Nespresso has updated its pods using a super-sleek new system
The Nespresso Vertuo Plus coffee maker is small, compact and easy to use. After choosing your flavor from a variety of different pod sizes, you can have your coffee ready in just two clicks. You might forget that you are making coffee with this sleek product. The pods can be thrown away easily. To see if the Nespresso Vertuo Plus is worthy of inclusion in our round-up of the best coffee machines, we tested it. Best coffee makers .
Design
- Sleek design
- Uses coffee pods
It’s slim, compact, and you can sneak one into most kitchens, living rooms, and offices. The Vertuo coffee pods from Nespresso have been updated. They use attractive colors and look very low-key. The silver leaf at the front lifts the machine’s top. This allows the pod to spin at a maximum speed of 7000 times per minute. The small dots on the pod’s sides are actually a barcode. This allows the machine to adjust its blending technique to the capsule. There are now three pods and four sizes.
- Nespresso Vertuo Plus at Best Buy for $158.99
Centrifusion brewing uses high speed spinning and centrifugal forces to extract flavor. Each capsule’s brewing parameters are set using the barcode data. This allows for the control of the volume and flow of water as well as the temperature, infusion time, and capsule rotation speed. Nespresso claims that this helps create a rich, creamy crema.
- The Vertuo Plus also features a water tank that can be moved (really useful if you need to store it in an office or in your home) and the capsule lever that closes automatically.
Daily use
The Centrifusion method by Nespresso is well worth the hype. The extraction method worked flawlessly every time. We tried it for a month. Machines that are easy to use on an un-caffeinated brain will always win favor. You could also use this machine while your sleep mask is still on. It’s so simple, guests will be happy to help themselves.
It’s difficult to ignore how eager Nespresso wants to make you conform to its system of doing things. The Vertuo machine can only read Nespresso pods. This means that third parties won’t be able to use the loophole they have used since 2011 when their patent expired. They are also not inexpensive. A morning cup of espresso could quickly add up at around 60 pence/80c per pod. Nespresso also wants you to use only its brand cups and mugs. If you try to use a smaller coffee cup than the standard 25ml size, you will stop the brewing process halfway through extraction. This can result in you not getting the best out of your expensive coffee pods. You sometimes get the sense that the Vertuo machine is trying too hard, even though it tries to do everything.
- Taste
It’s obvious that Vertuo pods are great tasting coffee. It can do it all, from crema to good espresso to long blacks. There’s no need to add two pods to make a larger cup of coffee. The Vertuo offers four sizes of coffee. There’s the Alto (414ml/14oz), straight-up Coffee (223ml/8oz), Gran Lungo (1150ml/8oz), and the 40ml/1.35oz Espresso (Espresso).
The thought process doesn’t include milk. For instance, you will need a huge cup (or bucket?). After pouring out the 414ml/14oz Alto coffee, it is not necessary to store any milk. However, the Vertuo coffee is very tasty without it. As I loved the flavors of the coffee, I found that I was adding less milk over the next few weeks. - Eco
Let’s get to the pods. The pods are difficult to recycle in standard municipal recycling facilities because they contain leftover coffee. Nespresso has supported its use of aluminum by stating that it keeps the coffee fresh and that aluminum can be recycled infinitely.
Online, it’s possible to recycle the pods by going to a CollectPlus location to have them removed if you are based in the UK or directly to a Nespresso boutique.
Nespresso and UPS have teamed up to allow users who are based in the US to place their pods in a prepaid UPS bag that can be dropped off at any UPS pickup location, local Office Depot, or Staples.
However, the convenience of coffee is not worth the inconvenience of having to carry a bag of used pods to work.
Nespresso has a long-term goal to recycle pods by using local collection services or councils. However, the pods have to be taken to a processing facility, so it all adds up. While it’s great to be able to offer all the coffee options to guests on Sunday mornings, it feels completely irresponsible to introduce so much waste into your daily life that you don’t have before. - Verdict
The Vertuo is the perfect choice if you are looking for a coffee machine to use at work, share with friends, or for any other situation where you need to drink a lot of coffee. The Vertuo is simple, elegant, reliable, and easy to use. It makes beautiful coffees every day with very little effort from the barista. There is one major problem: the environmental impact. If you are willing to follow the Nespresso method of thinking and set up a good recycling system for your pods, you can make this work. Vertuo’s only problem is its insistence on convenience, which can make it feel sterile after a while. Look elsewhere if you are a fan of the fresh-ground aroma in your morning coffee. If you are looking for speed and convenience, then you will find it here.
