Nespresso Vertuo Plus – Review

Nespresso Vertuo plus is one of the Krups Branded machines based around the new style of Pods produced by Nespresso. The Vertuo plus uses these pods to produce coffee and has a movable attached water holder and built-in Pod bin. 

I like many, enjoy coffee, it’s one of my only vices in life and over the last few years I have moved onto pod-based coffee machines, partly because of price, time and I like the idea of them. I already have a Nespresso Touch in the house that focuses on the older style pods. However, I had the opportunity to pick one of these up at a good price and thought it was time to try these newer style pods. 

One of the main principles of the newer based pods is the possibility to brew larger cups of coffee, essentially with the classic Nespresso pods, they are designed to make small Italian/French style  Ristretto and espresso coffees with a small selection of lungo based pods. With these, you can make a small cappuccino and latte, which for me is fine, in the morning as I can down it quite quickly, And for normal black coffee drinkers, they can enjoy a quick shot of coffee.

Nespresso Vertuo Plus

However, on the new style Vertuo based pods, it’s designed for an American/British style large cups of coffee. They also still have the espresso and double espresso-style pods, to again cater for small cups of black coffee or small lattes but with the added bonus of a much larger cup of coffee. 

I do prefer to have the option, there are times when I want a quick coffee, but there are also times when I want a large cup, maybe with biscuits, or just simply chilling. That’s the same for my guests who visit, I want the option, I don’t want to make an espresso-based small coffee for some and then have to make a traditional kettle instant, for those who want a large coffee.

Trying to use multiple classic pods to this effect of a large coffee would waste money. When you look to purchase both these types of pods you will Notice the choice of different coffees, the classic pods are mainly the smaller sizes, with the Vertuo selection being mainly larger size coffee, so much less selection for the espresso style.

Shopping wise that are several brands that are compatible with the classic Nespresso pods (though they don’t recommend them), however so far I haven’t found alternative makes of the Vertuo pods, which for me is fine, but I realise some might be priced based on there coffee and look for the cheaper style. 

The machine itself is very easy to use, it comes with instructions so no need to panic, however, if you are used to coffee machines then it’s simple. I would also say it’s probably the simplest machine I’ve used. The Vertuo pods have barcodes, so when you use than the machine knows how much water etc to do. These are broken down into 4 main areas, Mug (230ml), Gran lungo (130ml), double espresso (80ml), espresso (40ml).

There is also an option for Alto (414ml) which is a travel mug size, only a couple of pods default for this one but nice to see as an option. Once you press the button on top and it turns green, you can tap the silver bar up to open automatically, placing the pod in, the machine will read it as said, tap the silver bar down and it will close, press the Nespresso button to produce the coffee.

The machine will use the water in the side compartment, spin it round at… And deliver the coffee into the appropriate mug based on the size, so it’s important you choose the right one, luckily the pods say on then how much, Just in case you get confused, but I think it would take time for you to get used to how much you will use if you are a milk lover. 

Now I am dairy intolerant, which is one of the main reasons I moved to pod-based machines (see other post), this has limited the choice of some of the selections in the past. However, with the Nespresso machine, you can use fresh milk instead of the pods of other brands with there milk inside. So with this machine, I have an aeroccino, it comes separately so if you are a milk drinker it might be worth a purchase, however, the choice is yours.

But for my coffee in this review I used the aeroccino 3, to top up a splash of soy milk in my large coffee. For non-milk drinkers it’s not a problem, however, I have noticed the Creme produced by the machine and coffee is much more on the Vertuo compared to originals, if you like creme then this is a plus point. Lastly, the pods a recyclable and you can get a recycle bag from boutiques or the website, then drop them in etc.. Which is a great touch, unlike most other pod companies. 

Overall

Overall this machine was surprisingly good, actually much better than I thought, I was hesitant for a while (I don’t know why in reflection) to purchase this as I have that classic style pods, and for the short term, I will continue to use both. However I’m impressed with the Vertuo so much that I can see me long term using it more, I will look for offers on Nespresso for these styles pods, and that’s my last advice, shop around and look for offers on the pods.

Classic ones are easier to get to cheaper but the Vertuo ones are not. So pick up those offers when you can, in reality, if your buying this type of machine you already know its not the Cheapest coffee alternative you can go, but it’s also not the most expensive option also. The Vertuo plus delivers a great coffee, if you are a fan of large coffees then this is your best choice over the classic Nespresso style coffees or the other brands, as I feel these taste nicer than some of the other brands/pod machines out there.