Nespresso Vertuo Coffee and Espresso Maker by Breville, Matte Black

So it is a single serve machine (make sure you get a Vertuo if you want full cups of coffee), and yes it uses pods. So it's like a Keurig, but that's where the similarities end. The Keurig makes a decent cup of coffee for the price, the K-Cups can be had for 40 cents a pop, give or take. Again, the coffee is decent. But my old Keurig was not getting as hot any more, and the pump was getting weak. It had a good long life, so no complaints there. I kept reading about Nespresso, and found it interesting. So I took the plunge. Yes the pods are more expensive, but I knew that going in.....The machine is very simplistic, a water tank, an empty pod collection tank and an on/off button. You can simply put in a pod of the desired beverage, hit the start button and that's all. The pods are created for different beverages, and sizes. I am a coffee drinker so the 7.7 oz pods work for me, but I like a little more coffee in my mug. So, for the certain pod size, one can customize it to brew a little more than that 7.7 oz size, and it will remember the customization the next time you use that size pod. It's in the instruction manual. So there is some customization there. They also make a 14 oz Alto pod too. Will be trying that once my pod shipment comes. It doesn't have a clock on it or a tocuhscreen and all of that. It's simple and looks good in the kitchen, and smaller than the Keurig, so less space taken. I will add though, I cannot fit any of my standard travel mugs under the unit, so I cannot directly brew into them, so one drawback. Other machine designs from DeLonghi or Breville may allow for them, check the specs before ordering if that is a big deal for you.The coffee. It's really good. I preheat a little half and half and then brew the coffee. It does have what they like to refer to as a "crema" head on the brewed coffee. It does add a little extra to the experience. It is a fuller flavor than a Keurig. Don't let the whole crema, finished coffee color fool you, it's got some body and full flavor. It doesn't look like a normal black cup of coffee. Again, it is good coffee. Some have mentioned it is not as hot as a Keurig, or traditional drip maker. I agree, but it's not warm or cold or anything. I'm not one to want to wait a long time for my coffee to cool down. It is a very hot, drinkable temperature. I'll try an instant read thermometer on it. But if you want scalding hot coffee that you need to dump a ton of milk in it too cool down, then this won't be for you. Oh yeah, and it's good coffee. ;)Time will tell if I grow to love this, I'm still in the honeymoon phase. And I'll try some different pods and see how they all go. I need a machine for work too now!***Update. Maybe I was unlucky or what but ordering pods from Nespresso direct is slow as....I ordered on 12-3 and got a shipping notice that product has shipped. Now it won’t arrive until 12-23. That’s not efficient. They person I spoke to the other day said my order was going to deliver on 12-16....they need to get their act together. I’ll report back if the next shipment does better or worse.

The media could not be loaded. I needed a coffee maker for my home. I used to get my daily coffee fix at my office. However, I have been working from home since the onset of COVID. What I wanted was a easy and fast cup of coffee. I also wanted a coffee maker that offered plenty of variety. Also, it had to be dependable ... I did not want to be investing in a new coffee maker every six months. After a few days of research I decided to buy the Nespresso Vertuo Coffee and Espresso Machine by Breville with Aeroccino. I am so glad I did ... it has been exactly what I wanted ... and more!My research suggested that if I wanted an easy and fast cup of coffee with plenty of variety I needed to buy a pod style coffee maker. Pods allow you to change up flavors and types at your whim without any concern that the coffee will lose its fresh taste. Also, pods are easy and fast ... put the pod in the machine ... press a button ... and in a minute you have a hot cup of coffee.I looked at both Keurig and Nespresso and decided Nespresso was for me. Reviews and comments from friends and family suggested that Keurig coffee tends to taste watered down while comments on Nespresso said that the coffee had a rich, bold taste. I was sold on Nespresso, but now which machine to buy? There is the Nespresso Original and the Nespresso Vertuo. Both make great coffee ... but the Original is focused more on European style espresso while the Vertuo makes espresso as well as full sized cups of coffee. Vertuo seemed like it offered more options, so that is what I chose.Next, I had to decide on the type of Nespresso Vertuo machine I would buy. I have a strong preference for Breville appliances. Breville products are well built, durable and look nice. When I found that Breville makes a Nespresso Vertuo machine I was sold ... that was the one for me. I placed my order with Amazon and a few days later I was brewing coffee at home one cup at a time.I have been using this machine for several months now and have no complaints. It is everything I had hoped for ... and more. The machine is relatively quiet when brewing. I attached a video with sound so you can hear the machine do its thing. It takes about a minute to brew a full cup of coffee. My machine came with a milk frother quickly produces a warm frothy milk.There are many pod options available for this machine. There are espresso pods which make a 2oz to 3oz shot of espresso. There are 5oz to 7oz pods ... up to XL pods that produce a 14oz cup. Nespresso uses a 1 to 10 scale to define the strength of the coffee, with 1 being mild and 10 being extra bold. I have found my sweet spot is in the 4 to 6 range.I mentioned the machine is everything I wanted ... and more. The "more" part can be seen in the video. This machine produces a nice full bodied crema. The machine reads a bar code on the underside of the pod. The barcode tells the machine the type of coffee being brewed and how quickly to "spin" the pod to produce a perfect crema. I attached a picture of a pod so you can see the barcode. This is much more than I expected ... and makes for an enjoyable cup of coffee every time.I have no complaints about this machine. It is easy to clean and simple to use. I highly recommend it. Five stars.

Replacement for the one that quit

Game changer!!! I love these machines. Smooth rich coffee with milk foamed with a bit of Baileys …. Cant wait to get up in the morning!

Love this coffee maker! It's fancy, efficient, and easy to use. Quick, not too loud, and creates fantastic foam. The variety of flavours is a plus, even if the caps are a bit pricey—they're worth it for me.

I had a coffee from this machine at my son’s home, it was so delicious! I was convinced and looked to buy it. I’ve got it (new) at discount price and tried it since yesterday. Everything was smoothly occurred as described in the welcome book (cleaning process, account open/register for guarantee, etc..). The welcome pods were included for tasting. I’d recommend if you are a coffee gourmet. The cons are: noisy and expensive pods. The pros are : exquisite coffee, simple manipulation and sturdy machine.For me, it gives me a pleasure to start the day and I don’t mind about the noise and costly pods.

The media could not be loaded. Hermoso diseño, magnífica calidad, el café es más espumoso que en mi anterior Nespresso Vertuo, altamente recomendable!