De'Longhi Dolce Gusto Genio S Plus
Nescafe Dolce Gusto
There's a particular kind of morning stress that comes from wanting something better than instant coffee but not having thirty minutes or a barista's patience to spare. That's the gap the Dolce Gusto Genio S Plus by De'Longhi is built to close. It's a single-serve pod machine that trades the ritual of grinding, tamping, and steaming for a simple sequence: drop in a pod, pick your settings, press start. What makes it worth a closer look isn't just the convenience — plenty of pod machines offer that — but the sheer range of drinks it can produce from one compact unit, and the level of control it hands back to you along the way. Before you add this to your counter, here's what it actually does well, where it falls short, and whether it fits how you actually drink coffee.
Design and Build: What Actually Sits on Your Counter
The Genio S Plus is built around the same philosophy as most machines in the Dolce Gusto line: keep the footprint small enough that it doesn't dominate a kitchen counter, and keep the operation simple enough that nobody in the house needs an instruction manual after day one. According to the manufacturer's own measurements, the unit stands roughly 33cm tall with a base under 33cm deep and just 14cm wide — closer in scale to a tall kettle or a slim toaster than to a full-size bean-to-cup machine. That matters more than it sounds: in a flat, student room, or a compact home office kitchenette, counter real estate is often the deciding factor in whether a coffee machine gets used daily or gets shoved in a cupboard.
Operating it is genuinely low-friction. You lift a flip-up section at the front, drop a capsule into a magnetic holder that guides it into place, close the lever, and select your drink from the digital display. That magnetic alignment is a small but useful touch — it removes the fumbling that comes with poorly seated pods on cheaper machines, where a misaligned capsule can mean a weak or messy extraction. The clamping handle also does double duty as a soft power switch: opening it to load a pod is what wakes the machine from standby, so there's no separate power button to hunt for.
The water tank sits at the back of the unit and is fully transparent, with a printed level gauge so you can see exactly how much water remains without lifting it out. The tradeoff of a rear-mounted tank is one shared by nearly every compact pod machine: refilling means pulling the whole unit forward, which can be mildly awkward if it lives tucked under an overhanging cupboard. It's a minor annoyance rather than a design flaw, but it's worth knowing before you pick a permanent spot for it. The cup stand beneath the spout is adjustable, dropping down to clear an oversized mug or folding up to bring a small espresso cup closer to the nozzle, which keeps crema intact and stops your drink splashing on the way down.
How It Brews: Performance and Control
At the heart of the Genio S Plus is a 15-bar pump — the same pressure benchmark used across most consumer espresso and pod machines to force hot water through a capsule quickly enough to pull out oils and produce a thick, persistent crema rather than a thin, watery pour. In practice, that pressure is what separates this machine from a basic drip brewer: even a straightforward espresso pod comes out with genuine body and a foam layer on top, something instant coffee and most filter machines simply can't replicate.
What sets this particular model apart from the more basic machines in the same range is the amount of control you're given over each cup. Rather than a fixed hot/cold toggle, the Genio S Plus lets you choose between multiple temperature levels — from a genuinely cold setting for iced coffee through to its hottest brew temperature — along with adjustable intensity and an XL size option for a larger serving. That's a meaningful upgrade over entry-level pod machines, which typically brew everything at one fixed strength and temperature regardless of what you're making. If you're the type of household where one person wants their coffee scalding and ready to drink immediately, and another likes it lukewarm and left on the side for twenty minutes, this machine actually accommodates both without buying two appliances.
The digital display isn't just decorative — it's the interface for cycling through drink types and settings, and it also carries a built-in descale warning that lights up once mineral buildup reaches a level that could affect performance. That's a genuinely useful inclusion, since descaling is the single most common maintenance task owners of pressurized coffee machines neglect, and neglecting it is what eventually kills the pump.
Key Features That Matter Once the Novelty Wears Off
A long spec sheet means little if the features don't hold up in daily use. Here's what actually earns its keep on this machine:
- Automatic capsule-triggered power-up — the machine wakes when you open the clamp to insert a pod, so there's no standby button to remember.
- Descale warning on the display — flags mineral buildup before it becomes a performance problem, rather than leaving you guessing.
