A compact cup of coffee is within reach, and one that might bring a taste of phone-friendly automation, as Nespresso’s Vertuo line takes on a new look.
With prices rising everywhere, doing what you can to save on your spend and budget better can come at the expense of an addiction to caffeine.
If the first place you consider cutting back is by tracking how much coffee you drink and what it does to your budget, the number might have you wondering how you can keep prices low, and that might lead you to a coffee machine at home.
Unsurprisingly, coffee machines can help ease the blow of the price of coffee, because you’re really only paying for the coffee and whatever it’s mixed with. Granted, you won’t always get the great company baristas and patrons are known for, but if you’re not too fussed about that for every drink, coffee at home might do the trick.
When it comes to coffee at home, there are typically two types of machines: the models that ask you to do something, and the models that do everything for you.
It’s in this last category where Nespresso typically sits, and where its “Vertuo” line has been placed since it launched back in 2017.
Different to the regular Nespresso pods, Vertuo wasn’t just about the espresso shot, but also about the longer drinks, something the standard CitiZ and regular Nespresso pod could do, but less what it was known for. Vertuo was more about the drink, and arrived in a different style, with a larger pod and some information about how to prepare the coffee written into the barcode on the inside of the pod’s lip.
Back when it launched, Vertuo was a larger machine, but it appears Nespresso is shrinking that, with the latest model being much smaller.
Called the Vertuo Pop, it’s Nespresso latest style to use the same “Centrifusion” tech that allows the machine to read a barcode on the capsule and understand how to prepare the coffee, making a 150ml long (gran lungo), 80ml double espresso, 40ml regular espresso, or even a 230ml mug of coffee, as you do.
Aside for a reduction in size, the Vertuo Pop will come with support for WiFi and Bluetooth to let you connect it with an app, plus an Expert Mode to let you go beyond what the barcode suggests.
Jump into Nespresso’s “Expert Mode” with two presses of the button and the machine will let you prepare one of the Vertuo varieties differently, converting an espresso to a shorter ristretto or a lungo to a single shot.
“The new Vertuo Pop offers an elegant solution for those seeking cafe-quality coffee at home and in a more compact style,” said Jean-Marc Dragoli, General Manager for Nespresso in Australia.
“The sleek design and bright colours, will elevate any kitchen or workspace, no matter the size,” he said.
The price could also be one of the compelling reasons to consider the new machine, with Australians able to find the Vertuo Pop now for $229 for the Vertuo Pop by itself, of $319 when paired with the extra that is the Aeroccino3 milk frother. Unlike some of Nespresso’s other models, such as the Lattissima One, the milk frother isn’t included in the design, but can be added extra, or just left out if you already happen to have one from the previous models.
