Nespresso help!

[Geography101]

Hi there, me and my husband have decided to treat ourselves to a Nespresso machine but feel quite confused by all the different varieties! We both enjoy simple coffees with a splash of cold milk but also enjoy lattes and cappuccinos!

I'm looking at the VertuoPlus with an added Aeroccino milk frother. But also looked at just the original Pixie model, again with the milk frother. My worry with the Pixie model is the size and if it will fit a standard coffee mug underneath it?

Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks so much in advance.

Get one that takes the original cup pods, not one that takes the newer flatter pods...

The original pods are out of patent so you can buy lots of non-espresso branded ones. They are cheaper, have better coffee and many of them are compostable. With Nespresso branded ones, you can only buy them mail order or from one of their shops. Total nightmare if you run out of pods one weekend

So now Nespresso is trying to flog everyone new machines that require you to buy different shapes pods directly from them.

The machines and frothers are all pretty much identical so just get the one you like the look of

My machine has a little shelf thing that you can rest an espresso cup on, or fold up to fit a mug underneath - think that’s common to most of them

'The original pods are out of patent so you can buy lots of non-espresso branded ones. They are cheaper, have better coffee and many of them are compostable. With Nespresso branded ones, you can only buy them mail order or from one of their shops. Total nightmare if you run out of pods one weekend '
*
^This. I sent my modern new one back and got an older version.

I was just coming back on to say I need a machine that will take the non Nespresso pods I.e ones you can just pop in your basket in Tesco! Thank you for that. So I should be looking at the Original machines and not the Vertuo?
I'm swaying more towards the Pixie now, just to double check, the Pixie will take non Nespresso pods?

Yes exactly. The vertuo are the ones only nespresso make

Yes make sure it isn’t a Virtuo one...

Not sure about the Pixie machine, I’m afraid

Also... we’ve got a machine which has the frother sort of attached to the side
It looks neat and it is all plugged in as one
But if the milk overflows, you have to take the stand apart to clean manky milk out so it might be easier to have a machine and separate frother and stand them both on a normal tray (but you’ll need 2 plug sockets)

We’ve got the vertuo - I loathe it. It was on special offer - half the price of the pixie. We used to have the pixie (which I loved) but it ended up destroyed when we fixed house up. Keeping an eye out for pixie in a sale & that vertuo will be got rid of so fast!

@ImAncient

We’ve got the vertuo - I loathe it. It was on special offer - half the price of the pixie. We used to have the pixie (which I loved) but it ended up destroyed when we fixed house up. Keeping an eye out for pixie in a sale & that vertuo will be got rid of so fast!

It’s on special offer because they flog you a cheap machine once and then force you to spend years buying expensive pods from them!

There are better coffee makers around that don’t use pods. Dualit for example.

Exactly!! And stupidly I fell for it. We hardly use it as don’t like the coffees so their gamble failed with us.

We just now stick to filter coffee.

We have an inbuilt coffee machine which uses beans but is such a faff to clean.

@Frenchdressing

There are better coffee makers around that don’t use pods. Dualit for example.

There are but they are a faff to clean and use, and the coffee goes stale if you don’t use it quickly enough, where as the pods last for aaaaages

I'm also liking the look of the CitiZ, there's too much choice and it's very overwhelming I'm so glad I know not to go for the Vertuo though, thank you for help with that!

I have the gran latissima as I usually have milk with coffee and I love it so much! No faffing about with a separate frother at all as it's all built in. Love my morning macchiatos . I second getting an original machine too, whatever you choose.

We have a pixie and it's great for DH who drinks about 4 cups a day of black coffee. As others mentioned, you can nip to the supermarket & buy Starbucks etc compatible pods which is handy. We got a free milk frother but I could never get it to work. It's easier to just microwave milk as needed.x

I think the Vertuo is the equivalent of a cheap printer with expensive cartridges. I buy Nespresso pods from Amazon which are essentially Amazon own brand and a fraction of the price. But I drink a huge amount of coffee.

I have a little original one. I use L’Or pods - as good as the Nespresso ones (they’re aluminium which helps) and available at a good price if you buy in bulk from Amazon - under £25 for 10 packs of 10. I have mine either with frothed milk from the Aeroccino (very handy for kids to make their own hot choc etc too) or more often topped up with a little hot water and cream. You need to use two pods if you want a really long, strong coffee but I’ve got used to making shorter drinks and they taste great!

If you like simple coffee rather than espresso then don’t bother with a Nespresso machine, which is basically just for espresso or for drinks such as cappuccino which use espresso as a base.

You’re better off spending the money on a decent grinder (e.g. Sage), a Hario v60, a nice coffee pot, and an airtight opaque tin for your coffee beans.

The disposable pods that are supposedly recyclable but which most people fling in the bin not only taste like junk but are hideously bad for the environment.