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Nespresso coffees have grown in popularity over the years as more and more people have bought the machines and thus the coffee pods, they were distinctive and Nespresso went further and added a Vertuo style design in their Pods to expand the drinking aspects further. But if you were fortunate to have, be given or purchase a Nespresso machine it can be a little overwhelming, Looking at machines, Boutiques, Pods, pods sizes, strength grading etc it can all be a lot, especial if you’re new to them.
I finally got round to buying a machine a few years ago now after trying a few different Pod-based coffee machines over the years, I even wrote a post about it, but looking back it was a bit of a change, and in my opinion, Nespresso is probably the most overwhelming Pod-based process of them all, and for some up there with actual grounded beans machines, but in reality there not. I thought it was best as I talk so much about coffee that I make a fair, honest guide to having a Nespresso for the first time or early on.
Table of Contents
Coffee pods
There are two different pods, the original and Vertuo, this ultimately provide different sized drinks, within the original is provides one shot of whatever strength coffee you use. Nespresso does provide strength levels on their boxes and online, if you were to visit the boutiques that have coffee to try, this is often a great way to discover what you want.
Nespresso also sell variety style boxes with different selections of their pods, this is an excellent way to discover over time what you want, and it will take a while, they even provide discovery as an option, throughout the year they will have special flavours, however, they are not different drinks, if you have other branded machines like Tassimo, Gusto etc which provides different drinks then Nespresso is not that, it’s all about the coffee and you make the drink with them.
The newer Vertuo pods are different, the original ones now have different companies make that sized pods for your machines, however, Nespresso own the trademark for the Vertuo design they are the only ones that officially provide these, much like the originals there are different flavours and strengths and these can further differ through the year with special coffee pods.
However the only thing a little trickier is with these Vertuo pods is there are 3 sizes! lol, the idea is you have one machine but still have the option for an espresso shot like its sister machine, a lungo size for bigger coffees, and Alto for BIG coffee, good for travel mugs. Don’t be confused by them, small medium large is just the size of the coffee, easy to remember, but remember from cost value these pods are more expensive than the little sister ones, but that’s because you are ultimately having more coffee.
Machines
There are a few different machines over the years, and you have to remember there are two different versions (more to come), the original Nespresso pod version has been done several times and they bring out updated versions of there machines, With the Original they can be used in bigger more elaborate versions with integrated milk frother etc, all the way down to little ones with small tanks and can be a colourful and pretty in design.
Don’t be put off by the size, the idea is simple and if you want to pump out an espresso size coffee or add that “shot” into some milk then it does the job, bigger doesn’t make it better in this instance, its often the water tank and the extras like frother that adds to the size, not the coffee
Speaking of Bigger!, the second version Vertuo pod design was design fr those bigger drinkers, the small pods are great but they are small, so you are either have a french/Italian coffee style drinker or adding to a small Cappucino/Latte then great, but those bigger drinkers will want a mug, much like Americans/English style drinker then the Vertuo adds a much bigger drink.
It produces more coffee because the pods are bigger, the machine, in turn, is normally a little bigger to hold more water and create a more powerful and faster mix with the pod/machine, there are videos on Nespresso youtube if you want to see how the water mixes in the pod.
Accessories
With the pods and the machines you have some coffee in a cup, but what cup and what style of drink do you like?, well Nespresso adds an element of being your own barista, which is similar to the coffee bean-based machines, but they are much more expensive and can be daunting to many, however with the Nespresso coffee you can still make white coffees, Espresso’s, Latte, Mocha, Cappuccino etc, some machines will pump out warm frothy milk as part of them but I’ve not always had much luck, and I’m now dairy intolerant, and those machines are not great with different kinds of milk, and if your black coffee drinker what’s the point of having it lol.
If you do like milk they have a thing called Aerocinno, I’ll be honest once you have it you never go back, the 3rd and 4th version essentially warm and froths your milk separately, you then add everything together like a barista, and if you look on Nespresso youtube there a variety of the different recipes and techniques to make, this works exceptionally well for different milk drinkers as they have been the best way I found to warm and froth those kinds of milk.
These are growing in popularity that no other companies are starting to produce similar ones for there machines etc, Nespresso does have a deluxe model with Wifi enabled etc..its a lot of money and personally I don’t think we are at that point in technology yet if it was cheaper then find, but the Barista version is high.
Nespresso has become a brand so they have a variety of different Glasses, Pod storage and even food items, personally, there are a bit pricey but you could argue your also paying for quality, so they are nice to get if you can afford to, but really have a look at them and find the one that you like, there not ones that you buy a big collection of all of them, as for the food, expensive but very nice lol, but these can make a great gift for people who have or even haven’t got a Nespresso machine.
In reality, you don’t NEED things like this to get going, the coffee machine and personally the Aerocinno are day one purchase, the pod holder in whatever form you would choose is handy, recycle bags are also great to get almost straight away and they are free, the Descaling pack is worth getting because at some point you will need it, so down the line pick it up with one of your extra pod purchases.
Overall
Nespresso is not cheap, and it’s not trying to be, and it’s not great for those who drink five-plus coffees a day, that would rack up the price, that’s what instants are for. There are some simple steps to follow if you’re buying one or planning to, of course, look for the best price etc that’s obvious and applies to everything so lets put that aside. Decide what type of coffee drinker you are, if you an espresso lover or small coffee then the original one is for you if your an all-rounder then the Virtuo is for you, its more expensive, the pods are more but its the better all-rounder.
There’s always offers on! and often if you register and start a Nespresso online account etc you get freebies, and more likely coffee pods, this is your chance to find what you want, this is essential, their customer service is generally good, and it’s worth keeping up with further offers.
If you have purchased the original machine then look for offers on Branded coffee capsules that fit, some are good and fine to use, some are a little cheap, there often not as good as Nespresso but then they are cheaper, aluminium ones are ideal like LOR, BUY the Aerocninno!
if your a fussy milk person like me it’s essential to improve your experience, it can just heat milk, which is great for Hot chocolates without the use of the Nespresso machine)though you could make a Mocha).
Personally its the best coffee I’ve had from all the POD machines I’ve tested and with the variety of coffee they produce you will find something you like, I love the pumpkin spice cake which two years ago if you had asked me about Pumpkin I would have said “uh no, gross” but I tried it at there boutique and it was lovely, now I’m always on the look every year, I’m drinking one as it writes lol. the machine is easy to look after and there are more videos on the youtube channel for Nespresso which I found my useful that the text form, look at it and use it for your planning.
Win a Nespresso Essenza Mini Intense Grey coffee machine
To help you discover the love of Nespresso coffee, I am lucky enough to have a Nespresso Essenza Mini Intense Grey coffee machine to giveaway.
Prize: Nespresso Essenza Mini Intense Grey coffee machine
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Nespresso Essenza Mini Intense Grey