- Transparent tank with a level gauge — you always know how much water is left without removing or shaking the tank.
- Dishwasher-safe components, including the drip tray and capsule holder, which turns weekly cleaning into a five-minute job rather than a hand-scrubbing chore.
- Removable, adjustable drip tray — accommodates cups from a small espresso glass to a full-size mug, and lifts out cleanly for emptying.
- Magnetic capsule alignment — reduces the chance of a poorly seated pod producing a weak or uneven shot.
None of these are flashy on their own, but together they add up to a machine that's genuinely easy to live with — the kind of low-maintenance appliance that doesn't demand a manual re-read every time something goes slightly wrong.
Power Use and Running Costs
There's no battery here — this is a mains-powered appliance running at 1600 watts, which is a fairly standard draw for a machine using pressurized pump extraction rather than passive drip brewing. The upside of that wattage is speed: pod machines built around this pressure system heat water quickly, so you're rarely waiting more than the time it takes to grab a mug before your drink starts pouring.
Where the Genio S Plus goes further than many rivals is its standby behaviour. It shuts itself off automatically after just one minute of inactivity, which is aggressive compared to machines that idle for five minutes or more before powering down. That's genuinely good news for anyone leaving the house in a hurry or living somewhere energy costs are front of mind — you're not paying to keep a heating element warm for an appliance nobody's using. The flip side, and it's a fair one to flag, is that a one-minute window can feel short if you're making back-to-back drinks for a few people, since the machine may power down between cups and need a few seconds to wake and reheat before the next one. It's a genuine trade-off between efficiency and convenience, not a flaw exactly, but something worth knowing before it catches you off guard on a busy Sunday morning.
Who This Machine Is Actually For
This machine makes the most sense for:
- Singles and couples in small kitchens who want café-style variety without a full espresso setup.
- Students and home-office workers who need a fast, no-mess coffee break between tasks.
- Households with mixed coffee preferences — one person wants it hot, another wants it iced, and the temperature and intensity controls actually accommodate both.
- Anyone prioritising easy cleanup over hands-on brewing ritual, thanks to the dishwasher-safe parts and simple maintenance routine.
It's a poorer fit for:
- Tea drinkers, given the lack of a hot water function.
- Larger households or offices making several drinks back-to-back, where the small tank and one-minute standby window mean more frequent refills and reheats.
- Coffee purists chasing the depth and customisation of freshly ground, freshly weighed espresso — pod extraction is convenient, not artisanal.
- Anyone trying to minimise ongoing costs, since capsule machines carry a recurring per-cup expense that a bag of ground coffee and a filter machine simply doesn't.
How It Stacks Up Against the Alternatives
| Dolce Gusto Genio S Plus | Basic Dolce Gusto machines (e.g. Piccolo XS) | Nespresso-style pod machines | Traditional filter/drip machines | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature & intensity control | Multiple settings, including a cold option | Largely fixed, single-setting brewing | Limited to none on entry models | Manual, no automated control |
| Milk-based drinks (latte, cappuccino) | Yes, built into the pod system | Limited or none | Usually requires a separate frother | Requires manual steaming/frothing |
| Hot water / tea function | Not available | Not available | Varies by model | Yes, by nature of the brew method |
| Cleanup | Dishwasher-safe parts, removable tray | Dishwasher-safe parts, removable tray | Mostly dishwasher-safe | Reusable filter or paper filters to discard |
| Best suited to | Variety-seekers wanting café-style drinks with minimal effort | Buyers on a tighter budget wanting basic espresso-style pods | Espresso purists who don't need milk drinks built in | Larger households brewing bigger batches cheaply |
Set against the more basic machines in its own Dolce Gusto family, the Genio S Plus earns its position by offering the temperature and intensity control those cheaper models skip entirely — that's the real reason to pay more within the same product line. Compared with Nespresso-style systems, the distinction is philosophical as much as technical: Nespresso's Original-format machines are generally built around straight espresso and Americano-style drinks, with milk handled by a separate frother, while the Genio S Plus folds milk-based drinks directly into its capsule system. Against a traditional filter machine, the comparison isn't really fair in either direction — filter coffee wins decisively on cost-per-cup and batch size, but loses entirely on the crema, consistency, and hands-off convenience that pressurised pod brewing delivers.
