drink – enough to disturb conversation, especially as you have to stand right next to the machine to stop it when it reaches the right liquid level. 

Although it produced a cup of coffee fairly quickly, it carried on dripping long after being switched off, so you have to keep the cup in position for at least 10 seconds extra. 

We continue to have gripes about removing the pods manually. They can be hot to the touch so it’s really best to have a container on hand to simply tip them into. 

With an RRP of £110 but available widely for around £50 and through some retailers, for £39.99, it’s clearly one of those gadgets where it’s worth looking out for special offers and good deals, and comparing prices elsewhere, before you buy. 

This pod machine is one of the cheapest you can buy, and it gives a huge range of coffee options for the money. For that alone, it is good value. 

The value of the pods varies depending how you like your coffee. Those who like black coffee fair best getting 16 pods for £3.75 (the current price at Sainsbury’s). White coffee drinkers, though, get only eight drinks (eight milk pods and eight coffee pods) for the same price.  

It’s also worth noting that the drinks cost more at dolce-gusto.co.uk, at £4.95 for a standard box of pods, although there are offers that bring the price down. 

If you get a good deal on this machine, then there isn’t a huge range of others that offer a similar selection of drinks for such a nice price. 

If you’re prepared to pay a little more, then the Tassimo by Bosch My Way 2 coffee machine could be another to consider. In our recent tests it scored maximum points for Ease of Use and Performance.

It is a small step up in price with an RRP of £139.97, but the cream version is currently available at John Lewis for £64.99.

Featured product

TASSIMO Bosch My Way 2

RRP: £99.99

Check price

Check price

Another Bosch machine, the Tassimo Finesse, which you can find for around £45 by shopping around, is a similarly priced machine to the Dolce Gusto Infinissima, and it also offers a good range of drinks.

Featured product

Tassimo Finesse

RRP: £44.99

Check price

Check price

This is a gadget that gives you loads of choice of drinks and all for a pretty low price. It allows you to tailor your coffee to your tastes and the pods are easily available. 

But on the downside, it’s a bit messy to use and, if you are easily distracted, you could find yourself with an overflowing cup. Either way, keep a cloth close by. 

Despite offering a recycling service, there are other machines with compostable pods that make it much easier to be green.  

We haven’t been able to taste all the flavours, so it’s hard to know which is the best, but coffee purists would probably prefer a different kind of machine. 

Whether you agree it looks like an infinity symbol or a duck, there are some things about the Infinissima that will drive you quackers. But the price and the choice may just win you over.