Description
The Nespresso CitiZ EN167CCA is the chrome version of Nespresso’s mid range Original line machine, built by De’Longhi under licence. It is a two button capsule machine: espresso and lungo, both reprogrammable, with a one litre tank, a folding cup support and no grinder, portafilter or steam wand. The wattage field gives 1260 watts. Earlier listing copy puts the weight at 8.92 pounds and the heat up time at around 25 seconds.
The CitiZ sits above the Essenza Mini and below the Lattissima range in the Original family. What you get for the step up from the smallest machine is a larger tank, a heavier body and a taller cup clearance. What you do not get is any additional control over the coffee, because the capsule decides the dose, the grind and the roast, and the machine decides the pressure and the temperature. Anyone comparing this against a machine where those variables are yours should read a pump machine review such as the De’Longhi EC155 alongside it.
The Original Capsule Format
The CitiZ takes Nespresso Original capsules rather than Vertuo. That distinction is the most consequential thing about buying any Nespresso machine, because the two systems share nothing. Original capsules are the small aluminium ones, they are extensively cloned by third party roasters, and compatible pods cost considerably less than Nespresso’s own. Vertuo capsules are larger, barcoded and effectively single source.
Choosing Original means you have a genuine market to buy from. It also means you are limited to what fits in that capsule: around 5 to 6 grams of coffee, which is why Nespresso drinks are lighter in body than a proper double shot from an 18 gram basket. The range of coffees available in Original capsules is wide and it is covered separately in our single serve capsules and pods section, since capsule choice is the only lever on flavour you have with this machine.
Two Buttons and the Hot Water Function
The machine has two buttons, specified by Nespresso as espresso at 40ml and lungo at 110ml. Both are reprogrammable: hold the button through a pour and the machine stores that volume. That is the entire drink menu, and for a capsule machine it is enough.
The more useful undocumented behaviour is that the machine dispenses hot water when no capsule is loaded, which covers tea and lets you make an americano by running water into a cup after an espresso. The listing does not mention this at all. It is worth knowing because it removes the need for a separate kettle in a small kitchen, and it is one of the few functions on a capsule machine that costs nothing to use.
The One Litre Tank and Cup Clearance
At one litre the tank is roughly double the capacity of the Essenza Mini, which is the practical reason to choose the CitiZ over the smaller machine. That covers around twenty five espressos or nine lungos before refilling, so a two person household is filling it every few days rather than every morning. The tank sits at the back of the machine and detaches.
The folding cup support is the other genuine convenience. Dropping it flat lets a taller mug sit under the spout, which matters if you take long coffees or add hot water for an americano. The used capsule container holds a limited number of capsules, and like the tank it has no sensor, so the machine simply stops closing properly when it is full. Neither capacity is stated on this listing.
Errors and Contradictions in the Listing
This listing is unusually unreliable and several fields should be disregarded rather than reconciled. The product dimensions read 5.75 inches deep, 2.01 inches wide and 4.29 inches high. A machine 2.01 inches wide does not exist; the CitiZ is roughly 5 inches wide and around 10 inches tall. These figures are neither the product nor a coherent package measurement.
The material field reads Material Glass, with the field name duplicated as its own value. There is no glass component on a CitiZ. The special feature field reads Milk Frother, while the product title describes the machine alone with no milk unit. The CitiZ body has no steam wand and no built in frother; Nespresso sells a separate Aeroccino that ships with the CitiZ and Milk bundle. Whether this particular listing includes that separate unit is not settled by anything on the page, and it is the one question worth confirming with the seller before ordering, since it changes both the price and what you can make. Anyone who definitely wants milk drinks from a single appliance should look instead at a machine with the milk system built in, such as the Nespresso Lattissima Pro.
Maintenance and Running Costs
Capsule machines need very little maintenance and that is a real part of their appeal. There is no group head to clean, no basket to knock out and no milk path unless you add a separate frother. The routine is emptying the capsule bin and drip tray, and descaling on a schedule.
Descaling is the one job that matters, and the CitiZ has no descale prompt light on this listing’s specification, so it falls to you. Hard water areas should run a descale every few months with a product from our coffee and espresso machine cleaning products selection. Running cost, by contrast, is the number that should drive the decision and it appears nowhere on the listing. Capsules cost several times what the equivalent weight of beans costs, and across two cups a day over a few years that difference is larger than the price of the machine.
What the Specifications Do Not Settle
The listing does not state the pump pressure, though Nespresso publishes 19 bar for the Original line. It does not state the tank capacity, the used capsule container capacity, the heat up time, the auto shut off interval, the cup clearance in either drip tray position, or the warranty term. Earlier copy quoted a one year warranty and a 25 second heat up, both of which are manufacturer claims rather than confirmed fields.
It also does not state whether the chrome finish is plated metal or a metallic coated polymer, which on a machine sold specifically on its appearance is a fair question. And the coffee maker type is recorded simply as Espresso Machine, which places this alongside pump machines in our espresso machines category despite being a completely different kind of appliance with a different cost model and a different result in the cup.
Who It Suits
This suits someone who wants a short, strong coffee with no process, no cleaning and no learning curve, in a kitchen where appearance matters. The chrome finish is the reason most people choose this version over a cheaper Original machine, and the one litre tank makes it workable for two or three drinkers rather than one. The hot water function quietly makes it more useful than the two button interface suggests.
It suits you poorly if you want milk drinks from one appliance, given the frother question the listing leaves open. It suits you poorly if you are cost sensitive over several years, because the capsule system is where the money goes. And it suits you poorly if you have any interest in the coffee itself, since the capsule removes every variable. Anyone in that last group would be better served by a pump machine and a grinder, or by a manual method from our pour over coffee makers selection, which costs almost nothing to run.
