By Bryan Wall
Product Test Journalist | Kaipūrongo Whakamātautau Hautaonga
Ocean’s Eleven co-stars Brad Pitt and George Clooney might be best buds on the big screen, but in real life, when it comes to coffee, they’re bitter rivals.
Pitt promotes Delonghi’s premium range of automatic espresso machines, whereas Clooney has been the face of coffee convenience for the past 20 years as a Nespresso brand ambassador.
We’ve tested the machines Pitt and Clooney claim to love. Who will win the battle of the beans?
Clooney: The king of convenience?
George Clooney, everyone’s favourite fake doctor, has been brand ambassador for Nespresso since 2006, so he must like the stuff. Nespresso is Nestle’s capsule system that produces espresso with the minimum of fuss. George just grabs one of his favourite Volluto capsules, sticks it in his machine and presses a button to get his fix.
Several manufacturers make Nespresso machines, including DeLonghi and Breville.
Pitt: Retro modern renegade?
Pitt promotes DeLonghi’s premium range of automatic espresso machines. In the company’s ads, he cruises around in vintage cars and on classic motorcycles picking up his fresh coffee beans, so you’d expect him to be a dab hand on the ole milk frother. But no, Pitt’s coffee-making abilities are akin to Clooney’s – he just needs to press the right button on the machine. Granted, he has to pop his beans in the hopper and choose his brew from the touch screen first, but he ain’t no barista!
Best coffee machines in 2026
Want café quality coffee at home? Check out our buying guide and test results to find the right machine for you. We’ve tested manual, automatic, semi-auto and capsule machines from Breville, DeLonghi, Gaggia and more.
Battle of the beans: Which coffee system is best?
