Why You Can Trust CNET Nespresso VertuoLine review: A single-serve coffee maker with style
Nestle's Nespresso brand makes a foray into single-serve coffee makers with new, retro-style VertuoLine machines.
Nestle's Nespresso brand is known for its espresso-centric line of at-home brewers. In an attempt to appeal to folks who also like coffee, it recently launched VertuoLine, Nespresso's very first single cup espresso and coffee maker. Nespresso is targeting premium brew fans with its proprietary selection of barcoded "Grand Cru" coffee and espresso pods. At $299, VertuoLine machines aren't cheap, but they do offer superior design and usability, and Nespresso's signature crema layer that makes your daily dose of caffeine feel a bit more gourmet. Overall, though, this machine didn't yield significantly better coffee than what you can find from other, less expensive models and coffee pods. Still, if you're interested in a machine that strictly makes coffee and espresso, VertuoLine is a very good option.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Design and features
Nespresso's VertuoLine comes in chrome, black, or red. The machine has a retro vibe that I really like, especially since other models we've tested offer function, but very little character. The VertuoLine measures 8.32 inches wide by 11.91 inches deep by 11.93 inches tall, about the same as a standard K-Cup machine. It weighs 10.8 pounds, has a mid-sized 40-ounce water tank, and a 14-pod capacity disposal bin.
It offers three adjustable cup heights to accommodate small espresso cups, standard coffee mugs, and larger travel mugs. The machine defaults to 1.35 ounces for espresso and 7.77 ounces for coffee, although you can customize these settings to anywhere from 0.3 ounces to 17 ounces. A single button controls the entire coffee maker, and you can adjust the settings via a combination of different button presses. A latch at the top locks the pod into place and releases it smoothly into the disposal bin after it brews your drink.
VertuoLine takes 15 to 20 seconds to preheat. During the brewing process, the pod spins rapidly due to Nespresso's trademarked Centrifusion Technology. That tech is supposedly what creates the decadent crema layer of foam. VertuoLine will automatically power down after 9 minutes.
A sample pack of capsules come with your purchase, so you can taste test the various blends for yourself. And if you tire of plain espresso, you can add Nespresso's Aeroccino+ milk frother into the rotation for lattes, but that's it as far as accessories go. From here, the features are a bit of a disappointment. The VertuoLine is only compatible with Nespresso's own coffee and espresso capsules.
You can't add your own coffee grinds, you can't add a filter to make plain hot water for tea, and you definitely can't use another brand's coffee capsules in this machine. Nespresso designed its pods to ensure that. Each one is branded with a barcode that the machine scans to determine the specific brewing instructions. That's a pretty severe limitation when some other single-serve coffee makers come with so many accessories and brew options.
Take the $159.99 Bunn My Cafe MCU. It's smaller at 11.3 pounds and measuring 13.5 inches wide by 9.2 inches deep by 16.5 inches tall. It's also extremely versatile, offering a hot water attachment for tea or oatmeal, a pod attachment for tea bags, a third attachment for ground coffee, and another attachment for K-Cups or other coffee capsules. While it doesn't have a pod disposal bin, has a smaller 14-ounce water reservoir, and looks pretty utilitarian, it feels very durable and it can make pretty much any warm beverage imaginable.
Both the $179.99 Keurig K75 Platinum and the $149.99 Keurig Vue V700 have larger water tanks, but they are also bulkier, heavier, and flimsier than the Nespresso VertuoLine. The $149 Starbucks Verismo 580 measures 8.2 inches wide by 14.8 inches deep by 16.4 inches tall. It weighs 8 pounds has storage space for up to 10 coffee pods and a 33.8-ounce water bin capacity. Like the VertuoLine, it's limited to its own proprietary coffee and espresso pods. It looks very sleek from the front, but it's a very long machine -- 14.8 inches deep -- and that makes it look really awkward on a countertop.
