If you’ve ever enjoyed coffee poured by a real barista, then you know how good coffee should taste. Unfortunately, you may also know how much time it takes to travel to a coffee shop or make real coffee at home. Fortunately, the Nespresso VertuoPlus Coffee and Espresso Maker by Breville allows you to enjoy good coffee at home without all that overhead.
In the box, you get the Nespresso VertuoPlus Deluxe machine, a Welcome Pack of 12 Nespresso coffee capsules, and instructions.
The coffee maker has an adjustable tray that can be varied in height, depending on the size cup you are using. This machine comes with an extra large 60 oz water reservoir and a container for your used coffee pods. The water reservoir attaches to the machine via an arm that is adjustable, so you can position the water reservoir directly behind the machine, or off to either side, depending on your countertop space restrictions.
The Welcome Pack of coffee capsules contains 4 pods of Espresso (1.35 oz) and 8 pods of Coffee (7.77 oz). This starter pack of coffee is just to give you a sample of the many flavors and types of coffee you can make with your VertuoPlus machine. This coffee machine is designed to work with the new Vertuo line of coffee capsules. This line offers a wide variety of intensities and flavor profiles that you can enjoy in sizes from espresso (1.35 oz) to alto (14 oz). Note that the VertuoPlus coffee maker is incompatible with the original Nespresso coffee pods.
Each aluminum coffee pod is sealed, flat on one side and round on the other. Just under the pod lid is a bar code that gives instructions to the coffee maker for how to make the coffee contained in that pod, such as cup size, water temperature, rotational speed, flow rate, and time the water is in contact with the coffee. Using Nespresso’s “Centrifusion Technology,” the pod is spun around up to 7,000 revolutions per minute so that when the hot water is injected into the middle of the pod the maximum amount of coffee is extracted from the pod through tiny holes made along the edge of the pod. Then the next time you lift the lid to make another coffee, the old, dry pod is automatically placed into the reservoir for used pods. These used pods can be recycled by taking them to a Nespresso store or by mailing them to Nespresso in their special recycling bag for free, so you do not have to worry about wasteful packaging or adding to the landfill.
Unlike most coffee makers, where the lid for the coffee reservoir is manually lifted, this coffee machine’s lid is automated—simply press gently upwards on the top lever and the top of the machine will lift automatically, revealing the receptacle where you place a new coffee pod (round side down). If you gently press down on the lever, the top of the machine will automatically close.
There is a short pre-warming cycle necessary if the machine has been powered off. However, once the machine is ready, as indicated by the green light ring around the button on the top of the machine, to make coffee simply insert a new pod, put your coffee cup in place, and press the button in the middle of the ring (the only button on the entire machine). Simple.
The entire coffee-making process takes two to three minutes. While the coffee is brewing the green light will rotate and will become steady once the brewing is complete. At this point you are able to enjoy your delicious coffee. As an energy-saving feature, this machine automatically turns itself off after 9 minutes of inactivity.
The manual contains additional instructions for adjusting the amount of water that is programmed for the different size coffee pods—you can adjust to your specific preferences. There are other instructions there too, such as for descaling the machine and how to troubleshoot any situation you might encounter. Some users have reported leaks from the water reservoir–I have not experienced this problem, but the instructions do say to empty the water reservoir if it will not be used for an extended period of time.
All in all, this is a very nice coffee brewing system. For years I have used the “original” Nespresso machines, and with this new system and new line of coffee pods, I appreciate being able to brew larger cups of coffee than in the original machines, the brewing process is quieter, and I actually find the taste of the Vertuo line of coffee to be good and have beautiful crema even when making large cups! In fact, there is now no need to travel to see the barista, because I can enjoy great tasting coffee in my own home, at the touch of a button.
I hope you found this review helpful!
Pricing and Availability on Amazon: Nespresso VertuoPlus Coffee and Espresso Maker by Breville (aff)