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What makes Nespresso the best automatic single-serve coffee maker? Let me count the ways, starting with how it completely changed my mornings.
I’ve been drinking coffee for more than 20 years, and for a long time, I tried to be the kind of person who has a coffee ritual. Every attempt resulted in failure, whether it was counting down four minutes on a French press or preprogramming a new drip machine. Invariably, after a few weeks of trying the new method, I’d end up in line for my Four-Dollar Millennial Latte™ (which was really more like $6 or $7 with a tip, even in the Midwest).
I realize that for most people, making a cup of coffee isn’t a big deal. For some, like my colleague Jarrett Melendez, a little meditative routine is an enjoyable way to begin the day. But I have ADHD, which sometimes makes getting started on even the simplest tasks feel insurmountable—especially during times of high stress. So when my family went into lockdown in March of 2020, mere weeks after my second son was born, I finally developed a coffee ritual: Sending my husband to the closest good coffee shop with a drive-through, where he spent at least $10 a day on our drinks.
Fourteen months into our three-week quarantine, after having shelled out an upward of $4,000 on coffee, my husband surprised me with a matte black Nespresso Vertuo Plus and Aeroccino milk frother. It turned out to be the greatest gift he’s ever given me. Aside from my kids, I guess.
My machine is part of Nespresso’s Vertuoline, released in 2014. Unlike the original models, which use a pressure-driven drip method to make espresso-style coffee, the Vertuo machines make both cups of coffee and more concentrated shots with a centrifuge technology (this also produces a beautiful crema). The other big difference is that the original machines require the user to select which size drink to make before brewing, while the rim of each Vertuo pod is printed with a barcode that tells the machine how much water to use for that particular pod.
I squealed when I saw my new Vertuo Plus and immediately got to work making myself a shot of espresso. Except it was really no work at all. Once the machine is plugged in and the water tank is filled (the brand recommends using “fresh drinking water”) it’s as easy as popping in a pod and pressing the Vertuo’s only button. It heats up in just 20 seconds, too, so in about a minute, I had my first shot of surprisingly good espresso from a pod, with a gorgeous, frothy crema to boot.
We’ve since sampled a variety of Vertuo pods and settled on a few favorites. These days my daily drink is a shot of Bianco Leggero or Double Espresso Dolce with steamed unsweetened nondairy creamer, but we enjoy the single-origin coffees too. Most pods are $1.10 each, or $11 a sleeve, so even if we each use three pods a day, which we often do, we’re still spending about 40% less on coffee, and we’re not making regular car trips to the coffee shop. My husband still makes the occasional coffee shop run, and when he does, he always offers to get me something. I usually turn him down because I prefer the lattes I make at home.
I love my Nespresso so much that when we rented a lake house last fall, I took it with us—along with a packet of descaling solution so we wouldn’t be stuck drinking Ozarks gas station coffee if the machine went into the descale alert mode during our trip. (Descaling is fairly easy, by the way, and is required in the newer machines after about 600 uses or six months.) My mother-in-law, who was on that trip, loved the coffee so much she bought herself an Essenza Mini. “It’s changed my life and I like the coffee better than what I get at a shop,” she told me. “If it ever broke, I’d buy a new one in a heartbeat.” (Though all machines are covered under Nespresso’s two-year warranty.)
Helen Rosner, a food writer at The New Yorker, is equally enthusiastic about her Nespresso, an Essenza Mini she’s been using for a decade. Hers takes the original pods and every morning she makes a coffee drink with two lungos (3.7-ounce espresso shots) plus “a pinch of brown sugar and a lot of oat milk.” Like me, she’s settled on a few favorite pods.
“Right now my favorites are Fortissio Lungo, which is incredibly dark and dense, and Vivalto Lungo, which has a very pretty blue capsule and is a bit smoother and sweeter,” Rosner says. “For espresso I love the classic purple capsule, which I think comes close to flawless.”
Environmental concerns with coffee pods
In The Before Times, I’d sworn off coffee makers that used pods because my experience had been mostly limited to Keurig. I’ve worked in coffee, and though I don’t consider myself a true coffee snob, I’m picky enough to know that I’ve never had a good drink from a Keurig. And then there’s the waste issue: Keurig’s K-Cups are now made with a recyclable plastic, but for many years they weren’t. Even the creator regrets inventing them.
Nespresso pods, on the other hand, are made of aluminum and are fully recyclable through the brand’s recycling program. Up to two complimentary pre-labeled recycling bags can be included with every pod order at Nespresso.com, and when a bag is full, it can be dropped off at any UPS location or Nespresso boutique. My friendly UPS driver gladly accepts mine too. Recycling is even easier for New York City residents, who are welcome to put Nespresso pods into their curbside bins. The metal is recycled for a variety of purposes including new pods, bicycles, and kitchen items like vegetable peelers while the used grounds get turned into compost and biofuel.
Convenience
I cannot overstate how much my Nespresso has improved my mornings, and in turn, my life. Now, instead of one of us trying to get motivated and dressed for a coffee run (seriously hard to do before we’ve had any coffee!), I can stumble into the kitchen, pop a pod in the machine, and start ingesting caffeine within about a minute. Somehow, though, I’m still surprised—pleasantly so—when I hear about other people in the food world who love Nespresso as much as I do.
Leslie Newsam, who co-owns and operates The Antler Room (a 2017 Bon Appétit Best New Restaurant nominee) also has a Vertuo Plus, and she and her husband, chef Nick Goellner, appreciate the coffee as much as the convenience.
“We’re always on the go, so being able to put a pod in and press a button makes my day that much easier,” Newsam says. “The espresso and coffee flavors have been fun to explore and I always know that the drink will be consistently delicious.”
Another great thing about having a Nespresso? The ability to offer guests, even unexpected ones, a coffee or espresso.
“When people come over and I make them a cup of coffee, they will—without fail—do a double take and say something like, ‘Wow, this is REALLY GOOD coffee,’” Rosner says. “I have no doubt that there is better coffee to be had, but I don’t think there’s anything out there both better and easier.”
Nespresso Vertuo single-serve coffee makers
These machines take Nespresso’s dome-shaped Vertuo pods with barcodes. The difference between the Vertuo Plus and The Vertuo Plus Deluxe is the water tank size. The Vertuo Plus single-serve coffee maker has a 40-ounce tank capacity while the Vertuo Plus Deluxe single-serve coffee maker can hold 60 ounces of water.
Original Nespresso single-serve coffee makers
These compact machines require Nespresso’s original espresso pods. Some models have more than one body style because in addition to manufacturing its own coffee makers, Nespresso partners with De’Longhi and Breville. A brand representative assured me that “all machines operate the same way.”