Where It Genuinely Excels, and Where It Doesn't
The strongest case for this machine is consistency paired with control. Once you've found your preferred intensity and temperature for a given pod, it repeats that result reliably every single time, which is more than can be said for hand-poured coffee or manually operated espresso machines where technique varies cup to cup. The crema produced through the 15-bar pump is a real step up from anything instant or filter-based, and the range of milk-based drinks it handles without a separate frother is genuinely useful for households that don't just drink black coffee.
The honest downsides cluster around two things: capacity and running costs. The 0.8-litre tank is small enough that anyone making drinks for more than two or three people in a sitting will be refilling mid-session, and the aggressive one-minute auto-shutoff — while good for the electricity bill — can mean a short wait for the machine to wake and reheat between back-to-back cups. There's also a recurring cost baked into the whole capsule system that doesn't show up on the price tag: every cup requires buying a pod, and over months and years that adds up to considerably more than a bag of ground coffee would cost per serving. Some owners have also noted the housing feels a little light for its price point, which is a fair criticism of pod machines generally — the mechanics that matter (pump, heating element) tend to be solid, even when the exterior plastic doesn't feel especially premium.
The Verdict
The Dolce Gusto Genio S Plus earns its place in a compact kitchen by doing one thing very well: turning a genuinely wide range of café-style drinks — hot, cold, black, or milk-based — into a one-button process without sacrificing the control to fine-tune each cup to taste. It's not trying to be a home barista setup, and it doesn't pretend to be a replacement for freshly ground espresso. What it does is remove friction from the morning routine while still giving you meaningfully more say over your drink than a basic pod machine or an instant jar ever could.
Buy this if you want variety and consistency with minimal effort, you're brewing for one or two people at a time, and you're comfortable with an ongoing capsule budget in exchange for convenience. Look elsewhere if tea is a daily need, if you're regularly serving a full household or office at once, or if the long-term cost of capsules outweighs the time you'd save compared with a filter machine or a manual espresso setup.
What People Say
80 commentsSimply a Splendid Machine
I wanted a simple, straightforward, no faff, coffee machine...... that JUST made COFFEE..!
Easy enough you would think?
Nope.....!
If I wanted a pro Barista, frothy foam (foamy milk wand can be purchased as optional extra), multi cup, all bells and whistles machine that produces steam hotter than your average nuclear reactor, then I couldn't go wrong...!
I like a couple of espresso's or lungi's in the morning, and other than filling the water tank I just wanted to press one button to get my drink.
This machine is it....!
It takes up virtually no room, and it produces a coffee that is piping hot.
If you prefer the glossy, glitzy t.v. ads for a behemoth of a machine, then this is perhaps not for you.
However, if like me, you don't intend showing it to the neighbours, or posing on 'twitterbook' with it, then the Genio S plus let's you go about getting a lovely coffee with no fuss or palarva..!
Middling
It’s very thin which is great for counter space. You will only get one or two coffees in one go depending on the size. If you go XL you’ll only get one.
The machine itself if very light and flimsy. Thin plastic and the lid and drip tray don’t fall securely into place and stay there. I enjoy the four temp controls however even on level 3 (Norma) every coffee comes out burnt. I even bought the Starbucks house blend and it doesn’t taste owt like a Starbucks. I’ve tried almond flat white, oat flat, Starbucks house blend, and their own American intenso and all taste bitter and burnt but the coffee isn’t that hot when it comes.
I wouldn’t recommend this for people who regularly like a machine coffee as the constant refilling of water is a faff and it doesn’t come out that nice anyway. I’ve yet to have a coffee in this that tastes better than instant from the kettle which says a lot really.
Lattes and more at home, excellent results
I prefer extra hot coffee, whether it's a latte, flat white, Americano, chocochino, decaffeinated etc.. Along with frothy creama. The dolce gusto plus and touch both deliver and they can fill two cups at a time. (water tank holds 800ml} Stops so you don't over fill. Excellent range of flavours and detailed description for all of dolce gusto pods, includes tea and newer plant based milks. Nescafe offer free box when ordering online. Chance to try different blends without it costing more. Amazon is good source for bulk ordering of milk or types of favourite coffee. (50 pods of milk and chocochino) Worth buying these coffee machines, use pressure for heating, crema. Unlike nespresso uses different system, not as good crema.
