Dualit Espress-auto 3-in-1 coffee machine review

We tested next with an NX capsule. Dualit sells these in five different intensities, plus one decaffeinated version. They’re compatible with Nespresso machines, but Nespresso capsules will not work with the Dualit machine. It’s a shame, as Nespresso has a far wider range of capsules, plus regular season varieties.

Flow through the machine using capsules is much better, producing the full, thick crema we’d expect from espresso

Using NX capsules is a slightly laborious process, as we had to switch group handles, put in the capsule and then clip on the plastic holder to keep the capsule in place. The group handle then had to be put into place.

This has a single spout output, as capsule are designed to serve just one. Hitting the single espresso button, we found that flow was much better through the capsule and this time around we got a thick, well-formed crema. Clearly, then, there’s no problem with the flow rate of the Espress-Auto, but we couldn’t get ground coffee working properly.

To froth milk there’s a button to warm the single boiler up to the right temperature, with a status light going on when the espress-auto is ready. With a long wand and a tap to control flow, getting the right mix between hot milk and tightly-packed foam is pretty easy.

The steamer is great, producing tightly-packed milk froth

If you want to switch back to espresso mode, the machine auto-vents the steam, so you can make another drink without worrying about burnt coffee.

It looks great and the capsule performance is good, but the ground coffee performance was disappointing. For ground coffee the similarly-priced De’Longhi Scultura is a much better choice.