Magimix Nespresso UMilk review

The UMilk is one of the newer Nespresso machine designs, managing to look both contemporary and classic. The UMilk is all curves, aping the rounded boilers you might find on traditional espresso machines, but the glossy black finish, honeycomb grilles and touch-controls lend a modern look and feel.

The machine is made up of a number of parts, all of which attach to the main body. The 0.8L water tank slots into place at the rear of the machine, and is locked down with some pretty strong magnets. To the right of the main body is the Aeroccino, which is used to prepare milk for a variety of drinks.

Sliding into the front of the UMilk is the used capsule container, along with a drip tray underneath. This two-container system means that you can empty the capsules and waste water separately, which is handy if the machine isn’t kept near a sink.

A cup support attaches to the front of the machine using a magnet, providing the optimum height for espresso cups. The support doubles as a drip tray, which again can be emptied separately to the other containers. When using larger cups, the cup support can be removed and attached to magnets located on either side of the machine, keeping everything neat and tidy.

Sliding the capsule door open automatically turns the machine on and starts the warm-up process. When the lights stop flashing it’s ready to use, although you can drop a capsule in any time and choose your coffee type – your drink will be dispensed as soon as the water is hot enough.

The UMilk has three buttons on the top, set to dispense Ristretto (25ml), Espresso (40mm) or Lungo (110ml) coffees. If you’re familiar with Nespresso capsules, you’ll already know that different blends and flavours are designed for specific coffee volumes.

You can override the automatic sizes and set your own, personalised volume of coffee, but it’s unlikely to be necessary unless you crave particularly weak drinks. Once your coffee is dispensed, the used capsule is immediately dropped into the waste bucket, and the machine is ready to use again.