Dolce gusto machines well worth the money, can take latte to go, no longer pay £3+ at starbucks, Costa. Big savings when every penny counts these days.
Great coffee, just a little drippy
Had this a couple of weeks now, found pods in Tesco at £3.75 for 16, so a little over 23p/cup (these were "Americano", if you get the ones with milk, latté etc., then you get 8 coffees and 8 milks for £3.75, so double price! The coffee tastes great, and the machine works well. There is no "low water" signal though, so be sure there's enough water for your drink before starting it! Only bad thing I've noticed is that it can drip for a good minute or so once the drink is finished, only a little, and there is a drip tray, so it's not too bad, I'm just a clean freak and don't want it getting messy haha. Oh, also, twice the little pod got a bit stuck so I couldn't remove it without a tool/knife to reseat the pod so I could remove the drawer/holder. Over all its a solid 4.5/5, can't really grumble for the price!
Lovely Compact Coffee Machine
This is a great compact coffee machine. I didn't want another bulky appliance on the worktop and this fits the bill perfectly. It is small enough to leave on the side, or you could fit it easily in a cupboard for storage if needed.
I found the instructions slightly confusing, however, the machine itself is quite intuitive to use. There are so many options of pods to use in this machine that I don't think i'll get bored looking for options.
The water holder can easily hold enough for about 3 cups of coffee. The water heats up quickly and the coffee is dispensed rapidly. You can alter the temperature if you like your coffee hotter or cooler. My daughter loved that she could make an iced coffee - this has saved her a fortune in her morning coffees from a high street coffee shop!
Sleek, slick and stylish
On first opening the box I was struck by it's compact size, not using too much counter space, of an already cluttered area was a big plus. The instruction leaflet wasn't very helpful, trying to show very few diagrams that tend to assume you know what it's operation is but then, once mastered, it's process is a delight in easy insertion of the coffee pods and setting the regulator dial to the recommended level shown on each pod box. It's operation is much quieter than I expected and produces a pleasingly hot ( I like it good and hot) beverage that is very smooth and very tasty. It looks great beside the kettle on the worktop and thankfully can be used with many different sized mugs and cups.
Excellent compact coffee machine
Our old, very well used Dolce Gusto broke, so we felt it was time to invest in a new one. Love this new model! More compact than our previous one, which is excellent, but with even more bells and whistles. I love the fact that the coffee machine measures the water needed for the perfect blend - no more guess work. Weirdly, in an all black machine the flex is bright red, but it is very flexible so easy to mold round a corner. The instructions were just pictures with a few key words and would have been easier with more words, but it was easy enough to work out and I love it.
Brilliant little machine
I had an older model and this one has the same set out and operation. The differences are that they have now put a removable grill on the drip tray, which makes it much easier to clean. The other is an espresso shot button for those heavy hitters out there. This isn’t something I will be using but that is personal preference and I’m sure many people will like this feature. It is sooo easy to use and very quick and very well priced. It is also a good size, I have a small kitchen and this doesn’t take up much space. I absolutely love it and would definitely recommend.
Great Gadget!!
How to make me more of a coffee addict? Have this amazing little machine!
The temperature settings are just fantastic! I mean hit means HOT! I also love the ease and feel of the manual selector, it’s really easy to add more bars (water) if you need to. The extra shot button is also a great function.
I could not fault this machine if I wanted too, although I will say I keep finding excuses for more coffee now!
There have been the odd night where I have had little sleep as I have been heavily caffeinated!!
Totally worth the purchase!!
Very good but room for improvement
Very happy with the machine, easy to use and makes loads of different drinks.
Would have given it 5 stars but for the following reasons;
1. Needs to be around 2 cm taller to allow for a decent sized latte glass. You can just about fit one in the space but need to remove the drip tray first.