Usability and maintenance
One of my favorite things about this coffee maker is its simplicity. It has one button and that one button controls everything. The water tank is located in a spot that's easy to reach, remove and put back in place and the coffee pods are easy to insert. Locking the lid take a bit more muscle that I would have expected, but I like the way it clicks securely into place. I really like that you don't have to bother with selecting a brew type. The barcode on the coffee pod does everything for you. And when it's done brewing, simply unlock and lift the lid and your used coffee pod will slide to the bin disposal area.
Maintenance is a bit more involved and might require a look at the user manual. All of the various options -- running a cleaning cycle, descaling, restoring default settings -- have very specific instructions. And since there's only one button, the cleaning cycle is initiated by pressing the button three times in 2 seconds, while the descaling cycle is initiated by holding down the button for 7 seconds. None of these instructions are complicated, but they also aren't easy to remember.
I found all of the other machines a bit more complicated to use both in general and for periodic maintenance, except for the Bunn My Cafe MCU. Both Keurig models and to a lesser extent the Starbucks Verismo 580 have a series of buttons and options that clutter the display and aren't particularly intuitive. Starbucks Verismo 580 also failed in terms of design, hiding its water tank in the very back where it's more difficult to reach.
Performance
We compared the $299 VertuoLine to several other single cup coffee makers during testing. Nespresso's competition includes the $159.99
(Shorter bars indicate faster brewing)
As you can see from the chart, Nespresso's VertuoLine machine came in last on brew time (using factory settings for ounces). While the Bunn brewed an 8 ounce cup of coffee in just 42 seconds, the VertuoLine took its time, brewing 7.7 ounces of coffee in 1 minute and 51 seconds. I use a french press at home, so 1 minute and 51 seconds from start to finish feels incredibly fast, but it's painfully slow in the world of single-serve coffee makers.
If you're usually making coffee as you're running out the door every morning, that 2 minutes could get pretty annoying. Overall, though, it didn't bother me. The Nespresso VertuoLine manual says, "It will take some time before the coffee flow comes out (due to barcode reading and coffee pre-wetting)." Since the barcode is used to give the machine brewing instructions (and keep its pods proprietary), you won't have to spend extra time hovering over the machine pressing an "espresso" or "coffee" button -- simply press the "start" button and you're done. I'm willing to wait a bit longer for my coffee if it means I'm saving time pressing a series of buttons, but you can't beat the Bunn My Cafe's impressive 42-second brew time.
Nespresso boasts about its Grand Cru coffee and espresso pods and its signature crema layer, but we didn't notice a considerable difference in taste between these blends and other single-serve options we've tried. It consistently delivered fine coffee, but so did the Starbucks Verismo, Keurig Vue, and Bunn My Cafe. The crema layer is really the performance feature that makes Nespresso's product stand out -- and I think it makes a difference in how you feel about your cup of coffee. It gives it a premium vibe that might make you want to savor your drink a bit more, even if it tastes roughly the same as a K-Cup or other pod-style coffee in the end. I don't think the crema will be enough to justify VertuoLine's price for most folks, but it definitely makes one classy-looking brew.
Conclusion
Nestle's $299 Nespresso VertuoLine is pricy, but its streamlined approach to brewing is easily the best we've seen in a single-serve coffee maker. While you can make coffee and espresso in this machine, you're limited to Nespresso-brand pods. You also won't find any accessories for adding your own coffee grinds or making hot water for tea -- this machine is entirely (Nespresso-brand) coffee and espresso-focused.
If you want the convenience of at-home coffee and espresso, I like this machine much more than the Starbucks Verismo 580. The VertuoLine's crema layer definitely adds something extra and its layout is significantly better than the Verismo. You can also add Nespresso's Aeroccino+ milk frother for homemade lattes, which is way better than the powdered milk pods Starbucks offers. If you aren't too keen on espresso, though, I'd stick with the Bunn My Cafe. It received an Editors' Choice award last year for its affordability and versatility.