Nespresso Vertuo Coffee and Espresso Machine by De’Longhi, Piano Black

Amazing. Hands down THE BEST coffee maker I have ever owned! It’s like having a fancy coffee shop in my kitchen. The milk steamer is an amazing bonus and I love the convenience of ordering the coffee pods online. Also love that these pods can be recycled. As a coffee lover this was an excellent purchase and worth every penny 🙂

Purchased a few months ago. A really enjoy how easy it is to make a great coffee. Great choice of coffee pods

If you’re like me, you hit up the coffee stand all the time. Which adds up. In the lilong run, this machine will help you save money even with the pods being about $1 a pod. It does sound like an airplane taking off but it doesn’t matter to me. I like how it isn’t messy and easy to use. I sat on the fence about buying this but I have no regrets.

If you like really hot coffee made in a Keurig where boiling water is forced through a plastic pod or made in a Mr. Coffee pot where boiling water is dripped over pre-ground coffee out of a bag and then left to sit on a hot pad until you get around to pouring a cup, this machine and the cost of the coffee pods is not for you. If you drink your coffee out of a paper cup or insulated mug while driving to work, Nespresso is probably not worth your time. If, on the other hand, you enjoy relaxing and savoring a cup of really good coffee, this is the one you should consider.

The Nespresso machine is designed to make a precisely brewed cup of coffee not to produce a boiling hot cup of Joe.
Each Nespresso pod has a bar code that tells the machine exactly how to custom brew that particular coffee. It knows how fast to spin the extractor, the correct temperature, and the amount of water to use. So, if you use a room temperature cup the coffee might end up a little cooler than you are used to drinking. I just put a little water in my cup and microwave it for a minute to preheat, and then I dump the hot water and brew my Nespresso. That way the cup doesn’t cool off my coffee.

I bought the De’Longhi ENV135BAE Coffee and Espresso Machine Bundle with Aeroccino Milk Frother. The milk frother is a great addition and much less expensive when bought with the machine. It is simple to use and clean, and it quickly produces a nice froth. IMHO well worth the price.

The machine comes with an assortment of twelve pods of different coffee flavors, intensities, and sizes. So far I have tried half of them and have yet to zero in on one favorite. They are all good in their own way. You won’t find the pods in your grocery store. You will have to order online, but they are available from Amazon and Nespresso and at the same price with free shipping. Pods come in sleeves of ten, and you will probably find it most convenient to order forty or fifty at a time. So, if you object to spending $50 or more at a time for coffee, don’t invest in a Nespresso.

If you like gourmet coffee with crema, Nespresso will take your enjoyment of coffee brewed at home to a whole new level. The machine is a lot less expensive and easier to use than purchasing your own traditional espresso machine, and in my opinion, the coffee drinks produced are on a par with what I have had in Italy where they take their coffee really serious.

The machine came quickly, and the setup instructions were easy to follow. One of the Amazon reviewers had posted a picture of a hairline crack in the bottom of their water tank. As a result, I took a close look and found a similar very small crack in my tank. I called the 24-7 Nespresso help line, and since my machine was only two days old, they are shipping me a no cost replacement. It was shipped within two hours of my call. If you buy a machine check it carefully as anything considered normal wear and tear is not covered by the warranty.

Operation of the machine is really easy. You press the button and wait fifteen seconds for the machine to preheat and the button to stop flashing. While that is occurring you fill the water container with fresh tap water and put your cup in place (I recommend preheating the cup). You then turn the knob to open the machine and you put in a pod. You then close the machine and turn the handle to lock it closed. Finally, you repress the button, and the machine will do its thing. After brewing is complete, you reopen the machine, and it ejects the spent pod into the side container. The container holds over a dozen spent pods. So, you don’t have to touch the spent pods after each cup of coffee. If you order your coffee from Nespresso they will send you a free package for free UPS shipping of the spent pods for recycling. Since the pods are made out of aluminum, they are not biodegradable, and Nestle is providing a no-cost way to recycle (if you so desire).