The Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ Coffee & Espresso Maker by Breville is the smallest model in Nespresso’s lineup of Vertuo machines, and it’s designed to fit into a kitchen that has little free counter space. Just place a pod inside, close the top, and push one button, then let the machine do the rest. This Vertuo offers five different cup size options ranging from a single shot espresso to a 12-ounce hot coffee, or as an option poured over ice. The 25 fluid ounce water reservoir located on the side of the machine makes refilling easy without moving the machine itself. Once activated, the heat-up time is approximately 30 seconds.
Head over to Amazon to get the Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ Coffee & Espresso Maker by Breville for just $89, down from its usual price of $130. That’s a $41 discount and 32% off.
An espresso maker that brews restaurant-quality drinks at home
The Vertuo, which uses Centrifusion for its coffee-making process, works differently from most espresso machines, which rely on high pressure to create an extract. Each Vertuo pod has a barcode embedded in the rim that allows the machine to read the information before extracting. After reading the barcode, the machine can determine the volume of water, the temperature at which the water will be dispensed, and the speed at which the pod will spin in order to accommodate each specific blend. That’s why two pods with significantly different blends, such as a light roast and a very dark roast, don’t receive the same treatment from the machine. Along with those three adjustable parameters, the spinning motion applied to the pod is what creates the layer of foam, or crema, atop your drink.
Five cup sizes cover most of what people drink at home, including 5, 8, and 12-ounce coffees along with single and double espressos. Brewing over ice works with the same pods, so an iced coffee in the summer doesn’t require a different machine or a different capsule. Nespresso keeps more than 40 permanent Vertuo blends in rotation, plus limited editions, and Starbucks makes pods for the Vertuo system as well.
The machine handles its own cleanup to a point. Used pods eject automatically into a container inside, so you’re not fishing a hot capsule out with your fingers after every cup, and a descaling alert tells you when the machine needs attention rather than leaving you to guess. The drip tray adjusts to two positions depending on whether you’re using a small cup or a taller mug.
The aluminum capsules are fully recyclable, and Nespresso runs a free recycling program where you fill a bag with used pods and drop it off or mail it back. That’s worth knowing, since pod machines have a reputation for waste that this one partly answers.
A welcome set of assorted Vertuo pods comes in the box, so you can start pulling shots the day the Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ Coffee & Espresso Maker by Breville shows up rather than waiting on a separate coffee order. It’s $89 right now instead of $130, and it comes in coconut white.