2. When inserting and removing capsules the 'head' of the machine can be a bit fidgety.
3. The water tank is small, can make roughly 2 drinks with each fill.
Those gripes aside it's a very good machine, and no red lead with the plug!!
Great coffe machine
I bought this a few weeks ago to replace my Dolce Gusto Colours machine, I originally bought the Genio S but had to take it back as it kept leaking, Argos staff were amazing and I replaced and upgraded to Genio S plus, it's so much more compact than my colours one I looks great and the coffee is a lot hotter than my old one which is a definite plus, I always had problems descaling the old one but this looks so much easier.
Great machine, nice looking and very easy to use I would definitely recommend
Everyone’s a Barista!
I bought this little machine as a birthday gift for my Mum. It was a risk, as usually Azera and Coffee Mate are her go to coffee staples; but she is pretty thrilled with it as it turns out.
She didn’t need a tutorial on how to actually use it (and my mum is a major technophobe), she’s even gone out and bought a boat load of different pods, and a pod holder!
The length of the lead doesn’t look too long, and for some reason is an incredibly garish shade of red, but all in all, an excellent purchase.
Good quality for money, not clear instructions on
I enjoy my coffee machine and would definetwly recommend it ! I would advise to search online on how to use rinse function as instructions are not great. For anybody who already bought this machine and searching for answers on how to rinse quickly I would suggest fill the tank to max with cold water, and insert water tank into the base and keep turning switch all way up to XL and one more. Refill tank twice and wait for machine to clean itself, then reset automatically ready to use.
Unable to find a latte glass that fits
I purchased this coffee machine thinking I would immediately be able to start using it. Unfortunately it’s proving difficult to find a latte glass that will fit under the machine, as it’s very small. I have already had to send one purchase back because the glass was a hair’s breadth too big. My quest will go on in trying to find a glass and hopefully I will be able to give a better review. However Dolce Gusto themselves weren’t much help, they just told me to look online e.g Ebay.
Simple, no Fuss
This is our third Dolce Gusto machine and it's the best one we've had. Simple, no fuss function, love the indicator dial, so you automatically get the perfect coffee.The water tank is small, but ultimately it means the water is always fresh as it's filled every time. Perfect for us as a couple. . Takes up little space on the worktop, it might be dinky, but its an awesome little coffee maker. First rate frothy cappuccinos and perfectly measured Americanos. Highly recommend!
Coffee in an instant
Pros: compact size which fits easily on the kitchen worktop. Really easy to set up and use: fill the rear tank, pop a pod in, turn the dial to the required number of bars on the display and press start. The tank holds about 3 mugs of water. The water heats up really quickly. There'sa great variety of different pod flavours to choose from.
Cons: I'm not sure I could find any other than the red cable which would have been better if it was black to match the coffee maker.
Nice size
Great space saver compared to tassimo machines, easy to use. Holds enough water in the tank to make 2 drinks. Good variety of drinks available, my children was so excited with the range of hot chocolates available. Only cons I have is black machine with a red wire?! Looks abit off when my kitchen appliances are all white and black. The starbucks coffees onyl do like half a cup. Having alot of trouble registering the machine online compared to other machine I've had.
Lovely hot coffee with a great crema
A very stylish and well made product that is easy to use and it delivers café style hot and cold drinks in minutes with a fabulous crema. It has an adjustable and removable drip tray and removable water container. It heats up very quickly indeed and is easy to clean. It makes fabulous lattes as can be seen in the photos along with many other drinks. You can make extra large drinks too and have an espresso boost if you need that extra caffeine.
Great machine
Had this machine for about 3 months now and I can't really fault it. The thing I will say is the glasses (like in the photo) i have from old machine is taller and barely fit under the pod nozzle. The tray is at its lowest position, you definitely need to remove the glass after each pod has been used so you can get your finger under the dispenser to remove a fit in the next pod. All in all, great machine and highly recommended.
Great Coffe Machine
I bought this about a month ago to upgrade from a older Dplce Gusto model, This one is very easy to use and adjusts the amount of water to match the bars on the drinks pods by turning the dial. my old one was more guess work. Drinks come out hot and have not had any problems, it is a great size, not too bulky on the worktop and makes about 5 cups before refilling. It takes about 20 seconds to heat up initially.
